North State Journal Vol. 9, Issue 41

End of an era

Mack Brown’s second tour of duty at UNC ended Saturday with a 35-30 loss to rival NC State, the fourth consecutive time the Wolfpack have beaten the Tar Heels. Brown was 113-79-1 in 16 seasons in Chapel Hill. See more in Sports on B1.

BRIEF

Democrats stick with Schumer as Senate minority leader

Washington, D.C.

Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as its leader Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership elections, in which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was also reelected to the No. 2 spot and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the new No. 3. In a statement, Schumer, of New York, said he was honored to move the party forward “during this crucial period for our country.”

U.S. labor market mixed as job openings rise, hiring slows Washington, D.C.

The number of job postings in the United States rebounded in October from a 3½-year low in September, a sign that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled. Openings rose 5% to 7.7 million from 7.4 million in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. The increase suggests that job gains could pick up in the coming months. Still, the latest figure is down significantly from 8.7 million job postings a year ago. Last month, job openings rose sharply in professional and business services, a category that includes engineers, managers, and accountants, as well as in the restaurant and hotel and information technology industries. The number of people quitting their jobs rose in October, a sign of confidence in the job market. And layoffs tumbled to just 1.6 million — below the lowest figures in the two decades that preceded the 2020 pandemic.

The president had previously pledged not to intervene

By Zeke Miller and Alanna Durkin Richer The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not

Biden pardons convicted son December

to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.

The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two

See BIDEN, page A2

The review says the Division of Employment Security did not fully implement past recommendations

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A new state audit says that $7.8 million in first unemployment benefits did not go out in a timely manner between Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023. The report by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) says the Division of Employment Security (DES) “remains at risk” of not being able to provide timely payments, especially in an instance of an economic downturn.

Additionally, DES consistently did not meet federal timeliness standards. From the data graphs in the report, DES failed to reach federal timeliness standards (87% within 21 days) for the three years spanning 2020-23. DES is part of the state Department

See AUDIT, page A3

“First payment timeliness decreased despite North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreasing from 13.5% in April 2020 to 3.5% in December 2023.”

N.C. State Auditor report on the Division of Unemployment Security

Deadlines for local grants have been extended to Dec. 16

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, monthly events in North Carolina are being held in the lead-up to celebrations planned for the state and federal level in 2026. Deadlines for the America 250 North Carolina grants for towns and municipalities have been extended to Dec. 16. These grants are intended to fund America 250 N.C. programming and activities in the coming year. Questions about the grants can be directed to Dan Brosz at Dan.Brosz@dncr.nc.gov.

December’s America 250 events in North Carolina include:

Yuletide by Lantern Dec. 6, Historic Halifax 25 St. David St., Halifax Hours: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Free entry

An “authentic Christmas of long ago” with interactive historical vignettes decorating homes, public buildings and taverns. A Light in the Darkest of Nights Dec. 6, Brunswick Town/ Fort Anderson 8884 St. Phillips Road S.E., Winnabow Hours: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Free entry Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson offers a “peaceful

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

the word | Gloria in excelsis Deo!’

will toward men.”

with candlelight and greenery.”

German Christmas in Colonial Carolina

Dec. 7, Alamance Battleground

5803 South N.C. 62, Burlington

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Free entry

A chance to learn about North Carolina’s German communities’ traditions, foodways and culture through the special event, “German Christmas in Colonial Carolina.”

Holiday Open House: A Colonial Christmas Dec. 7, Museum of the Albemarle 501 S. Water St., Elizabeth City

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Free entry

The Museum of Albemarle will hold its annual Holiday Open House. This year’s theme is Colonial Christmas on Saturday, and visitors can experience Colonial Christmas through seasonal hands-on activities, games and attractions like a petting zoo and Christmas trees from each of the 13 counties.

An 18th-Century Christmas Dec. 8, Brunswick Town/ Fort Anderson 8884 St. Phillips Road, S.E. Winnabow Hours: 1-5:30 p.m., Ticket purchase required

An exploration of how American colonists celebrated Christmas, including games, food, beverages and hands-on activities. Experience an “authentic period candlelit service” in the ruins of St. Philips Anglican Church beginning at 5 p.m.

Tickets are $5 per adult and

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.”

Luke 2:13

This week we continue the annual tradition of examining the hymns that deepen the spirit of Christmas. The jubilant carol, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” a timeless hymn that echoes the heavenly proclamation of Jesus’ birth and invites believers to join in the angelic chorus glorifying God.

The origins of “Angels We Have Heard on High” trace back to 18th-century France, where it was known as Les Anges dans nos campagnes (Angels in our countryside). This hymn, initially a traditional carol sung during Christmas masses, captures the shepherds’ awe and the angels’ praise as described in Luke 2:8-14. The carol gained prominence when it was translated into English in 1862 by James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic bishop. Chadwick’s translation retained the joyful essence of the original while making it accessible to English-speaking congregations.

The most iconic feature of the hymn is its refrain: “Gloria in excelsis Deo” — Latin for “Glory to God in the highest.” This phrase recalls the angelic praise in Luke 2:13-14, emphasizing the glory and peace brought by the birth of Christ.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good

free for children 12 and under.

Purchase online at tinyurl.com/ nsj-18thcentury

The American Revolution Experience Dec. 11- 29, Cape Fear Museum

814 Market St., Wilmington Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; Free entry

The event, hosted by Wilmington’s Stamp Defiance Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Battlefield Trust, is an “innovative pop-up exhibition” of displays and interactive digital kiosks to bring our nation’s founding to life.

“O Blessed Season” Candlelight tours Dec. 13, House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site 288 Alston House Road, Sanford Hours: 3-6:30 p.m., Ticket purchase required

Step back in time and experience an 18th-century Christmas. Interpreters will portray members of the community who have gathered for a festive party during the holiday season among fresh greenery and candlelight. Purchase online at tinyurl.com/nsj-candelight.

Old Christmas in Historic Bath

Dec. 28, Historic Bath

207 Carteret St., Bath Hours: Bonfire 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bonfire story time 5-7 p.m.; Free entry

Experience an “Old Christmas Season” and learn about the traditions in the Tarheel state in the early 19th century, such as cooking over an open hearth, making ornaments and decorating a tree. Visitors can play games and drink cider at a bonfire or listen to story time.

The verses recount the shepherds’ experience on the night of Jesus’ birth. The humble witnesses to the divine announcement reflect an important biblical theme, highlighting God’s choice to reveal His glory to the lowly and marginalized. The carol invites listeners to imagine the scene: the open fields under a starlit sky, the sudden appearance of angels, and the shepherds’ amazement as they hurried to Bethlehem to find the Christ child.

The second verse invites us to “Come to Bethlehem and see, Him whose birth the angels sing” and the short hymn ends as we “See Him in a manger laid, Whom the choirs of angels praise.”

Singing this hymn allows all believers to join in the heavenly chorus, reflecting the universal call to worship the newborn Christ.

The tune most commonly associated with “Angels We Have Heard on High” is known as Gloria and is believed to have been adapted from an older French folk song. This melody’s cascading notes in the refrain mimic the sound of angelic voices, enhancing the hymn’s celestial theme. The broad appeal of the song has led to countless arrangements across genres.

In the United Kingdom, the song “Angels from the Realms of Glory” by James Montgomery is also typically paired with the “Gloria” tune. Montgomery’s lyric “Come and worship Christ the new-born King” is often replaced with the “Gloria in excelsis Deo” refrain to create a hybrid song known as Iris” for the name of Montgomery’s newspaper where his original song was first published.

As we light the second candle of Advent, symbolizing peace, “Angels We Have Heard on High” reminds us of the profound peace the birth of Jesus

brings to a troubled world. The angels’ song is not just an ancient proclamation but a timeless invitation to glorify God and find peace through Christ. In a season often overshadowed by worldly distractions, this hymn calls us back to the heart of Christmas: the worship of Jesus, the Savior.

To celebrate this beloved carol, North State Journal has added several renditions of “Angels We Have Heard on High” to our Christmas Spotify playlist along with “Angels from the Realms of Glory.”

BIDEN from page A1

months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

It caps a long-running legal saga for the president’s son, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 — a month after Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

In June, Biden categorically ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters as his son faced trial in the Delaware gun case, “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”

As recently as Nov. 8, days after Trump’s victory, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”

In a statement released Sunday evening, Biden said, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” alleging that the prosecution of his son was politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.”

“The charges in his cases came about only after sever -

al of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son.”

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden added, claiming he made the decision this weekend. The president had spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, with Hunter and his family. He was convicted in June in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 when, prosecutors said, he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. He was set to stand trial in September in the California case accusing him of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. But he agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise move hours after jury selection was set to begin. Hunter Biden said he was

pleading guilty in that case to spare his family more pain and embarrassment after the gun trial aired salacious details about his struggles with a crack cocaine addiction.

The tax charges carry up to 17 years behind bars and the gun charges are punishable by up to 25 years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines were expected to call for far less time and it was possible he would avoid prison time entirely.

Hunter Biden said in an emailed statement that he will never take for granted the relief granted to him and vowed to devote the life he has rebuilt “to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”

“I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” the younger Biden said.

A spokesperson for special counsel David Weiss, who brought the cases, did not respond to messages seeking comment Sunday night.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“The Adoration of the Shepherds” by El Greco (1614) is a painting in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

CREATIVE COMMONS

Historic Bath is one of the sites that is hosting an America 250 event this month.

AMERICA 250 from page A1

SUSAN WALSH / AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 26.

Heritage Foundation offers college choice recommendations

The conservative nonprofit provides prospective students with three rankings

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The conserva-

tive-learning Heritage Foundation has rolled out a new tool for students and parents to “choose a college with confidence.”

“Universities should promote freedom, opportunity, and upward mobility, fostering free expression and open academic inquiry. They should be intellectually rigorous and provide students with a solid return on investment,” the Heritage website states. “American colleges and universities should reclaim their place as the most renowned academic institutions in the world. This site highlights colleges and universities that exemplify these goals along with those institutions that need to reorient themselves toward academic excellence, free expression, and ideological balance.”

The website uses a data visualization of colleges across the country using a rating scale of “Great Option,” “Worth Considering” and “Not Recommended.”

“Great Option” universities offer intellectually rigorous en-

vironments with minimal DEI administrative influence, strong academic freedom, competitive post-graduation outcomes, and a balanced approach to ideological discourse.

Institutions deemed “Worth Considering” provide solid academic programs with designated centers for rigorous study, though not as consistently conservative-friendly as “Great Option” schools, and often feature specialized academic initiatives that promote intellectual diversity. Universities that are “Not Rec-

ommended” demonstrate significant administrative ideological bias, weak core curricular standards, limited viewpoint diversity, and poor return on investment through lower graduation rates and diminished post-graduation income potential.

Around 280 colleges and universities are currently on the Heritage map, which includes seven schools in North Carolina out of the 59 four-year higher education institutions in the state.

Two of the seven are considered a “Great Option”: Belmont

Belmont Abbey College was one of two North Carolina schools to receive a “Great Option” grade from Heritage Foundation’s new college choice tool.

Heritage Foundation’s Jonathan Butcher said the goal of the map project is to give parents guidance on what schools they could feel safe or have confidence in sending their child to, as well as feeling like their child would get a solid foundations in academics and values.

“We started by looking at where else have some of these institutions been rated and why, and what were they ranked and why,” said Butcher. “And then we said, “Well, if we were going to give recommendations to a parent, what would we tell them?”

Butcher said that two sources they looked at in creating the map were school information and rankings from the Association of Council for Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

He added they also looked at what those types of rankings don’t take into consideration.

Abbey College, which is located in Belmont and is the only college in the state affiliated with the Catholic Church, and Thales College, located outside of Raleigh in Wake Forest.

Three schools on the list are all UNC System Schools rated as “Worth Considering”: NC State, UNC Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University.

The final two on Heritage’s list for North Carolina are Duke and Wake Forest. They fall under the “Not Recommended” category.

Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end

Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm to hit the U.S mainland in nearly 20 years

By Isabella O’Malley and Mary Katherine Wildeman

The Associated Press

THE 2024 ATLANTIC hurricane season ended Saturday, bringing to an end a season that saw 11 hurricanes compared to the average seven, and death and destruction hundreds of miles from where storms came ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Meteorologists called it a “crazy busy” season due in part to unusually warm ocean temperatures. Eight hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., Bermuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Grenada.

“In New England, in particular, some of the colleges that you know tend to be called selective and get high marks on, say, the U.S. News & World Report rankings,” Butcher said. “We point out that some of these schools actually don’t do well when it comes to free speech on campus or the way in which, say, Jewish students were treated last spring, and whether that actually represents the protecting the pursuit of truth.”

Butcher said the initial map will be added to as the project progresses and that they plan to add 1,000 schools in the next release.

corded in the Gulf of Mexico. The only one stronger by that measure was Hurricane Rita in 2005.

The areas where Helene and Milton struck saw as much as three times their usual rainfall for September and October, the heart of the Atlantic hurricane season. For Asheville, Tampa and Orlando, the two-month period was the wettest on record.

In November, Hurricane Rafael reached 120 mph and was nearly the strongest November hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Kate in 1985. Rafael made landfall in Cuba and battered the island as it was trying to recover from widespread blackouts caused by Hurricane Oscar in October.

Several factors contribute to the formation of hurricanes, but unusually warm oceans allow hurricanes to form and intensify in places and times we don’t normally anticipate, McNoldy said.

Hurricane Beryl became the first Category 4 hurricane on record to form in the month of June, slamming into the island of Carriacou in Grenada. In Jamaica, it went on to destroy crops and houses and left two dead. The last time the island was scraped by a Category 4 hurricane was Dean in 2007, making it “pretty rare,” said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. The storm intensified into the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever in the Atlantic on July 1. Major hurricanes — Category 3 and above — are not usually seen until Sept. 1, according to the National Hurricane Center.

AUDIT from page A1

of Commerce, headed by Secretary Machelle Sanders and Deputy Secretary M. Antwon Keith.

“DES did not fully implement OSA’s recommendation to review the design of its unemployment benefit claims process and ensure the process is designed so that first payments meet the federal timeliness standard,” the OSA report says.

The report says the full implementation did not occur “because it chose to prioritize improvements to claimant eligibility determination processes” over timeliness.

“Specifically, DES implemented faster ‘second request’ employer notices for separation questionnaires, and implemented changes to the work distribution system to rank claimant eligibility work items by priorities,” according to the report.

Per the report, in 2023, the Department of Employment Services (DES) issued 60,815 first unemployment benefit payments: 57% (34,718) met the federal timeliness standard; 43% (26,097) were late and

In September, Hurricane He-

lene caused catastrophic damage across the southeastern U.S. and was the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. More than 200 people died. North Carolina estimates the storm caused at least $48.8 billion in direct or indirect damages with houses, drinking water systems, and

farms and forests destroyed. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia also sustained extensive damage.

In October, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified and the storm’s maximum wind speeds hit a screaming 180 mph, making it one of the strongest hurricanes by wind speed ever re -

19% (11,371) took more than 35 days. The audit also says DES’s first payment timeliness has “worsened” since the last audit performed on the topic and decreased from 76% during the previous audit to 57% in the current audit. “First payment timeliness decreased despite North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreasing from 13.5% in April 2020 to 3.5% in December

2023,” the report states. “Ad-

ditionally, DES no longer administers the additional six unemployment programs implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Former State Auditor Beth Wood’s prior audit of DES was published in early 2022 and found the agency failed to get the first pandemic benefit payments out in a timely manner in 2020 between Jan. 1 and March 31. The dollar figure at-

“In other words, we never had a storm as strong as Beryl so early in the season anywhere in the Atlantic and we never had a storm as strong as Milton so late in the season in the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.

“I don’t ever point to climate change as causing a specific weather event, but it certainly has its finger on the scale and makes these extreme storms more likely to occur,” said McNoldy.

A report from the state auditor says the Division of Employment Security continues to lag behind federal guidelines in disbursing payments.

tached to those payments was $438 million. Another audit released in the latter half of 2022 revealed $166 million in improper unemployment insurance (UI) payments made between the beginning of April 2016 and the end of March 2021. The improper unemployment insurance payment rate averaged 18% from April 1, 2016, through March 31, 2021, and exceeded the 10% federal improper pay-

ment rate allowed by the United States Department of Labor.

The 2022 audit report said DES exceeded the improper payment limit because it failed to implement USDOL recommendations to reduce improper payments that resulted from three areas: work search requirements, benefit year earnings, and separation information issues.

These three types of errors made up 94% of all DES overpayments over the last five years. In November 2023, lawmakers held a hearing on DES’s history of late payment issues and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wood testified there was a history of the state’s unemployment program having late payment issues going back at least nine years before the pandemic. She reported that from April 4, 2020, to Sept. 4, 2021, only $2.2 million out of $3.6 million (60%) met the federal requirement. During that timeframe, approximately $1.2 billion was disbursed, with $438 million, or 36% of the total payments, being delayed.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

JEFF ROBERSON / AP PHOTO

Personnel from Urban Search and Rescue Utah Task Force 1 work in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Erwin, Tennessee, in early October.

COURTESY NC.GOV

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Lord Acton — Meet Joe Biden

No one ever expected President Biden to leave his son fully helpless on the chopping block like Abraham did with Isaac.

THIS STARTED as an essay on how even a little bit of political power can corrupt otherwise well-meaning souls who enter politics.

And then, President Joe Biden issued his “absolute” pardon of his son Hunter and “absolutely” proved Lord Acton’s famous apothegm to be 100% valid.

Lord Acton nailed it in a letter dated April 5, 1887, to Mandell Creighton, archbishop of the Church of England, in response to Creighton’s assertion that people criticize leaders in authority much too harshly:

“I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. … Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.”

Biden was elected in 2020 with 12 million more votes than any candidate had ever received before because he was supposedly an honest “good ole Joe” who was going to “unite the nation” (his words in his inaugural speech) and never lie to the American people ― plus the fact he was not Donald Trump.

But on Dec. 1, 2024, he signed this pardon while in Normandy and broke his promise never to do so:

“Be It Known, That This Day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, Pursuant to My Powers Under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, Have

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Granted Unto ROBERT HUNTER BIDEN

“A Full and Unconditional Pardon

“For those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024, including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) in Delaware and California.”

Here’s the interesting thing: Hunter Biden was pardoned for all offenses he committed AND all those he “may have committed or taken part in from 2014 to 2024.”

No one ever expected Biden to leave his son fully helpless on the chopping block like Abraham did with Isaac until Yahweh delivered a ram to be sacrificed in his stead. Biden could have simply commuted the sentences Hunter was about to receive this month for tax evasion and lying on his gun purchase application and left it at that.

However, Biden must have thought Trump and his team would do unto him what he and the Obama World of legal assassins have done to Trump and his team for the past nine years. Biden cast a very wide net over any and all crimes Hunter “may have committed” from three years before Joe Biden left office as vice president to Dec. 1. This is what is so troubling about the Hunter Biden “pardon” by his father ― there appears to be so much more to the story.

The “vast right-wing conspiracy,” as Hillary Clinton famously labeled Republican antagonists, has long sought to tie the nefarious dealings of Hunter Biden with Ukraine and China to his father while his father was still vice president to President Barack Obama. No

one overseas or in the U.S. would want to hire Hunter Biden unless he was the son of a sitting vice president who could do something for them while in office.

In Washington, who you know is far more important than what you know. Everyone knows that ― including Joe Biden.

Former NBC correspondent John Harwood tried to speak on behalf of the left-wing media and progressive Democrats who insisted Biden was the second coming of George Washington in terms of virtue when he posted this on X on June 13: “People who insist Biden will pardon Hunter after specifically ruling it out are telling on themselves they can’t imagine anyone acting on principle and keeping his word.”

Well, apparently Joe Biden is acting on principle ― Lord Acton’s.

With this absolute pardon, Joe Biden has not only saved his son from sentencing and further prosecution, but he has also cut the legs out from under any future prosecution of himself by removing Hunter as any sort of a target for further legal investigations.

Don’t be surprised if on Jan. 20, 2025, at precisely 11:59 a.m., President Joe Biden issues the same unconditional pardon to himself and other members of the Biden clan to prevent any future legal action against him in relation to his involvement with all of the tangled overseas network of Hunter Biden.

About the journalist exodus to Bluesky

The folks who have run away to Bluesky have done it because Twitter/X is one of the few places where they can no longer control the narratives and information flow.

NOT LONG BEFORE THE ELECTION, some journalists, news organizations and leftists alike announced on Twitter/X that they had created accounts at an alternative social media platform, Bluesky.

Once it became clear that then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would win the presidential election, the departure of those same groups to Bluesky picked up. Many suggested they could no longer tolerate Twitter/X owner/billionaire Elon Musk considering his support for Trump and considering he was less heavy-handed with the throttle/shadowban buttons than his left-leaning predecessors, who admittedly would censor conservative accounts with wild abandon.

Interestingly, what the reporters and news outlets that moved to Bluesky post-Election Day didn’t pick up on was the fact that in doing so, they were in effect confirming what conservatives had long said about them in the first place: They were liberally biased.

I mean, how else would you explain the fact that so many journalists, pundits and other prominent public figures/commentators quit Twitter/X and ran off to Bluesky just as the left was touting its supposed benefits?

As far as I’m concerned, this was not a coincidence, and a biased write-up from NBC News about the journalists fleeing to Bluesky seemed to prove the point.

“Some of its earliest users included Black, trans and politically progressive people,” the news site observed. “Journalists who belong to and cover issues affecting marginalized populations have found Bluesky

to be a much more welcoming environment.”

Others talked about how the engagement at Bluesky was much better than it was at Twitter/X.

“My average post that isn’t a hot-button issue or isn’t trending might not perform as well on X as it does on Bluesky,” the HuffPost’s Phil Lewis told NBC News. “Judging by retweets, likes and comments, it’s a world of difference.”

Well, when you’re on a social media platform where everyone has eerily similar political mindsets, that is going to happen, especially when everyone is new and eager to commiserate about and stew over election results with like-minded individuals.

Some journalists, like the Mississippi Free Press’ Ashton Pittman, announced in a late November post that the last straw for him regarding Musk’s ownership of Twitter/X was that he was allegedly tweaking the algorithm to boost conservative voices who were also supportive of Trump.

In his view, this made Musk a “governmentaligned billionaire (who had) the ability to control what you see, whether anyone sees what you have to say, and to manipulate your emotions.”

It was a fascinating justification and would have almost been believable if not for the fact that Pittman and other journalists who have used the same excuse for their exit from Musk’s platform stuck around during the coronavirus outbreak as billionaire Twitter higher-ups colluded with senior government officials to suppress any voices critical of the government’s response to the pandemic.

In other words, that excuse rings rather hollow.

The bottom line is that most of the folks who have run away to Bluesky have done it because Twitter/X is one of the few places where they can no longer control the narratives and information flow. They are finding that easier to do on Bluesky, where conservative accounts that have been created are regularly flagged for “harmful content” simply because they post contrarian viewpoints.

George Washington University Law School Professor Jonathan Turley hit the nail on the head with his assessment of the lessons (not) learned by these same people in the aftermath of the election.

“Ironically, one lesson from this election is the danger of both the press and pundits in becoming increasingly out of touch with most of the country,” he wrote. “The shock expressed by many is due to a lack of exposure to opposing views — not the need for further ideological isolation.”

’Nuff said.

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

COLUMN | JOHN CHARLES MCNEILL

Sunburnt Boys

TOM FETZER , former Raleigh mayor and NCGOP chairman, read this poem at a recent NCFree event in a moving tribute to Tim Kent, a highly respected lobbyist for the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association who passed away suddenly on Nov. 18.

Down on the Lumbee River Where the eddies ripple cool Your boat, I know, glides stealthily About some shady pool. The summer’s heats have lulled asleep The fish-hawk’s chattering noise, And all the swamp lies hushed about You sunburnt boys.

You see the minnow’s waves that rock The cradled lily leaves. From a far field some farmer’s song, Singing among his sheaves, Comes mellow to you where you sit, Each man with boatman’s poise, There, in the shimmering water lights,

| MICHAEL BARONE

You sunburnt boys. I know your haunts: each gnarly bole That guards the waterside, Each tuft of flags and rushes where The river reptiles hide, Each dimpling nook wherein the bass His eager life employs Until he dies — the captive of You sunburnt boys.

You will not — will you? — soon forget When I was one of you, Nor love me less that time has borne My craft to currents new; Nor shall I ever cease to share Your hardships and your joys, Robust, rough-spoken, gentle-hearted Sunburnt boys!

John Charles McNeill won the prestigious Patterson Cup for poetry in 1905 and became unofficially the first poet laureate of North Carolina.

The groups and barista proletariat of the Democratic Party

POSTMORTEMS of the Democratic Party’s loss, running well beyond the defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), are starting to come in from some of the party’s most perceptive thinkers.

And it was a loss across the board, not just this year. As RealClearPolitics’ Sean Trende has argued, 2024’s voting patterns were a “rehash” of 2022. Republican gains that year were less than expected, with then-President Donald Trump’s imposition of weak Senate candidates leaving that body 50-50 Democratic and the antics of Trump-favorite former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz sparking turmoil in a narrowly Republican House.

However, the 2022 numbers, plus stronger candidates, produced better results for Republicans this year. Trump’s 50% to 48% popular vote margin over Harris was accompanied by an increase in his percentage from 2020 in every one of the 50 states and from the vast majority of the United States’ 3,141 counties. The most visible exceptions on The New York Times’ ingenious arrow maps were metro Atlanta counties filling up with middle-income black migrants from troubled Northern cities.

Republican capture of a Senate majority was decisive even as the party’s 3% lead in the House popular vote left it with only a bare majority of seats, thanks to Democrats’ gerrymandering. However, Republican gains among Hispanics and Asians and in big metro areas point to possible future gains.

The 2022-24 rejection of Biden-Harris policies may or may not lead to an enduring Republican majority. However, it is, as the headline on an Ezra Klein postelection Times interview proclaims, “the end of the Obama coalition.”

The most major components of his supposedly ascendant Democratic majority, including record turnout and percentages among black voters, continuing supermajorities from Hispanics and Asians, and enthusiastic support from young people, have receded, and support from white college graduates has even cracked a bit. The 44th president, in his Kalorama mansion, 2.5 miles from the White House, has seen the arc of history bend toward Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago.

Smart Democrats are focusing on one cause of their party’s limited but, at least for the moment, decisive decline. Ruy Teixeira, coauthor of “The Emerging Democratic Majority,” which foresaw the Democratic Party’s triumph in 2008 but not its subsequent demise, writes that Democrats have moved sharply left on cultural matters, on racial quotas and preferences, on increasing rather than reducing immigration, toward stands that have repelled “the white working class” in the 2010s and now repel the nonwhite working class in the 2020s.

Once upon a time, Democrats relied on policy advice from state and city party bosses who were in touch with ordinary people. These days, argues economist Noah Smith, they are overly reliant on “a variety of activists and special interests — collectively known as ‘The Groups,’” who, in the contemporary equivalent of smokefilled rooms, “persuade Democratic staffers and politicians of their ideas ... well out of the public eye.”

Klein fleshes out this point, decrying “the power of this nonprofit complex in the Democratic Party.” The Groups, Washingtonand New York-based, don’t really represent the people they presume to speak for.

Hispanic Groups wanted to “decriminalize border crossing.” Hispanic voters don’t. Black Groups wanted to “defund the police.” Black voters don’t.

BE IN TOUCH

University counties are loaded with academics and public employees, plus affluent professionals and indigent grad school dropouts, many attracted by college town ambiance and the large majority disposed toward unpopular leftist policies.

You can see large concentrations of such people — I call them the barista proletariat — extending over relatively low-rent, mostly but not all white neighborhoods, usually subwayaccessible and marijuana dispensary-dotted quarters in our largest cities. They’re apparent on the Times’ graphics department’s superb maps of municipal elections of New York City in 2021 and the Chicago primary and runoff in 2023.

In elections for mayor, barista proletariat neighborhoods voted heavily for leftist Maya Wiley in New York in 2021 and Brandon Johnson for radical teacher union head in Chicago in 2023. Wiley, who lost most black precincts to current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, finished third citywide, but Johnson edged out incumbent Lori Lightfoot in the primary and edged out former school head Paul Vallas 52% to 48% in the runoff a month later. Key votes in both contests were cast by barista proletariat wards.

By almost every standard, Johnson has been a disaster. The result is high crime, departure of corporate headquarters, black as well as white flight from the city and state, and vandalism of once-vibrant shopping districts. Chicago is one of the great artifacts of Western civilization, and the barista proletariat is on the way to destroying it.

Teixeira, Galston, Smith and Klein seem to argue that the Groups represent no existing electoral constituency. However, the barista proletariat does populate the staffs of nonprofit groups and electoral politicians, the ranks of publishers’ assistants, and newspaper and magazine junior editors and writers. Their readiness to protest and shut down Democratic and media operations is a source of power, deployed often with the gleeful abandon of adolescents granting themselves a day off.

The cultural stands that hurt Harris may come and go, but the barista proletariat, which wholeheartedly supported them, remains a continuing liability for a Democratic Party that has been freshly rebuked by the voters and whose dreams of almost automatic victories have been dashed. It’s a group, Smith concedes, that accounts for a large part of why progressive cities are governed so badly, and that, in turn, is one reason so many voters resisted the appeal of a San Francisco Democrat.

The barista proletariat could be a problem for Democrats if they decided to use the presidential nominating process they reformed in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s but have allowed voters to influence, beyond the initial two or three contests, only twice in this century, eight and 16 years ago.

On both occasions, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), with visible barista proletariat support, came close to winning the nomination. Sanders, who turns 87 years old in 2028, presumably won’t run again. However, it’s far from clear that the smart Democrats who understand the harm done to their party by the Groups will be able to outsmart them or outmaneuver their one electoral constituency, the barista proletariat, which threatened to run away with their presidential nomination the last time it was openly contested, eight years ago.

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.”

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

No more ‘curbing your enthusiasm’

LARRY DAVID is the only comedian who can make Trump derangement syndrome funny.

In a 2020 episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the anti-Trump, anti-social David dons a MAGA hat in a Beverly Hills restaurant, knowing that his “people repellant” will guarantee that no one crowds him at the sushi bar.

It worked.

Before Nov. 5, David’s stunt would have worked in blue cities nationwide, but in the weeks following the 2024 election, Trump voters are sporting MAGA hats proudly, openly, in New York City and, most famously, in a swank Beverly Hills restaurant where six MAGA-hatted young women dined, undisturbed, on Nov. 9.

Not for a moment do I think that David will recant his notion that Trump has already “thrown 250 years of democracy out the window” or that Oprah will retract her belief that if Trump wins reelection, “It’s entirely possible that we’ll never have an opportunity to cast a ballot again.”

Nor do I think that the Hollywood elites who peered down from giant screens during Oprah’s town hall meeting for Kamala Harris will admit that their smug contempt for Trump supporters was a voter repellant — against Harris.

If Hollywood celebrities’ preelection contempt for Trump supporters proved counterproductive, their postelection antics have been downright clownish. David himself could not have written a sketch more laughable than the clip of Sharon Stone blaming Harris’ loss on “Americans who don’t travel, who 80% don’t have a passport, who are uneducated.”

But filmmaker Michael Moore’s talent for condescension is not limited to the hoi polloi who voted for Trump. On Nov. 13, Moore declared that Americans “are not a good people” because our founders set in motion a “non-stop cavalcade, a laundry list of evil deeds that led us directly to last week.” The image of Moore indicting our founders calls to mind Mark Twain’s wish “to become so rich that I can instruct the people … like those kindhearted, fat, benevolent people do.”

Missing from today’s parade of “benevolent” leftists is Jerry Seinfeld, who told The New York Times about a local prep school’s plan to allow “emotionally distressed” students to skip school on Nov. 6. In the week following the election, national news accounts mocked Trump-averse university students who had survived Trump’s win by playing with Legos, therapy dogs and “sensory fidgets.” Before the 2024 election, providing “self-care” for grieving leftists had been standard university practice, but Seinfeld has made infantilizing young adults a subject for derision. Even more encouraging is comedian Bill Maher’s comeuppance for his fellow Democrats who, like strategist David Axelrod, blame Harris’ loss on “racism” and sexism.” To account for the higher percentage of African Americans who voted for Trump, Maher explains, “Black people can’t afford to indulge rich white people’s need to endlessly flagellate themselves. They just want prices to go down and good jobs and the police when you call them.”

As for the left’s claim “we’re the smart ones,” Maher counters, “Democrats have become like a royal family that because of so much incest has unfortunately had children who are retarded.” Maher’s advice for the uber-left is to “Stop screaming at people to get with the program and instead make a program worth getting with” because “you, with your aggressively anti-common-sense agenda and sh--ty exclusionary attitude, blew it.”

Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong agrees and, on Nov. 15, went public, admitting, “If we were honest with ourselves, our current board of opinion writers veered very left.” Soon-Shiong’s plan to add “conservative and centrist voices” to the LA Times’ editorial page runs counter to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s resolve to “Trumpproof” California.

In late October, The New York Times reported that Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has plans to expand its readership by adding conservative voices to the Post’s editorial page. And if the sudden demand for MAGA hats in Manhattan souvenir shops signals New York’s shift to the right, The New York Times may decide to balance its editorial page as well.

Victorian poet Matthew Arnold warns, “Nurse no extravagant hopes,” but there’s no curbing my enthusiasm for the prospect of lower prices and a secure border — in short — for the commonsense agenda for Trump’s second term.

Nan Miller is professor emerita in literature from Meredith College and resides in Raleigh.

COLUMN

It is the end of the Obama coalition.

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

several hours due to homicide investigation

Guilford County The westbound lanes on a section of Interstate 40 West in Greensboro were shut dow n for severa hours on Monday morning due to a homicide investigation, according to the Greensboro Police Department. At came to the area of I-40 West near N.C.

Cesar Ignacio

in the

of a black Ram pickup truck. Investigators say the death is being investigated a s a homicide There is no suspect information available at this time. shooting a s the 41st homicide of the year in Greensboro.

WGHP

EAST

charged with DWI Craven County A n Ayden police sergeant faces a DWI charge after being pulled over this past weekend The Highway Patrol says that Todd Johnson, 53, of Winterville, vehicle when he wa s stopped for speeding 76 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 43 just north of Vanceboro. The trooper determined that Johnson wa s drunk Johnson wa s arrested and charged with DW I, speeding open container expired registration and reckless driving.

WITN

Program continues local couple’s bike giveaway Cumberland County More than 2,000 children will receive bicycles and helmets in Fayetteville on Saturday The annual Bike Giveaway Program s the legac y of Moses Mathis, know n to many in the community a s “The Bicycle Man.” He started the giveaway in his backyard more than 30 years ago by repairing bikes in his garage and giving them to children for Christmas Af ter Mathis died in 2013, his wife, Ann, took over the program. She retired the origina program in 2022 and died earlier this year at 78. Bernadette Bogertey-Harvey, the executive director of Healthy Child and Adolescent Network, is now carrying on the legac y of “The Bicycle Man.” She worked for decades behind the scenes of the giveaway with social workers at Cumberland County Schools to identify giveaway. This year, Bogertey-Harvey received 2,500 applications for

NATION & WORLD

Trial for police officer accused of aiding Proud Boys begins

Prosecutors labeled Shane Lamond a “double agent”

By Michael Kunzelman

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A police officer accused of leaking confidential information to Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio became a “double agent” for the far-right extremist group after its members burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in the nation’s capital, a federal prosecutor said Monday at the start of the officer’s trial.

Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond was a “Proud Boys sympathizer” who warned Tarrio about his impending arrest for the banner’s destruction and later lied to investigators about their communications, said the prosecutor, Joshua Rothstein.

“He knew the difference between right and wrong, and he knew it was a crime to lie to law enforcement,” Rothstein said during opening statements for Lamond’s trial.

Lamond, who was arrested in May 2023, is charged with one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will decide the case after hearing testimony without a jury.

Ana Jara, one of Lamond’s attorneys, said describing the veteran officer as a Proud Boys sympathizer is inflammatory and “simply not true.” Jara said prosecutors are asking the judge to view “cherry-picked” messages between Lamond and Tarrio “in a vacuum” without the proper context.

“Context matters, especially in conversations,” Jara said.

Tarrio, who could be a key witness at Lamond’s trial, is serving a 22-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him and other Proud Boys leaders of seditious conspiracy charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The judge said Tarrio was waiting for the outcome of last month’s presidential election

before deciding whether to testify at Lamond’s trial. President-elect Donald Trump, who repeatedly has vowed to pardon people convicted of Capitol riot charges, suggested he would consider pardoning Tarrio.

Tarrio was arrested in Washington, D.C., two days before Proud Boys members were among those who breached the Capitol. The Miami resident wasn’t at the Capitol on Jan. 6 when protestors interrupted the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

Tarrio was sentenced to more than five months in jail for burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington, D.C., and for bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines into the district.

Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department’s Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to the nation’s capital.

Lamond’s name repeatedly came up during Tarrio’s 2023 trial. The men exchanged hun-

dreds of messages across several platforms, with Lamond frequently greeting Tarrio with the words “hey brother.”

Rothstein said Lamond provided Tarrio with “real-time updates” on the police investigation of the Dec. 12, 2020, banner burning. Tarrio, in turn, shared the updates with other Proud Boys members.

“This play-by-play information allowed the Proud Boys to be one step ahead of law enforcement,” the prosecutor said.

In a message to Tarrio on Dec. 25, 2020, Lamond said police investigators had asked him to identify Tarrio from a photograph. Lamond warned Tarrio that police may be seeking a warrant for his arrest.

Later, on the day of his arrest, Tarrio posted a message to other Proud Boys leaders that said, “The warrant was just signed.”

Lamond’s indictment accuses him of lying to and misleading federal investigators when they questioned him in June 2021 about his contacts with Tarrio.

“The defendant knew the truth, and he chose to lie anyway,” Rothstein said.

The indictment also says Tarrio and Lamond exchanged

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond departs federal court after pleading not guilty to obstruction of justice and other charges on May 19, 2023. His trial is underway for leaking confidential information to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.

messages about the Jan. 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack.

“Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name and reputation dragged through the mud,” Lamond wrote.

Lamond, of Stafford, Virginia, was placed on administrative leave in February 2022.

The first government witness to testify at Lamond’s trial was Metropolitian Police Lt. Ahsan Mufti, who investigated the banner burning and obtained a warrant for Tarrio’s arrest.

Mufti said Lamond didn’t tell him that Tarrio had personally confessed to him that he had burned the banner. Mufti said that would have helped his investigation. However, Tarrio also publicly confessed to the crime on social media before his arrest.

On cross-examination, Mufti said Lamond helped him identify Tarrio’s image in a photograph and his voice on a podcast.

“He was, in fact, quite helpful?” defense attorney Mark Schamel asked.

“He was,” Mufti replied.

Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC nations

The president-elect warned countries against attempting to undermine the U.S. dollar

By Fatima Hussein The Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

— President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members, and several other countries have expressed interest in joining.

While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system.

The dollar represents roughly 58% of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, according to the IMF, and major commodities like oil are still primarily bought and sold using dollars. The dollar’s dominance is threatened, however, with

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened BRIC nations with tariffs if they attempt to establish a currency other than the U.S. dollar in global business.

Countries in the BRIC alliance: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates

BRICS’ growing share of GDP and the alliance’s intent to trade in nondollar currencies — a process known as de-dollarization.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither cre -

ate a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy.”

At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.”

“It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.”

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that

Trump wants father of son-in-law to be ambassador to France

West Palm Beach, Fla. President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker.” Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former White House senior adviser to Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.

Wisc. Democratic leader enters race to lead national party

West Palm Beach, Fla. Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, said Sunday he has joined the race to lead the national party after an election that swept Donald Trump and Republicans to power in Washington. Since losing control of the White House, Senate and House, Democrats are looking for new leadership to tackle the nation’s problems with the additional challenge of confronting four more years of a Trump presidency. Top announced candidates to lead the DNC include Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a vice chair of the national party, and Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and current Social Security administrator. The DNC will choose its successor in February.

U.S. will send Ukraine $725M more in military assistance Washington, D.C.

would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners.

Trump said there is “no chance” that BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade, and any country that tries to make that happen “should wave goodbye to America.”

Research shows that the U.S. dollar’s role as the primary global reserve currency is not threatened in the near future.

An Atlantic Council model that assesses the dollar’s place as the primary global reserve currency states the dollar is “secure in the near and medium term” and continues to dominate other currencies.

Trump’s latest tariff threat comes after he threatened to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tax on goods from China as a way to force the countries to do more to halt the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the U.S.

He has since held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after meeting Trump, without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on Canada.

The U.S. is preparing to send Ukraine an additional $725 million in military assistance, including counter-drone systems and munitions for its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which could indicate more of the longerrange missiles are headed to the battlefield. It was unclear whether the munitions for the HIMARS are the coveted ATACMS — the Army Tactical Missile System — but Ukraine has been pressing for more of the longer-range missiles to strike additional targets inside Russia. The package, announced Monday by the State Department, also includes more of the anti-personnel land mines that Ukraine is counting on to slow Russian and North Korean ground forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

Belgium gives sex workers contracts, benefits, safety protection

Paris Belgium is granting sex workers full labor rights, including health insurance, paid leave and pensions, starting Sunday. The law, following 2022’s decriminalization of sex work, also establishes key rights such as refusing clients and stopping acts at any time. Employers must meet strict licensing and safety standards while unregulated hiring is now punishable. Advocates hail the law as groundbreaking.

PATRICK SEMANSKY / AP PHOTO

ALLISON ROBBERT / AP PHOTO

catastrophe

questions about when normal

shelter-in-place or stay-at-home

majority of Americans “new normal.” end of this month.

China lied about the origin of the tried to tell the world there were only worldwide panic, economic collapse and being thrown out of work.

taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the the U.S. dollar were not the reserve to fund any of these emergency fear of rampant in ation and currency

we begin to get back to normal

The 3 big questions

The comfort

How China will pay for this COVID-19 catastrophe

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

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

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

WALTER E. WILLIAMS

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

Fixing college corruption

aberrant ways and decisions through Diplomacy has obviously not worked world of 21st century health, hygiene communist regimes never take the blame remorse, because that is not what They take advantage of every weakness pushing until they win or the event happens such as the Chernobyl believe that event, not the Star Wars to the dissolution of the Soviet Union Chernobyl. already talking about the possibility debt we owe them as one way to get they have caused the US. Don’t hold your “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected accountable in tangible nancial ways for expected to operate as responsible citizens of nation.

Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.

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

Since when did questioning government at all levels

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

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

Sponsored by

business & economy

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

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

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

Murphy Family Ventures set to produce

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

Not one little bit.

3M-plus hogs annually for Smithfield

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

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

WALLACE and SMITHFIELD, Va. — Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has signed an agreement with Wallacebased agribusiness leader Murphy Family Ventures.

According to a statement, the agreement will establish a Murphy-owned farming company with the capacity to produce nearly 3.2 million hogs annually for Smithfield’s fresh pork operations.

the seriousness of the virus and the need uneasy with how people who simply ask when things can start getting back to circles with contempt.

as a society simply must accept without tells us about when it’s safe to begin the normalcy. us, and we have the right to ask those stay-at-home orders are in place all over the them get in states, such as Michigan, feeling isolated and/or anxious about providing for their families, will demand levels should be as forthcoming as they and again, not vague answers, but answer statements believability. what we can to keep our families, safe. But we should also still continue because while reasonable stay-at-home they should also have an expiration date. and it is not normal. Not in any way, should remain vigilant and stay safe, at comfortable with this so-called “new

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

The new enterprise, which will be majority-owned by the Murphy family, will assume ownership of 150,000 female sows — and the market hogs they produce — currently owned by Smithfield. Smithfield will provide production services, including supplying feed and transportation services, the statement said.

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

“Smithfield has evolved over the last 10 years into a more streamlined consumer packaged goods company focused on value-added fresh pork and packaged meats delivered from a portfolio of popular brands recognized for quality and taste,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods.

written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Smithfield announced last year that it had plans to end contracts with 26 farms in Utah, permanently close 35 farm sites in Missouri, and close one plant in North Carolina. The Virginia-based firm also announced the separation of its European operations.

“The Murphy family has enjoyed the past 24 years as a contract growing partner with Smithfield and we look forward to restoring our heritage as an independent producer,” Dell Murphy, president and CEO of Murphy Family Ventures, said in a statement.

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

“This agreement represents a generational transfer of independently owned swine production capabilities in North Carolina.”

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

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

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

We need transparency and honesty from our

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

Lenten and Easter seasons provide a

The carmaker posted a 27% plunge in net revenues last quarter

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

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

By Wyatte Grantham-Philips

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Stellantis

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

CEO Carlos Tavares is stepping down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales.

The world’s fourth-largest carmaker announced that its board accepted Tavares’ resignation Sunday.

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

Stellantis noted that the process of finding a new, permanent CEO is “well underway.” In the meantime, the company says a new interim executive committee, led by

Murphy Family Ventures began in 1962 as a small farm in Rose Hill. MFV opened as a management operation in 2004 and provides a variety of support services owned by the Murphy family and others. Since its inception, the organization has expanded to provide those services to a diverse group well beyond its heritage of agriculture, including agribusiness, land and nutrient management, boat building, hospitality and gold maintenance.

Murphy Family Ventures and Smithfield expect to close the transaction by the end of the year.

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

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

The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization According to the University of Washington Metrics and Evaluation model most oft Trump administration, the expected need peak outbreak was revised down by over ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number

To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about

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

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

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

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

“THIS IS in it” (Psalm I know that working from be glad” as and dad, the have to be pandemic. For me, making. As Corinthians a iction, so a iction, with God.” If you are re ect on this God’s example this di cult con dent we In this same neighbors In Concord, money to buy health care

, April 15,

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed

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

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

The cavalier manner virus, covered up its spread 3,341 related deaths has millions of Americans needlessly The crisis has cost the debt plus trillions more markets and nancial outlets. currency, we would not measures without immediate depreciation. China has to pay for their economic and nancial to bring China into the and fair trade. Totalitarian or express sincere regret totalitarian governments they nd in adversaries adversaries push back. That is, unless an exogenous meltdown in 1986. Some program of Reagan, led Perhaps COVID-19 is Senators in Washington of China forgiving $1.2 China to “pay” for the damage breath waiting for a Chinese representatives to hold It is about time they are the world like any other

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

Hill, senio

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

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

The comfort and hope

Stellantis CEO steps down as carmaker struggles with slumping sales

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

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

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

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

chairman John Elkann, will be established.

As head of PSA Peugeot, Tavares took control of the Netherlands-based company in January 2021 — when it merged with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, creating an automotive giant that is the parent to several well-known brands today. Beyond Jeep, Citroën and Ram, the company portfolio includes Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot, Maserati and Opel.

“Tavares

Sept. 30, down from 45 billion euros in the same period last year. All regions except South America reported double-digit dips in revenues — led by North America, which plunged 42% to 12.4 billion euros ($13.1 billion).

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

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

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

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

fallen into place. I understand to take precautions, but questions about the data, normal are treated in some They’re treated as though question what the government process of returning back No. The government questions. And the longer country, and the stricter the more people, sitting when they can get back answers.

is leaving behind a mess of painful layoffs and overpriced vehicles sitting on dealership lots.”

Shawn Fain, Stellantis president

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

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

Stellantis’ North American operations had been the company’s main source of profits for some time, but struggles piled up this year, with the company citing rising competition and larger market changes. As a result of lofty sticker prices and fewer affordable options, many high-priced ve -

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

In recent months, Tavares had come under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after the release of dismal financial performance reports. He also oversaw cost-cutting efforts that included delaying factory openings and laying off union workers — further straining the company’s relations with the UAW, which filed several grievances against Stellantis and threatened to strike in recent months.

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

hicles have been left unsold on dealers’ lots.

For its third quarter, Stellantis posted a 27% plunge in net revenues, as gaps in launching new products and action to reduce inventories also slashed global shipments of new vehicles by 20%.

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

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

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

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

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

The carmaker reported net revenues of 33 billion euros (nearly $36 billion) in the three-month period ending

Mass. lawmakers push for

effort to ban all tobacco sales over time

The state has outlawed the sale of all flavored tobacco products

By Steve LeBlanc The Associated Press

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

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

BOSTON — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans,” which phase out the use of tobacco products based not just on a person’s age but on birth year.

Under a Massachusetts law signed in 2018, the age to buy any tobacco product — including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes — was raised to 21. Massachusetts also has banned the sale of all flavored tobacco products in an effort to reduce youth interest in nicotine. The new proposal, which lawmakers plan to file next year, would expand the effort to curb smoking by gradually ending all sales of nicotine and to-

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

products.

bacco products. If the bill is approved, young people not old enough to legally purchase nicotine and tobacco would never be lawfully able to purchase them in Massachusetts, thereby creating no more new users. It would not apply to marijuana, and the cutoff date would be adjusted when passed to ensure everyone age 21 and above at that time would not be affected.

Brookline, a town of about 63,000 neighboring Boston, was the first municipality in the country to adopt such a ban in 2020. Instead of raising the age for purchasing cigarettes, the bylaw blocks the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2000. The rule went into effect in 2021. That would mean at some point in the future no one would be allowed to buy any

The UAW welcomed Tavares’ resignation, with President Shawn Fain calling the move “a major step in the right direction for a company that has been mismanaged and a workforce that has been mistreated for too long.” He noted that thousands of UAW members had been calling for Tavares’ firing for weeks for what Fain called the CEO’s “reckless mismanagement of the company.”

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

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

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

Not one little bit.

Stacey Matthews has also and is a regular contributor

tobacco products in the town. The measure was challenged, but the state’s highest court weighed in earlier this year, upholding the ban.

Other Massachusetts cities and towns already have approved similar tobacco bans, including Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield and Winchester.

Democratic state Sen. Jason Lewis, one of the backers of the statewide proposal, said the bill would “save countless lives and create a healthier world for the next generation.”

“We all know the devastating health effects of nicotine and tobacco products, especially on our youth,” he said.

Nicotine and tobacco products are addictive and can increase the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and other illnesses.

Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first tried smoking by age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also found that in 2024 about 2 in 5 students who had ever used a tobacco product currently used them.

Peter Brennan, executive director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, said the proposal would undercut small mom-and-pop shops that rely

MICHEL EULER / AP PHOTO

Amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is resigning.

JENNY KANE / AP PHOTO

Massachusetts lawmakers are pushing efforts to curb smoking by gradually ending all sales of nicotine and tobacco

Stealth destroyer home for 1st hypersonic weapon on US warship

Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5

By David Sharp The Associated Press

THE U.S. NAVY is transforming a costly flub into a potent weapon with the first shipborne hypersonic weapon, which is being retrofitted aboard the first of its three stealthy destroyers.

The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship.

“It was a costly blunder, but the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here and get some utility out of them by making them into a hypersonic platform,” said Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute.

The U.S. has had several types of hypersonic weapons in development for the past two decades, but recent tests by both Russia and China have added pressure on the U.S. military to hasten their production.

Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added maneuverability making them harder to shoot down.

Last year, The Washington Post reported that among the documents leaked by former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was a defense department brief-

ing that confirmed China had recently tested an intermediate-range hypersonic weapon called the DF-27. One of the U.S. programs in development and planned for the Zumwalt is “Conventional Prompt Strike.” It would launch like a ballistic missile and then release a hypersonic glide vehicle that would travel at speeds seven to eight times faster than the speed of sound before hitting the target. The weapon system is being developed jointly by the Navy and Army. Each of the Zumwalt-class destroyers would

Prosecution makes closing argument in Cash App founder’s stabbing death trial

Sefendant, Nima Momeni faces 26 years to life if he is convicted of murdering Bob Lee

By Janie Har The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Closing arguments began on Monday in the trial of a tech consultant in the 2023 stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, an event that shocked the broader tech community whose members mourned the loss of an entrepreneur they called charismatic and kind.

San Francisco prosecutors say Nima Momeni stabbed Lee three times after hearing that Lee’s drug dealer friend plied Momeni’s younger sister with GHB and other drugs and sexually assaulted her.

“One person called 911 pleading for help, saying somebody stabbed me,” said Dane Reinstedt, assistant district attorney, adding that the other person never called police or told anyone what happened that night until the trial.

Defense attorneys will make their closing arguments Tuesday in a trial that started Oct. 14. Prosecutors will then have a chance to respond to the defense’s closing.

Defense attorneys say Lee, 43,

STELLANTIS from page A9

was on a multiday drug bender of cocaine and ketamine that made him agitated and violent, and that he attacked the defendant with a knife. They said Momeni was forced to use his Krav Maga martial arts skills in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, after making a “bad joke” that upset Lee.

Momeni faces 26 years to life if convicted of murder. He has pleaded not guilty in a case so high profile that San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins stepped into the room.

The trial has been emotionally taxing for family members of both men. Mahnaz Tayarani, mother of the defendant, has sat on one side of the courtroom while Lee’s father, brother and ex-wife sat on the other.

The prosecution on Monday started its closing argument with a 911 call in which Lee could be heard asking repeatedly for help. Lee’s ex-wife, Krista Lee, cradled her daughter Scout as the 16-year-old wept on her mother’s shoulder.

Reinstedt on Monday mocked Momeni’s defense as he walked jurors through weeks of evidence.

He said Momeni was furious with Lee for introducing Khazar Momeni, with whom he was friends, to a drug dealer who gave her GHB, known as a daterape drug, hours before the stab-

“Tavares is leaving behind a mess of painful layoffs and overpriced vehicles sitting on dealership lots,” Fain said in a statement. He added that the union looks forward to sitting down with Stellantis’ new chief executive and “will keep using all means available” to hold the company accountable. Beyond the U.S., Stellantis has faced pressure in Italy — where lawmakers questioned the former chief executive over the company’s production plans in October, with the far-right government accusing the company of relocat-

be equipped with four missile tubes, each with three of the missiles for a total of 12 hypersonic weapons per ship.

In choosing the Zumwalt, the Navy is attempting to add to the usefulness of a $7.5 billion warship that is considered by critics to be an expensive mistake despite serving as a test platform for multiple innovations.

The Zumwalt was envisioned as providing land-attack capability with an Advanced Gun System with rocket-assisted projectiles to open the way for Marines to charge ashore. But the system featuring 155 mm guns hidden

in stealthy turrets was canceled because each of the rocket-assisted projectiles cost between $800,000 and $1 million. Despite the stain on its reputation, the three Zumwalt-class destroyers remain the Navy’s most advanced surface warship in terms of new technologies. Those innovations include electric propulsion, an angular shape to minimize radar signature, an unconventional wave-piercing hull, automated fire and damage control and a composite deckhouse that hides radar and other sensors.

A U.S. hypersonic weapon

was successfully tested over the summer and development of the missiles is continuing. The Navy wants to begin testing the system aboard the Zumwalt in 2027 or 2028.

The U.S. weapon system will come at a steep price. It would cost nearly $18 billion to buy 300 of the weapons and maintain them over 20 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“This particular missile costs more than a dozen tanks. All it gets you is a precise non-nuclear explosion; some place far far away. Is it really worth the money? The answer is most of the time the missile costs much more than any target you can destroy with it,” said Loren Thompson, a longtime military analyst in Washington, D.C.

But they provide the capability for Navy vessels to strike an enemy from a distance of thousands of kilometers — outside the range of most enemy weapons — and there is no effective defense against them, said retired Navy Rear Adm. Ray Spicer, CEO of the U.S. Naval Institute, a think tank, and former commander of an aircraft carrier strike force.

Conventional missiles that cost less aren’t much of a bargain if they are unable to reach their targets, Spicer said, adding the U.S. military really has no choice but to pursue them.

“The adversary has them. We never want to be outdone,” he said.

The U.S. is accelerating development because hypersonics have been identified as vital to U.S. national security with “survivable and lethal capabilities,” said James Weber, principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies.

“Fielding new capabilities that are based on hypersonic technologies is a priority for the defense department to sustain and strengthen our integrated deterrence, and to build enduring advantages,” he said.

bing. They say Momeni grilled Lee earlier in the evening about what happened to his sister at the drug dealer’s apartment and sent text messages saying that the two men were creeps and sexual predators.

Then Momeni met up with Lee at his sister’s condo, took a paring knife from her kitchen set, drove Lee to a secluded area by the Bay Bridge and stabbed him three times, Reinstedt said.

“That protectiveness of the defendant’s little sister is what led to all of this,” Reinstedt said.

Surveillance video shows the two men leaving the posh condo of Khazar Momeni around 2 a.m. and getting into Momeni’s BMW. Other surveillance then shows them getting out of the car in an isolated section of the city by the Bay Bridge.

Momeni testified he stopped

ing assembly plants to low-cost countries. Tens of thousands of autoworkers in the country also held a one-day walkout, calling for more employment certainty.

Stellantis previously made several leadership changes in October, which included naming new heads of operations in

his car after going over a pothole that caused Lee to spill the beer he was holding. Momeni said he then cracked a joke suggesting Lee should spend his last night visiting the city with family instead of trying to find a strip club to keep the party going.

That’s when Lee suddenly pulled a knife out of his jacket pocket, Momeni said. He said Lee later walked away, showing no signs he was injured.

“I was scared for my life,” Momeni said in earlier testimony that was at times rambling and contentious.

Reinstedt said Momeni’s story made no sense given Lee’s peaceful nature. He said Momeni never called police to report Lee’s alleged attack or even after he learned Lee had died of stab wounds on the street where he had last seen him.

North America and Europe. At the time, the company expected Tavares to step down in early 2026, closer to the end of his five-year contract. The company confirmed in September that it was searching for a CEO to eventually succeed Tavares, but it maintained those efforts were part of stan-

The prosecutor said the puncture wounds were clean, clear and deep, and not the result of any kind of self-defense tussle, he said. Just about all of the DNA — 99% — found on the handle of the knife belonged to Momeni. Video of the two men by the bridge is grainy, but Reinstedt said it clearly showed Momeni’s figure lunging repeatedly at Lee. There was no deflecting and redirecting of any knife in Lee’s hand, he said.

Reinstedt also showed video of Momeni and Lee leaving the condo, Lee’s jacket flapping to show there was no knife hidden inside.

Lee was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco Street at 2:30 a.m., dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. He later died at a hospital.

dard leadership transition plans. In a statement Sunday, Stellantis’ senior independent director Henri de Castries said that Stellantis’ success is “rooted in a perfect alignment” between shareholders, the company’s board and the CEO — but noted “different views” had emerged in recent weeks.

GERALD HERBERT / AP PHOTO

The USS Zumwalt is being fitted with a hypersonic weapon at Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ / AP PHOTO

Tim Oliver Lee, brother of Cash App founder Bob Lee, and other family members enter the courtroom for the murder trial of Nima Momeni on Monday in San Francisco.

Court ruling restoring collective bargaining benefits Wisc. unions

Under the ruling, public sector workers would have bargaining rights restored

By Scott Bauer The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin public worker and teachers unions scored a major legal victory Monday with a ruling that restores collective bargaining rights they lost under a 2011 state law that sparked weeks of protests and made the state the center of the national battle over union rights.

That law, known as Act 10, effectively ended the ability of most public employees to bargain for wage increases and other issues, and forced them to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits.

Under the ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost, all public sector workers who lost their collective bargaining power would have it restored to what was in place prior to 2011. They would be treated the same as the police, firefighter and other public safety unions that were exempted under the law.

Republicans vowed to immediately appeal the ruling, which ultimately is likely to go before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That only amplifies the importance of the April election that will determine whether the court remains controlled 4-3 by liberal justices.

Former Gov. Scott Walker, who proposed the law that catapulted him onto the national political stage, decried the ruling in a post on the social media platform X as “brazen political activism.” He said it makes the state Supreme Court election

“that much more important.”

Supporters of the law have said it provided local governments more control over workers and the powers they needed to cut costs. Repealing the law, which allowed schools and local governments to raise money through higher employee contributions for benefits, would bankrupt those entities, backers of Act 10 have argued.

Democratic opponents argue that the law has hurt schools and other government agencies by taking away the ability of employees to collectively bargain for their pay and working conditions.

The law was proposed by Walker and enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in spite of massive protests that went on for weeks and drew as many as 100,000 people to the Capitol. The law has withstood numerous legal challenges over the years, but this was the first brought since the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped to liberal control in 2023.

The seven unions and three union leaders that brought the

lawsuit argued that the law should be struck down because it creates unconstitutional exemptions for firefighters and other public safety workers. Attorneys for the Legislature and state agencies countered that the exemptions are legal, have already been upheld by other courts and that the case should be dismissed.

But Frost sided with the unions in July, saying the law violates equal protection guarantees in the Wisconsin Constitution by dividing public employees into “general” and “public safety” employees. He ruled that general employee unions, like those representing teachers, cannot be treated differently from public safety unions that were exempt from the law.

His ruling Monday delineated the dozens of specific provisions in the law that must be struck.

Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he looked forward to appealing the ruling. “This lawsuit came more

Melinda French Gates to match $1M in GivingTuesday gifts to groups that support women

She has championed paid family leave and making childcare less expensive

By Thalia Beaty The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Melinda French Gates is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts to two nonprofit organizations to help spur donations on GivingTuesday, which has become a major annual fundraising day for nonprofits.

For more than a decade, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, charitable organizations have asked for donations or other support from their networks.

“It’s a great time to remind people that we’re better off when we give something back, and we all have something to give back,” said French Gates in an interview, speaking about her enthusiasm for GivingTuesday. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was an early supporter of GivingTuesday, which started as a hashtag and a project at the 92nd Street Y in New York and has since become its own organization.

Last year, donors gave an estimated $3.1 billion on GivingTuesday, but the overall num-

TOBACCO from page A9

on cigarettes for a significant portion of their sales.

It also would put stores located near neighboring states that allow the sale of cigarettes to all adults at a competitive disadvantage.

“It’s a terrible idea,” he said. “You’re really just taking away adults’ right to purchase a legal, age-restricted product.”

Taking certain rights away from some adults and not others is likely unconstitution-

ber of people who participated declined. Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday, who calculated that estimate, said matches like French Gates’ help catalyze people to give.

“We really share a commitment to the idea also that philanthropy is not just in the hands of the ultra-wealthy,” she said. “That it really takes everyone to contribute to a healthy society through generosity.”

Una Osili, associate dean at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, says that even if fewer households are giving, donations may be holding steady because those who donate are giving more.

“The optimist in me would certainly say there are lots of reasons to think that giving will at least hold steady,” Osili said.

“But what we’ve seen in the past few years is that inflation especially, even though it’s moderated, is a concern for many everyday households.”

French Gates, through her organization Pivotal Ventures, plans to match up to $500,000 in donations to two organizations — Vote Mama Foundation, which supports mothers running for political office, and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, which advocates for

al, he said, adding that other prohibition efforts haven’t worked, like past bans on alcohol, marijuana and gambling. It’s unclear how much support the proposal has in the Legislature. Massachusetts has taken other steps in recent decades to curb smoking, including raising taxes on cigarettes. Those taxes would presumably be reduced and ultimately eliminated by an incremental statewide smoking ban. Any reduction in cigarette

than a decade after Act 10 became law and after many courts rejected the same meritless legal challenges,” Vos said in a statement.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobbying organization, also decried the ruling. WMC President Kurt Bauer called Act 10 “a critical tool for policymakers and elected officials to balance budgets and find taxpayer savings.”

The Legislature said in court filings that arguments made in the current case were rejected in 2014 by the state Supreme Court. The only change since that ruling is the makeup of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, attorneys for the Legislature argued.

The Act 10 law effectively ended collective bargaining for most public unions by allowing them to bargain solely over base wage increases no greater than inflation. It also disallowed the automatic withdrawal of union dues, required annual recertification votes for unions, and forced public workers to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits.

Frost, the judge who issued Monday’s ruling, appeared to have signed the petition to recall Walker from office. None of the attorneys sought his removal from the case and he did not step down. Frost was appointed to the bench by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who signed the Walker recall petition.

The law has also led to a dramatic decrease in union membership across the state. The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum said in a 2022 analysis that since 2000, Wisconsin had the largest decline in the proportion of its workforce that is unionized.

pioned paid family leave, support for caregivers and making childcare less expensive. She endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race but said that Harris’ defeat won’t stop her from continuing her work.

people caring for others. The organizations have 10 days to raise the funds and will direct donors to give through the nonprofit crowdfunding platform Every. org, which will track the donations that will be matched.

“This was Melinda. This was a complete surprise to us,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation.

Her organization wants to make it easier for mothers to hold political office, from local school boards to the Senate. She founded the organization after running for Congress in 2018 when she successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission to use campaign funds to pay for childcare. Now, all federal candidates can pay for childcare with campaign funds and many states have passed similar laws.

“It’s used by men. It’s used by women. It’s used by moms and dads and Democrats and Republicans,” Grechen Shirley said. “But the majority of funds are used by women, and a majority of those funds are used by women of color. So, it really does have the ability to transform the political landscape.”

Through her giving and advocacy, French Gates has cham-

tax revenue would be more than offset by reduced health care costs and other savings, Lewis said.

In 2022, 10.4% of adults in Massachusetts reported smoking cigarettes, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Some California lawmakers have pushed to ban all tobacco sales, filing legislation last year to make it illegal to sell cigarettes and other products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007.

In 2022, New Zealand be-

Defamation lawsuit against Fox News dismissed Croton, N.Y.

A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News brought by a former Marine and Trump supporter who claimed he was made a scapegoat by the network after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection. Raymond Epps, whose claims against Fox were featured in a “60 Minutes” segment, said the network’s false reports subjected him and his wife to death threats and forced them to move from their Arizona home. Under the false theory, Epps was a government agent in Washington that day trying to stir up trouble that would later be blamed on Donald Trump fans.

Intel CEO retires; interim co-CEOs named Santa Clara, Calif. Struggling chipmaker Intel said in a surprise announcement that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired. Two company executives, David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, will act as interim co-CEOs. In contrast, the company searches for a replacement for Gelsinger, who also stepped down from the company’s board. The departure of Gelsinger, whose career spanned more than 40 years, underscores turmoil at Intel. The company was once a dominant force in the semiconductor industry but has been eclipsed by rival Nvidia, which has cornered the market for chips that run artificial intelligence systems.

Supreme Court hears arguments on flavored vape regulations

Washington, D.C.

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers is one of the first organizations to speak out about the work of caregiving, French Gates said. Paurvi Bhatt, who leads the institute, said French Gates had a long and cherished relationship with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away last year.

“It is based on a hand-inglove relationship we’ve had for a number of years,” Bhatt said of the matching gift.

This public match on GivingTuesday is the latest commitment French Gates has made since stepping down from the Gates Foundation in May.

(French Gates and Bill Gates, her ex-husband and the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, announced their divorce in 2021.) She pledged $1 billion to support women and families over two years. That included $250 million to support improving women’s health globally and she gave 12 leaders each $20 million to distribute to nonprofit organizations of their choice before the end of 2026.

“The reason I’ve come out so strongly saying, ‘This is what I am doing next,’ is because I wanted people to know I’m not going away,” said French Gates. “My values are still here. And this works around ‘How do we make a more equitable society?’ There is so much work to be done in the United States.”

came the first nation to pass a law intended to impose a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes by mandating that tobacco can’t ever be sold to anybody born on or after Jan. 1, 2009. The law was later axed.

In the U.K., Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed raising the legal age that people in England can buy cigarettes by one year, every year until it is eventually illegal for the whole population. The proposal failed to win approval earlier this year.

The Supreme Court heard a vaping case on Monday, weighing federal regulators’ decisions blocking sweet vaping products after e-cigarette use spiked among kids. The high court took up an appeal from the Food and Drug Administration, which has denied more than a million applications to sell candy- or fruit-flavored products that appeal to kids. It’s part of a crackdown that anti-tobacco advocates say helped drive down youth vaping to a decade low after a peak in 2019. But vaping companies argue the agency wrongly disregarded arguments that their products would help adults quit smoking. The case comes shortly before the second Trump administration could change the FDA’s approach.

Southwest Airlines to end earlier cabin service

Dallas Southwest Airlines is ending cabin service earlier to reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries. The company says beginning on Dec. 4, flight attendants will start preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. For passengers, that means returning their seats to an upright position and other prelanding procedures earlier than before. While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. Beginning Cash $2,341,117,855 Receipts $378,969,209 Disbursements $100,590,702 Cash Balance $2,619,507,749

NCDOT CASH REPORT FOR THE WEEK

MORRY GASH / AP PHOTO

Thousands of pro-labor protesters rallied in 2011 to protest Act 10.

Taking flight back to NC, its birthplace

Curtiss-Wright supplied linear sensors for the lifting mechanism on London’s Tower Bridge

By Hadley Creekmuir For North State Journal

NORTH CAROLINA’S roster of famous people runs the gamut. From musicians, actors, artists, politicians and business leaders, to some of the most legendary sports figures and college coaches of all time, North Carolina is the birthplace of hundreds of household names and stories (and born and raised or not, a proud North Carolinian never lets pass a friendly bragging rights opportunity).

So let us not forget about the Wright Brothers, who, though they hailed from Ohio, selected a lonely, cold, windy beach in Kitty Hawk to take their first flight and forever change aviation history.

The year is 1903, and the Wright Brothers are exploring the best geographic location to carry out their flying experiments. Safety was of utmost concern and priority, and the empty, sprawling beaches of Kitty Hawk were enticing. Of the Outer Banks, Orville wrote in a journal: “It looked very much like the Sahara Desert, as I imagine that to be. There was little excepting sand and sand dunes and sky.”

A danger-free zone with plenty of wind and open spaces, in other words. These first-inflight brothers went on to create an iconic American company — the Wright Aeronautical Cor-

poration — and awakened the new field of aviation.

Fast forward 110 years to 2014. North Carolina is booming from coast to coast. The Curtiss-Wright Corporation — a Fortune 500 global company that formed in 1929 when the Wright Brothers’ company merged with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company to form the largest aircraft company at the time — moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Davidson, back to the state where it all began. Situated just 22 miles from Charlotte up I-77 on Lake Norman,

Davidson is often described as idyllic by residents and visitors alike. Its proximity to Charlotte certainly has put its name even more so on the map, furthering its appeal as an ideal home for corporations like Curtiss-Wright. When we think of Davidson, perhaps now we’ll add yet another token to its already-full bucket. Recognizing these corporations that are living and doing business in our home state is key to unlocking more of our wealth of history, people, culture and knowledge.

A closer look into Curtiss-Wright:

• The company employs close to 8,000 people in and around Davidson.

• It’s a 95-year-old company with a complex, rich history stemming from the inventions of three great aviation pioneers — the Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss, who is often called (though its validity is debated) “the father of naval aviation.” Curtiss won

the very first international aviation meet in Rheims, France, in 1909, and his successes led to the world’s largest aviation company.

- The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company later became the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world during World War I and went public in 1916.

• One of the most famous aircraft produced by Curtiss-Wright was the P-40 Warhawk fighter plane, which saw extensive use during World War II.

• The company produced more than 142,000 aircraft engines for the US military in World War II.

• The company no longer builds airplanes but does supply many parts and pieces like aircraft controls and actuators, valves and pumps for nuclear propulsion systems, sensors and computing technologies for the U.S. Air Force, and electronics for the U.S. Army, including for the Abrams Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

• A fun fact: The lifting mechanism on one of London’s most famous landmarks, Tower Bridge, uses linear sensors supplied by Curtiss-Wright.

Can AI chatbots make your holiday shopping easier?

Making gift lists could be easier with GenAI

By Haleluya Hadero

The Associated Press

TIRED OF thinking about what gifts to get everyone this year? Artificial intelligence chatbots might help, but don’t expect them to do all the work or always give you the right answers.

Anyone scouring the internet for Cyber Monday deals is likely going to encounter more conversational iterations of the chatbots that some retailers and e-commerce sites have built to provide shoppers with enhanced customer service.

Some companies have integrated models infused with newer generative AI technologies, allowing shoppers to seek advice by asking naturally phrased questions like “What’s the best wireless speaker?”

Retailers hope consumers use these chatbots, which are typically called shopping assistants — as virtual companions that help them discover or compare products. Prior chatbots were mostly used for task-oriented functions such as helping customers track down online orders or return ones that didn’t meet expectations.

Amazon, the king of online retail, has said its customers have been questioning Rufus — the generative AI- powered shopping assistant it launched this year — for information such as whether a specific coffee maker is easy to clean, or what recommendations it has for a lawn game for a child’s birthday party.

And Rufus, which is available for holiday shoppers in the U.S. and some other countries, is not the only shopping assistant out there. A select number of Walmart shoppers will have access this year to a similar chatbot the nation’s largest retailer is testing in a few product categories, including toys and electronics.

Perplexity AI added something new to the AI chat-shopping world last month by rolling out a feature on its AI-poweredsearch engine that enables users to ask a question like “What’s the best women’s leather boots?” and then receive specific product results that the San Francisco-based company says are not sponsored.

“It has been adopted at pretty

incredible scale,” Mike Mallazzo, an analyst and writer at retail research media company Future Commerce, said. Retailers with websites and e-commerce companies started paying more attention to chatbots when use of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence text chatbot made by the company OpenAI, went mainstream in late 2022, sparking public and business interest in the generative AI technology that powers the tool.

Victoria’s Secret, IKEA, Instacart and the Canadian retailer Ssense are among other companies experimenting with chatbots, some of which use technology from OpenAI. Even before the improved chatbots, online retailers were creating product recommendations based on a customer’s prior purchases or search history. Amazon was at the forefront of having recommendations on its platform, so Rufus’ ability to provide some is not particularly groundbreaking.

But Rajiv Mehta, the vice president of search and conversational shopping at Amazon, said the company is able to offer more helpful recommendations now by programming Rufus to ask

clarifying or follow-up questions.

Customers are also using Rufus to look for deals, some of which are personalized, Mehta said.

To be sure, chatbots are prone to hallucinations, so Rufus and most of the tools like it can get things wrong.

Juozas Kaziukenas, founder of e-commerce intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse, wrote in a November blog post that his firm tested Rufus by requesting gaming TV recommendations. The chatbot’s response included products that were not TVs. When asked for the least expensive options, Rufus came back with suggestions that weren’t the cheapest, Kaziukenas said.

An Associated Press reporter recently asked Rufus to give some gift recommendations for a brother. The chatbot quickly spit out a few ideas for “thoughtful gifts,” ranging from a T-shirt and a keychain with charms to a bolder suggestion: a multifunctional knife engraved with the phrase “BEST BROTHER EVER.”

After a 5-minute written conversation, Rufus offered more tailored suggestions — a few Barcelona soccer jerseys sold by third-party sellers. But it wasn’t able to say which seller

offered the lowest price. When asked during another search for a price comparison on a popular skin serum, Rufus showed the product’s pre-discounted price instead of its present one.

“Rufus is constantly learning,” Amazon’s Mehta said during an interview.

Shop AI, a chatbot that Canadian e-commerce company Shopify launched last year, can also help shoppers discover new products by asking its own questions, such as soliciting details about an intended gift recipient or features the buyer wants to avoid. Shop AI has trouble, however, recommending specific products or identifying the lowest-priced item in a product category.

The limitations show the technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go before it becomes as useful as the retail industry — and many shoppers — wish it could be.

To truly transform the shopping experience, shopping assistants will “need to be deeply personalized” and be able — on their own — to remember a customer’s order history, product preferences and purchasing habits, consulting giant McKinsey & Company

said in an August report.

Amazon has noted that Rufus’ answers are based on information contained in product listings, community Q&As and customer reviews, which would include the fake reviews that are used to boost or diminish sales for products on its marketplace.

The large language model that powers the chatbot was also trained on the company’s entire catalog and some public information on the web, Trishul Chilimbi, an Amazon vice president who oversees AI research, wrote in the electrical engineering magazine IEEE Spectrum in October.

But its unclear how Amazon and other companies are weighting different training components — such as reviews — in their recommendations, or how exactly the shopping assistants come up with them, according to Nicole Greene, an analyst at management consulting firm Gartner.

Perplexity AI’s new shopping feature allows users to enter search queries such as “best phone case” and to receive answers derived from various sources, including Amazon and other retailers, such as Best Buy. Perplexity also invited retailers to share data about their products and said those that do would have an increased chance of having their items recommended to shoppers.

But Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, suggested in a recent interview with Fortune magazine that he didn’t know how the new shopping feature recommended products to customers. But in an interview with the AP, Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko pushed back on that characterization, saying Srinivas’ comment “was probably taken out of context.”

The context, he said, is that with generative AI technology “You can’t know in advance exactly what the output will be just based off of knowing what the inputs” are from the training materials. Shevelenko said retailers and brands need to know they can’t have their products recommended in Perplexity’s search engine because they’re “jamming key words” into their websites or using different techniques to show up better on search results

“The way you show up in an answer is by having a better product and better features,” he said.

AP PHOTO

A P-40 Warhawk goes through its paces during a flight test after rolling off the assembly line at the Curtiss-Wright Corporation plant in Buffalo, New York.

PETER MORGAN / AP PHOTO

Amazon’s generative AI-powered shopping assistant, known as Rufus, on a computer earlier this week.

A look at National Signing Day, B4

the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT

NCAA FOOTBALL

ECU interim coach

Harrell earns permanent job

Greenville

East Carolina is promoting interim football coach Blake Harrell to the permanent job after he led the Pirates to four straight wins. Harrell took over when Mike Houston was fired. Harrell had worked as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach since 2020. The winning streak under Harrell pushed the Pirates to bowl eligibility for the third time in four seasons.

App State fires Clark following 5-6 season

Chicago Appalachian State announced Monday it had fired football coach Shawn Clark following a 5-6 season. Clark, who was promoted after Eli Drinkwitz left the Mountaineers after one season to take over at Missouri, was 40-24 in five seasons in Boone but did not reach bowl eligibility this season. Clark was an offensive lineman at App State in the mid-1990s and was a Mountaineers assistant coach from 2016 until he was named head coach in 2019. He previously had coaching stops at Eastern Kentucky, Purdue and Kent State before returning to Boone under Scott Satterfield.

MLB Carty, 1970 NL batting champion with Braves, dead at 85

Atlanta Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title with the Atlanta Braves, died at 85 in an Atlanta hospital. Carty made his big league debut with the Braves in 1963. In his first full season in 1964, he finished second to Dick Allen in voting for NL Rookie of the Year. The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season, and Carty got the franchise’s first hit in its new home on April 12, 1966, against Pittsburgh.

Brown says goodbye to Tar Heels

THe Hall of Fame coach was let go after his 16th season in Chapel Hill

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

CHAPEL HILL — When you’ve coached for 36 years, won a national title and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame, you’ve built a large network of connections.

At times this year, that network dialed up Mack Brown to try to help him out.

“It’s funny,” Brown said. “I had so many agents and coaches call me (and say), ‘You know, they’re looking for coaches?’”

The “they” was UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham and other members of the school’s athletic department, who quietly began a coaching search in September.

“Yeah,” Brown replied to the helpful tipsters that called over the last two months. “I know. I’m not foolish. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be there at the end.”

The end came for Brown on Saturday after UNC blew a late

lead and fell to rival NC State for the fourth straight year. As the seconds ticked off the likely end of Brown’s coaching career, State players ran to midfield and attempted to plant a team flag on the UNC logo, triggering a melee.

The loss dropped UNC to 6-6 on the season, a year that saw the Heels give up 70 points

at home to James Madison, lose four straight games — three of them at Kenan — and saw the death of 23-year-old Tyree Craft, a UNC receiver that was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2022.

“I always said for God to tell me when it was time to go,” Brown said. “And oh my gosh, this year I got a bunch of an-

Time to panic? Tobacco Road struggling early in season

A rough Thanksgiving week has all four local ACC fanbases feeling sick to their stomachs

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THANKSGIVING WEEK is a chance for college teams to get away from classes and campus life and spend their holiday somewhere nice. For North Carolina’s ACC teams this year, it was also a chance for their fans to spend their Thanksgiving week in the darkest pits of despair. UNC traveled to Maui, Duke to Las Vegas, NC State to San Diego and Wake Forest to Orlando. And each fanbase has a list of people they don’t want making the trip back. Between the time the Big Four players and coaches hit the TSA precheck line and the time Tobacco Road fridges were filled with leftover turkey and stuffing, local teams

endured carnage on the court. The North Carolina ACC teams lost five straight games at one point and finished their travels with a combined 3-6 record on their Thanksgiving trips. Looking at the online mes-

sage boards, it appears that this was inevitable. Every team is coached by incompetent madmen with flawed rosters and bleak prospects for the rest of the season. Fortunately, the board post-

swers. Tonight just piled on. I got it, God. I’m done. I hear you.”

The messy ending was fitting for a coach who never seemed to get a chance to follow the storybook script in Chapel Hill. Originally hired in 1988, Brown suffered through back-to-back 1-10 seasons.

After building the program into a juggernaut, Brown received an offer from Texas. Smarting from what he perceived as a lack of attention compared to the UNC basketball program, Brown left for Austin and earned the scorn of Tar Heels fans for years to come. His grand arrival as the savior of the Longhorns was somewhat muted, as he shared in his last postgame press conference on Saturday.

“I walked in the office and John Mackovic was sitting there — the coach they’d just let go — and he was cleaning out his desk. That was really awkward.” Brown will not put his replacement through the same introduction.

“As far as the new coach is

See BROWN, page B3

ers have solutions for all of it. RJ Davis, Elliott Cadeau and Cooper Flagg should all be benched. The Tar Heels need to add a big man immediately. NC State’s players all need to put on 20 pounds of muscle and grow 2 inches taller. And, of course, Jon Scheyer, Hubert Davis, Kevin Keatts and Steve Forbes all need to be fired. Tobacco Road has seen plenty of great basketball over the years, but the hoops-mad fanbases are also quick to hit the panic button when things don’t go their way.

Here’s a look at the Big Four’s no good, very bad weeks, and which fans should feel justified in their concern.

Duke: What happened in Vegas?

The Blue Devils suffered a pre-Thanksgiving week loss to Kentucky, where freshman phenom Cooper Flagg turned the ball over twice in the final 30 seconds to seal the defeat. After opening its trip with an impressive win at Arizona, Duke went on to face Kansas in a made-for-TV event in Sin City.

The Jayhawks knocked off the Blue Devils, 75-72. Flagg

LINDSEY WASSON / AP PHOTO

UNC guard RJ Davis, left, and forward Jalen Washington (13) greet Auburn staff and players after the Tar Heels lost to the Tigers in the Maui Invitational.

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

UNC head coach Mack Brown walks off the field after his final game on the sideline with the Tar Heels.

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

UNC coach Mack Brown, right, gets a hug from a supporter before his last game. Brown was fired last week and was coaching his last game at home.

THURSDAY 12.5.24

TRENDING

Scott Abell: The coach left Davidson and was introduced as coach at Rice, replacing Mike Bloomgren, October Abell had coached Davidson since 2018. He led the Wildcats to seven consecutive winning seasons and leaves as the winningest coach in school history. He won two Pioneer Football League titles and made three appearances in the

Fredi González:

The former manager of the Atlanta Braves was replaced as Baltimore Orioles’ bench coach by former Durham Bull Robinson Chirinos The 40-year-old Chirinos was a Bull in 2011 and played 11 seasons in the majors. González as an Orioles coach. The 60-year-old managed the Florida Marlins from 2007-10 and the Braves from 2011-16.

Maalik Murphy: The Duke quarterback faced discipline “internally” after extending both of his middle in celebration after throwing a long touchdown pass early in a win against Virginia Tech Coach Manny Diaz said the gesture was directed coordinator Jonathan Brewer in the booth in response to practice “banter” earlier in the week.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

“He should star t doing comedy or something.”

F1 driver Lando Norris after rival driver Max Verstappen said he’d have won the circuit’s title earlier if he drove Norris’ car.

“I know perfectly well for myself what I can and cannot do.”

Verstappen, when told of Norris’ response.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

champion Los Angeles Dodgers The two-time C y Young Award winner broke the news personally by posting a photo of himself on social media in a Dodgers

Gardner Minshew is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone With the Raiders 2-9, the former East Carolina quarterback’s grip on the starting job was tenuous even before the injury. He threw 10 interceptions to just nine touchdowns this season and lost four fumbles.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a hear t medication Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August She explained the result was due to the contamination of melatonin she was taking for issues with sleeping.

The number of people who play tennis worldwide, according to the International Tennis Federation A global repor t released by the federation said the number of players who participated in at least one game last year increased by 25% compared to 2019. That’s an increase of 30 million players to the game.

Former UNC wide receiver and returnman Ryan Switzer will be the interim coach for Tulsa for the remainder of the season Switzer was promoted from wide receivers coach

Wilson after a loss dropped the G olden Hurricane to 3-8. Switzer played for UNC from 2013 to 2016 and six years in the NFL for four teams.

CHARLIE

NC State salvages season with win over rival UNC

Despite a disappointing campaign, the Wolfpack earned bowl eligibility

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

DESPITE A DOWN year for NC State football, the players, staff and fans got to relish in a much-needed victory by ending its regular season with a fourth straight win in its annual rivalry game over UNC.

The Wolfpack used a game-winning drive in the final two minutes to send Tar Heels coach Mack Brown into retirement with a 35-30 NC State win.

The victory also made the Wolfpack bowl eligible — a nice perk to again beating their Triangle nemesis.

“I know that seems weird to people and I’m thankful that we won six and that we’re bowl eligible, but beating Carolina mattered more than winning a game to be bowl eligible to me,” said NC State coach Dave Doeren.

“That may sound weird, but when I got hired, they didn’t say, ‘Win six and go to a bowl.’ They said, ‘Whatever you do, beat Carolina.’”

The Wolfpack began the season with lofty expectations and were 24th in the nation in the preseason. A series of tough losses, both in terms of games and players — most notably transfer quarterback Grayson McCall, who was forced to walk away from football after sustaining another traumatic head injury — saw NC State finish with a 6-6 record overall and 3-5 record in ACC play.

Seasons like that, where reality falls so far from where expectations had been placed, usually don’t end well for a coach, especially one with a tenure as long

rival

including Concepcion announcing he will enter the

as Doeren’s – who is in his 12th season with the program but has never had a 10-win season or conference in Raleigh.

But as the Wolfpack coach put it, one of the most important jobs placed on him by the higher-ups is beating UNC, and in that regard, he continues to deliver.

There’s also a lot to be said about how a big rivalry win can change the feel and vibe of a season for a program.

No one will claim that this was a successful season for NC State.

The Wolfpack were spiraling with losses in four of their previous six games, but a win over the Tar Heels and the bragging rights that come with it softens the blow of an otherwise underwhelming campaign.

“It means a lot to our program,” Doeren said. “There’s a reason I haven’t been able to wear blue for 12 years. This game is deep. When I said it’s the biggest game of the year, it is the biggest game of the year. Our players know that, our fans know that, our administration knows that, and it’s meaningful. It’s the oldest rivalry in the ACC. So don’t tell me it doesn’t mean more. It does. It means a lot to our fanbase and definitely to me as the head football coach.”

Doeren might not have been on the chopping block even had he lost Saturday’s game — his $15 million-plus buyout would be a tough pill for Wolfpack donors to swallow — but winning it certainly buys

him some more breathing room.

It at least guarantees Doeren a chance to rebound from a season derailed by a few unlucky breaks.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of teams that could go through what we’ve been through,” Doeren said. “We’ve had a lot of crazy stuff happen this year. You lose your starting quarterback to start the season, you lose your middle linebacker, two really good football players. We lost some tough one-possession games. Some fluky things just happened, and everything that could go against us at times has. But the guys just fought, and that’s the DNA of our program. Adversity’s going to happen, life’s not fair, but what are you going to do about it?”

There were positives and

Wake Forest closes 4-win season with 4 losses

The Demon Deacons are 10-20 in their past 30 games

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

WINSTON-SALEM — There’s an air of regression swirling around Winston-Salem following a period of sustained success for Wake Forest’s football team.

After seven consecutive seasons that ended with a bowl game, Wake has now failed to reach the postseason in back-toback campaigns, combining for only eight wins during that span.

The Demon Deacons (4-8, 2-6 ACC) were hoping to at least snap a three-game losing streak and finish the 2024 season on a positive note heading into Saturday’s season finale as they hosted Duke.

Instead, the Blue Devils (9 -3, 5-3 ACC) used a walkoff 39 -yard touchdown pass from Maalik Murphy to Jordan Moore to pull out a 23-17 road win over Wake, which finished with its second straight 4-8 season. The Demon Deacons led their in-state rival 17-3 in the third quarter before the Blue Devils scored 20 unanswered points.

“That was kind of a microcosm of our season,” 11th-year Wake coach Dave Clawson said after the loss. “We have good kids here. They always give us effort and play hard, and I wish I had done a better job for them. When you lose one-score games, you have to examine everything

BROWN from page B1

concerned, I will get out of the way,” he said. “My desk is cleaned out. My phone is turned in. My keys are turned in.”

Still, the transition will be missing some closure for Brown.

“I agree with administration that we needed change in leadership at the top,” he said.

“I just wanted to do it at the end of the year. … I was disappointed in the way it was done. I thought we could have

— what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. This is the second year in a row like this, so we have to figure out how to do better.”

Four of Wake’s eight losses in 2024 were within seven points or less.

Picked 15th in the 2024 ACC preseason poll back in July, the Demon Deacons finished the season exactly where the voters had predicted, besting only Stanford (3-9, 2-6 ACC) and Florida State (2-10, 1-7 ACC) among the conference’s 17 teams. Faced with injuries, a lack of depth pieces, and the ups and

had a joint press conference. We could work this out where I worked here a while. That didn’t happen. “They wanted me to retire on the Monday before the State game. We hadn’t beaten State. It was really important for these kids to play well. I didn’t want to break their hearts. So I said, ‘No, I won’t do that.’ Then they wanted me to do it Friday. I sure wasn’t going to do it on Friday, 24 hours from the game and disrupt their entire lives. So, I said I’ll talk to (the media) tonight after the game, or I’ll

downs of transfer quarterback Hank Bachmeier, Wake’s obstacles proved to be too much to overcome.

Only three years removed from winning the ACC’s Coach of the Year award following the Demon Deacons’ 11-3 campaign in 2021, Clawson currently has a 67-69 record as Wake’s coach. Despite his status as one of the most respected collegiate coaches in the state, it’s fair to wonder how warm his seat is getting as Demon Deacons fans grow weary of their team’s performance post-Sam Hartman;

talk to you Sunday morning. I don’t know what the difference between Monday and Saturday night was.”

As tough as the season was on Brown, the losses were particularly hard on his players.

“I felt like my job was to take care of these kids,” he said. “Those seniors don’t have another year. I’m not gonna quit on those seniors.”

The beginning of the end came after the 70-50 loss to James Madison, a game where an emotional Brown reportedly t hreatened to quit in

things to build on for 2025.

Players like true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey, running backs Kendrick Raphael and Hollywood Smothers, and wide receiver Noah Rogers struggled much of the season but showed their growth in the win over UNC.

“When you get reps, you get better, and you’re learning from the experiences of those reps and the game, all of a sudden, starts to have recall from other games that you’ve played in, and you can look at things differently because you’ve had those reps in games,” Doeren said. “I loved the way those guys have come on through the year and stayed coachable. It hasn’t been easy. There were struggles offensively throughout the year, and then we put some things together.”

While the growth of those young players is important, a big challenge for NC State will be retaining that talent, especially in the current NIL era.

The Wolfpack have already lost one of its top playmakers as sophomore wide receiver KC Concepcion announced on Sunday that he would be entering the transfer portal, so finding ways to retain the rest of their talent will be key for the Pack and perhaps defeating the Tar Heels can convince a good portion of donors to continue to buy in. Conversely, the win could help NC State with in-state recruiting, especially head to head against the Tar Heels, who are also searching for their next coach.

The win extended the Wolfpack’s season, and they’ll now prepare for their fifth straight bowl appearance where they’ll hope to achieve a better fate — NC State is 0-3 in its recent bowl games with another one, the Holiday Bowl in 2021, canceled.

changed over the last two years? It’s not the coaching; the game is different. Our margin for error right now is very, very small.” Clawson’s comment on the game changing was telling, indirectly pointing at the downstream effect NIL and the transfer portal have had on smaller programs over the past few years, where talent is difficult to obtain and even harder to keep around once it’s there.

Wake third-year running back Demond Claiborne came into his own in his junior season, racking up 1,048 yards and 11 touchdowns as one of the top rushing threats in the ACC. A potential Claiborne transfer to a larger program for his senior year would be symbolic of the erratic environment that Wake has struggled to acclimate to as of late.

Wake now has a 10-20 record over its past 30 games since it started the 2022 season 6-1 and was ranked 10th in the nation.

After the season finale loss to Duke, Clawson took responsibility for his team’s performance but defended his coaching staff.

“I’ve said many times they’ve been playing shorthanded all year, and that’s on me,” Clawson said. “I’m responsible for the talent level. Recruiting and retention are my jobs. If I thought we were poorly coached, I’d make changes. These coaches didn’t forget how to coach. What’s

the locker room after the game.

“After JMU, we played awful, and they started looking for coaches,” Brown said, “and they should. I felt like we probably couldn’t overcome that.”

Still, he didn’t want to leave during the season, not with the team reeling, and with Craft’s time limited — a loss far greater than anything the team would suffer on the gridiron.

“These poor kids had so much turmoil in their lives,” he said. “Administration is into finding a football coach. I’m into saving lives — making

Hypotheticals aside, there’s much room for improvement for the team heading into 2025, when Wake’s coaching staff will be tasked with development on both sides of the ball. Statistically, this year’s squad finished with the 85th-rated offense in the country (96th in rushing and 50th in passing) and the 118th-rated defense (82nd in rushing and 127th in passing).

“The reality of college football today is that there’s no time,” Clawson said. “On Monday, we’ll be recruiting our own team. Wednesday is signing day. Then we’ll be dealing with the transfer portal. This job has become nonstop, 24/7.

“Since we’re not in a bowl game, I’ll have some time over the Christmas break to reflect on the season, what we did, and how we can improve. That’s where we are right now.”

sure they’re mentally healthy.” Now, the Heels will prepare for their bowl game, without the coach that brought them to Chapel Hill. And Brown will head back into the retirement before he was pulled out of it by the only job that could have lured him back — head coach of the Tar Heels.

“I thought I’d stay three to five years,” he said. “Then, we were having fun, helping kids, we started winning some games, and it was all good.”

It just didn’t begin or end the way he’d planned.

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

NC State coach Dave Doeren, right, and wide receiver Kevin Concepcion salvaged the Wolfpack’s season with a win over

UNC, but the offseason will present challenges,

transfer portal.

CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO

Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier completed 62.7% of his passes while throwing 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season after transferring from Louisiana Tech.

NC well represented in Women’s College Cup

Wake Forest’s men look for their seventh College Cup appearance

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

THE 2024 WOMEN’S College Cup runs through North Carolina.

Top-seeded Duke, second-seeded UNC and second-seeded Wake Forest joined ACC foe and third-seeded Stanford in the women’s soccer semifinals after winning their respective quarterfinal matchups over the weekend. The three North Carolina teams will compete for a national championship berth Friday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, with Wake Forest taking on Stanford at 5 p.m. and Duke facing UNC at 7:30 p.m.

All three teams punched their ticket to the season’s final weekend with close wins in the quarterfinals. Wake Forest knocked off top-seeded USC in PKs to advance to its second College Cup, and UNC needed overtime to beat fourth-seeded Penn State 2-1 and reach its fifth College Cup in the last seven years and 32nd in program history. Duke fifth-year defender Katie Groff knocked in the only goal needed for the Blue Devils to survive seventh-seeded Virginia Tech 1-0 and make their fifth College Cup.

The rivalry between Duke and UNC will be revisited

for the fourth time this year.

The Blue Devils swept the Tar Heels in the regular season, winning 1-0 on Sept. 5 and 3-2 on Oct. 31. UNC avenged those losses with a 2-1 win over Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals in November, putting the all-time record between the two Triangle schools at 44 - 6 -5 in UNC’s favor.

Friday’s meeting between Duke and UNC will be the fourth time the rivals face off in the NCAA Tournament. UNC beat Duke in the tournament in 1992, 1994 and 2001, with the Tar Heels winning the national title over the Blue Devils in 1992.

The Tar Heels haven’t faltered from their standards in the first season without legendary coach Anson Dorrance at the helm. UNC, led by junior forward and midfielder Kate Faasse, reached the ACC title game and holds a 20-5 overall record going into the national semifinals.

Faasse leads the team with 19 goals on the year, and senior forward and midfielder Bella Sember is right behind her with eight.

Duke is led by its graduate midfielder Maggie Graham and sophomore Mia Minestrella, who lead the Blue Devils with 14 and 12 goals, respectively.

In Duke’s two regular season wins over UNC, Graham scored two goals, including the lone goal needed to win the first meeting and the final score in the second meeting to

give Duke a 3-1 lead in the closing half. The Tar Heels didn’t let Graham have the same effect in the ACC semifinal, however, as they allowed just one goal to Cameron Roller in the first half and seven shots on goal throughout the game (one shot on goal from Graham).

Wake Forest, led by junior forward Caiya Hanks and her team-high 11 goals this season, will have its hands full with Stanford and its stout defense. Wake Forest and Stanford are second and third, respectively, in the ACC in goals allowed,

and the Demon Deacons’ 1-0 win over the Cardinal on Sept. 19 put that on display.

The Demon Deacons allowed just four shots on goal in that game, while Stanford allowed six. Wake Forest’s sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral has also been very good behind her defense, allowing just 11 goals (second fewest in the ACC) with 40 saves on the year.

A Demon Deacons win over Stanford would give Wake its first national championship appearance.

Wake Forest is also providing the N.C. representation in the men’s tournament, with the eighth-seeded Demon Deacons taking on top-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinals Saturday at 5 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The road to the quarterfinals wasn’t easy for Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons survived ninth-seeded Clemson in the third round with a 2-1 overtime win on Nov. 24. After entering the overtime period tied at one goal apiece, junior midfielder Basit Umar assisted freshman midfielder Dylan Borso for the game-winning score just over a minute into extra play. Borso also scored in the tournament-opening win over Maryland, and junior midfielder Cooper Flax, who leads the team with nine goals on the season, scored the game-winner to send Wake Forest past the Terrapins and into the third round.

Wake Forest doesn’t have a top-notch defense, but it has an aggressive offense, taking the most shots and shots on goal in the ACC. Although they don’t score many goals, the Demon Deacons have found ways to consistently win close games in high-stake situations, including two wins on PKs on its way to a conference title in the ACC Tournament.

Should Wake Forest knock off the Buckeyes, it will make its seventh trip to the College Cup.

Signing Day drama surrounds recruits across state

Commitments are called into questions as teams make one final push

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

BREAK OUT THE hats and fax machines — National Signing Day is here again.

The transfer portal may have taken away some of its thunder, but football programs are still built based on what happens at the start of the December early-signing period. The first Wednesday of the month is the initial opportunity members of the high school senior class have to officially accept scholarship offers from college athletic programs. Some have been committed to their schools for months, even years, but nothing counts until it’s on the dotted line on signing day.

That leads to plenty of hijinks and last-minute pushes as programs attempt to flip a committed player from their rival.

Here’s a look at the top storylines on this year’s signing day in North Carolina.

Top player: The consensus top senior in the state is David Sanders Jr. of Providence Day School in Charlotte. The tackle is also the top-rated offensive lineman in the nation by most recruiting services. The Gatorade player of the year in the state last season, Sanders committed to Tennessee in August, choosing the Vols over Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Nebraska and South Carolina,

PANIC from page B1

missed a free throw that could have tied the game with 1:38 left and committed another turnover in the final minute with the game on the line.

Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel also had a last-minute turnover and missed a shot at the buzzer that put him at 0 for 8 from 3 for the game.

Fanbase take: The freshmen aren’t ready for prime time. Duke doesn’t have someone who they can trust at crunch time.

Outlook: Duke’s best players are in their first month of college basketball. They’re learning against a schedule that has included three top-tier teams, none of them at home.

The fix: Time. By season’s end, if not far sooner, Flagg and Knueppel will have learned

Indications were that he was down to Tennessee and UNC, but as signing day approached, chaos intervened. UNC coach Mack Brown’s firing, just over a week before the signing period opened, threw a wrench into the works on a number of fronts. Will the uncertainty at Carolina push Campbell to Tennessee? Or will Clemson manage to win him back? We’ll find out when he dons a hat on Wednesday. The Mack factor: The timing on UNC’s decision to part ways with Brown means that the commitments in the Tar Heels class have to decide whether to stick with their verbal despite likely not knowing who their coach is going to be.

who all received official visits. The drama wasn’t over, however. In recent weeks, rumors have surfaced that Sanders is still being wooed by Ohio State, and many outlets, including ESPN, have reported that a flip to the Buckeyes is possible.

Sanders took a surprise unofficial visit to the school the week before Thanksgiving, putting the Vols into a panic. However, on Thanksgiving Day, Sanders posted a photo of himself enjoying his turkey dinner on Instagram, and he was wearing a pair of Tennessee flip flops, which many observers took as

their lessons. The Blue Devils will be fine.

North Carolina: Aloha, season

The Tar Heels’ only win in the Maui Invitational came after UNC fell behind by 21. Predictably, the players reacted to the comeback with promises that they’d learned their lesson and would be more prepared to play going forward. They then fell behind each of the next two days and couldn’t complete the comebacks, losing to Auburn and Michigan State. Fanbase take: Code red. Fire everyone. Start over.

Outlook: This seems to be an annual occurrence with Hubert Davis teams. His 2022 Final Four squad lost back-to-back games to Purdue and Tennessee by a total of 26 points, drop -

a sign that he’s back on board. That’s signing day for you!

Top uncommitted player: As Sanders’ story should indicate, no one is truly on board until that signed letter of intent is in the football office. However, the top player in the state who hasn’t at least verbally declared his intentions is Southern Durham’s Isaiah Campbell. Rated as the No. 2 player in the state by 247 and No. 4 by Rivals, Campbell spent nearly eight months committed to Clemson before changing his mind and reopening his recruitment in late September.

ping its record to 3-2. The next year, the Heels lost four straight in November to fall to 5-4. Last year, there were back-to-back losses to UConn and Kentucky, giving UNC three losses before fall final exams. The fix: RJ Davis, Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington have all been in prolonged slumps to start the year. A shuffle to the rotation, if not the starting lineup quite yet, could help spark everyone. Freshmen Drake Powell and Ian Jackson have earned extra minutes.

NC State: What Final Four?

State suffered back-to-back losses to Purdue and BYU, each by double-digits. After leading the nation in fast-break points through the first five games, Wolfpack opponents were able to slow things down and

Rolesville’s Zavion Griffin-Hayes, a four-star edge rusher in the class of 2026 (and thus not impacted by this year’s signing day) was the first to decommit from the Tar Heels following the Brown news. Georgia four-star offensive tackle Alex Payne, a member of the senior class, also decommitted, joining three other out-of-state commits who dropped UNC in late October.

The Heels have commitments from three in-state seniors ranked among North Carolina’s best. East Forsyth quarterback Bryce Baker is the highest rated, ranking as a top-five recruit in the state on most services. According to 247Sports, which spoke to his father, Baker is still committed but keeping his options open depending on who the new coach will be. That’s chum in the water to oth-

beat State in the halfcourt. Fanbase take: Last March was a fluke, and maybe a bad thing, since it delayed a new direction for the program by another year. Outlook and fix: State has the pieces to compete. Keatts and his staff just need to come up with the countermove after film of their early-season success got distributed and a solution found. Keatts wants the Wolfack to be more physical, both in the battles on the boards and in driving to the rim instead of settling for outside shots.

Wake Forest: The redshirt blues

The Deacs were beaten handily by Florida, 75-58, in Orlando. They’ve also lost to Xavier this season and had a

er schools who missed out on Baker in the first round of recruiting, and his phone is likely blowing up as the big day approaches. He made an official visit to Penn State the weekend before signing day. The best UNC can likely hope for is that Baker doesn’t sign in the early period, waiting to see who Carolina brings in to replace Brown. It doesn’t seem likely he’ll sign for a coachless program. The real question is whether he waits or flips to another school. Jacksonville running back Demon June, Rivals’ No. 16 recruit in the state, is also wavering on his UNC commitment. He took an official visit to Florida State the weekend Brown was coaching his final game with the Tar Heels.

Cary tackle Trey Blue appears to still be planning to sign with the Heels during the early period.

The other schools: Duke’s is enjoying its best recruiting season in recent memory, with the class ranked just outside of the top 25. Grimsley defensive lineman Bryce Davis (No. 3 in N.C. on 247, No. 2 on Rivals) is the gem. Duke’s class could get even better if Jamien Little (No. 12 on 247) chooses the Blue Devils over UNC. The Hickory receiver decommitted from Wake Forest. That left Wake’s top-rated commitment as No. 14 receiver Koredell Bartley of Greensboro Dudley. NC State’s class ranks in the 40s, nationally. The Wolfpack’s top prize is receiver Jerel Bolder of Marshville’s Forest Hills High.

21-point exhibition game loss to Alabama. In between, they’ve beaten Michigan and Minnesota on neutral courts.

Wake has struggled with shooting as just about everyone on the roster is hitting threes at a significantly lower rate than in their previous seasons. That leads to a streaky team, as the early-season results have shown.

Fanbase take: Coach Steve Forbes is redshirting promising European player Marqus Marion. Clearly, the team needs him on the floor. Time to rethink the plan and pull off the redshirt.

Outlook and fix: Much like UNC, the roster has a history of shooting better than in the early going. Wake should be in good shape, with maybe a few tweaks to the rotation to spark someone into a hot streak.

KARL B. DEBLAKER / AP PHOTO

Kate Faasse and the Tar Heels will need to beat rival Duke to advance to the national title game in their first season without legendary coach Anson Dorrance.

PJ WARD-BROWN / NORTH STATE JOURNAL

East Forsyth quarterback Bryce Baker calls his own number during a game against Mount Tabor earlier this season. Baker has a big signing day decision as Mack Brown’s firing has thrown his commitment to UNC into question.

Mountaire Farms celebrates 30 years of ‘Thanksgiving for Thousands’

The company and volunteers helped prepare 23,500 meals that could feed a family of four

By Dan Reeves North State Journal

SILER CITY — On an excep -

tionally frigid Saturday morning, hundreds gathered in the employee parking lot at Mountaire Farms in Siler City. An assembly line of volunteers of all ages, city officials, law enforcement and company employees graciously gave their time and

energy to pack thousands of boxed Thanksgiving meals for families in North Carolina. Mountaire Farms, the fourth-largest chicken company in the United States, celebrated its 30th year of “Thanksgiving for Thousands,” an initiative of Mountaire Cares, the philanthropic arm of the company. Designed to give back to communities, the program provides not only nourishment to the underfed but ensures families have a hearty meal to eat Thanksgiving Day. In its fifth year locally, Mountaire plants in Lumber

Bridge, Statesville and Siler City packed a total of 23,500 boxes serving Chatham, Randolph, Alamance, Guilford and Harnett counties.

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, volunteers led by Mountaire Cares manager Liz Mauney prepared boxes complete with all the fixings, designed to feed a family of four. Each meal contained a Mountaire roaster chicken, canned corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, yams, stuffing, gravy and a brownie mix for dessert.

The giving community spir-

it was palpable from 7 am to noon as local volunteers, people who traveled across the state to help, and trucks from community churches and nonprofits as large as the Salvation Army lined the roads to Mountaire Farms in Siler City to gather the meals for distribution.

“This is our third year,” one volunteer who drove up from Raleigh said. “It’s simply amazing what this event does for families in need, and my wife and I are grateful to be part of it.”

“We had 175 people sign up,” Mauney said. “But everybody

else just showed up because they know when and where to come and help.”

As Mauney coordinated the event, she spoke to what’s at the heart of the program.

“We’re living out our commitment to being good stewards of all the assets God has entrusted to us,” she said referencing the Mountaire creed.

Mauney, whose career has included everything from being a professional nanny to leading Mountaire Cares, embodies the true spirit of selflessness and giving. Her guidance and dedication in concert with the small armies of volunteers and community partners put food on the table Thanksgiving Day for those who need it most.

“I thank everyone for coming out and giving their time and energy for this event,” Mauney said. “It does so much to help our communities.”

Jolie graceful, sharp as opera star in ‘Maria’

By Lindsey Bahr

The Associated Press

ANGELINA JOLIE glides through the final days of Maria Callas’ short life in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” a dramatic, evocative elegy to the famed soprano. It’s an affair that’s at turns melancholy, biting and grandly theatrical, an aria for a once-in-a-generation star.

It’s all about the raw feeling, which serves the movie well, more dream than history lesson about La Callas. Early on, she pops some Mandrax and tells her devoted butler Ferruccio (a simply wonderful Pierfrancesco Favino) that a television crew is on the way.

ly dressed and assured, whether reflecting to the imagined news crew (led by Kodi SmitMcPhee) or attempting to find her voice again. Her instrument had famously diminished, leaving her wondering what’s left to live for. The only consistent praise she gets is from her obedient housemaid, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher). It’s no secret that the destination is death. And you suspect that she knows quite well that everything will be a big dimmer when her spotlight is turned off.

present and elusive, and lately she chooses to step in front of the camera all too infrequently. Sometimes you wish she could just follow in Nicole Kidman’s footsteps, for whom quantity does not seem to ever jeopardize quality, and she seems to be having fun doing it all, all the time. Perhaps it’s because performances like Jolie’s in “Maria” look so all-consuming. In the film, Maria scolds a fan for daring to question that she faked sickness to miss a performance. He doesn’t understand the total commitment of body and soul required to make it look effortless, which is probably true. Jolie is not so dramatic, at least publicly, about what it takes to create art.

In “Maria,” we are the companion to a protagonist with an ever-loosening grip on reality, walking with her through Paris, and her life, for one week in September 1977.

The images from cinematographer Ed Lachman, playfully shifting in form and style,

“As of this morning, what is real and what is not real is my business,” she says calmly and definitively, making a feast out of Steven Knight’s sharp script. It’s one of many great lines and moments for Jolie, whose intensity and resolve belie her fragile appearance. And it’s a signal to the audience as well: Don’t fret about dull facts or that Jolie doesn’t really resemble Callas all that much. This is a biopic as opera — an emotional journey fitting of the great diva, full of flair, beauty, betrayal, revelations and sorrow.

take us on a scattershot journey through her triumphs on stage, her scandalous romance with Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer) and her traumatic youth.

In the present, at age 53, she sleeps till midday, drinks the minimal calories she ingests, goes to restaurants where the waiters know her name looking for adulation and has visions of performances staged just for her all around the city.

Callas is always immaculate-

Larraín has made a lasting mark on cinema with his unofficial trilogy about these famous women with tragic narratives. With “Jackie,” “Spencer” and now “Maria,” his films are also an unintentional antidote to Ryan Murphy’s stranglehold of the grand dames of recent history, which are all style and scandal and little substance. And yet Larraín’s films are not for everyone. If “Jackie” and “Spencer” did not speak to you or show those women as you hoped they would, “Maria” will not turn you into a believer. And yet, it’s hard to deny that his films are incredible showcases for actors. Jolie as a movie star is somehow both omni-

In one of the film’s few regrettable scenes, she’s put face to face with John F. Kennedy (no fault of Caspar Phillipson), whose wife has caught the greedy eye of Onassis. As a testament to the power of Jolie and the script, you almost forgive yet another JFK impersonation for giving her one of the great brushoffs to utter, romantic and withering all at once. Is it all a little much? Of course, but that’s kind of the point of “Maria.”

“Maria,” a Netflix release in select theaters now and streaming Dec. 11, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association. Running time: 122 minutes. Three stars out of four.

GENE GALIN FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Left, Mountaire Cares manager Liz Mauney directs hundreds of volunteers at “Thanksgiving for Thousands” at Mountaire Farms’ Siler City plant. Right, Volunteers build boxes at the assembly line to be packed with a Thanksgiving meal for a family of four.

The Oscar-winning actor portrays Maria Callas

PABLO LARRAÍN / NETFLIX VIA AP

Angelina Jolie stars in “Maria” about famed opera singer Maria Callas.

estate to present them to the undersigned at 205 Fairfield Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303, on or before February 28, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 28th day of November, 2024. Constance Bissette Greene Executor of the Estate of Mary Ann Bissette, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305

11/28/2024,12/5/2024, 12/12/2024 and 12/19/2024

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of Stephanie A. Boghosian, decedent, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the decedent to present them to the Administrator named below on or before February 28, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms, and corporations indebted to the estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 21st day of November, 2024.

Giles Clark Jones PO Box 8201 Greenville, NC 27835 Published on November 21st, 28th, December 5th and 12th, 2024.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

The undersigned, Catheryn Ann Baxley and Robert Durant Carver, having qualified as Co-Executor’s of the Estate of Dorothy L. Carver aka Dorothy Leggett Carver, Deceased , late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, herby notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the Estate to present such claims to the undersigned in care of the undersigned’s Attorney at their address on or before March 6, 2025 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms, and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the above- named CoExecutor’s.

This the 5th day of December, 2024. Catheryn Ann Baxley and Robert Durant Carver, CoExecutor’s Estate of Dorothy L. Carve aka Dorothy Leggett Carver Justin N. Plummer, Esq. Law Offices of Cheryl David 528 College rd. G reensboro, NC 27410 Telephone:(336)547-9999 Facsimile:(336)547-9477 December 5,12, 19 and 26, 2024.

Notice to Creditors

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Linda Joyce Farrior, deceased, of Cumberland County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before February 21, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. This is the 21st day of November 2024. ALicia Farrior, Executor 3809 Wildflower Road Hope Mills, NC, 28348

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF JACQUELINE RUTH GRIMSLEY

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E001543-250

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Jacqueline Ruth Grimsley, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 13th day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Jacqueline Ruth Grimsley Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 21, November 28, December 5 and December 12, 2024

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of George Truitt Nunnery, decedent, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the decedent to present them to the Administrator named below on or before March 07th, 2024. Or, this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 5th day of December, 2024. James Douglas Nunnery 5125 Pondwood Drive Stedman, NC 28391 Published on December 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, 2024.

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 23e1352 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: JAMES EARL HORTON ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTICE The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the estate of James Earl Horton, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 13th day of November, 2024.

Shameka H. Deese 4980 Winding Ridge Dr. Greensboro, NC 27406 Administrator of the estate of James Earl Horton, deceased Publication Dates

CREDITORS

NOTICE TO

ESTATE OF ELIZABETH MACRAE HALSEY

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E001515-250

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Elizabeth MacRae Halsey, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 1st day of March, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 21st day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Elizabeth MacRae Halsey Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: November 28, December 5, December 12 and December 19, 2024

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 24E002789-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Richard Henry Hall a/ka Richard Henry Hall Sr., deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim

File No. 19E001744-250

All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against John M. Gurley deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims Mia Franklin, Administrator, at 7326 Hyannis Dr, Fayetteville NC 28304, on or before February 28th 2025 (which dates is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This 28th day of November, 2025.

Mia Franklin Administrator/Executor 7326 Hyannis Dr, Fayetteville NC 28304 Of the Estate of John Gurley, Deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF WANDA PICKETT

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E001615-250

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Wanda Pickett, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.

This the 15th day of November, 2024.

Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Wanda Pickett

Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm

Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311

Run dates: November 21, November 28, December 5 and December 12, 2024

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF CLYDE SAMUELS

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E1103

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Clyde Samuels, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are notified to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 22nd day of February, 2025 (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 18th day of November, 2024. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Clyde Samuels Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the

CABARRUS COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Joseph B. Hazelwood a/k/a Joseph Hazelwood and Kelley Hazelwood to Trustee Services of Carolina, Trustee(s), which was dated April 18, 2005 and recorded on April 22, 2005 in Book 5921 at Page 135, Cabarrus County Registry, North Carolina.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

24SP001536-120

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Thomas B. Weeks and David E. Whitaker (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): David E. Whitaker, Heirs of David E. Whitaker: Thomas B. Weeks, Martha Richardson, Sandra Bennington, Karen Ferrell, Linda Whitaker, Becky Richardson a/k/a Rebecca Richardson, Mike Whitaker a/k/a Justin Michael Whitaker, Ben Whitaker a/k/a Benjamin Keith Whitaker, Curry Whitaker) to Anderson Langford, Trustee(s), dated December 9, 2019, and recorded in Book No. 13898, at Page 0304 in Cabarrus County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cabarrus County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on December 16, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Concord in the

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

24SP000802-250 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Matthew David Leary (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Matthew David Leary) to Joel S. Jenkins, Jr., Trustee(s), dated September 28, 2023, and recorded in Book No. 11830, at Page 0194 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location

GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 24 CVS 3286

NOTICE OF JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper, Plaintiff, vs. All Lawful Heirs of Helen L. Lyghts a/k/a Helen Louise Lyghts; Jimmy David Lamb, Jr.; Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, Defendant(s).

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Jeremy B. Wilkins, Commissioner, pursuant to the Order/Judgment entered in the above-captioned case on September 30, 2024 (“Order”), and by virtue of the appointment, power and authority contained in that Order, has been authorized and ordered to sell the property commonly known as 250 Waterdown Drive Apartment 2, Fayetteville, NC 28314

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 4227 Kiser Woods Dr, Concord, NC 280258957.

A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS

Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 11, 2024 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT 6, as shown on the map or plat of KISER WOOD, PHASE 1, MAP 1, which is duly recorded in Plat Book 33, page 6, Register of Deeds for Cabarrus County, North Carolina, to which plan reference is here made for a more complete and accurate description thereof.

County of Cabarrus, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in No. One (1) Township, Cabarrus County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: Lying and being in No. 1 Township, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, on the North side of Red Fox Drive, and being a part of Lot No. 61 of Foxwood Acres, a map of said subdivision being on file in the office of the Register of Deeds for Cabarrus County, North Carolina, in Map Book 15, Page 42, and being more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at an existing iron pin the dividing line between Lots Nos. 60 and 61, said beginning point lying S. 75-13-22 E. 8.55 feet from an existing iron pin, the rear common corner of Lots Nos. 61 and 62, and runs thence with the dividing line between Lots Nos. 60 and 61, S. 75-13-22 E. 181.04 feet to an existing iron pin on the West side of Silver Fox Drive, a corner of Lots Nos. 60 and 61; thence with the West side of Silver Fox Drive, S. 06-25-58 E. 163.29 feet to a new iron pin; thence with the northwestern intersection of Silver Fox Drive with Red Fox Drive, as said intersection curves in a generally Southwesterly direction, at a radius of 20.00 feet, for an arc distance of 40.06 feet to a new iron pin; thence with the North side of Red Fox Drive, N. 72-14-00 W. 191.88 feet to a new iron pin in the front line of Lot No. 61, a new corner thence a new line through Lot No. 61, N. 05-13-00 E. 173.84 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING, containing 0.80 acres,

designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on December 16, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 30, in a subdivision known as Ascot, Section 3, Part 1, and the same being duly recorded in Plat Book 58, Page 45, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5587 Lockridge Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Parcel ID: 0530-65-1933

Property Address: 5587 Lockridge Road, Fayetteville, NC 28311

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1).

(“Property”). Said Property is secured by the Deed of Trust executed by Helen L. Lyghts, dated June 24, 1997, and recorded on June 24, 1997, in Book 4680 at Page 0017 of the Cumberland County, North Carolina Registry. The Property shall be sold together with improvements located thereon, towards satisfaction of the debt due by Helen L. Lyghts and secured by the lien against such property in favor of Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper.

The Commissioner will offer for sale to the highest bidder at a public auction at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 11, 2024, at 01:30 PM the following described real property (including all improvements thereon) located in Cumberland County, North Carolina and described as follows:

Being all of Unit No. 2. Section No. III, Phase Twenty Two, The Crossings at Morganton, as recorded in Condominium Book 5, Page 59 and revised in Condominium Book 5, Page 64 in the Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina with the ownership interest, privileges, appurtenances, conditions and restrictions contained and described in the Declarations of THE CROSSINGS AT MORGANTON CONDOMINIUMS recorded in book 3885, Page 738 and as amended

estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Torrie T. Charles a/k/a Torrie Tyrell Epps, a/k/a Torrie Charles, dated June 18, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $58,000.00, and recorded in Book No. 6767, at Page 659 of the Cumberland 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.

MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are JOSPEH

HAZELWOOD AND WIFE, KELLEY

HAZELWOOD.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in

as surveyed by James T. West, RLS, of Harrisburg Surveying, July 31, 1996. BEING the same property as conveyed from Baxter Thomas Wright, III and wife, Carol Wright to David E. Whitaker, a single man, recorded on 09/23/2015 as Book 11598 and Page 0190 and Document Number 23296 in the County of Cabarrus, State of North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 874 Red Fox Lane, Concord, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S.

§7A-308(a)(1). 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/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the 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, and any and all responsibilities

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/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the 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, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, 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. If the trustee is unable to convey title to

in book 3950, Page 62 and Book 4614, Page 059 in the aforesaid registry.

The above described property will be sold, transferred and conveyed “AS IS, WHERE IS” subject to liens or encumbrances of record which are superior to such Deed of Trust, together with all unpaid taxes and assessments and any recorded releases. Neither the Commissioner nor the holder of the debt secured by such Deed of Trust, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Commissioner or the holder of the debt make any representation of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health, or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such conditions expressly are disclaimed. The Commissioner shall convey title to the property by nonwarranty deed, without any covenants or warranties, express or implied.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 1-339.29 (c) in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the judge or clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the

Address of property: 107 Bruce Ln, Spring Lake, NC 28390 Tax Parcel ID: 0 501-58-6593

The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Torrie T. Charles.

which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the

or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, 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. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit,

this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. 4521.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice

rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current record owners of the property as reflected on the records of the CUMBERLAND COUNTY Register of Deeds’ office not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof are All Lawful Heirs of Helen

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 the 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 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 subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including 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 from the highest bidder 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. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts

CABARRUS

Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument

duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Cumberland County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Cumberland County, North Carolina, at 2:00PM on December 10, 2024, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: Lying and being situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 84, in a Subdivision known as “Hillendale, Section 8, Part 2”, according to a plat of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 57, Page 128, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. APN: 0429-96-7748 Property address: 775 Ashfield Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 775 Ashfield Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Tax ID: 0429-96-7748 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina General Statutes §105-228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof with a maximum amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). A deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale and must be tendered in the form of certified funds. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid

the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 11, 2024 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot 107 in a subdivision known as Peartree, Section Four, Part One, plat of the same duly recorded in Plat Book 119, Page 117 Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 2919 Chanticleer Court, Fayetteville, NC 28306. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing.

THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, DAVIDSON COUNTY 23 SP 148

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Matthew Lee Whittington, in the original amount of $83,738.00, payable to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for Bank of America, N.A., dated October 7, 2011 and recorded on October 7, 2011 in Book 2032, Page 856, Davidson County Registry. Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Davidson

on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s)

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Robert M. Clark and wife, Kelly Clark. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a

Carolyn B. Taylor (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Cynthia E. Taylor and Habakkuk Taylor and Carolyn B. Taylor) to PRLAP, Inc., Trustee(s), dated May 5, 2004, and recorded in Book No. 4381, at Page 302 in Durham County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Durham County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed,

County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Davidson County, North Carolina, at 2:00PM on December 17, 2024, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT NO. 13 AS SET OUT UPON MAP OF ED-LO KORNER, SAID MAP BEING RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 12, PAGE 5, IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, REFERENCE TO WHICH IS HEREBY MADE FOR A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION.

Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 208 Ed Lo Drive, Lexington, NC 27295. Tax ID: 03006B0000013 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina

the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 3:00 PM on December 17, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Durham in the County of Durham, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 127 of Frazier Forest Phase I as per plat and survey by Neal C. Hamlett, R.L.S., dated May, 1987 and recorded in Plat Book 114 at Page 166, Durham County Registry, to which reference is hereby made for a more particular description of same. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1009 Glenrose Drive, Durham, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five

24SP001912-310 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, DURHAM COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Edward E Cooke to Trste, Inc, Trustee(s), which was dated August 17, 2006 and recorded on September 13, 2006 in Book 5354 at Page 389, Durham County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on December 12, 2024 at 11:30 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Durham County, North Carolina, to wit: ALL THAT REAL PROPERTY SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF DURHAM, STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA: BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED TO THE GRANTOR BY DEED RECORDED IN BOOK 400, PAGE 96 DURHAM COUNTY REGISTRY, TO WHICH DEED REFERENCE IS HEREBY MADE FOR A MORE PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROPERTY. And being more particularly described by metes and bounds on said Deed as follows: TRACT NO. 2: Beginning at an iron stake in the eastern

in that certain Deed of Trust executed Roberta F. Jones, dated October 14, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $450,000.00, and recorded in Book 9803 at Page 57 of the Durham 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: 815 Corona St, Durham, NC 27707 Tax Parcel ID: 132682 Present Record Owners: The

General Statutes §105-228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof with a maximum amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). A deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale and must be tendered in the form of certified funds. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts will be immediately due and owing. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS WHERE IS. There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best

Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). 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/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the 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, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is

minutes West 431.8 feet to the iron stake at the point and place of beginning, containing 2.8 acres, more or less, and being “Part of the J. E. Cole Estate”, Lebanon Township, Durham County, North Carolina, as per plat and survey thereof by J. Watts Copley, L.S., dated July 25, 1960, on file in the office of the Register of Deeds of Durham County in Plat Book 41, at page 31, to which plat reference is hereby made for more particular description of same. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 5824 N Roxboro Rd, Durham, NC 27712. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating

Heirs of Roberta F. Jones The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Roberta F. Jones. 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 the 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 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 subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and

of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owners of the property is Matthew Lee Whittington. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination (North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.16A(b)(2)). Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of

required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including SingleFamily Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant

to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are EDWARD E. COOKE. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor

Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the 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

pen & paper pursuits sudoku solutions

LAST WEEK

Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on December 16, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Wake Forest in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Lying and being in the Town of Wake Forest, Wake Forest Township, Wake County, North Carolina and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 31, as shown on the map(s) entitled “Traditions Southwest, Phase 1Subdivision, Easement and R/W Final Plat” recorded in Book of Maps 2012, Pages 12071214, inclusive, Wake County Registry, to which map(s) reference is made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 364 Springtime Fields Lane, Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). 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/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the 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, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00),

Bowl bound

NC State beat rival UNC on Saturday to send Tar Heels coach Mack Brown into retirement and make the Wolfpack bowl‑eligible. Above, State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (10) celebrates after his touchdown with tight end Justin Joly (15).

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tight race for N.C. Supreme Court headed toward (another) recount

A very close election for a Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of more than 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that began in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court.

USPS touts timely delivery of 99M mail-in ballots

The U.S. Postal Service says nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week during this year’s presidential contest. That’s despite hurricanes, some misdirected election mail and delivery concerns raised by state officials. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said postal workers processed more than 99 million general election ballots. There were some notable problems even with the overall strong performance. Election offices in several places reported receiving completed ballots that should have gone to other states.

$2.00

Stanly commissioners named to new chair positions and assignments

Incoming Commissioner Billy Mills was introduced in his new role

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Board of Commissioners met on Monday night for its annual reorganizational meeting where a new chairman and vice chairman were chosen for the 2025 calendar year.

Additionally, incoming Commissioner Billy Mills and returning Commissioner Scott Efird were both sworn into office, while the board also established new committee assignments for next year.

Replacing a role held this year by Commissioner Bill Lawhon, Mike Barbee — the vice chair for 2024 — was elected as the board’s new chairman, while Commission-

er Brandon King was elected as vice chairman.

Lawhon and Barbee each received a nomination for chairman, leading to an individual voting process for each where they voted for themselves.

Barbee came out on top via a 5-2 vote with support from Commissioners Trent Hatley, Patty Crump and Mills. Lawhon received support from Efird.

“I thank you all for putting your trust in me,” Barbee said following the vote. “I want to commend Commissioner Lawhon on the great job he’s done this last year as chair, and I appreciate his guidance. I intend to work with everybody on the board and make sure to do my best so that everything is done fairly. We look after the citizens. To me, that is the most important thing.”

King and Crump each received a nomination for the vice chairman vote, leading

“If you supported us in the elections, please support us now.”

Commissioner Billy Mills

to a 4-3 tally for the position. Mills, Crump, Barbee and King voted for King; Hatley, Lawhon and Efird voted for Crump. For board and committee assignments, Lawhon was named to the Economic Development Commission and Centralina Council of Government (alternate), while Barbee was added to the Stanly Water and Sewer Authority, Centralina Council of Government, and Stanly Water and Sewer Authority (alternate).

Efird was assigned to the Library Board, Partners Behavioral Health Management

Board, and Rural Planning Organization Board (alternate). Mills was named to the Senior Services Board, and Rural Planning Organization Board. Crump joined the Consolidated Human Services Board and Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, while Hatley joined the Airport Authority, Fire District Commission, and Stanly Water and Sewer Authority. Lastly, King was added to the Economic Development Commission, Consolidated Human Services Board, and the Airport Authority. These board and committee a ssignments received unanimous support from the commissioners. Later in the meeting, the board provided its own feedback on the new chair positions and the addition of Mills as the newcomer to the board.

Albemarle City Council swears in city officials for ’25

Many city staff members are set to return in their current roles

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

ALBEMARLE — At the Albemarle City Council meeting on Monday night, reelected councilmembers were sworn into office while other city officials were both elected and appointed for the upcoming year.

Five returning officials — Mayor Ronnie Michael and Councilmembers Martha Sue Hall, Bill Aldridge, Dexter Townsend and Benton Dry — were each sworn into office by Stanly County Clerk of Superior Court Ginger Efird.

Originally elected as an Albemarle council member in 2011, Michael was elected as the city’s mayor two years lat-

“The next four years are going to be important to our city as we see tremendous growth.”

Ronnie Michael, Albemarle mayor

er and has continued to serve in that role.

“You’re the ones that give me the time to do what I need to do for the city, and I appreciate you very much,” Michael said. “To all the residents of the city, thank you for allowing us to continue to represent you. I do value your vote — it’s a privilege to serve you, and I look forward to the next four years. The next four years are going to be important to our city as we see tremendous

growth. We have a new business park coming on board that we will be able to offer for economic development.”

Through a unanimous process, the council also elected City Manager Todd Clark and City Attorney Britt Burch to all continue in their current respective roles within Albemarle’s local government. Additionally, Hall was elected to serve as the city’s mayor pro tem once again.

“I learned from this particular election that local government — city government in particular — is right where it all happens,” Hall said. “When people come in the doors of these chambers, the one thing they want to do is to be heard. We may not be able to answer or to do what those individuals want us to do, but knowing that we will take the time to listen to them and genuine -

ly listen to them is what they want.”

Prior to the meeting, Clark presented the council with his requests to reappoint Finance Director Jacob Weavil, Tax Collector Richard Lanzillotti, City Clerk Christina Brown and Deputy City Clerk Darren Rhodes.

The requests were unanimously approved during the meeting without any discussion or competing nominations.

“There are a lot of good things going on in the city of Albemarle, especially with this team that we have up here,” Townsend said. “I say ‘team’ because on a lot of councils and administrations, you don’t always see the synergy that we have amongst each other.”

The Albemarle City Council is set to meet again on Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.

THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

North State Journal

(USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471 1365)

Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Jesse Deal, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager

Published each Thursday as part of North State Journal

1201 Edwards Mill Rd. Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27607

TO SUBSCRIBE: 919 663 3232

STANLYJOURNAL.COM Annual Subscription Price: $100.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, NC and at additional mailing offices

POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to: North State Journal 1201 Edwards Mill Rd. Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27607

LOG

CRIME

Nov. 25

• Stephen Kyle McPherson, 43, was arrested for two counts of felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance, maintaining a vehicle/ dwelling/place for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, and a parole violation.

Nov. 26

• Kimberly Dawn Borchardt, 58, was arrested for communicating threats.

Nov. 27

• Paul Nash Tyson, 71, was arrested for injury to personal property and injury to real property.

Dec. 2

• Eliezer Sanchez, 34, was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence.

• Derek Craven Eudy, 27, was arrested for breaking and entering, assault inflicting serious injury, injury to real property, assault on a female, misdemeanor domestic violence, and on an order for arrest.

BOARD from page A1

“The biggest thing that is on my mind right now is we need your prayers because there’s no way we can know all the answers,” Mills said. “Just pray that God will give us discernment and wisdom for the challenges. If you supported us in the elections, please support us now. I look at my two grandsons, and even though I can see the end of the road, whenever I leave this Earth, I want them to have something — at least morals and values.”

The Stanly County Board of Commissioners is set to hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. inside the Gene McIntyre Meeting Room at Stanly County Commons.

Will Trump deliver on promised recognition for the Lumbee Tribe?

The tribe has been seeking federal recognition for decades

By Graham Lee Brewer The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY —

When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina, both candidates courted a state-recognized tribe there whose 55,000 members could have helped tip the swing state.

Trump in September promised that he would sign legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, a distinction that would unlock access to federal funds. He ultimately won North Carolina by more than 3 percentage points, in part due to continued support from Lumbee voters.

Now, as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, the promise will be put to the test. He has Republican allies in Congress on the issue, and now the Lumbee, as well as tribal nations across the country, are watching closely to see what comes next.

Tribal nations typically receive federal recognition through an application with the Department of the Interior, but the Lumbee have been trying for many years to circumvent that process by going through Congress. Chairman John Lowery called Interior’s application process “flawed” and overly lengthy and said it should be up to Congress to right what he calls a historic wrong.

“It’s just crazy that we’re sitting here fighting this battle, and I have to tell you that I am real in 2024,” Lowery said.

Following the presidential election, the Lumbee hope there will be momentum behind their cause, but they face deep-rooted opposition from tribal nations across the country.

There are questions about Trump’s next move

Several tribes, including the only one that is federally recognized in North Carolina, argue that if the Lumbee Tribe wants federal acknowledgment, it should go through the formal process in the Department of the Interior. One person familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president-elect will require the Lumbee Tribe to do

just that, and he won’t sign a Lumbee recognition bill. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly speak about Trump’s views.

Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said “no policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump.”

Federal recognition is of enormous importance, as it comes with access to resources like health care through Indian Health Services and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the landto-trust process. But before that happens, a tribal nation has to file a successful application with the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, a department within the Interior.

The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987, based on the interpretation of a 1956 congressional act that acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition.

In 2016, the Interior reversed that decision, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the Lumbee have opted for the congressional route.

The Lumbee’s approach to gain recognition through legislation has stoked a simmering debate in both Indian Country and Congress about Indigenous identity and tribal nationhood.

The Lumbee have received support from members of both parties

Members of Congress from

both parties have supported recognizing the Lumbee through legislation, including Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation who campaigned for Trump in North Carolina and backed the legislation. But perhaps the state-recognized tribe’s most ardent ally in Congress is North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026. Tillis introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act last year and has been a vocal supporter of the Lumbee. In interviews with The Associated Press, several tribal leaders, lobbyists and advocates said they were told by Tillis directly or by his staff that the senator is currently and will continue to block certain bills backed by tribal nations unless the leaders of those tribes support the Lumbee.

One of the bills he’s promised to block, according to those interviewed by the AP, is a land transfer that would allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to return 70 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the only federally recognized tribal nation in Tillis’s state. It would allow the tribe to put the land in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust.

The plot is part of the tribal nation’s homelands and contains the birthplace of Sequoyah.

“It’s appalling to me. It’s disgraceful,” Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Michell Hicks said. He said Tillis told him earlier this year that he would stop any legislation dealing with

the Eastern Band unless Hicks pledged his support.

Hicks is among the tribal leaders who question the validity of the Lumbee’s historical claims, and he said that is out of the question. At one point about a century ago, the Lumbee were known as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, and for many years now all three Cherokee tribes — the Eastern Band, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — have denounced this and been vocal opponents of granting the Lumbee federal recognition.

Representatives for Tillis declined to comment.

Tillis held up legislation last week that would have allowed for the preservation of the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. While doing so, he singled out the heads of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who have backed the preservation measure, for not supporting his efforts to federally recognize the Lumbee.

“This is not about you,” Tillis said to the two tribal nations, who he acknowledged had been trying for a century to preserve the site of the massacre. “But you need to know that your leadership is playing a game that will ultimately force me to take a position.”

Tillis suggested it was a “casino cartel” in part driven by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an Osage attorney named Wilson Pipestem working for the tribe that is trying to keep the Lumbee from gaining recognition, which could one day lead to the Lumbee opening their own casinos. Tillis threatened to continue publicly naming tribal leaders and their employees who he felt were standing in the way of his bill.

In a statement to the AP, Pipestem said Tillis should “apologize to the Tribal leaders for his false allegations and unscrupulous tactics.”

Lowery acknowledged that Tillis has held up both pieces of legislation, but he said that Tillis has not done so at the direction of the Lumbee.

“If he’s put a hold on the bill it’s because he reached out to tribal leaders to see where they stand on his bill, and they apparently have told him that they’re not in support,” Lowery said. “So, he said, ‘Well, if you can’t be supportive of my bill, I can’t be supportive of your bill.’”

Costco eggs recalled in NC due to potential salmonella contamination

The eggs were “not intended for retail distribution”

By Kenya Hunter and Devi Shastri The Associated Press

ORGANIC EGGS sold in 25 Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week for potential salmonella contamination.

The egg recall involved nearly 11,000 cartons of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand

that landed on shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee starting Nov. 22, according to the company’s announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website.

No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons included eggs that were “not intended for retail distribution.” Shoppers should check to see whether their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. If the eggs are included in the

recall, throw them out or take them back to the store for a refund. Customers who have the recalled food products should wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the foods using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher. Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment within a week, but young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune sys-

tems can become seriously ill.

The egg recall comes alongside a cucumber recall that sickened 68 people, including 18 who were hospitalized, in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No one has died. Produce grown in Sonora, Mexico, by Agrotato S.A. may be the culprit, the agency said.

A recall announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was tied to the outbreak. SunFed Produce, based in Arizona, recalled cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, the FDA said.

DAVID YEAZELL / AP PHOTO

Abigail Blue, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, walks by the stage during a Trump campaign event in Red Springs in October.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

The water of life

I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

MY WIFE AND I just bought a house.

The house we sold is in a city, just a three-minute drive from District Court.

If you beat the murder rap, you can walk to my house in about 20 minutes. There’s a methadone clinic a 10-minute walk away, too. Many clients of the court are also customers at the methadone clinic. We live in between the two. It’s an itchy feeling sometimes.

We’re moving to a suburb. We’ll park in our own driveway, not on the street, and I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

Small stuff. I’m sure the constant bake sales in our new town will be just as annoying as the sound of gunfire where we live now.

Anyway, the new house, she is bought, and we haven’t moved in yet, but we need a new water heater because the one that came with the new house should be called a “water lukewarmer” and not a “water heater.”

So we had a plumber come to the house, and he gave us three options. I’ll list them in order of price.

A world of leverage

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump understands, better than any recent American president, one simple rule when it comes to dealing with the world: Leverage matters and ought to be applied to those who oppose American interests.

Trump believes, for example, that tariffs ought to be used to threaten those who would close their markets to American products or flood America with fentanyl or manipulate the pricing system to their own benefit. He believes that maximum pressure ought to be unleashed on countries who seek to destabilize vital strategic regions to their own ends. And he is correct.

Trump has often been characterized as a bully, both publicly and privately. But the reality of the world is simple: Someone will be doing the bullying, and someone will be bullied. The only question is which party is which. It turns out that if America ceases to use leverage against its enemies or to pressure neutral countries to align more solidly with it, our enemies will use their leverage to do what they want. China isn’t shy about its use of power in the world; neither are Russia or Iran.

Xi Jinping has never apologized for his aggressive use of military threats against the Philippines or Taiwan; he has never shied away from the use of economic sticks and carrots against weaker countries. Vladimir Putin is fully willing to invade his neighbors and cut off oil supply to his enemies.

For $4,900, we get the British crown jewels. Hot water and plenty of it. We do not know how it works, but it’s “tankless,” and no one knows where the hot water stays until we shower.

For $2,900, we get a less expensive version of the $4,900 model. They promised us it would wear out fairly quickly and supply us with maybe half the hot water we need. We do not know how it works. It’s more thankless than tankless and doesn’t seem strong enough to do the job

For $1,900, we get a water heater that looks a lot like the one in our last house. It’ll wear out in a few years, but it makes hot water. We do not know how it works. Or we can rent a hot water heater and pay by the month., When it breaks, the people we rent it from will give us a new one at no additional charge. It’s worry-f ree, but it’s a monthly bill, and can a couple really say they’re Americans if they don’t own everything in their suburban home? In the city we’re leaving, a lot of people rent their furniture, which is

one of the ways you can tell they’re poor.

I was once in a rental place that had a rent-to-own deal on engagement rings.

“It’s the greatest thing ever,” a buddy of mine said. “You get engaged, you rent the ring. You break up, you quit making the payments, and they come get the ring back. You don’t have to see her again.”

The last option is to go without hot water, like cave dwellers. I’m saving that option for when the civil war starts and there is no running water because the water plant is in the hands of “rebel fighters” who ain’t strong on engineering. And I guess that makes the decision. If there might be a civil war in the future, I want to take boiling hot showers from now until “The People’s Army” takes over and nothing works anymore. Here’s the $4,900.

Hook up the illusion of forever happiness in America. It’s the only thing I’ve ever owned.

Marc Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.”

Iran has spread its terror proxies across the Middle East, cudgeling entire governments into doing its will.

So why wouldn’t America pursue similar tactics?

This is, for some odd reason, a mysterious insight to members of the Biden administration, who seem willing to apply leverage only to America’s allies and who seem to think that conciliation and tepidity somehow achieve victory against America’s enemies.

Perhaps they are of the Noam Chomsky-esque view that the world’s only country with actual agency is the United States, and that everything else is “blowback” — a common but foolhardy view rooted in a form of selfcenteredness that ignores the fact that every country has its own interests and pursues those interests with alacrity.

China does not threaten the South China Sea because of America’s naval presence; were America absent, China’s threats would simply be far more successful. Russia did not invade Ukraine because of Western influence in Ukraine; were that influence missing, Russia simply would have treated Ukraine as an outpost like Belarus long ago. Iran does not spread terrorism because of American presence in the region; it spreads terrorism because that is the best way for it to foment control over areas outside its purview.

America has interests in the world. Those interests are worth muscular

defense, particularly in economic terms. And Trump instinctively understands that. Geopolitics is not a place of laws and regulations, enforced by neutral arbiters.

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

The best hope for the world is that the strongest also happen to be the best.

But if the best refuse to be the strongest, someone else will be.

The world will be more stable with Donald Trump at the helm than Joe Biden. That much is obvious.

And in quieter moments, world leaders often acknowledge that reality. But it should be remembered just why that is true: It’s because the unapologetic American, confident in the interests of his country, is the best option for stability and growth in a cruel world. That does not make America the world’s policeman; American interests are not specious “global interests.”

But the pursuit of American interests has generally beneficial externalities. And American refusal to pursue those interests leaves the world in the hands of those who would tear it apart, piece by piece.

Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and cofounder of Daily Wire+.

COLUMN | MARC DION

Mexican authorities break up 2 migrant caravans heading to the US

President-elect Donald Trump has pressured the country

By Edgar H. Clemente

The Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico —

Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.

Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.

The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.

Last Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”

Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”

The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height, it had about 2,500 people. In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.

In Tehuantepec, Mexican immigration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico.

“They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year.

Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City.

In a statement Saturday, the National Immigration Institute said the migrants voluntarily accepted bus rides “to various areas where there is medical assistance and where their migratory status will be reviewed,” and said, “upon accepting (the rides), they said they no longer wanted to face the risks along their way.”

The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles to the town of Tonala in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days.

Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what.

Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it. For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.

Zelenskyy says NATO offer for Ukraine-controlled territory could end ‘hot stage’ of war with Russia

By Susie Blann

The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — An offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a broadcast interview.

Zelenskyy’s remarks last Friday signaled a possible way forward to the difficult path Ukraine faces to future NATO membership. At their summit in Washington in July, the 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership.

However, one obstacle to moving forward has been the view that Ukraine’s borders would need to be clearly demarcated before it could join so that there can be no mistaking where the alliance’s pact of mutual defense would come into effect.

“You can’t give an invitation to

just one part of a country,” Zelenskyy said in an excerpt of the interview with Sky News. “Why?

Because thus you would recognize that Ukraine is only that territory of Ukraine and the other one is Russia.”

Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Ukraine can’t recognize territory occupied by Russia as Russian.

“So legally, by law, we have no right to recognize the occupied territory as territory of Russia,” he said.

Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has been expending huge amounts of weaponry and human life to make small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls in east and southern Ukraine.

“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do, fast. And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically,” he said.

An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is one key point of Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” which he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in any negotiations with Moscow.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Military aid to Kyiv and steps toward ending the war are expected to be high on the agenda when NATO members’ foreign ministers meet in Brussels for a twoday gathering starting on Dec. 3. However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require a lengthier process and the agreement of all member states. There is also uncertainty as to the foreign policy stance of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. While Trump vowed on the campaign trail to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a single day, he hasn’t publicly

discussed how this could happen. Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, an 80-year-old, highly decorated retired three-star general, would serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

In April, Kellog wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.”

Meanwhile, during his only campaign debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war — raising concerns that Kyiv could be forced to accept unfavorable terms in any negotiations. Zelenskyy’s statement comes as Ukraine faces increasing pressure along the 620-mile front line. In its latest report, Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of

War said Saturday that Russian forces had recently advanced near Kupiansk, in Toretsk, and near Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, a key logistics route for the Ukrainian military.

At least four people were killed Saturday when a Russian missile hit Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Serhiy Lysak said that the strike also wounded at least 21 people, of which eight were in serious condition.

Ukraine’s air force announced Saturday that the country had come under attack from 10 Russian drones, of which eight were shot down over the Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions. One drone returned to Russian-occupied territory, while the final drone disappeared from radar, often a sign of the use of electronic defenses. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 11 Ukrainian drones had been shot down by the country’s air defense systems. Both the mayor of Sochi, Andrey Proshunin, and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, both in Russia’s southwest, said that drones had been destroyed in their regions overnight. No casualties were reported.

OMAR HAVANA / AP PHOTO

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference at an EU summit in Brussels in October.

FERNANDO LLANO / AP PHOTO

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly spoke to President-elect Donald Trump about immigration into the United States.

STANLY SPORTS

Pfeiffer’s Ava Hairston wins consecutive weekly conference honors

The freshman guard is averaging a team-high 14.3 points

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

MISENHEIMER —

As a freshman guard on the Pfeiffer Falcons women’s basketball team wraps up her first month of collegiate play, the USA South Athletic Conference has taken notice.

On Monday, it was announced that Pfeiffer’s Ava Hairston was once again the winner of the USA South Rookie of the week honors — an award that she also took home for the previous week.

The rookie from Winston-Salem is currently averaging a team-high 14.3 points for the Falcons (3-3, 2-0 USA South) despite only starting in two of Pfeiffer’s six games so far this season.

Aside from her scoring ability, which has allowed her to generate a 40% shooting rate from behind the arc,

A 3D printer creates helmet inserts at Michigan State University’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory on Nov. 18 in East Lansing.

Hairston has displayed a well-rounded performance output as her team bounces back from a 1-3 start to the 2024-25 campaign.

She totaled eight points, six rebounds, five steals, two assists and one block with zero turnovers in the Falcons’ 66 - 41 win at Salem (0-5, 0-1 USA South) on Nov. 26. In a 72-46 conference-opening win over rival Greensboro (2-5, 0-1 USA South), Hairston recorded 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Even in Pfeiffer’s losses to Johnson & Wales (5-3) and Carolina University (6-3), she provided her team a persistent offensive threat, combining for nearly 40 points in the two matchups.

Second-year Pfeiffer coach Vontreece Hayes is hoping to turn the Falcons’ women’s hoops program around, aiming for the team’s first winning season since the 2017-18 campaign.

In Hayes’ first season in Misenheimer, her team turned in a 8-16 final record af-

ter Pfeiffer was saddled with 6-17 and 11-14 seasons in the two years leading up it. She was previously an assistant at Millersville University (Division II), where her team improved from a 7-20 record to an 18-12 record and generated a strong postseason run in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.

Pfeiffer’s 2-0 record in the first lap of USA South play marks the first time in four years since the team opened its conference stretch with a pair of victories.

The Falcons traveled to Meredith (2-4, 0-1 USA South) on Tuesday night and are scheduled to return home to Misenheimer’s Merner Gym for a Saturday night matchup with NC Wesleyan (3-2).

Looking ahead, Pfeiffer will open up the new year with a road trip to Methodist (1-4, 0-1 USA South), followed by a trio of home games against Southern Virginia (5-2, 2-0 USA South), VU of Lynchburg (0-5), and Bob Jones (4-5, 1-0 NCCAA).

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Gavyn Miller

South Stanly, baseball/basketball

Gavyn Miller is a senior for the South Stanly boys’ basketball team. He also plays baseball for the Rowdy Rebel Bulls and is committed to continue his baseball career at the college level at Mars Hill.

But first, Miller has some work to do on the court for South Stanly. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls are 2-0 on the young season, and Miller has emerged as a go-to player on the team. He scored 16 points in a season-opening win over South Davidson, adding 10 rebounds for a double-double, as well as seven assists, four steals and a block. He then followed that up with a team-high 20 points against South Rowan, with eight boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Michigan State engineering professor, student design helmet inserts to help drown out crowd noise for QBs

3D printing has helped radio transmissions from the sideline to players become easier to hear

The Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich — Andrew Kolpacki would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed.

When the NCAA’s playing rules oversight committee approved the use of coach-toplayer helmet communications, Kolpacki, Michigan State’s head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans’ quarterbacks and linebackers were going to have a problem.

“There had to be some sort of solution,” he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder.

Kolpacki “showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, ‘Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?” Bush said. “And I said, ‘Oh, absolutely.’” Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a biobased plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was ac-

counting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style.

Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise.

Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they’re getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope

the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development.

XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works.

“We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn’t forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football,” Klosterman said. “We’ve now got about

60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend.” Michigan State’s inserts were tested in games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. “The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues,” Kolpacki said. “It can be just deafening,” he said. “That’s what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off.”

Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a “win-win-win” for everyone.

MIKE HOUSEHOLDER / AP PHOTO

Most drivers not named Logano eager for some changes to NASCAR’s current playoff format

The majority of Cup racers hope to see regular season success rewarded more than it is now

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — It seems everyone except champion Joey Logano is eager to see to a change to the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format.

How to fix it remains up for debate.

Logano won his third Cup Series championship, reigniting the conversation about whether the current playoff format is the best way to determine a worthy champion. Logano wound up winning four races this season but only had 13 top-10 finishes in 37 races and clearly didn’t have one of the best cars over the course of the season.

Logano, it seemed, did just enough to get by.

Logano’s run to the title has left some drivers wanting to see the system altered, with suggestions ranging from minor tweaks to major changes.

“I think the message we are trying to send is make the regular season matter more,” said Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing and a co-owner of 23XI Racing. He suggested increasing the bonus points a driver gets during the regular season.

“The (Christopher) Bells, (Kyle) Larsons, they deserve to have a really good buffer there to make it through the (playoff) rounds,” Hamlin said. “We’re

in a sport where you can get caught up in so many wrecks and different things that can happen. ... There are 26 (regular season) races and they are proving to be not that substantial to winning a championship, and t hat’s not something you want.” Hamlin suggested that over

the past three years the Team Penske champions — Logano twice and Ryan Blaney once — “didn’t have to do much” during the regular season.

“And that’s probably not good,” Hamlin added.

NASCAR likes the current playoff system because of the emphasis it places on each race

heading down the final stretch of the season in its never-ending quest for Game 7 moments. Stock car racing’s governing body remains open to tweaking the format — it if it improves the sport.

“I love that aspect of it,” Bell said of the emphasis on the playoff races, “but maybe ad-

justing the points systems to make sure we get the right cars into the championship event would be awesome.”

Blaney said it’s up to drivers to adapt the rules in place. But he said in his “ideal world” he’d like to see the top 16 drivers on points in the regular season qualify for the playoffs. He said race winners should get 10 or 15 points instead of five, and that the regular-season champion should get an additional 30 points.

Blaney’s final suggestion involves fewer elimination races.

“I would like to see a group of races to end the year where you are not going to have anyone run away with it and you’re going to have three to five races and you’re still going to have some really good competition going on,” Blaney said.

Logano just shakes his head and offers a sarcastic smile at all the tweak talk.

When asked if there are any changes that need to be made, Logano replied, “Nothing, personally. I wouldn’t change a thing,” adding that he thinks the format is “super entertaining.”

Of course, if you’ve won three championships since 2018, why would you want to change?

“I think we all need to understand why we changed it in the first place, it’s because the fans said they didn’t like the way it was, so we changed it,” Logano said. “And then everybody loved it. And it was great. And now, oh, we’re going to complain about it again? C’mon, guys. Geez.”

College sports reform could advance in GOP-controlled Congress

Sen. Ted Cruz, an NCAA ally, will take over as Commerce Committee chair

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NCAA’s yearslong efforts to get lawmakers to address myriad problems in college sports could finally pay off in the new, Republican-controlled Congress.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms. He still needs Democratic support for any bill to pass the necessary 60 -vote threshold in the Senate, and that means some compromise with lawmakers who are more concerned about athlete welfare than giving the NCAA more authority.

There is some bipartisan consensus that Congress should grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption that would allow it to make rules governing college sports without the constant threat of lawsuits, and that national standards for athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation are needed to override a patchwork of state laws. Those are the key elements of legislation that Cruz has backed for more than a year. Staffers from his office and those of fellow Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas and Democrats Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Cory Booker of New Jersey spent months negotiating a bill that would have been introduced in the current, divided Congress, but those talks stalled.

efforts by athletes seeking the ability to unionize.

Potential drawbacks include drastic cuts to women’s and Olympic sports that might be needed for universities to meet their payroll obligations and financial complications for athletes.

“For example, the historically black colleges and universities came together and said, ‘If you force us to treat student-athletes as employees, it’s going to cause us to cancel most of our athletic programs.’ That would be a disastrous outcome,” Cruz said.

Still, overly broad antiemployment language in any bill could imperil its chances of passage. Democrats are hesitant to approve legislation that is seen as too friendly to the NCAA.

What’s at stake

“Clearly the situation is much more doable with Republicans in control,” said Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played college basketball and for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. “From the standpoint of the NCAA’s perspective, this is sort of an ideal scenario for them.”

United States at the Olympics.

Cruz and others want to preserve at least parts of an amateur athlete model at the heart of college sports that has provided billions of dollars in scholarships and fueled decades of success by the

The broad outlines of a bill have been debated for years, with those conversations influenced by millions of dollars in lobbying by the NCAA and the wealthiest athletic conferences. The NCAA has found a more receptive audience on Capitol Hill since Charlie Baker, a former Republican Massachusetts governor, took over as its president in March 2023.

Prickly employment issue

The NCAA’s chief goal — and one that seems achievable with Republicans in charge — is “preventing student-athletes from being forced into becoming employees of their schools,” Tim Buckley, the NCAA’s senior vice president of external affairs, said.

There are several pending

While Cruz understands the need for compromise, he intends to use the power he has to advance his — and, to some extent, the NCAA’s — priorities.

“As chairman, I can convene hearings. I’m in charge of every hearing the Commerce Committee has,” Cruz said on a recent episode of his weekly podcast. “I can decide what bills get marked up and what bills don’t, and it gives you the ability to drive an agenda that is just qualitatively different.”

LM OTERO / AP PHOTO

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), pictured during a watch party on election night, is in position to push for changes in college sports after Republicans’ success in November.

JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO

Cars vie for position during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Donald Gene Faulkner

April 2, 1939 – Dec. 1, 2024

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

Donald Gene Faulkner, 85, of Albemarle passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 1, 2024, surrounded by his loving family at his home. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at Porter Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Flynn Richardson officiating.

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

Born April 2, 1939, in Stanly County, NC, to the late Glady Glenn and Ruth Bailey Faulkner. He graduated from New London High School and attended Pfeiffer College for a brief time. His career included sales, at Knitsters Inc., and was a Plant Manager for Pinehurst Manufacturing.

Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Garfield.

Don was a loving husband, devoted father and loving pawpaw. He treasured his family and always placed them as his top priority. He instilled his strong values of faith, his love of God, his hard work ethics, and was always there to help with, “Can I help?” To know him was to love him for the strong, kind man he was. He will be forever loved and missed.

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

Don is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Jovonne Mabry Faulkner of the home. Also surviving are children Debbie Almond (Phillip) of Albemarle, Donna Tucker (Jerry) of Hendersonville, Anita Quick (Tony) of Sunset Beach, Jeff Faulkner (Lisa) of Albemarle, five grandchildren Jodie Davis, Robbie Howard, Michael Adams, Keri Wolfe, and Melissa Faulkner, two great-grandchildren Landrie Parker, Jax Parker, soon to be born great-grandchild, Baby Wolfe, and adopted greatgrandchild Savannah Nichole Griffen. He is also survived by two loving sisters, Sue Coggin (Charles) and Judy Gretter (Mike). He was preceded in death by brothers, Bob Faulkner, Ted Faulkner, Derl Faulkner, Lewis Faulkner, Roger Faulkner and Jimmy Faulkner.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that Memorials be made to Tillery Compassionate Care, 960 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001, tillerycompassionatecare.org.

Dwight Farmer

Kirk Douglas Michael

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

July 3, 1963 – Nov. 26, 2024

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

Kirk Douglas “Doug” Michael, 61, of Albemarle passed away on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at home after a long-extended period of illness. He was born on July 3, 1963, in Albemarle, to Phyllis Andrews Michael Huneycutt and the late Kirk Michael.

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran.

Doug attended North Stanly High School and worked in construction for most of his adult life. He loved fishing, NASCAR, and exploring the outdoors.

Doug particularly loved Morrow Mountain and the Valley Drive community where he grew up.

He was preceded in death by his father, Kirk Michael.

He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.

He is survived by his wife, Brenda Daniels Michael of Kannapolis, NC; stepdaughter Stacy Barfield of Badin, NC; and step-grandchildren, Emily Barfield, Dylan Barfield, and Triston Huneycutt. He is also survived by his beloved mother Phyllis Michael Huneycutt of Albemarle, NC; his sisters Donna Cranford (Lynn) of New London, NC, Patty Cline (Jeff) of Jenkintown, PA, and Nita Michael of Wilmington, NC; his brothers Jeff Michael (Autumn) of Davidson, NC and Chris Michael (Kim) of Pittsford, NY; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Tillery Compassionate Care for their assistance during this time.

Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at Stanly Funeral Home, 1835 Badin Road, Albemarle, NC 28001.

Funeral Service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 8, 2024, at Stony Hill Methodist Church, 32305 Valley Drive, Albemarle, NC 28001 with a graveside service to follow.

Memorials may be made to the Stony Hill Cemetery Fund at Stony Hill Methodist Church, c/o Sid Fields, 32305 Valley Drive, Albemarle, NC 28001.

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 NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com

James Roseboro

Gary Gene Poplin

March 19, 1959 – Nov. 29, 2024

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

Gary “Doggie” Gene Poplin Sr., 65, of Waynesville, NC, formerly of Albemarle, NC passed away on Friday, November 29, 2024. A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 3 p.m. at the Stanly Funeral Home Chapel in Albemarle. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

Born March 19, 1959, in Stanly County, NC he was the son of the late Martin Christmas “Dick” Poplin Jr. and Mary Ann Adams Poplin. He was a mechanic and textile worker. He enjoyed listening to music and spending time with family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Beverly Hinson Poplin of Waynesville, two children Gary Gene Poplin Jr. of Albemarle, April Dawn Poplin Plowman (Kenton) of Waynesville, sister Lori Anne Poplin Hatley of Norwood, and three grandchildren Kaley Dawn Plowman, Kegan Drake Plowman and Briana Perdue. He was preceded in death by a brother Eddie “Mickey” Poplin and two sisters Marilyn Jeane Poplin and Patty Sue Poplin.

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

Betty Jane Anderson Brown

John B. Kluttz

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

Jan. 16, 1943 – Nov. 26, 2024

Betty Jane Anderson Brown, 81, of Monroe passed away on November 26, 2024, in the McWhorter Hospice House. Her funeral service will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at Davis Chapel with Pastor Chris Baucom officiating. Burial will follow in Lakeland Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends at Davis Chapel Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Monroe from 2 until 3 p.m.

Robert Earl Storey

Doris Jones Coleman

Feb. 23, 1954 – Dec. 1, 2024

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

When John purchased his first Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

Born January 16, 1943 in Wilkes County, NC, she was the daughter of the late Sanford Anderson and Kizzie Shoe Anderson. She was a retired seamstress and a member of Mountain Spring Baptist Church. Her biggest hobby was reading. She was preceded in death by her husband Bobby Lee Brown in 2012. Survivors include daughter Carlesa Martin and husband Linc of Marshville, son Bobby Jeffery Brown and fiancé Shannon Wallace of Monroe, five grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren. Davis Chapel- Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Monroe is serving the Brown family.

At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

John restored many cars of

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

Robert Earl Storey, 70, of Waxhaw passed away on Sunday, December 1, 2024, in Atrium Health Union. His graveside service will be held at 11 AM on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at Immanuel Baptist Church with Pastor Al Brigham officiating.

Born February 23, 1954, in Anniston, Alabama, he was the son of the late Roy Storey and Ollie Humphrey Storey. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church and was a retired Painting Contractor.

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.

Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.

Mr. Storey is survived by three children, Shawn Storey of Waxhaw, Joey Storey and Wendy of Monroe, and Amanda Storey of Waxhaw, three siblings Shirley Hammond of Indian Trail, Harvey Storey of Clover, SC and Moose Efird of Wesley Chapel, 11 grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Matt Storey. Davis Chapel- Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Monroe is serving the Storey family.

Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.

Critically endangered leopard dies at age 21 in California zoo

Zoya outlived the life expectancy of leopards both in the wild and in captivity

Darrick Baldwin

By Jaimie Ding The Associated Press

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was selfless, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church

LOS ANGELES — A critically endangered species of leopard has died at a Southern California zoo.

Zoya, a 21-year-old Amur leopard, died of old age at 21 at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert last Tuesday after over a decade there, zoo officials announced.

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

church with older adults, youth, and

Zoya outlived both the life expectancy of Amur leopards in the wild, 10 to 15 years, and in captivity, 15 to 20. Zoya was one of the oldest leopards in human care in the country, the zoo said.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

Amur leopards were classified as critically endangered in 1996 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Native to the mountains of eastern Russia and northern China, they have adapted to the cold climate by having thick fur and paler coats than other leopard species to camouflage in the snow.

In the 1970s their population in the wild dwindled to fewer than 30, making them one of the world’s most endangered big cats, according to the WildCats Conservation Alliance. There

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

has been some rebound in recent years, however, with the current population estimated to be around 100.

Zoo officials said that even in old age and with decreasing kidney function, Zoya remained “spry and athletic.” She enjoyed being up high where she could watch the warthogs and guests, as well as lying on her rock overlooking the pond in the mornings, officials said.

of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

“As we celebrate Zoya’s life, we encourage you to enjoy the little things in life — as she did,” the zoo said in a statement. “Spend some time observing your natu-

ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

ral surroundings. Be playful. Appreciate those special, tranquil moments throughout the day.”

Efforts have been made to stop illegal poaching of Amur leopards, protect their natural habitat and increase the population of prey animals like deer and wild boar, according to the World Wildlife Fund. There are more than 200 Amur leopards in 94 institutions around the world, including the San Diego Zoo, the Santa Barbara Zoo, and the Minnesota Zoo. Two leopard cubs were born last year at the San Diego Zoo, its third litter.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley. Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

THE LIVING DESERT ZOO AND GARDENS VIA AP

Amur leopard Zoya, pictured in 2018, died from old age last month.

STATE & NATION

Democrats’ outgoing chair says party must

reassess

how it reaches voters

By Bill Barrow

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — As he concludes his time as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

But he acknowledged that Democrats must do a better job of selling the party’s priorities and accomplishments for the working class. He also called for continued nationwide investments in party infrastructure and better use of non-legacy media.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Kamala Harris is not going to be the next president of the United States,” Harrison said in an interview Monday. But “the political pendulum in this country has been swinging swiftly, back and forth,” he added, and “we got to buckle up and get ready for it” to continue.

Trump

Harrison made similar arguments in a memo being distributed Tuesday to Democratic Party leaders and donors around the country.

“Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Dem-

says he’ll attend

The celebration in Paris this weekend will be the president-elect’s first overseas trip since his win

By Jill Colvin

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring

ocrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, comparing Democrats’ losses in the U.S. to the more sweeping defeats that parties in power suffered in democratic nations around the world since the coronavirus pandemic and global inflation.

It is not surprising, of course, for a chairman to defend his party’s performances even after disappointing elections. Harrison, President Joe Biden’s pick in 2021 to lead the national party during his term, and other top Democrats have been sharply criticized after Trump’s victory, particularly by progressives who argue the party is seen as having abandoned working-class voters.

Harrison pointed to victories for Sens.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, and the reelections of Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Republicans still ousted Democratic senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana on their way to a majority. But Harrison noted the GOP’s House majority will be threadbare — the final count is pending — and that Democrats flipped some Republican seats.

At the state level, Harrison noted Democratic romps in North Carolina’s statewide offices, legislative gains in a conservative state like Arkansas and stripping Republicans of outright control of the Alaska statehouse.

“It was a mixed bag,” he said.

Notre Dame Cathedral

that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

The trip will be Trump’s first abroad since he won November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023 as a candidate to visit his local golf courses.

Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures, known for

its mesmerizing stained glass.

Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world.

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, offering his advice to the city.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” he wrote.

French officials appeared to respond shortly after, noting that “All means” were being used to extinguish the flames,

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen this weekend, more than five years after a devastating fire.

Trump swept all seven battleground states against Harris, the Democratic vice president, and won the popular vote for the first time in three presidential runs. The president-elect cut into key Democratic constituencies: people of color, younger voters and union supporters.

He gained a larger share of black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. And his coalition increasingly included rank-and-file union members, a critical constituency in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harrison said Trump has the ability to scramble traditional coalitions but not remake them permanently. He acknowledged Trump’s appeal yet framed him as a unique figure whose reach cannot be replicated easily, if at all, by other Republicans.

“It’s the same thing with Barack Obama, right? Sometimes in politics, they’re cultural figures … that can build different coalitions,” Harrison said. “And those coalitions don’t last once they step off of the dais.”

reopening

can president’s whims as he tried to develop a personal connection built in no small part on flattery.

Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact.

As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.

“except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

Trump also spoke with Macron and Pope Francis at the time to offer his condolences and said he had offered them “the help of our great experts on renovation and construction.”

Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship.

During Trump’s first term in office, Macron proved to be among the world leaders most adept at managing the Ameri-

After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call.

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

Jason Harrison touted wins in North Carolina’s statewide races

DAVID CALVERT / AP PHOTO

Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in October in Reno, Nevada.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AP PHOTO

ABC: Always be contesting

Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne (21) has his shot contested by Wake Forest guard Cameron Hildreth (6) and forward Efton Reid III (4) on Tuesday in College Station, Texas. The Demon Deacons fell to the No. 22 Aggies 57-44. Wake Forest hosts Boston College on Saturday in its ACC opener.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tight race for N.C. Supreme Court headed toward (another) recount

A very close election for a Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of more than 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734 -vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that began in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. This race and two General Assembly races have yet to be called by The Associated Press.

USPS touts timely delivery of 99M mail-in ballots

The U.S. Postal Service says nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week during this year’s presidential contest. That’s despite hurricanes, some misdirected election mail and delivery concerns raised by state officials. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said postal workers processed more than 99 million general election ballots. There were some notable problems even with the overall strong performance. Election offices in several places reported receiving completed ballots that should have gone to other states.

$2.00

WSFCS expanding Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship program to help troubled students

The district has partnered with the organization, which will take over the training of volunteers for mentoring

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — WS -

FCS is looking to expand its mentorship outreach in the coming year.

At the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education’s Nov. 19 meeting, the board was given an update on the district’s expanded part-

nership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program which will involve BBBS taking ownership of all mentor training and expanding the sitebased mentor program in order to serve more students.

“They do incredible work all over the country and right here in our own community, and what we’ve decided to do is to partner more with them,” said Superintendent Tricia McManus. “They were already serving some of our schools so we decided this year to expand that reach.”

BBBS will train WSFCS staff to be mentors — they have trained 46 district leaders with

26 of those having completed the necessary paperwork to move forward with being matched with a mentee — and community volunteers who have registered as mentors will also receive BBBS training and support from the partnership.

“We decided to partner because they have a tried and true mentoring training,” McManus said. “So anyone who wants to mentor, they have a training outline that they use with mentors locally and across the country.”

The district identified five schools with high suspension data — Paisley Magnet, Northwest Middle, Flatrock Mid-

The tribe has been seeking federal recognition for decades

By Graham Lee Brewer The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY —

When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina, both candidates courted a state-recognized tribe there whose 55,000 members could have helped tip the swing state.

Trump in September promised that he would sign legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, a distinction that would unlock access to federal funds. He ultimately won North Carolina by more than 3 percentage points, in part due to continued support from Lumbee voters.

dle, Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy and Glenn High — which will be the first to be serviced and have students matched up with mentors, but the plan is to further expand that outreach as more people volunteer and are trained for mentoring.

“Some people don’t feel as comfortable with tutoring a child in reading or math and they’re not sure if they would be good at that, but all people can serve as a mentor to another person, especially a child, so we wanted that to be another option we offered this year

Now, as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, the promise will be put to the test. He has Republican allies in Congress on the issue, and now the Lumbee, as well as tribal nations across the country, are watching closely to see what comes next.

Tribal nations typically receive federal recognition through an application with the Department of the Interior, but the Lumbee have been trying for many years to circumvent that process by going through Congress. Chairman John Lowery called Interior’s application process “flawed” and overly lengthy and said it should be up to Congress to right what he calls a historic wrong.

“It’s just crazy that we’re sitting here fighting this battle, and I have to tell you that I am real in 2024,” Lowery said.

Following the presidential election, the Lumbee hope there will be momentum behind their cause, but they

THE FORSYTH COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

DAVID YEAZELL / AP PHOTO

Abigail Blue, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, walks by the stage during a Trump campaign event in Red Springs in October.

SAM CRAFT / AP PHOTO

“Join the conversation”

North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)

Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Ryan Henkel, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager

Costco eggs recalled in NC due to potential salmonella contamination

The eggs were “not intended for retail distribution”

By Kenya Hunter and Devi Shastri The Associated Press

ORGANIC EGGS sold in 25

Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week for potential salmonella contamination.

The egg recall involved nearly 11,000 cartons of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand that landed on shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee starting

Send address changes to:

Mill Rd.

1201

SCHOOLS from page A1 for our staff,” McManus said.

WSFCS staff and BBBS will be evaluating the mentoring process based upon increases in attendance, improvements in grades and grade-to-grade promotions, growth in developmental assets and reduction in write-ups and ISS/OSS.

“I commend our staff for going beyond the call of duty to work with our young people because you will see joy in these students and you will see joy in yourself by knowing that you’re making a difference, so I commend everyone who’s signed up,” said board member Richard Watts.

The board also approved three contracts, including a 12-month extension of its current custodial contract with SSC for 46 sites at an annual cost of just over $8 million, a $47,500 contract with Dana Fenyves for a maximum of 500 hours of computer data consulting services, and an approximately $35,000 contract with Public Impact for professional development at Carver High School.

The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet Dec. 10.

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: forsythcommunity@ northstatejournal.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

Nov. 22, according to the company’s announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website.

No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons included eggs that were “not intended for retail distribution.”

Shoppers should check to see whether their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. If the eggs are included in the recall, throw them out or take them back to the store for a refund.

Customers who have the recalled food products should wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the foods using hot, soapy water

or a dishwasher. Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment within a week, but young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill.

The egg recall comes alongside a cucumber recall that sickened 68 people, including 18 who were hospitalized, in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No one has died. Produce grown in Sonora, Mexico, by Agrotato S.A. may be the culprit, the agency said.

A recall announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was tied to the outbreak. SunFed Produce, based in Arizona, recalled cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, the FDA said. The recall happened after SunFed was told by the FDA that there were associated illnesses reported between Oct. 12 and Nov. 15. People who bought cucumbers during the window should check with the store where they purchased them to see if the produce is part of the recall.

Earlier this summer, a separate salmonella outbreak in cucumbers sickened 450 people in the U.S.

TRIBE from page A1

face deep-rooted opposition from tribal nations across the country.

There are questions about Trump’s next move

Several tribes, including the only one that is federally recognized in North Carolina, argue that if the Lumbee Tribe wants federal acknowledgment, it should go through the formal process in the Department of the Interior. One person familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president-elect will require the Lumbee Tribe to do just that, and he won’t sign a Lumbee recognition bill. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly speak about Trump’s views.

Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said “no policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump.” Federal recognition is of enormous importance, as it comes with access to resources like health care through Indian Health Services and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the landto-trust process. But before that happens, a tribal nation has to file a successful application with the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, a department within the Interior. The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987, based on the interpretation of a 1956 congressional act that

acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition.

In 2016, the Interior reversed that decision, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the Lumbee have opted for the congressional route.

The Lumbee’s approach to gain recognition through legislation has stoked a simmering debate in both Indian Country and Congress about Indigenous identity and tribal nationhood.

The Lumbee have received support from members of both parties

Members of Congress from both parties have supported recognizing the Lumbee through legislation, including Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation who campaigned for Trump in North Carolina and backed the legislation.

But perhaps the state-recognized tribe’s most ardent ally in Congress is North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026.

Tillis introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act last year and has been a vocal supporter of the Lumbee. In interviews with The Associated Press, several tribal leaders, lobbyists and advocates said they were told by Tillis directly or by his staff that the senator is currently and will continue to block certain bills backed by tribal nations unless the leaders of those tribes support the Lumbee.

One of the bills he’s promised to block, according to those interviewed by the AP, is a land transfer that would allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to return 70 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the only federally recognized tribal nation in Tillis’s state. It would allow the tribe to put the land in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust. The plot is part of the tribal nation’s homelands and contains the birthplace of Sequoyah.

“It’s appalling to me. It’s disgraceful,” Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Michell Hicks said. He said Tillis told him earlier this year that he would stop any legislation dealing with the Eastern Band unless Hicks pledged his support. Hicks is among the tribal leaders who question the validity of the Lumbee’s historical claims, and he said that is out of the question. At one point about a century ago, the Lumbee were known as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, and for many years now all three Cherokee tribes — the Eastern Band, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — have denounced this and been vocal opponents of granting the Lumbee federal recognition. Representatives for Tillis declined to comment. Tillis held up legislation last week that would have allowed for the preservation of the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. While doing so, he singled out the heads of the Oglala

Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who have backed the preservation measure, for not supporting his efforts to federally recognize the Lumbee.

“This is not about you,” Tillis said to the two tribal nations, who he acknowledged had been trying for a century to preserve the site of the massacre. “But you need to know that your leadership is playing a game that will ultimately force me to take a position.”

Tillis suggested it was a “casino cartel” in part driven by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an Osage attorney named Wilson Pipestem working for the tribe that is trying to keep the Lumbee from gaining recognition, which could one day lead to the Lumbee opening their own casinos. Tillis threatened to continue publicly naming tribal leaders and their employees who he felt were standing in the way of his bill.

In a statement to the AP, Pipestem said Tillis should “apologize to the Tribal leaders for his false allegations and unscrupulous tactics.”

Lowery acknowledged that Tillis has held up both pieces of legislation, but he said that Tillis has not done so at the direction of the Lumbee.

“If he’s put a hold on the bill it’s because he reached out to tribal leaders to see where they stand on his bill, and they apparently have told him that they’re not in support,” Lowery said. “So, he said, ‘Well, if you can’t be supportive of my bill, I can’t be supportive of your bill.’”

JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled eggs sold in 25 Costco stories in five states, including North Carolina, due to possible salmonella contamination.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Thanksgiving, family and politics

Holidays, which are supposed to be a time for unity and making precious memories with your family, have instead become a battleground.

AS I WRITE THIS, my turkey is in the oven and the table is set. It’s Thanksgiving Day. By the time you read this, you will be creatively finding ways to use the leftovers. I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with family and friends and lots of good food. I also hope that you remembered what Thanksgiving is about. This tradition has been around since the 1500s in some parts of America. Many of us attribute the tradition to the pilgrims after they landed in Massachusetts. They gathered to give thanks to God for their bountiful harvest. That tradition has survived the times. We look forward to being with our families on Thanksgiving. This year is different for many. There are so many stories (on the internet, so you know they are true) of family members being uninvited for Thanksgiving because they supported Donald Trump.

It is hard to imagine that we have become so polarized that we exclude family members over politics. Political ideologies should not define personal relationships in families. I can understand some people not having much in common with political adversaries and choosing not to spend time with them. But families should be off limits for political exclusion.

I have a few remarkably close family members who are politically the opposite of me. I do not love them any less, and they feel the same way. We even respectfully discuss politics casually

A world of leverage

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

President-elect Donald Trump understands, better than any recent American president, one simple rule when it comes to dealing with the world: Leverage matters and ought to be applied to those who oppose American interests.

Trump believes, for example, that tariffs ought to be used to threaten those who would close their markets to American products or flood America with fentanyl or manipulate the pricing system to their own benefit. He believes that maximum pressure ought to be unleashed on countries who seek to destabilize vital strategic regions to their own ends. And he is correct.

Trump has often been characterized as a bully, both publicly and privately. But the reality of the world is simple: Someone will be doing the bullying, and someone will be bullied. The only question is which party is which. It turns out that if America ceases to use leverage against its enemies or to pressure neutral countries to align more solidly with it, our enemies will use their leverage to do what they want. China isn’t shy about its use of power in the world; neither are Russia or Iran.

Xi Jinping has never apologized for his aggressive use of military threats against the Philippines or Taiwan; he has never shied away from the use of economic sticks and carrots against weaker countries. Vladimir Putin is fully willing to invade his neighbors

without chastising each other.

Now, I also have a family member who has excluded me completely because of my political stance. That is very unfortunate. It tells me she was only pretending to care about me in the first place or politics would not matter.

The exclusions only occur from the liberal side. Social media has exposed the deliberate and hateful actions of these individuals expressing their intent to avoid Trump-supporting family members. Shamefully, they appear to be boasting about it. Some say that sitting down with someone who has conservative views is emotionally unacceptable.

There are stories from Trump voters who feel hurt and ostracized when they are left out of Thanksgiving gatherings. They feel that while their political views are important to them, they do not define their entire identity. There is much more to all of us than our political preferences. and they resent being excluded from family functions because of their vote. There is an emotional toll from these actions, and it can be significant. Holidays, which are supposed to be a time for unity and making precious memories with your family, have instead become a battleground. Oftentimes, these divisions, which should be nothing more than a tiny spat, become long-term estrangement. I did talk with someone yesterday who has been ostracized by some family members because of her vote for Trump. She was saddened by it but saw it as

childish and pitching a tantrum. She determined that they were the ones with a problem and not her. She is correct.

We should all feel free to support who we like without being afraid of repercussions. Those who are unwilling to accept that premise are the ones with the serious problem.

While some families may just agree to never discuss politics, others may choose to engage in dialogue and reach common ground and agree to disagree without being disagreeable. We must remember that politicians will come and go, but family will always be family. There is a special bond, and it certainly should never be in jeopardy because of politics.

You all know how important politics is to me. But it is a drop in the bucket compared to the importance of my family. I would never be so arrogant as to think that everyone should see things the same as I do or they are not welcome in my family. To me, that is ludicrous.

In the end, when all is said and done, family should be the most important thing in our life except for faith, if you are a believer. If your political positions are more important to you than your family, please seek the help you need. I say that with love and compassion. It is too important not to take it seriously.

Sen. Joyce Krawiec has represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate since 2014. She lives in Kernersville.

and cut off oil supply to his enemies. Iran has spread its terror proxies across the Middle East, cudgeling entire governments into doing its will.

So why wouldn’t America pursue similar tactics?

This is, for some odd reason, a mysterious insight to members of the Biden administration, who seem willing to apply leverage only to America’s allies and who seem to think that conciliation and tepidity somehow achieve victory against America’s enemies.

Perhaps they are of the Noam Chomsky-esque view that the world’s only country with actual agency is the United States, and that everything else is “blowback” — a common but foolhardy view rooted in a form of selfcenteredness that ignores the fact that every country has its own interests and pursues those interests with alacrity.

China does not threaten the South China Sea because of America’s naval presence; were America absent, China’s threats would simply be far more successful. Russia did not invade Ukraine because of Western influence in Ukraine; were that influence missing, Russia simply would have treated Ukraine as an outpost like Belarus long ago. Iran does not spread terrorism because of American presence in the region; it spreads terrorism because that is the best way for it to foment control over areas outside its purview.

America has interests in the world. Those interests are worth muscular

defense, particularly in economic terms. And Trump instinctively understands that. Geopolitics is not a place of laws and regulations, enforced by neutral arbiters.

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

The best hope for the world is that the strongest also happen to be the best.

But if the best refuse to be the strongest, someone else will be. The world will be more stable with Donald Trump at the helm than Joe Biden. That much is obvious.

And in quieter moments, world leaders often acknowledge that reality. But it should be remembered just why that is true: It’s because the unapologetic American, confident in the interests of his country, is the best option for stability and growth in a cruel world. That does not make America the world’s policeman; American interests are not specious “global interests.”

But the pursuit of American interests has generally beneficial externalities. And American refusal to pursue those interests leaves the world in the hands of those who would tear it apart, piece by piece.

Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

TRIAD STRAIGHT TALK | SEN. JOYCE KRAWIEC

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

Mexican authorities break up 2 migrant caravans heading to the US

President-elect Donald Trump has pressured the country

By Edgar H. Clemente

The Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico —

Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.

Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.

The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.

Last Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”

Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”

The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height, it had about 2,500 people. In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.

In Tehuantepec, Mexican immigration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico.

“They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year.

Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City.

In a statement Saturday, the National Immigration Institute said the migrants voluntarily accepted bus rides “to various areas where there is medical assistance and where their migratory status will be reviewed,” and said, “upon accepting (the rides), they said they no longer wanted to face the risks along their way.”

The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles to the town of Tonala in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days.

Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what.

Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it. For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.

Zelenskyy says NATO offer for Ukraine-controlled territory could end ‘hot stage’ of war with Russia

By Susie Blann The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — An offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a broadcast interview.

Zelenskyy’s remarks last Friday signaled a possible way forward to the difficult path Ukraine faces to future NATO membership. At their summit in Washington in July, the 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership.

However, one obstacle to moving forward has been the view that Ukraine’s borders would need to be clearly demarcated before it could join so that there can be no mistaking where the alliance’s pact of mutual defense would come into effect.

“You can’t give an invitation to

just one part of a country,” Zelenskyy said in an excerpt of the interview with Sky News. “Why? Because thus you would recognize that Ukraine is only that territory of Ukraine and the other one is Russia.”

Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Ukraine can’t recognize territory occupied by Russia as Russian.

“So legally, by law, we have no right to recognize the occupied territory as territory of Russia,” he said.

Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has been expending huge amounts of weaponry and human life to make small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls in east and southern Ukraine.

“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do, fast. And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically,” he said.

An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is one key point of Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” which he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in any negotiations with Moscow.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Military aid to Kyiv and steps toward ending the war are expected to be high on the agenda when NATO members’ foreign ministers meet in Brussels for a twoday gathering starting on Dec. 3. However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require a lengthier process and the agreement of all member states. There is also uncertainty as to the foreign policy stance of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. While Trump vowed on the campaign trail to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a single day, he hasn’t publicly

discussed how this could happen. Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, an 80-year-old, highly decorated retired three-star general, would serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

In April, Kellog wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.”

Meanwhile, during his only campaign debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war — raising concerns that Kyiv could be forced to accept unfavorable terms in any negotiations. Zelenskyy’s statement comes as Ukraine faces increasing pressure along the 620-mile front line. In its latest report, Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of

War said Saturday that Russian forces had recently advanced near Kupiansk, in Toretsk, and near Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, a key logistics route for the Ukrainian military.

At least four people were killed Saturday when a Russian missile hit Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Serhiy Lysak said that the strike also wounded at least 21 people, of which eight were in serious condition.

Ukraine’s air force announced Saturday that the country had come under attack from 10 Russian drones, of which eight were shot down over the Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions. One drone returned to Russian-occupied territory, while the final drone disappeared from radar, often a sign of the use of electronic defenses. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 11 Ukrainian drones had been shot down by the country’s air defense systems. Both the mayor of Sochi, Andrey Proshunin, and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, both in Russia’s southwest, said that drones had been destroyed in their regions overnight. No casualties were reported.

OMAR HAVANA / AP PHOTO

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference at an EU summit in Brussels in October.

FERNANDO LLANO / AP PHOTO

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly spoke to President-elect Donald Trump about immigration into the United States.

Forsyth SPORTS

College sports reform could advance in Republican-controlled Congress

Sen. Ted Cruz, an NCAA ally, will take over as Commerce Committee chair

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NCAA’s yearslong efforts to get lawmakers to address myriad problems in college sports could finally pay off in the new, Republican-controlled Congress.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms. He still needs Democratic support for any bill to pass the necessary 60 -vote threshold in the Senate, and that means some compromise with lawmakers who are more concerned about athlete welfare than giving the NCAA more authority.

“Clearly the situation is much more doable with Republicans in control,” said Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played college basketball and for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. “From the standpoint of the NCAA’s perspective, this is sort of an ideal scenario for them.”

What’s at stake

Cruz and others want to preserve at least parts of an amateur athlete model at the heart of college sports that has provided billions of dollars in scholarships and fueled decades of success by the United States at the Olympics.

The broad outlines of a bill have been debated for years, with those conversations influenced by millions of dollars in

of New Jersey spent months negotiating a bill that would have been introduced in the current, divided Congress, but those talks stalled.

Prickly employment issue

The NCAA’s chief goal — and one that seems achievable with Republicans in charge — is “preventing student-athletes from being forced into becoming employees of their schools,” Tim Buckley, the NCAA’s senior vice president of external affairs, said.

There are several pending efforts by athletes seeking the ability to unionize.

Potential drawbacks include drastic cuts to women’s and Olympic sports that might be needed for universities to meet their payroll obligations and financial complications for athletes.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Corey Blair

lobbying by the NCAA and the wealthiest athletic conferences.

The NCAA has found a more receptive audience on Capitol Hill since Charlie Baker, a former Republican Massachusetts governor, took over as its president in March 2023.

There is some bipartisan consensus that Congress should grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption that would allow it to make rules governing college sports without the constant threat of lawsuits, and that national standards for athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation are needed to override a patchwork of state laws.

Those are the key elements of legislation that Cruz has backed for more than a year. Staffers from his office and those of fellow Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas and Democrats Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Cory Booker

“For example, the historically black colleges and universities came together and said, ‘If you force us to treat student-athletes as employees, it’s going to cause us to cancel most of our athletic programs.’ That would be a disastrous outcome,” Cruz said.

Still, overly broad antiemployment language in any bill could imperil its chances of passage. Democrats are hesitant to approve legislation that is seen as too friendly to the NCAA.

While Cruz understands the need for compromise, he intends to use the power he has to advance his — and, to some extent, the NCAA’s — priorities.

“As chairman, I can convene hearings. I’m in charge of every hearing the Commerce Committee has,” Cruz said on a recent episode of his weekly podcast. “I can decide what bills get marked up and what bills don’t, and it gives you the ability to drive an agenda that is just qualitatively different.”

East Forsyth, football

Corey Blair is a senior for the East Forsyth football team.

Another week, another hero for the 13-0 Eagles, who will play on Friday for a berth in the NCHSAA 4A state semifinals.

East Forsyth advanced after a 35-30 comeback win in the third round over Mooresville. Blair, the team’s leading rusher for the season, scored at the start of the fourth quarter to put East Forsyth on top to stay. He added a 48-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to give the Eagles a two-score lead. They would need it to hold off a late Mooresville rally.

No. 3 East Forsyth next travels to No 2 Weddington.

Michigan State engineering professor, student design helmet inserts to help drown out crowd noise for QBs

3D printing has helped radio transmissions from the sideline to players become easier to hear

The Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich

— Andrew Kolpacki would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed.

When the NCAA’s playing rules oversight committee approved the use of coach-toplayer helmet communications, Kolpacki, Michigan State’s head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans’ quarterbacks and linebackers were going to have a problem.

“There had to be some sort of solution,” he said.

As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street.

Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder.

Kolpacki “showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, ‘Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?” Bush said. “And I said, ‘Oh, absolutely.’” Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style.

Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise.

Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they’re getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables.

The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its ver-

sion of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development.

XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one

when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works.

“We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn’t forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football,” Klosterman said. “We’ve now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend.” Michigan State’s inserts were tested in games against Michigan and Oregon this season.

Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. “The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues,” Kolpacki said.

“It can be just deafening,” he said. “That’s what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off.” Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a “win-win-win” for everyone.

MIKE HOUSEHOLDER / AP PHOTO

A 3D printer creates helmet inserts at Michigan State University’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory on Nov. 18 in East Lansing.

LM OTERO / AP PHOTO

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), pictured during a watch party on election night, is in position to push for changes in college sports after Republicans’ success in November.

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB

Ohtani seeks $325K worth of baseball cards from ex-interpreter

Los Angeles Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. Ohtani also requested his longtime interpreter and friend return collectible baseball cards depicting the athlete. Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as his own medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.

NHL

Former NHL player

Bissonnette attacked during altercation at Scottsdale steakhouse

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Former NHL player and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette was reportedly assaulted during an altercation at a Scottsdale steakhouse. Bissonnette says he intervened when one member of the group got in the manager’s face and started grabbing him after his friend was asked to leave. Members of the group allegedly started throwing punches, and the fight spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby store. Bissonnette said he was kicked in the head three times and took several punches while landing several blows of his own against seven men. Scottsdale police arrested six men who are accused of assault and disorderly conduct.

NFL

Rams’ WR Robinson arrested on suspicion of DUI

Los Angeles Los Angeles Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The California Highway Patrol said Robinson was cited and released the day after he caught a touchdown pass in the Rams’ 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The CHP said its officers observed a white Dodge sedan driving over 100 mph at about 5:13 a.m. on the 101 freeway. The driver identified himself as Robinson, and he had “objective signs and symptoms of alcohol impairment,” the CHP said. After his arrest, Robinson was “released to a responsible party.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER

U.S. goalkeeper Naeher retiring from international competition

U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe, but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year’s Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final.

Most drivers not named Logano eager for some changes to NASCAR’s current playoff format

The majority of Cup racers hope to see regular season success rewarded more than it is now

The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — It seems everyone except champion Joey Logano is eager to see to a change to the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format. How to fix it remains up for debate. Logano won his third Cup Series championship, reigniting the conversation about whether the current playoff format is the best way to determine a worthy champion. Logano wound up winning four races this season but only had 13 top-10 finishes in 37 races and clearly didn’t have one of the best cars over the course of the season. Logano, it seemed, did just enough to get by. Logano’s run to the title has left some drivers wanting to see the system altered, with sug-

gestions ranging from minor tweaks to major changes.

“I think the message we are trying to send is make the regular season matter more,” said Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing and a co-owner of 23XI Racing. He suggested increasing the bonus points a driver gets during the regular season.

“The (Christopher) Bells, (Kyle) Larsons, they deserve to have a really good buffer there to make it through the (playoff) rounds,” Hamlin said. “We’re in a sport where you can get caught up in so many wrecks and different things that can happen. ... There are 26 (regular season) races and they are proving to be not that substantial to winning a championship, and that’s not something you want.”

Hamlin suggested that over the past three years the Team Penske champions — Logano twice and Ryan Blaney once — “didn’t have to do much” during the regular season.

“And that’s probably not good,” Hamlin added.

NASCAR likes the current playoff system because of the emphasis it places on each race heading down the final stretch of the season in its never-ending quest for Game 7 moments. Stock car racing’s governing body remains open to tweaking the format — it if it improves the sport.

“I love that aspect of it,” Bell said of the emphasis on the playoff races, “but maybe adjusting the points systems to make sure we get the right cars into the championship event would be awesome.”

Blaney said it’s up to drivers to adapt the rules in place. But he said in his “ideal world” he’d like to see the top 16 drivers on points in the regular season qualify for the playoffs. He said race winners should get 10 or 15 points instead of five, and that the regular-season champion should get an additional 30 points. Blaney’s final suggestion in-

volves fewer elimination races.

“I would like to see a group of races to end the year where you are not going to have anyone run away with it and you’re going to have three to five races and you’re still going to have some really good competition going on,” Blaney said. Logano just shakes his head and offers a sarcastic smile at all the tweak talk.

When asked if there are any changes that need to be made, Logano replied, “Nothing, personally. I wouldn’t change a thing,” adding that he thinks the format is “super entertaining.” Of course, if you’ve won three championships since 2018, why would you want to change?

“I think we all need to understand why we changed it in the first place, it’s because the fans said they didn’t like the way it was, so we changed it,” Logano said. “And then everybody loved it. And it was great. And now, oh, we’re going to complain about it again? C’mon, guys. Geez.”

Flag football scours nation with talent camps to uncover next wave of stars

The sport will make its Olympic debut in L.A. in 2028

The Associated Press

DENVER — So you’re the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or toyed with any sport, really. Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. The grand prize is a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it’s never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut.

It’s not an easy team to make. The men’s side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport’s national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent.

USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in

flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football.

Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program.

Around the world, it’s catching on. The women’s team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores.

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to,” said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s vice president of flag football.

This type of flag football, however, isn’t your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There’s a learning curve.

Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there’s no contact.

None.

That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017.

“If a receiver is running around, I’m thinking, ‘OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,’” Daniels explained. “They’re like, ‘No, you can’t.’ I’m just like, ‘So I’m supposed to let this guy just run?!’ I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn.”

Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries

LESTER

U.S. National Team flag football player Bruce Mapp (1) goes up for a catch against Brazil at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland.

to reach for a hug. It’s his way of working on avoiding a “defender” trying to snare the flag.

That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles.

“You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the ‘Redeem Team’ led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you’re always thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ Obviously, you couldn’t do it in your sport, because I played football,” said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area.

“With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on.”

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to.”

Stephanie Kwok, NFL’s vice president of flag football

It’s a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Yeah, the U.S. just wins,’” Daniels said. “But we work hard all the time. We don’t just walk in. We don’t just get off the bus thinking, ‘We’re going to beat people.’

JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO

Cars vie for position during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

the stream

The stream: Sabrina Carpenter hosts holiday special, ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ lands on Max, Rosé goes solo

“Black Doves” starring Keira Knightly falls into the “Die Hard” category of holiday entertainment

The Associated Press

SABRINA CARPENTER

hosting a holiday variety music special on Netflix and Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw playing a spy and an assassin in the TV series “Black Doves” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: K-pop star Rosé has her first solo full-length album, Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” enjoys another afterlife odyssey, and Blackpink’s Rosé has her first solo full-length album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Thirty-six years after the original, the Deetz family returns to Winter River in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (streaming Saturday on Max). There, Lydia (Winona Ryder), still haunted by Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), is forced into another afterlife odyssey when her teenage daughter (Jenna Ortega) discovers a portal. “It’s a joyously rendered sequel that sometimes makes sense, and sometimes doesn’t, but just keeps rollicking.”

A lowkey reunion of “Love Actually” writer-director Richard Curtis and one of that film’s stars, Bill Nighy, is part of the new Netflix animated movie “That Christmas” (now streaming). The film was co-written by Curtis (it’s based on his series of Christmas books) and features Nighy as the voice of Lighthouse Bill, one of the Wellington-on-Sea townspeople grappling with a winter blizzard. The storm poses challenges even for Santa, voiced by Brian Cox. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in the space race rom-com “Fly Me to the Moon,” about a NASA launch director (Tatum) and a Madison Avenue marketing executive tasked with selling the mission to the moon. The film debuted in theaters in July and is available on Apple TV+. Reviews praised it as “lighthearted and breezy with a pleasing screwball energy, giving Johansson the opportunity to use the full wattage of her movie star power.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Does espresso go with eggnog? Find out when Sabrina Carpenter hosts a holiday variety music special that streams on Netflix starting Friday. “It’s an hour of literal nonsense,” Sabrina told Time magazine about the special. “If people are expecting boring, me singing by a tree, it’s not that. It’s so fun, so chaotic. There are so many guests that I’m excited about.” Those guests include Chappell Roan,

Tyla, Shania Twain, Kali Uchis, Quinta Brunson, Cara Delevingne, Kyle Mooney, Nico Hiraga, Megan Stalter, Sean Astin, Owen Thiele and Jillian Bell. Lauren Mayberry, vocalist and percussionist from the Scottish pop band Chvrches, makes her solo debut with “Vicious Creature.” The 12 tracks veer from the coffee-house folk of “Anywhere but Dancing” to the punky “Punch Drunk,” the dance-pop of “Change Shapes” and stuttering glam of “Sorry,

Etc.” “It’s a mission statement of all things that you like,” she tells us in an interview.

Mayberry isn’t the only woman setting out alone — Blackpink’s Rosé has her first solo fulllength album, “rosie,” scheduled for release Friday. She kicked it off with “APT.,” her collaborative with pop star Bruno Mars. The catchy track, inspired by a popular Korean drinking game, known as the “apartment game.”

It has spent weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 chart. On Instagram, she previewed the album by saying, “I have poured my blood and tears into this album. I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine.”

SHOWS TO STREAM

In their new Netflix series

“Black Doves,” Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw play old friends, who also happen to be a spy and an assassin, that team up to solve a murder (and get revenge) at Christmas. Knightley joked that the show falls in the “Die Hard” category of holiday entertainment. “It’s like, I’ve spent too much time with my family. I hate them all. I need to watch something blow up!”

“Black Doves” debuts Thursday on the streamer.

Margo Martindale stars in

the new Prime Video series “The Sticky” as a down-on-her-luck woman on the brink of financial ruin who finds herself in a crime ring stealing, of all things, millions of dollars worth of maple syrup. It’s inspired by a true story. The dark comedy also stars a delightful Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr. Jamie Lee Curtis is an executive producer and also makes an appearance. It premieres Friday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Multiplayer free-for-alls like Overwatch and Apex Legends remain popular online, but it’s been years since a new release has made an impact. Chinese-owned NetEase Games is hoping to shake up the genre by adding superheroes and villains to the formula with Marvel Rivals. The core competition is a battle between two teams of six heroes each. The initial lineup includes marquee names like Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain America, as well as a few cult favorites like Luna Snow and Jeff the Land Shark. Some characters — say, Thor, Loki and Hela — can join forces to unleash all sorts of havoc. It’s all free-to-play, and the mayhem begins Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

NETFLIX VIA AP

The new Netflix animated movie “That Christmas,” directed by Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”), is streaming on Netflix.

APPLE TV+ VIA AP

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in “Fly Me to the Moon.”

NETFLIX / AMAZON STUDIOS VIA AP

“Black Doves” and “The Sticky” are streaming on a screen near you this week.

STATE & NATION

Democrats’ outgoing chair says party

must reassess how it

reaches voters

By Bill Barrow

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — As he concludes his time as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

But he acknowledged that Democrats must do a better job of selling the party’s priorities and accomplishments for the working class. He also called for continued nationwide investments in party infrastructure and better use of non-legacy media.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Kamala Harris is not going to be the next president of the United States,” Harrison said in an interview Monday. But “the political pendulum in this country has been swinging swiftly, back and forth,” he added, and “we got to buckle up and get ready for it” to continue.

Trump

Harrison made similar arguments in a memo being distributed Tuesday to Democratic Party leaders and donors around the country.

“Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Dem-

says he’ll

The celebration in Paris this weekend will be the president-elect’s first overseas trip since his win

By Jill Colvin

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring

ocrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, comparing Democrats’ losses in the U.S. to the more sweeping defeats that parties in power suffered in democratic nations around the world since the coronavirus pandemic and global inflation.

It is not surprising, of course, for a chairman to defend his party’s performances even after disappointing elections.

Harrison, President Joe Biden’s pick in 2021 to lead the national party during his term, and other top Democrats have been sharply criticized after Trump’s victory, particularly by progressives who argue the party is seen as having abandoned working-class voters.

Harrison pointed to victories for Sens.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, and the reelections of Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Republicans still ousted Democratic senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana on their way to a majority. But Harrison noted the GOP’s House majority will be threadbare — the final count is pending — and that Democrats flipped some Republican seats.

At the state level, Harrison noted Democratic romps in North Carolina’s statewide offices, legislative gains in a conservative state like Arkansas and stripping Republicans of outright control of the Alaska statehouse.

“It was a mixed bag,” he said.

attend Notre Dame

Trump swept all seven battleground states against Harris, the Democratic vice president, and won the popular vote for the first time in three presidential runs. The president-elect cut into key Democratic constituencies: people of color, younger voters and union supporters.

He gained a larger share of black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. And his coalition increasingly included rank-and-file union members, a critical constituency in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harrison said Trump has the ability to scramble traditional coalitions but not remake them permanently. He acknowledged Trump’s appeal yet framed him as a unique figure whose reach cannot be replicated easily, if at all, by other Republicans.

“It’s the same thing with Barack Obama, right? Sometimes in politics, they’re cultural figures … that can build different coalitions,” Harrison said. “And those coalitions don’t last once they step off of the dais.”

Cathedral reopening

that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

The trip will be Trump’s first abroad since he won November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023 as a candidate to visit his local golf courses.

Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures, known for

its mesmerizing stained glass.

Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world.

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, offering his advice to the city.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” he wrote.

French officials appeared to respond shortly after, noting that “All means” were being used to extinguish the flames,

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen this weekend, more than five years after a devastating fire.

“except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

Trump also spoke with Macron and Pope Francis at the time to offer his condolences and said he had offered them “the help of our great experts on renovation and construction.”

Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship.

During Trump’s first term in office, Macron proved to be among the world leaders most adept at managing the Ameri-

can president’s whims as he tried to develop a personal connection built in no small part on flattery.

Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact.

As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.

After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call.

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

Jason Harrison touted wins in North Carolina’s statewide races

DAVID CALVERT / AP PHOTO

Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in October in Reno, Nevada.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AP PHOTO

Randolph record

White Christmas

A light dusting of snow — the city’s first in more than 1,000 days — gave the Asheboro City Christmas tree a particularly festive look on Tuesday.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tight race for N.C. Supreme Court headed toward (another) recount

A very close election for a Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of more than 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates.

Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that began in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. This race and two General Assembly races have yet to be called by The Associated Press.

USPS touts timely delivery of 99M mail-in ballots

Trinity council race confirmed after recount

A newcomer to the city board will replace another incumbent

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

TRINITY — Barry Allison prevailed in recount for the Ward 3 seat on the Trinity City Council, widening the margin slightly from the first reported numbers after the Nov. 5 election.

“I’m looking forward to it,”

Allison said Monday. “I want to get in there and do my part. We’re going to have to hit the ground running.”

Trinity has a mayor and five council members. With Allison elected, there will be three new

council members. The new council members are scheduled to be sworn in next week.

“I guess you consider that a lot of turnover,” Allison said. “I think we have a lot of level-headed people on there who want the best for Trinity.”

The final numbers, as provided last week by the Randolph County Board of Elections, show Allison with 1,166 votes and incumbent Jack Carico with 1,137. Those were the same numbers from the canvass following the Nov. 5 election.

“That thing lasted forever,” Allison said of the process to affirm his victory. “It got a little more tense every day.”

Carico requested a recount in the nonpartisan race.

Initial numbers from election night had Allison at 1,136 and Carico at 1,115. It was part of a four-way race that had Josh Fish with 1,010 and Chuck Marsh at 432.

An at-large spot on the Trinity council went to Deborah Jacky, who defeated incumbent Tommy Johnson. Paul Welborn was unopposed in Ward 1, replacing Bob Hicks in that seat.

Allison, who lives on Lakewood Circle, is a code enforcement officer for the City of Lexington. He said he views his time associated with city government a plus.

“I’m somewhat of a civil servant and a watchdog of the public’s money,” he said Allison, 64, said he has em-

braced living in Trinity for more than three decades. He said the city’s growth is inevitable in some forms, but he’s not interested in seeing the sprawl that has spread to some cities in the region.

“I really want the best for Trinity. I want to keep the small-town appeal,” he said. “We can control what comes and what doesn’t come.”

Car found connected to Asheboro homicide

Police in Durham come across evidence, but the suspects remain at large

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO — A vehicle linked to a homicide investigation in Asheboro was located in Durham, based on information from the Asheboro Police Department.

A Navy veteran was killed in a Veterans Day shooting.

Two suspects, described as male, remain at large as of the beginning of this week.

David Matthew Davis, 39, died inside 64 Skillz, based on an initial police report.

Nov. 11 incident. Investigators released photos of the vehicle as well as the two suspects.

Durham police officers found the car Nov. 22 while on a service call, according to the Asheboro Police Department. Descriptions of the suspects are based on footage from cameras at the business, Asheboro police said. They were dressed in an attempt to conceal their identities.

The Davis family provided information to police about the deceased’s background. Davis was an employee of 64 Skillz. The business owner indicated to police that he’ll put up a cash reward to help obtain information to assist police in the case.

The U.S. Postal Service says nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week during this year’s presidential contest. That’s despite hurricanes, some misdirected election mail and delivery concerns raised by state officials. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said postal workers processed more than 99 million general election ballots. There were some notable problems even with the overall strong performance. Election offices in several places reported receiving completed ballots that should have gone to other states. $2.00

The vehicle, a gray 2013 Toyota Avalon with North Carolina license plate LAH-9992, is what police believe two suspects used in connection to the

At 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, officers with the Asheboro police were dispatched to 1520 East Dixie Drive in reference to an armed robbery. While en route,

officers came received information that a man had been shot and the suspects had fled the scene. Officers located Davis’ body inside the business. Detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigations Division responded to assume the investigation. 64 Skillz has been described as a game center. Based on information from Asheboro police, many businesses such as 64 Skillz that stay open at night and deal in cash receive special checks from law enforcement. Asheboro police were not actively or specifically investigating the business, based on information provided. Ridge Funeral Home in Asheboro handled the arrangements for Davis. A private funeral service was scheduled. Based on information from

the funeral service, Davis was born in Siler City and he was a 2003 graduate of Southwestern Randolph High School. He was survived by his wife, Megan Luck Davis, who he married in December 2007, and children Will, Luke and Annalie; his parents, Teresa Cagle and Douglas Davis; and siblings Shirley Busick and Jonathan Davis. Memorials were requested to be sent to Our Daily Bread in Asheboro.

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

COURTESY PHOTO

Barry Allison

North State Journal

(USPS 20451)

(ISSN 2471-1365)

Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Bob Sutton, Randolph Editor

Ryan Henkel, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager

TO SUBSCRIBE:

919-663-3232

Indictment stems from child’s 2023 death

The parents of a girl face upgraded charges more than a year after she died

Randolph Record staff

SEAGROVE — A grand jury has indicted a couple about 16 months after the death of their child.

According to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, during the November 2024 session of the grand jury, a true bill of indictment was issued for Bil-

Nov. 23

• Malena Danielle Church, 30, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny.

Nov. 24

• Jacori Naisjay Alston, 24, of Liberty, was arrested by Asheboro PD for second-degree trespass.

• Juan Keith Moore, 27, of Greensboro, was arrested by RCSO for assault on a female.

Nov. 25

• Danny Ray Atkins, 31, of Pleasant Garden, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possession of heroin.

• Brandon Derrick Long, 40, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for habitual larceny and felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance.

• Carolyn Jane Pate, 36, of Staley, was arrested by RCSO for domestic violence protective order violation.

We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline. com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

THURSDAY DEC 5

FRIDAY DEC 6

SATURDAY DEC 7

SUNDAY DEC 8

MONDAY DEC 9

TUESDAY DEC 10

WEDNESDAY DEC 11

ly Gene Myers Jr. and Christina Ashley Myers for felony first-degree murder.

Billy Myers was served his indictment on Nov. 21, and Christina Myers was served on Nov. 22. Neither was given bond. These indictments were issued “as a result of an investigation by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division,” according to the sheriff’s office.

In July 2023, deputies went to a home in Seagrove

Nov. 26

• Bonnie Lorene Forrest, 46, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for breaking and entering and larceny of motor vehicle.

Nov. 27

• Francis Allen Murray, 49, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for domestic violence crime.

• Antwain Addias Person, 31, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for impeding traffic.

• Cristin Marie Phillips, 35, of Randleman, was arrested by Randleman PD for possession of stolen goods.

Nov. 28

• Teri Ann Dean, 30, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance.

• Quentin Timothy Philbrick, 46, of Archdale, was arrested by Archdale PD for possession of methamphetamine.

• Alexandra Katherine McArthur, 30, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for felony possession of Schedule II controlled substance.

Nov. 29

• Cedric Delatha Allmond, 45, of Asheboro, was arrested by

for a welfare check and found a 5-year-old girl dead in the home. The Randolph County Criminal Investigations Division responded and began a death investigation.

Her parents were initially charged with child abuse and taken into custody. The parents were taken to the Randolph County Detention Center where they were charged, and both received a bond of $250,000. They were appointed public defenders.

The girl’s uncle told a Triad television station that the girl had cerebral palsy and that she was “loveable. She laughed a lot.”

After the initial charges, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office announced that the investigation would be ongoing.

Asheboro PD for possession of stolen goods.

• Kevin Joel Caballero, 21, of Goldston, was arrested by RCSO for first-degree burglary and breaking and entering to terrorize/injure.

• John Levi McIntosh, 35, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for second-degree trespass.

• Terry Lee Privett, 42, of Jackson Springs, was arrested by Asheboro PD for carrying a concealed weapon.

• Paul Wayne Tillman, 45, of Greensboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession of methamphetamine and heroin.

Dec. 1

• Christian Isaac Garcia, 25, of Pinnacle, was arrested by RCSO for possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana.

• Zeeshan Saeed, 34, of Archdale, was arrested by Archdale PD for misuse of 911 system.

Dec. 2

• Kyle Stacey Young, 58, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for felony possession of Schedule VI controlled substance.

Costco eggs recalled in NC due to potential salmonella contamination

The eggs were “not intended for retail distribution”

By Kenya Hunter and Devi Shastri The Associated Press

ORGANIC EGGS sold in 25 Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week for potential salmonella contamination.

The egg recall involved nearly 11,000 cartons of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand that landed on shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee starting Nov. 22, according to the company’s announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website. No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons included eggs that were “not intended for retail distribution.”

Shoppers should check to see whether their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. If the eggs are included in the recall, throw

JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled eggs sold in 25 Costco stories in five states, including North Carolina, due to possible salmonella contamination.

them out or take them back to the store for a refund.

Customers who have the recalled food products should wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the foods using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.

Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treat-

ment within a week, but young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill.

The egg recall comes alongside a cucumber recall that sickened 68 people, including 18 who were hospitalized, in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No one has died. Produce grown in Sonora, Mexico, by Agrotato S.A. may be the culprit, the agency said.

A recall announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was tied to the outbreak. SunFed Produce, based in Arizona, recalled cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, the FDA said.

The recall happened after SunFed was told by the FDA that there were associated illnesses reported between Oct. 12 and Nov. 15. People who bought cucumbers during the window should check with the store where they purchased them to see if the produce is part of the recall.

Earlier this summer, a separate salmonella outbreak in cucumbers sickened 450 people in the U.S.

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

Dec. 6

Christmas Parade

7-9 p.m.

Downtown Asheboro

Dec. 7

Randolph County Young Life 5K

8-11 a.m.

Annual Winter Sprinter 5K at Bicentennial Park. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the race begins at 9 a.m.

Seagrove Potters

Holiday Open House

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join the Seagrove Potters this season for their Annual Holiday Open House. You’re invited to celebrate the holiday season on a self-guided pottery tour. Starting on Dec. 7 through Dec. 21 weekends, the pottery shops of Seagrove have special events planned on Saturdays and some on Sundays. Most of the shops have normal retail hours but have prepared special work for the December weekends to feature a great selection for your Holiday gift needs. Already have plans for those weekends? Don’t be dismayed — shops are open during the week too and many have online stores for shopping convenience! Enjoy finding something for everyone on your list this year. Experience a hearty dose of holiday cheer and feel the warmth of the season, as you venture through the Seagrove community. Free and open to the public!

Holiday Kiln Opening – Joseph Sand Pottery

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2555 George York Road Randleman

Dec. 13

Christmas on Sunset 6-9 p.m.

Create ornaments with the Randolph Arts Guild, enjoy outdoor screenings of “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” and catch horse-drawn wagon rides at Bicentennial Park. Kids can write to Santa and explore photo ops with Santa’s sleigh and gingerbread houses. Indulge in treats like hot chocolate and cider at various downtown locations. Live musical performances and the live nativity at First Baptist Church. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Asheboro Recreation Center, where each child can receive a book.

Downtown Asheboro on Sunset Avenue

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

The water of life

I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

MY WIFE AND I just bought a house. The house we sold is in a city, just a three-minute drive from District Court. If you beat the murder rap, you can walk to my house in about 20 minutes. There’s a methadone clinic a 10-minute walk away, too. Many clients of the court are also customers at the methadone clinic. We live in between the two. It’s an itchy feeling sometimes.

We’re moving to a suburb. We’ll park in our own driveway, not on the street, and I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

Small stuff. I’m sure the constant bake sales in our new town will be just as annoying as the sound of gunfire where we live now.

Anyway, the new house, she is bought, and we haven’t moved in yet, but we need a new water heater because the one that came with the new house should be called a “water lukewarmer” and not a “water heater.”

So we had a plumber come to the house, and he gave us three options. I’ll list them in order of price.

A world of leverage

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump understands, better than any recent American president, one simple rule when it comes to dealing with the world: Leverage matters and ought to be applied to those who oppose American interests.

Trump believes, for example, that tariffs ought to be used to threaten those who would close their markets to American products or flood America with fentanyl or manipulate the pricing system to their own benefit. He believes that maximum pressure ought to be unleashed on countries who seek to destabilize vital strategic regions to their own ends. And he is correct.

Trump has often been characterized as a bully, both publicly and privately. But the reality of the world is simple: Someone will be doing the bullying, and someone will be bullied. The only question is which party is which. It turns out that if America ceases to use leverage against its enemies or to pressure neutral countries to align more solidly with it, our enemies will use their leverage to do what they want. China isn’t shy about its use of power in the world; neither are Russia or Iran.

Xi Jinping has never apologized for his aggressive use of military threats against the Philippines or Taiwan; he has never shied away from the use of economic sticks and carrots against weaker countries. Vladimir Putin is fully willing to invade his neighbors and cut off oil supply to his enemies.

For $4,900, we get the British crown jewels. Hot water and plenty of it. We do not know how it works, but it’s “tankless,” and no one knows where the hot water stays until we shower.

For $2,900, we get a less expensive version of the $4,900 model. They promised us it would wear out fairly quickly and supply us with maybe half the hot water we need. We do not know how it works. It’s more thankless than tankless and doesn’t seem strong enough to do the job

For $1,900, we get a water heater that looks a lot like the one in our last house. It’ll wear out in a few years, but it makes hot water. We do not know how it works. Or we can rent a hot water heater and pay by the month., When it breaks, the people we rent it from will give us a new one at no additional charge. It’s worry-f ree, but it’s a monthly bill, and can a couple really say they’re Americans if they don’t own everything in their suburban home? In the city we’re leaving, a lot of people rent their furniture, which is

one of the ways you can tell they’re poor.

I was once in a rental place that had a rent-to-own deal on engagement rings.

“It’s the greatest thing ever,” a buddy of mine said. “You get engaged, you rent the ring. You break up, you quit making the payments, and they come get the ring back. You don’t have to see her again.”

The last option is to go without hot water, like cave dwellers. I’m saving that option for when the civil war starts and there is no running water because the water plant is in the hands of “rebel fighters” who ain’t strong on engineering. And I guess that makes the decision. If there might be a civil war in the future, I want to take boiling hot showers from now until “The People’s Army” takes over and nothing works anymore. Here’s the $4,900.

Hook up the illusion of forever happiness in America. It’s the only thing I’ve ever owned.

Marc Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.”

Iran has spread its terror proxies across the Middle East, cudgeling entire governments into doing its will.

So why wouldn’t America pursue similar tactics?

This is, for some odd reason, a mysterious insight to members of the Biden administration, who seem willing to apply leverage only to America’s allies and who seem to think that conciliation and tepidity somehow achieve victory against America’s enemies.

Perhaps they are of the Noam Chomsky-esque view that the world’s only country with actual agency is the United States, and that everything else is “blowback” — a common but foolhardy view rooted in a form of selfcenteredness that ignores the fact that every country has its own interests and pursues those interests with alacrity.

China does not threaten the South China Sea because of America’s naval presence; were America absent, China’s threats would simply be far more successful. Russia did not invade Ukraine because of Western influence in Ukraine; were that influence missing, Russia simply would have treated Ukraine as an outpost like Belarus long ago. Iran does not spread terrorism because of American presence in the region; it spreads terrorism because that is the best way for it to foment control over areas outside its purview.

America has interests in the world. Those interests are worth muscular

defense, particularly in economic terms. And Trump instinctively understands that. Geopolitics is not a place of laws and regulations, enforced by neutral arbiters.

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

The best hope for the world is that the strongest also happen to be the best.

But if the best refuse to be the strongest, someone else will be.

The world will be more stable with Donald Trump at the helm than Joe Biden. That much is obvious.

And in quieter moments, world leaders often acknowledge that reality. But it should be remembered just why that is true: It’s because the unapologetic American, confident in the interests of his country, is the best option for stability and growth in a cruel world. That does not make America the world’s policeman; American interests are not specious “global interests.”

But the pursuit of American interests has generally beneficial externalities. And American refusal to pursue those interests leaves the world in the hands of those who would tear it apart, piece by piece.

Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and cofounder of Daily Wire+.

COLUMN | MARC DION

Mexican authorities break up 2 migrant caravans heading to the US

President-elect

Donald Trump has pressured the country

By Edgar H. Clemente

The Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico —

Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday. Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers. The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.

Last Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”

Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”

The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height, it had about 2,500 people. In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.

In Tehuantepec, Mexican immigration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico.

“They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year.

Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City.

Zelenskyy says NATO offer for Ukraine-controlled territory could end ‘hot stage’ of war with Russia

By Susie Blann The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — An offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a broadcast interview.

Zelenskyy’s remarks last Friday signaled a possible way forward to the difficult path Ukraine faces to future NATO membership. At their summit in Washington in July, the 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership.

However, one obstacle to moving forward has been the view that Ukraine’s borders would need to be clearly demarcated before it could join so that there can be no mistaking where the alliance’s pact of mutual defense would come into effect.

“You can’t give an invitation to just one part of a country,” Zelenskyy said in an excerpt of the interview with Sky News. “Why? Because thus you would recognize that Ukraine is only that territory of Ukraine

and the other one is Russia.”

Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Ukraine can’t recognize territory occupied by Russia as Russian.

“So legally, by law, we have no right to recognize the occupied territory as territory of Russia,” he said.

Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has been expending huge amounts of weaponry and human life to make small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls in east and southern Ukraine.

“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference at an EU summit in Brussels in October.

under our control. That’s what we need to do, fast. And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically,” he said.

An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is one key point of Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” which he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in any negotiations with Moscow.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Military aid to Kyiv and steps toward ending the war are expected to be high on the agenda when

NATO members’ foreign ministers meet in Brussels for a twoday gathering starting on Dec. 3.

However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require a lengthier process and the agreement of all member states.

There is also uncertainty as to the foreign policy stance of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. While Trump vowed on the campaign trail to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a single day, he hasn’t publicly discussed how this could happen. Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, an 80-year-old, highly decorated retired three-star general, would serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

In April, Kellog wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.”

Meanwhile, during his only campaign debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war — raising concerns that Kyiv could be forced to accept unfavorable terms in any negotiations.

In a statement Saturday, the National Immigration Institute said the migrants voluntarily accepted bus rides “to various areas where there is medical assistance and where their migratory status will be reviewed,” and said, “upon accepting (the rides), they said they no longer wanted to face the risks along their way.”

The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles to the town of Tonala in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days.

Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what.

Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it. For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.

Zelenskyy’s statement comes as Ukraine faces increasing pressure along the 620-mile front line. In its latest report, Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said Saturday that Russian forces had recently advanced near Kupiansk, in Toretsk, and near Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, a key logistics route for the Ukrainian military.

At least four people were killed Saturday when a Russian missile hit Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Serhiy Lysak said that the strike also wounded at least 21 people, of which eight were in serious condition.

Ukraine’s air force announced Saturday that the country had come under attack from 10 Russian drones, of which eight were shot down over the Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions. One drone returned to Russian-occupied territory, while the final drone disappeared from radar, often a sign of the use of electronic defenses.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 11 Ukrainian drones had been shot down by the country’s air defense systems. Both the mayor of Sochi, Andrey Proshunin, and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, both in Russia’s southwest, said that drones had been destroyed in their regions overnight. No casualties were reported.

FERNANDO LLANO / AP PHOTO

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly spoke to President-elect Donald Trump about immigration into the United States.

OMAR HAVANA / AP PHOTO

James “Jimmy” Pickurel

Aug. 25, 1955 – Nov.28, 2024

James Douglas “Jimmy” Pickurel, age 69, of Ramseur, passed away on November 28, 2024, at Randolph Hospice House. Mr. Pickurel was born in Henry County, VA on August 25, 1955, to Charles and Minnie Biggs Pickurel. Jimmy was formerly employed with Pannill Knitting, Sara Lee, and Hanes Brands, retiring with over 30 years of service. During his employment, Jimmy traveled to the Dominican Republic and Honduras to help start and operate knitting plants. Jimmy loved to fish and hunt. He loved going to the beach and mowing his yard. In addition to his parents, Jimmy was preceded in death by his brother, Philip Pickurel.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Karen Pickurel; sons, Christopher Douglas Pickurel of Ramseur and James Gregory Pickurel (Sherri) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Jessica Hernandez, Amber, Felicity, Nathan, and Summer Pickurel; greatgrandchildren, Jesiah PickurelSpencer, Kimberly, Melanie, and Ivan Jr. Zumano; sister, Vickie Maddox (Dave) of Martinsville, VA; sister-in-law, Tammy Pickurel; and niece, Cindy Sarver.

The family will receive friends on Monday, December 2, 2024, from 1-1:50 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. Funeral services will follow on Monday at 2 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel. Interment will be held at New Hope Memorial Gardens.

The family would like to give a special “thank you” to the Ramseur Fire Department and EMT, Hospice of Randoph, and the staff at the Randolph Hospice House. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.

Karen Houston

Sept. 15, 1942 – Nov. 29, 2024

In Loving Memory of Karen Cherry Houston It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Karen Cherry Houston, a beloved mother, wife, friend, and beacon of unconditional love, who departed this life on November 29, 2024, at the age of 67. While the pain of her absence feels immeasurable, the gratitude and love she instilled in those who knew her will endure forever. Karen was born on April 26, 1957, to the late Charlie Woolard Cherry and Ollie Hunt Cherry in Randolph County. Karen was a 1975 graduate of West Forsyth High School and a 1979 graduate of East Carolina University. S he poured her heart and soul into being an extraordinary mother. Her endless sacrifices, thoughtful acts of kindness, and unwavering support were the foundation of her family. Whether through long nights and early mornings, heartfelt words of encouragement, or countless home-cooked meals made with love, she embodied what it means to care selflessly and unconditionally. Her children never doubted how deeply they were loved, for her every word and deed affirmed her devotion.

Karen had a zest for life that was contagious. She filled her days with laughter and joy, creating memories that will be cherished for generations. Whether singing along to the radio on family road trips, cheering on her children at every game and ceremony, or embarking on adventures by the lake, she was always present, always supportive, and always the heart of every moment. Her legacy of love, compassion, and selflessness made the world a better place. She showed her children & grandchildren what it means to persevere, to give, and to love without boundaries. Her proudest accomplishment was raising children who adored her and aspired to live by the values she instilled in them.

H er family and friends are forever grateful to have been blessed with her radiant smile and laughter. The world is dimmer without her, but her light will never fade. She is survived by her husband, Sandy Houston, of the home, son Derek Houston and wife Lexi and their son, Decker. Son Drew Houston and Francely & their sons Leo & Benjamin. She is also survived by her mother Ollie Hunt Cherry and sister Karol Cherry all of Clemmons and her #1 granddog, Badin. She is preceded in death by her sister Kathy Cherry Needham.

A celebration of her life will be held for Karen on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 224 North Fayetteville Street Asheboro, with Reverend Lynda Ferguson officiating. Visitation to follow.

I n lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to Hospice of Randolph in her memory.

Pugh Funeral Home is proudly serving the Houston family.

Judith Hess Davidson

Sept. 11, 1942 – Nov. 29, 2024

Judith Dian “Judy” Hess Davidson, age 82 of Asheboro, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2024, at Brookdale Assisted Living.

Judy was born in New York on September 11, 1942, to Alvin and Anita Gross Hess. Judy worked as a flight attendant for United Airlines and had her pilot’s license. As a freelance flight instructor, Judy taught students how to fly. She attended church at Central church in Asheboro and Judy and her husband Bob were very involved in the World Relief Organization helping refugees. In addition to her parents, Judy is preceded in death by her daughter, Audra Tannehill; sister, Laurie D’Aria; and brothers, Peter and Jon Hess.

Judy is survived by her husband of 50 years, Robert F. “Bob” Davidson; daughters, Melissa Sanguinetti (Mark) of Fremont, CA, Dana Stehno (Chris) of Englewood, CO, Amanda Bestmann (Ken) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Emma James, John Sanguinetti, Luke Stehno, Maya Stehno, Julia Stehno, Brenna Brock, Annika Bestmann, and Blake Bestmann; one great-grandson, Levi; and her two brothers, Danny Hess (Rose) of Ackworth, GA and Terry Hess of Dickson, TN.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be made in Judy’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., FL. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or online at Alzheimer’s Association | Donate to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease.

Shannon Gale Armstrong

Sept. 15, 1942 – Dec. 1, 2024

Shannon Gale Armstrong, age 82, of Asheboro, passed away on December 1, 2024, at the Randolph Hospice House.

Gale was born in Tarboro, NC on September 15, 1942, to Rupert and Mary Charles Brooks Armstrong, who preceded her in death. She graduated from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree and A&T University with a Master’s degree in Special Education. Gale taught her early career in Surry County, finishing with Asheboro City Schools. Gale retired to North Myrtle Beach, SC and then moved back to Asheboro in May 2024. She is survived by sisters, Wanda Sullivan of Little River, SC, Dedie Chapman (Charlie) of Asheboro, and Karen Crawford (Riley) of Little River, SC; nieces and nephews, Sandie Chapman, Chris Chapman, Greg Sullivan, Christy McIntyre, and Ronald Sullivan; and numerous grand nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 1-2 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 133 South Church Street in Asheboro. Funeral services will follow on Saturday at 2:00 pm at the church with Rev. Stephen Owen and Rev. Mark Hall officiating. Interment will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Baptist Church Youth & Children’s Ministry.

Rachel Ellen Smith

Jan. 2, 1940 – Nov. 28, 2024

Rachel Ellen Freeman Smith, 84 of Asheboro, left her earthly home on November 28, 2024, at her home surrounded by family. Rachel was born on January 2nd, 1940, to Ora Richardson and Neill Bailey Freeman, rounding out their baker’s dozen. Rachel grew up at the family Homeplace in Seagrove helping on the family farm with her twelve siblings. She was a 1958 graduate of Seagrove High School where she played basketball. She continued living at home until married on April 25, 1971. She worked many years at Acme McCrary and Allmon Seaming. Her favorite job of all was being a mom and Nana. She could be seen helping at school events for her three children and later cheering on her grandchildren in their activities. She was an active member of Center Cross Baptist Church where she kept the nursery for over 35 years. Rachel was a loving daughter, aunt, wife, mother, nana and friend. She was proud of coming from a large, loving family that stressed education and loved the Lord. Rachel was an avid cook who kept her family well-fed. She was known for her pound cake and persimmon pudding. Everyone was welcomed at her table. She was talented at anything crafty from sewing, crocheting, painting, cake decorating, and anything else she tried. She was a wonderful jokester, full of sarcasm and wit. Rachel was tough, a fighter, full of the Freeman/Richardson determination. She battled and beat cancer in 2008 and once again battled cancer for two years until the Lord called her home on Thanksgiving Day.

The receiving line for Rachel in heaven includes her parents, her beloved daughter Deanna Ellen Smith, her 12 siblingsAnnie (Bob) Wilson, Mamie (Boyd) Hare, Lee Freeman, Stacy (James) Cornelison, Nellie (Harold) Bean, Walter (Kitty) Freeman, Conie (Lonnie) King, Joe (Faye) Freeman, Dempsey (Edna) Freeman, Gladys (Doyle) McLeod, Mildred (Clark) Crisco, and Wesley (Nellie) Freeman. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Leslie “Buster” Smith, children Leslie SmithMoore (Lane) and Revis Smith, grandchildren Carter Ray, Ellen Lane, Ian Curtiss, and Julia Grace Moore. She was the second mom to Lonnie, Tommy and Frances who she claimed as her first kids. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, December 1, 2024, from 1-2:50 p.m. at Center Cross Baptist Church followed by the funeral service at 3 p.m. conducted by Rev. Garry Arnett and Rev. Howard Germany. Interment in the church cemetery will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Center Cross Baptist Church at 1789 Center Cross Church Rd Asheboro, NC 27205 or Hospice of Randolph.

Mike Keeling

Feb. 12, 1950 – Nov. 23, 2024

Gordon McLane “Mike” Keeling Jr., age 74, of Snow Camp passed away Saturday, November 23, 2024, at his home surrounded by the family he loved.

Mr. Keeling was born February 12, 1950, in Vance County to Gordon and Margaret Keeling. He retired from Hodgin Construction Company as a superintendent. He enjoyed construction and carpentry work and being able to work with his hands.

Mr. Keeling loved his family and was always giving to others. He was an avid sports fan who enjoyed UNC Basketball, Carolina Panthers Football and was a big Richard Petty fan. Mr. Keeling was also an avid deer hunter and enjoyed gardening. In addition to his parents, Mr. Keeling was preceded in death by one brother, two sisters and one son, Rodney Wayne Keeling.

Mr. Keeling is survived by his wife of 36 years, Bonnie LaDare Keeling; sons, William Eugene Keeling of Asheboro, Jeremy Daniel Davis and wife Michelle of Roxboro; daughter, Susan Juanita Keeling of Roxboro, Sharon Keeling Long of Roxboro, Misty Dawn Welborn and husband Steve of Erect; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends Friday, November 29, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Ave., Asheboro. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 1, 2024, with Pastor Donnie Allgood officiating at Mr. Keeling’s home in Snow Camp. Please contact the family if you plan to attend.

The family would like to thank AuthoraCare Hospice and especially Cecily for the care given to Mike during his illness.

STATE & NATION

Democrats’ outgoing chair says party

must reassess how it

reaches voters

By Bill Barrow The Associated Press

ATLANTA — As he concludes his time as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

But he acknowledged that Democrats must do a better job of selling the party’s priorities and accomplishments for the working class. He also called for continued nationwide investments in party infrastructure and better use of non-legacy media.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Kamala Harris is not going to be the next president of the United States,” Harrison said in an interview Monday. But “the political pendulum in this country has been swinging swiftly, back and forth,” he added, and “we got to buckle up and get ready for it” to continue.

Trump says

The celebration in Paris this weekend will be the president-elect’s first overseas trip since his win

By Jill Colvin The Associated Press

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring

Harrison made similar arguments in a memo being distributed Tuesday to Democratic Party leaders and donors around the country.

“Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Dem-

he’ll

ocrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, comparing Democrats’ losses in the U.S. to the more sweeping defeats that parties in power suffered in democratic nations around the world since the coronavirus pandemic and global inflation.

It is not surprising, of course, for a chairman to defend his party’s performances even after disappointing elections.

Harrison, President Joe Biden’s pick in 2021 to lead the national party during his term, and other top Democrats have been sharply criticized after Trump’s victory, particularly by progressives who argue the party is seen as having abandoned working-class voters.

Harrison pointed to victories for Sens.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, and the reelections of Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Republicans still ousted Democratic senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana on their way to a majority. But Harrison noted the GOP’s House majority will be threadbare — the final count is pending — and that Democrats flipped some Republican seats.

At the state level, Harrison noted Democratic romps in North Carolina’s statewide offices, legislative gains in a conservative state like Arkansas and stripping Republicans of outright control of the Alaska statehouse.

“It was a mixed bag,” he said.

attend Notre Dame Cathedral

that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

The trip will be Trump’s first abroad since he won November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023 as a candidate to visit his local golf courses.

Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures, known for

its mesmerizing stained glass.

Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world.

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, offering his advice to the city.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” he wrote.

French officials appeared to respond shortly after, noting that “All means” were being used to extinguish the flames,

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen this weekend, more than five years after a devastating fire.

Trump swept all seven battleground states against Harris, the Democratic vice president, and won the popular vote for the first time in three presidential runs. The president-elect cut into key Democratic constituencies: people of color, younger voters and union supporters.

He gained a larger share of black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. And his coalition increasingly included rank-and-file union members, a critical constituency in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harrison said Trump has the ability to scramble traditional coalitions but not remake them permanently. He acknowledged Trump’s appeal yet framed him as a unique figure whose reach cannot be replicated easily, if at all, by other Republicans.

“It’s the same thing with Barack Obama, right? Sometimes in politics, they’re cultural figures … that can build different coalitions,” Harrison said. “And those coalitions don’t last once they step off of the dais.”

reopening

can president’s whims as he tried to develop a personal connection built in no small part on flattery.

Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact.

As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.

“except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

Trump also spoke with Macron and Pope Francis at the time to offer his condolences and said he had offered them “the help of our great experts on renovation and construction.”

Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship.

During Trump’s first term in office, Macron proved to be among the world leaders most adept at managing the Ameri-

After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call.

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

Jason Harrison touted wins in North Carolina’s statewide races

DAVID CALVERT / AP PHOTO

Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in October in Reno, Nevada.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AP PHOTO

RandolpH SPORTS

Basketball begins

Southwestern Randolph’s Mason Cross goes up for a shot against Asheboro during last week’s season-opening boys’ basketball game for both teams. Asheboro won. For more basketball, see Page B2.

Wildcats loose grip in playoff loss

Eastern Randolph’s season came to a close in the third round of the postseason

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph’s first loss marked the end of its football season, falling 27-14 to Corvian Community in the third round of the Class 1A state playoffs Friday night.

An array of turnovers proved critical for the Wildcats (12-1), who were seeded fourth in the West Region.

“We worked so hard, and that’s what makes it emotional,” Eastern Randolph running back Lucas Smith said. “This is the worst feeling you can have.”

The Wildcats were in just their second tussle across the past two months after blowing out four of five Piedmont Athletic Conference opponents and cruising past two foes in the state playoffs.

With giveaways on four consecutive possessions in the first half, this game had a different tone.

“You can’t do that, have turnovers like that in the third round of the playoffs,” Wildcats coach Burton Cates said.

“Still proud of their effort.”

Eastern Randolph scored on its first possession, twice converting on fourth downs.

That included Cade McCallum’s 38-yard pass to Rayden West, who bobbled the ball as he plunged into the end zone.

That 6-0 lead vanished when freshman Kelvin Stin -

“We lost momentum and we just really never got it back.”

Lucas Smith, Eastern Randolph running back

son returned an interception and went 33 yards for a touchdown.

“After they scored is when we went downhill,” West said.

“We couldn’t recover from it.”

Then came three straight Eastern Randolph possessions that ended in fumbles. Two of those were inside the Corvian Community 20-yard line.

See FOOTBALL, page B2

Asheboro boys fall in OT of state final

The Blue Comets built a first-half lead in the championship game

Randolph Record staff

MATTHEWS — Asheboro’s boys’ soccer team had done so much work throughout the season and during the last game of the year that the biggest reward seemed so close.

But Blue Comets couldn’t complete the assignment in the Class 3A state championship game, falling to Western Alamance 4-3 in overtime Nov. 23 at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex.

Asheboro held a 3-0 halftime lead, courtesy of goals from Cam Letterlough, Ozmar Martinez and Diego Bustamante in

a 20-minute span. Juan Macias provided two assists.

“We went into halftime with a three-goal lead,” Asheboro coach Nick Arroyo said.

“We came out of halftime overconfident.”

It didn’t take long for the momentum to shift. Western Alamance’s Noah Barrett scored the first of his three goals 40 seconds into the second half.

Grant Bacchus scored to close the margin to 3-2. Barrett’s second goal of the game tied the score at 3-3 in the 77th minute. Barrett scored the winning goal early in the first of the two overtime periods. Western Alamance outshot the Blue Comets 22-14.

Letterlough, who’s one of the country’s top goal scorers this season, was limited in the sec-

ond half because of an ailing hamstring.

The result for Western Alamance marked the largest comeback for a victory in NCHSAA finals history.

The Blue Comets finished with a 27-3 record, making their first appearance in the state final.

The Warriors (25-1) avenged their lone loss of the season. That came in August, also by a 4-3 result, at Asheboro. It marked second state championship in four years for Western Alamance.

Other state championships were won by Clinton (defeating Southwestern Randolph in Class 2-A on Nov. 22), Mt. Airy (defeating Hobbton in Class 1-A on Nov. 23) and Wakefield (topping Marvin Ridge in Class 4-A on Nov. 23).

Providence Grove boys claim memorable first win

The game-winning shot came after a lead vanished in the fourth quarter

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

MOUNT HERMON —

Providence Grove recorded its first victory under new boys’ basketball coach Shane Worth last week, and it came in dramatic fashion.

Andrew Thomas scored on a putback with 14 seconds remaining to defeat host Southern Alamance 57-55. Will Dabbs took the shot on the transition sequence.

“If he’s going to miss, I’m going to put it back up,” Thomas said of his thoughts.

Worth, also the baseball coach, said the basketball players have been through quite a bit.

“In fairness to these guys, they’ve had three coaches in three years,” he said. “It’s crazy to learn different styles. I’m proud of them how they’ve handled that adversity.”

The outcome came against a team coached by former Providence Grove girls’ coach Dylan Eppley, who had been on the football coaching staff and therefore holds connections with many of the boys’ basketball team’s players.

“It was good to meet up with some of them,” Eppley said.

Providence Grove lost its opener to Chatham Central (and later last week fell to Asheboro), so picking up a positive result was special.

“For everybody,” Worth said. “That’s the hard work they put into the summer and the fall.”

Dabbs hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 28 points.

“I was feeling it,” said Dabbs, a senior. “That’s my No. 1 thing is shooting.” Thomas posted 15 of his 20 points in the second half. Providence Grove led 49-35, but the margin was down to 55-51 with more than two minutes left and then tied with a minute remaining.

“We stayed together even when it didn’t look good,” Thomas said. “They were all over us.”

The Patriots are coming off a pair of seven-win seasons, so a confidence boost is nice.

“We needed this,” Dabbs said.

It all worked out.

“I’ll tell anybody, an ugly win is better than a pretty loss a ny day,” Worth said. “It’s hard to win on the road, especially with the crowd like they had.”

Southern Alamance’s Chris Epps had 18 points and Kolby Kronbergs added 14.

There’s a rematch Jan. 9 at Providence Grove.

See BASKETBALL, page B2

BOB SUTTON / RANDOLPH RECORD Will Dabbs

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

HOME PLATE MOTORS

Maddie Strider

Southwestern Randolph girls’ basketball

Strider tallied a team-high 23 points when the Cougars opened their season by defeating visiting Asheboro 64-23 in a nonconference game last week.

Strider is a junior guard and also a member of the school’s softball team.

The Cougars were slated for three more nonleague games this week. The Piedmont Athletic Conference opener comes Dec. 12 at Trinity.

BASKETBALL from page B1

Girls’ game

Providence Grove’s girls won 59-18 at Southern Alamance as Jada Nixon had 20 points and Laurel Bernhardt added 13.

It was the second lopsided victory in as many games for first-year coach Steven Cheek’s team. He’s the third coach in three seasons for the team.

“First road win,” he said.

“The players stick together whenever there is. a coaching change.”

Asheboro boys open with two wins

The Randleman girls won in their new coach’s debut

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO’S Elijah Woo -

dle had 17 points in a 65-42 romp past host Southwestern Randolph to open the season last week.

Brayden Chapman scored 14 points for the Cougars.

The Blue Comets went on to a 47-32 neutral-court victory against Providence Grove.

• Trinity’s Nazir Staton

poured in 21 points and Zy’iveon Holmes had 17 in the Bulldogs’ 64-57 home victory against South Davidson. Holmes scored 25 points in a 64-58 loss at Jordan-Matthews.

• Parker Kines’ 16 points and Wyatt Stepp’s 14 points helped Wheatmore defeat visiting East Davidson 57-56.

Girls’ basketball

Gracie Beane had 15 points and Addyson Dees notched 13 points as Randleman de-

feated visiting Asheboro 59-20.

The Tigers are under coach Scott Tyson, who’s their third coach in as many seasons.

• Southwestern Randolph won its opener by defeating visiting Asheboro 64-23 as Maddie Strider scored 23 points.

• Nevaeh Staples of Uwharrie Charter Academy scored 15 in a 53-49 triumph against host Bethany Community.

• Trinity topped host Jordan-Matthews 45-25. Wheatmore crushed visiting Chatham Charter 59-11 and defeated visiting East Davidson 60-40.

Flag football scours nation with talent camps to uncover next wave of stars

The sport will make its Olympic debut in L.A. in 2028

The Associated Press

DENVER — So you’re the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or toyed with any sport, really.

Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. The grand prize is a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it’s never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut.

It’s not an easy team to make. The men’s side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport’s national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent.

USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far.

The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The participation

FOOTBALL from page B1

“We lost momentum and we just really never got it back,” Smith said. “It was bad.”

The Cardinals led 13-6 at halftime. On the first snap of the second half, Corvian Community’s Noah Best ran 66 yards for a touchdown. AJ Jackson’s second touchdown run followed for the Cardinals.

“They were quick and they were shifty and they were very

of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football.

Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program. Around the world, it’s catching on. The women’s team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores.

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to,” said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s vice president of flag football.

This type of flag football, however, isn’t your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There’s a learning curve. Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there’s no contact. None.

That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017.

“If a receiver is running around, I’m thinking, ‘OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,’” Daniels explained. “They’re like, ‘No, you can’t.’ I’m just like, ‘So I’m supposed to let this guy just run?!’ I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn.” Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his

athletic in some areas,” Cates said.

The Cardinals kept attacking, perhaps the biggest dagger coming on a 30-yard touchdown play on fourth-a nd-29 for a 27-6 edge. Smith’s 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion made it 27-13 late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats stayed within striking range when the Cardinals missed a field goal with 4:54 remaining. Eastern Ran-

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to.”

Stephanie Kwok, NFL’s vice president of flag football

hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries to reach for a hug. It’s his way of working on avoiding a “defender” trying to snare the flag.

That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles.

“You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the ‘Redeem Team’ led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you’re always thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ Obviously, you couldn’t do it in your sport, because I played football,” said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area.

“With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on.”

It’s a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Yeah, the U.S. just wins,’” Daniels said. “But we work hard all the time. We don’t just walk in. We don’t just get off the bus thinking, ‘We’re going to beat people.’

dolph reached midfield before giving the ball back on downs at the 2:47 mark.

Smith, in his final high school game, finished with 121 rushing yards on 16 carries.

“I love this team,” West said, pointing out many positives from the season. “It was great and didn’t end so well.”

Fifth-seeded Corvian Community (13-0) takes on top seed and defending state champion Mount Airy in the regional semifinals.

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

Wheatmore’s Maddie Nichols looks to shoot against East Davidson’s Kenzie Foust last week.

pen & paper pursuits

this week in history

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, U.S. entered WWII, John Lennon shot to death

DEC. 5

1848: President James K. Polk sparked the Gold Rush of ’49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.

1933: Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.

1952: The Great Smog of London descended on the British capital; the unusually thick fog, which contained toxic pollutants, was blamed for causing thousands of deaths.

2013: Nelson Mandela, the antiapartheid leader who became South Africa’s first black president, died at age 95.

DEC. 6

1865: The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified.

1907: The worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as at least 361 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion i n Monongah, West Virginia.

1923: A presidential address was broadcast on radio for the first time as Calvin Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.

1969: A free concert by The Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway in Alameda County, California, was marred by the deaths of four people, including one who was stabbed by a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

DEC. 7

1941: The Empire of Japan launched an air raid on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,300 Americans.

DEC. 8

1941: The United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

1949: The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.

1980: Former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

2016: John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died at age 95.

DEC. 9

1854: Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s famous poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” was published. 1965: “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated TV special featuring characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, premiered on CBS.

1992: Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation.

DEC. 10

1817: Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state of the Union.

Founding member of the Beatles, successful solo artist and advocate for peace John Lennon was shot to death in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980.

1964: Martin Luther King Jr. received his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, saying he accepted it “with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.”

1967: Singer Otis Redding, 26, and six others were killed in a plane crash.

2005: Actor-comedian Richard Pryor died at age 65.

DEC. 11

1816: Indiana became the 19th state.

1936: Britain’s King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson; his brother, Prince Albert, became King George VI.

1941: Germany and Italy declared war on the United States; the U.S. responded in kind.

2008: Former Nasdaq chairman Bernie Madoff was arrested, accused of running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that wiped out the life savings of thousands of people and wrecked charities.

AP PHOTO

AP PHOTO

American ships burn during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941.

Super Bowl pregame to include Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Ledisi, Lauren Daigle

The pregame performers are all Louisiana natives

By Jonathan Landrum Jr. The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — The Super Bowl pregame will have some Louisiana flavor: Multi-talented performer Jon Batiste will hit the stage to sing the national anthem, while Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle are slated to perform “America the Beautiful.”

The performances will take place Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans before the NFL’s championship matchup and halftime show featuring rap megastar Kendrick Lamar, the league announced Thursday.

“We’re honored to work with this year’s pregame lineup to celebrate the rich musical legacy of New Orleans and the entire state,” said Seth

Dudowsky, the head of music at the NFL.

Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as part of the pregame performances that will air on Fox. The pregame performers are all Louisiana natives.

The national anthem and “America the Beautiful” will be performed by actor Stephanie Nogueras in American sign language.

Otis Jones IV will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and the halftime show will be signed by Matt Maxey.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show.

Batiste is a Grammy and Oscar winner who is the former bandleader for the “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” His documentary “American Symphony” is nominated for best music

film, and his “It Never Went Away” from the documentary is up for best song written for visual media at the upcoming Grammys. He composed the score for Jason Reitman’s film “Saturday Night” and this month released “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),” which reimagined the iconic German pianist’s work.

Trombone Shorty, a Grammy winner known for blending funk, soul, R&B and rock, has toured with major acts such as Lenny Kravitz, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Foo Fighters. Daigle made her way as a contemporary Christian singer, winning two Grammys for her 2018 song “You Say” from her third studio album, “Look Up Child.”

Ledisi won a Grammy for her 2020 single “Anything for You.” She also appeared in the films “Leatherheads,” “Spinning Gold” and the Oscar-nominated “Selma.”

British novelist Naomi Wood out with short story collection

The women in these delectable stories are insanely fun to be with

By Ann Levin

The Associated Press

NAOMI WOOD, an English author not yet well known in the U.S., has written three historical novels, including the well-regarded “Mrs. Hemingway,” about the four wives of Ernest Hemingway. During the COVID lockdowns when her kids were confined at home and she had less time to herself, she turned to the short story form. The result, “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” is an astonishingly good debut collection that often incorporates the bizarre, life-altering reality of the pandemic into the plots. The main characters tend to be 30-something women trying to have it all. Kids, relationships, satisfying careers — the “seductive slipstream of productivity.” They also strive to be good citizens of an ailing planet and have sex with their partners more than once in a blue moon. In “Comorbidities,” which won the 2023 BBC National Short Story Award, a couple with young children tries to spice up their marriage by making a sex tape. In an abundance of caution, the man pauses the action to read up on

“This is Why We Can’t Have Nice

is a

digital security and adjust his devices. Hours later, when the glow has worn off, the woman has a panic attack, worrying it might somehow end up in the “deadly slime of the internet.” Her female protagonists happen to be a lusty bunch, enjoying sex in flavors that some might consider kinky. But once the little ones arrive, everything changes. Fathers might leave, but these mothers wouldn’t dream of it. “They’re the grand love affair, in the end. The kids. No one else,” says a character in the story “A/A/A/A.”

“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is an astonishingly good debut collection that often incorporates the bizarre, life-altering reality of the pandemic into the plots.

But don’t think for a minute that they’re selfless or saintly. Feminism has freed them to enter the 21st-century labor market and take on high-powered jobs, where they prove to be just as scheming, selfish and manipulative as the men.

“Recently, I had started to notice my bad energy, and I began to follow it, wondering where it would take me,” says the main character in “Wedding Day.” And where was that? To a scheme to disrupt her ex-boyfriend’s wedding by insisting he leave the party early to bring their daughter home for her bedtime. But revenge is bittersweet because once he is back in the apartment they used to share, she is overcome with painful memories of their powerful erotic attraction. For all their flaws — and they have lots of them — the women in these delectable stories are insanely fun to be with because they are so fully imagined and true to the way we live now.

MARINER VIA AP

Things”

collection of short stories by Naomi Wood, the author of “Mrs. Hemingway.”

New Orleans’ Trombone Shorty is one of many Louisiana natives slated to perform at the Super Bowl pregame in February.

KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AP PHOTO

British actor Dame Judy Dench turns 90 on Monday.

DEC. 5

Author Calvin Trillin is 89. Opera singer Jose Carreras is 78. Musician Jim Messina is 77. Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins is 75. Football Hall of Famer Art Monk is 67. Country singer Gary Allan is 57.

DEC. 6

Actor JoBeth Williams is 76. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is 72. Actor Tom Hulce is 71. Comedian Steven Wright is 69. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 68.

DEC. 7

Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 96. Actor Ellen Burstyn is 92. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is 77. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 75. Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) is 72. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 68. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 59.

DEC. 8

Singer Jerry Butler is 85. Actor Kim Basinger is 71. Actor Teri Hatcher is 60.

DEC. 9

Actor Judi Dench is 90. Actor Beau Bridges is 82. Actor Michael Nouri is 79. Singer Joan Armatrading is 74. Actor John Malkovich is 71. Singer Donny Osmond is 67. Actor Felicity Huffman is 62.

DEC. 10

Actor Fionnula Flanagan (“Waking Ned Devine”) is 83. Actor-singer Gloria Loring is 78. Country singer Johnny Rodriguez is 73. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh is 64. TV chef Bobby Flay is 60. Drummer Meg White of The White

DEC. 11

Actor Rita Moreno is 93. Actor Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”) is 84. Actor Lynda Day George (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 80. Singer Brenda Lee is 80. Actor Bess Armstrong is 71. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 66. Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 60.

Stripes is 50.

LAURA ROBERTS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Artist Brenda Lee, pictured performing at “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 2015 in Nashville, celebrates 80 on Wednesday.

JORDAN STRAUSS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Actor Kim Basinger hits 71 on Sunday.

JOHN DAVISSON / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Singer Tom Waits turns 75 on Saturday.

the stream

The stream: Sabrina Carpenter hosts holiday special, ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ lands on Max, Rosé goes solo

“Black Doves” starring Keira Knightly falls into the “Die Hard” category of holiday entertainment

The Associated Press

SABRINA CARPENTER

hosting a holiday variety music special on Netflix and Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw playing a spy and an assassin in the TV series “Black Doves” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: K-pop star Rosé has her first solo full-length album, Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” enjoys another afterlife odyssey, and Blackpink’s Rosé has her first solo full-length album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Thirty-six years after the original, the Deetz family returns to Winter River in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (streaming Saturday on Max). There, Lydia (Winona Ryder), still haunted by Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), is forced into another afterlife odyssey when her teenage daughter (Jenna Ortega) discovers a portal. “It’s a joyously rendered sequel that sometimes makes sense, and sometimes doesn’t, but just keeps rollicking.”

A lowkey reunion of “Love Actually” writer-director Richard Curtis and one of that film’s stars, Bill Nighy, is part of the new Netflix animated movie “That Christmas” (now streaming). The film was co-written by Curtis (it’s based on his series of Christmas books) and features Nighy as the voice of Lighthouse Bill, one of the Wellington-on-Sea townspeople grappling with a winter blizzard. The storm poses challenges even for Santa, voiced by Brian Cox. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in the space race rom-com “Fly Me to the Moon,” about a NASA launch director (Tatum) and a Madison Avenue marketing executive tasked with selling the mission to the moon. The film debuted in theaters in July and is available on Apple TV+. Reviews praised it as “lighthearted and breezy with a pleasing screwball energy, giving Johansson the opportunity to use the full wattage of her movie star power.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Does espresso go with eggnog? Find out when Sabrina Carpenter hosts a holiday variety music special that streams on Netflix starting Friday. “It’s an hour of literal nonsense,” Sabrina told Time magazine about the special. “If people are expecting boring, me singing by a tree, it’s not that. It’s so fun, so chaotic. There are so many guests that I’m excited about.” Those guests include Chappell Roan,

Tyla, Shania Twain, Kali Uchis, Quinta Brunson, Cara Delevingne, Kyle Mooney, Nico Hiraga, Megan Stalter, Sean Astin, Owen Thiele and Jillian Bell. Lauren Mayberry, vocalist and percussionist from the Scottish pop band Chvrches, makes her solo debut with “Vicious Creature.” The 12 tracks veer from the coffee-house folk of “Anywhere but Dancing” to the punky “Punch Drunk,” the dance-pop of “Change Shapes” and stuttering glam of “Sorry,

Etc.” “It’s a mission statement of all things that you like,” she tells us in an interview.

Mayberry isn’t the only woman setting out alone — Blackpink’s Rosé has her first solo fulllength album, “rosie,” scheduled for release Friday. She kicked it off with “APT.,” her collaborative with pop star Bruno Mars. The catchy track, inspired by a popular Korean drinking game, known as the “apartment game.”

It has spent weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 chart. On Instagram, she previewed the album by saying, “I have poured my blood and tears into this album. I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine.”

SHOWS TO STREAM

In their new Netflix series

“Black Doves,” Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw play old friends, who also happen to be a spy and an assassin, that team up to solve a murder (and get revenge) at Christmas. Knightley joked that the show falls in the “Die Hard” category of holiday entertainment. “It’s like, I’ve spent too much time with my family. I hate them all. I need to watch something blow up!” “Black Doves” debuts Thursday on the streamer.

Margo Martindale stars in

the new Prime Video series “The Sticky” as a down-on-her-luck woman on the brink of financial ruin who finds herself in a crime ring stealing, of all things, millions of dollars worth of maple syrup. It’s inspired by a true story. The dark comedy also stars a delightful Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr. Jamie Lee Curtis is an executive producer and also makes an appearance. It premieres Friday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Multiplayer free-for-alls like Overwatch and Apex Legends remain popular online, but it’s been years since a new release has made an impact. Chinese-owned NetEase Games is hoping to shake up the genre by adding superheroes and villains to the formula with Marvel Rivals. The core competition is a battle between two teams of six heroes each. The initial lineup includes marquee names like Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain America, as well as a few cult favorites like Luna Snow and Jeff the Land Shark. Some characters — say, Thor, Loki and Hela — can join forces to unleash all sorts of havoc. It’s all free-to-play, and the mayhem begins Friday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

NETFLIX VIA AP

The new Netflix animated movie “That Christmas,” directed by Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”), is streaming on Netflix.

APPLE TV+ VIA AP

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in “Fly Me to the Moon.”

NETFLIX / AMAZON STUDIOS VIA AP

“Black Doves” and “The Sticky” are streaming on a screen near you this week.

HOKE COUNTY

Bowl bound

NC State beat rival UNC on Saturday to send Tar Heels coach Mack Brown into retirement and make the Wolfpack bowl‑eligible. Above, State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (10) celebrates after his touchdown with tight end Justin Joly (15).

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tight race for N.C. Supreme Court headed toward (another) recount

A very close election for a Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of more than 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that began in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. This race and two General Assembly races have yet to be called by The Associated Press.

USPS touts timely delivery of 99M mail-in ballots

The U.S. Postal Service says nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week during this year’s presidential contest. That’s despite hurricanes, some misdirected election mail and delivery concerns raised by state officials. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said postal workers processed more than 99 million general election ballots. There were some notable problems even with the overall strong performance. Election offices in several places reported receiving completed ballots that should have gone to other states.

$2.00

Hoke County swears in new

commissioner

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners welcomed a new commissioner to the board, swearing in Mary Blue McCollum on Monday

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners welcomed its latest member as it officially swore in the winners of the November election at its Dec. 2 regular business meeting.

Incumbent chairman James Leach was sworn in for another four-year term, as was Mary Blue McCollum ,who became just the second African American woman to serve on the Hoke County Board of Commissioners in its 113-year history.

“Thank you to all the supporters, all of the voters,” McCollum said. “I could not have done it without your support, especially your prayers. I’m here for the citizens of Hoke. I want to do right by the citizens and I ask that you continue to pray for me that I make the right decisions.”

McCollum is filling the seat of outgoing commissioner Bobby Wright, who was serving out the remainder of Lonnie Baldwin’s term, as the former commissioner died in January 2023. The board also reelected Leach as chairman of the board and Harry Southerland as vice chairman

“Let me first thank Hoke County,” Leach said. “I took the oath of office to serve all of Hoke County, and I’ll do my best to serve all of Hoke County for the next four years if it’s God’s will. I certainly hope we can all get over our differences and get out and work for the betterment of our great county.”

“Let’s drop the differences, let’s build one county and let’s get along. We do have to love each other whether you

Will Trump deliver on promised recognition for the Lumbee Tribe?

The tribe has been seeking federal recognition for decades

By Graham Lee Brewer

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY —

When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina, both candidates courted a state-recognized tribe there whose 55,000 members could have helped tip the swing state. Trump in September promised that he would sign legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, a distinction that would unlock access to federal funds. He ultimately won North Carolina by more than 3 percentage points, in part due to continued support from Lumbee voters. Now, as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, the promise will be put to the test. He has Republican allies in Congress on the issue, and now the Lumbee, as

like each other or not. You have to love each other, that’s God’s will, and that’s what we need to move to. Let’s make one great county and one good ideal.”

Following the oaths of office and election of officers, the board also approved the advertisement of bids on two parcels of surplus county property.

The county received a bid offer of approximately $6,650 for property located at 202 N Highland Road and $4,000 for property located on Army Road.

According to Hoke County policy, there will be a 10-day period from the date of publication of the advertisement in which upset bids will be accepted.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet Dec. 16.

well as tribal nations across the country, are watching closely to see what comes next.

Tribal nations typically receive federal recognition through an application with the Department of the Interior, but the Lumbee have been trying for many years to circumvent that process by going through Congress. Chairman John Lowery called Interior’s application process “flawed” and overly lengthy and said it should be up to Congress to right what he calls a historic wrong.

“It’s just crazy that we’re sitting here fighting this battle, and I have to tell you that I am real in 2024,” Lowery said.

Following the presidential election, the Lumbee hope there will be momentum behind their cause, but they face deep-rooted opposition from tribal nations across the country.

There are questions about Trump’s next move

Several tribes, including the only one that is federally recognized in North Carolina, argue that if the Lumbee Tribe wants federal acknowledgment, it should go through the formal See TRIBE, page A4

THE HOKE COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

DAVID YEAZELL / AP PHOTO

Abigail Blue, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, walks by the stage during a Trump campaign event in Red Springs in October.

We stand corrected

To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@ nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

North

Carolina man dies two weeks after explosion at home

THURSDAY

authorities said.

The Nov. 17 explosion at 82-year-old Wesley Decker’s home in Weddington was felt across Union County, the sheriff’s office said. The home was seriously damaged, and the man and his wife were taken to hospitals, where they were treated and later released, officials said.

Decker, who sustained extensive burns in the explosion, was recuperating at a long-term care facility when he died Friday, Union County announced in a news release Sunday. The sheriff’s office will conduct a death investigation.

The county Fire Marshal’s Office determined that there was an accidental fuel-air explosion, which occurs when fuel mixes with oxygen in the air, creating a powerful blast, officials said.

Investigators identified three potential ignition sources in the garage, where the explosion originated, but officials said the exact cause remains undetermined. Officials are working to finish their investigation.

The eggs were “not intended for retail distribution”

By Kenya Hunter and Devi Shastri The Associated Press

ORGANIC EGGS sold in 25

Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week for potential salmonella contamination.

The egg recall involved

nearly 11,000 cartons of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand that landed on shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee starting Nov. 22, according to the company’s announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website. No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons included eggs that were “not

intended for retail distribution.” Shoppers should check to see whether their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. If the eggs are included in the recall, throw them out or take them back to the store for a refund.

Customers who have the recalled food products should wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the foods using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.

Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment within a week, but young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill. The egg recall comes alongside a cucumber recall that sickened 68 people, including 18 who were hospitalized, in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No one has died. Produce grown in Sonora, Mexico, by Agrotato S.A. may be the culprit, the agency said.

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: hokecommunity@ northstatejournal.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

The water of life

I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

MY WIFE AND I just bought a house.

The house we sold is in a city, just a three-minute drive from District Court. If you beat the murder rap, you can walk to my house in about 20 minutes. There’s a methadone clinic a 10-minute walk away, too. Many clients of the court are also customers at the methadone clinic. We live in between the two. It’s an itchy feeling sometimes.

We’re moving to a suburb. We’ll park in our own driveway, not on the street, and I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

Small stuff. I’m sure the constant bake sales in our new town will be just as annoying as the sound of gunfire where we live now.

Anyway, the new house, she is bought, and we haven’t moved in yet, but we need a new water heater because the one that came with the new house should be called a “water lukewarmer” and not a “water heater.”

So we had a plumber come to the house, and he gave us three options. I’ll list them in order of price.

A world of leverage

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump understands, better than any recent American president, one simple rule when it comes to dealing with the world: Leverage matters and ought to be applied to those who oppose American interests.

Trump believes, for example, that tariffs ought to be used to threaten those who would close their markets to American products or flood America with fentanyl or manipulate the pricing system to their own benefit. He believes that maximum pressure ought to be unleashed on countries who seek to destabilize vital strategic regions to their own ends. And he is correct.

Trump has often been characterized as a bully, both publicly and privately. But the reality of the world is simple: Someone will be doing the bullying, and someone will be bullied. The only question is which party is which. It turns out that if America ceases to use leverage against its enemies or to pressure neutral countries to align more solidly with it, our enemies will use their leverage to do what they want. China isn’t shy about its use of power in the world; neither are Russia or Iran.

Xi Jinping has never apologized for his aggressive use of military threats against the Philippines or Taiwan; he has never shied away from the use of economic sticks and carrots against weaker countries. Vladimir Putin is fully willing to invade his neighbors and cut off oil supply to his enemies.

For $4,900, we get the British crown jewels. Hot water and plenty of it. We do not know how it works, but it’s “tankless,” and no one knows where the hot water stays until we shower.

For $2,900, we get a less expensive version of the $4,900 model. They promised us it would wear out fairly quickly and supply us with maybe half the hot water we need. We do not know how it works. It’s more thankless than tankless and doesn’t seem strong enough to do the job

For $1,900, we get a water heater that looks a lot like the one in our last house. It’ll wear out in a few years, but it makes hot water. We do not know how it works. Or we can rent a hot water heater and pay by the month., When it breaks, the people we rent it from will give us a new one at no additional charge. It’s worry-f ree, but it’s a monthly bill, and can a couple really say they’re Americans if they don’t own everything in their suburban home? In the city we’re leaving, a lot of people rent their furniture, which is

one of the ways you can tell they’re poor.

I was once in a rental place that had a rent-to-own deal on engagement rings.

“It’s the greatest thing ever,” a buddy of mine said. “You get engaged, you rent the ring. You break up, you quit making the payments, and they come get the ring back. You don’t have to see her again.”

The last option is to go without hot water, like cave dwellers. I’m saving that option for when the civil war starts and there is no running water because the water plant is in the hands of “rebel fighters” who ain’t strong on engineering. And I guess that makes the decision. If there might be a civil war in the future, I want to take boiling hot showers from now until “The People’s Army” takes over and nothing works anymore. Here’s the $4,900.

Hook up the illusion of forever happiness in America. It’s the only thing I’ve ever owned.

Marc Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.”

Iran has spread its terror proxies across the Middle East, cudgeling entire governments into doing its will.

So why wouldn’t America pursue similar tactics?

This is, for some odd reason, a mysterious insight to members of the Biden administration, who seem willing to apply leverage only to America’s allies and who seem to think that conciliation and tepidity somehow achieve victory against America’s enemies.

Perhaps they are of the Noam Chomsky-esque view that the world’s only country with actual agency is the United States, and that everything else is “blowback” — a common but foolhardy view rooted in a form of selfcenteredness that ignores the fact that every country has its own interests and pursues those interests with alacrity.

China does not threaten the South China Sea because of America’s naval presence; were America absent, China’s threats would simply be far more successful. Russia did not invade Ukraine because of Western influence in Ukraine; were that influence missing, Russia simply would have treated Ukraine as an outpost like Belarus long ago. Iran does not spread terrorism because of American presence in the region; it spreads terrorism because that is the best way for it to foment control over areas outside its purview.

America has interests in the world. Those interests are worth muscular

defense, particularly in economic terms. And Trump instinctively understands that. Geopolitics is not a place of laws and regulations, enforced by neutral arbiters.

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

The best hope for the world is that the strongest also happen to be the best.

But if the best refuse to be the strongest, someone else will be.

The world will be more stable with Donald Trump at the helm than Joe Biden. That much is obvious.

And in quieter moments, world leaders often acknowledge that reality. But it should be remembered just why that is true: It’s because the unapologetic American, confident in the interests of his country, is the best option for stability and growth in a cruel world. That does not make America the world’s policeman; American interests are not specious “global interests.”

But the pursuit of American interests has generally beneficial externalities. And American refusal to pursue those interests leaves the world in the hands of those who would tear it apart, piece by piece.

Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and cofounder of Daily Wire+.

COLUMN | MARC DION

Mexican authorities break up 2 migrant caravans heading to the US

President-elect Donald Trump has pressured the country

By Edgar H. Clemente

The Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico — Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.

Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.

The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.

Last Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”

Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”

The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height, it had about 2,500 people. In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.

In Tehuantepec, Mexican immigration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico.

“They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year.

Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City.

In a statement Saturday, the National Immigration Institute said the migrants voluntarily accepted bus rides “to various areas where there is medical assistance and where their migratory status will be reviewed,” and said, “upon accepting (the rides), they said they no longer wanted to face the risks along their way.”

The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles to the town of Tonala in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days.

Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what.

Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it.

For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.

process in the Department of the Interior. One person familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president-elect will require the Lumbee Tribe to do just that, and he won’t sign a Lumbee recognition bill. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly speak about Trump’s views.

Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said “no policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump.” Federal recognition is of enormous importance, as it comes with access to resources like health care through Indian Health Services and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the landto-trust process. But before that happens, a tribal nation has to file a successful application with the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, a department within the Interior.

The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987, based on the interpretation of a 1956

congressional act that acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition.

In 2016, the Interior reversed that decision, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the Lumbee have opted for the congressional route.

The Lumbee’s approach to gain recognition through legislation has stoked a simmering debate in both Indian Country and Congress about Indigenous identity and tribal nationhood.

The Lumbee have received support from members of both parties

Members of Congress from both parties have supported recognizing the Lumbee through legislation, including Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation who campaigned for Trump in North Carolina and backed the legislation.

But perhaps the state-recognized tribe’s most ardent ally in Congress is North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026.

Tillis introduced the Lum-

bee Fairness Act last year and has been a vocal supporter of the Lumbee. In interviews with The Associated Press, several tribal leaders, lobbyists and advocates said they were told by Tillis directly or by his staff that the senator is currently and will continue to block certain bills backed by tribal nations unless the leaders of those tribes support the Lumbee.

One of the bills he’s promised to block, according to those interviewed by the AP, is a land transfer that would allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to return 70 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the only federally recognized tribal nation in Tillis’s state. It would allow the tribe to put the land in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust. The plot is part of the tribal nation’s homelands and contains the birthplace of Sequoyah.

“It’s appalling to me. It’s disgraceful,” Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Michell Hicks said. He said Tillis told him earlier this year that he would stop any legislation dealing with the Eastern Band unless Hicks pledged his support.

Hicks is among the tribal leaders who question the validity of the Lumbee’s historical claims, and he said that is out of the question. At one point about a century ago, the Lumbee were known as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, and for many years now all three Cherokee tribes — the Eastern Band, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — have denounced this and been vocal opponents of granting the Lumbee federal recognition. Representatives for Tillis declined to comment.

Tillis held up legislation last week that would have allowed for the preservation of the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. While doing so, he singled out the heads of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who have backed the preservation measure, for not supporting his efforts to federally recognize the Lumbee.

“This is not about you,” Tillis said to the two tribal nations, who he acknowledged had been trying for a century to preserve the site of the massacre. “But you need to know that your leadership is playing a game that

will ultimately force me to take a position.”

Tillis suggested it was a “casino cartel” in part driven by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an Osage attorney named Wilson Pipestem working for the tribe that is trying to keep the Lumbee from gaining recognition, which could one day lead to the Lumbee opening their own casinos. Tillis threatened to continue publicly naming tribal leaders and their employees who he felt were standing in the way of his bill.

In a statement to the AP, Pipestem said Tillis should “apologize to the Tribal leaders for his false allegations and unscrupulous tactics.”

Lowery acknowledged that Tillis has held up both pieces of legislation, but he said that Tillis has not done so at the direction of the Lumbee.

“If he’s put a hold on the bill it’s because he reached out to tribal leaders to see where they stand on his bill, and they apparently have told him that they’re not in support,” Lowery said. “So, he said, ‘Well, if you can’t be supportive of my bill, I can’t be supportive of your bill.’”

TRIBE from page A1

FERNANDO LLANO / AP PHOTO

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly spoke to President-elect Donald Trump about immigration into the United States.

HOKE SPORTS

WINTER SPORTS ROUNDUP

Wrestling sweeps Vernon Walworth Memorial Duals

North State Journal staff

BOYS’ BASKETBALL split four games, while the girls got a milestone win. However the story of the week was the boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams.

Boys’ basketball

The Bucks split their four games leading into Thanksgiving weekend to put their record at 3-2 on the year. Hoke suffered its first loss of the season, 53-39 at Lumberton. Hoke was led by nine points by Josiah Jacobs and seven each from Savion Kinston and Tyler Hines, who also had a team-high five rebounds.

Hoke then won back-to-back home games, 72-48 over Purnell Swett and 53-47 over Westover. Kinston led the way against Swett with 17 points, while Jacobs, Landen Brown and Machai Brown each had 11. Jacobs was the leading rebounder, with eight, while Kinston had seven. Against Westover, Machai Brown had scoring honors with 15, while Kinston had 12. Kinston also pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to complete a double-double.

The mini-win streak ended at the Phenom Hoopsgiving Showcase with a 81-59 defeat at the hands of Wilson Prep.

This week, Hoke starts December by hosting Lumberton, then tips off the league schedule with a road game at Scotland.

Girls’ basketball

The Bucks’ girls earned their first win under new coach Tremell

/ FACEBOOK

Both Hoke County wrestling teams celebrate their victories in the Vernon Walworth Memorial

Middlebrooks, sandwhiched between a pair of losses that put Hoke County at 1-3 on the year.

Hoke lost at Lumberton 43-21 then earned the milestone win at home over Purnell Swett, 54 -39

The week ended with a 47-25 home loss to Westover.

Lailah Crowder led the Bucks against Lumberton with nine poiints, while Shelby Burris had 16 rebounds and Karmen Campbell 11. Crowder also had seven boards and five steals. Campbell led in scoring against Swett with 16 to go with 21 rebounds.

This week, Hoke heads to Overhills and then hosts Lumberton before a road game at Scotland opens conference play.

Wrestling

Hoke will host its first home duals of the season in the Vernon Walworth Memorial Du-

als Tournament, held in honor of the Bucks’ former coach. The former coach would have been proud as the boys and girls both won first place.

The Hoke boys recorded five dual meet victories in the event to finish first.

Hoke 61, Westover 16

Hoke 77, Purnell Swett 6

Hoke 67, Western Harnett 9

Hoke 48, Jack Britt 30

Hoke 42, Pine Forest 35

The girls recorded six wins to take the top spot.

Hoke 60, Western Harnett 6

Hoke 54, Seventy first 12

Hoke 42, Jack Britt 30

Hoke 48, Westover 12

Hoke 54, Pine Forest 6

Hoke 57, Union Pines 12

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Karmen Campbell

Hoke County, girls’ basketball

Karmen Campbell is a junior center for the Hoke County girls’ basketball team. She also plays volleyball for the Bucks.

The 6-foot-4 Campbell came up big in Hoke’s first win of the season, leading the team with 16 points and 21 rebounds. Campbell hit 6 of 14 from the field and had 12 offensive boards. She also added six steals, five blocks and two assists as the Bucks beat Purnell Swett, 54-39.

Campbell also had 11 rebounds to go with seven points in an earlier game against Lumberton. She’s currently ranked fourth in the NCHSAA 4A East in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots.

Michigan State engineering professor, student design helmet inserts to help drown out crowd noise for QBs

3D printing has helped radio transmissions from the sideline to players become easier to hear

The Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich — Andrew Kolpacki would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed.

When the NCAA’s playing rules oversight committee approved the use of coach-toplayer helmet communications, Kolpacki, Michigan State’s head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans’ quarterbacks and linebackers were going to have a problem.

“There had to be some sort of solution,” he said.

As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street.

Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder.

Kolpacki “showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, ‘Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?” Bush said. “And I said, ‘Oh, absolutely.’” Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a biobased plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style.

Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting

Biomechanical Design

quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they’re getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State

and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development.

XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving for-

ward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works.

“We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn’t forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football,” Klosterman said. “We’ve now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend.” Michigan State’s inserts were tested in games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct.

26 matchup. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. “The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues,” Kolpacki said.

“It can be just deafening,” he said. “That’s what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off.”

Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a “win-win-win” for everyone.

MIKE HOUSEHOLDER / AP PHOTO

A 3D printer creates helmet inserts at Michigan State University’s

Research Laboratory on Nov. 18 in East Lansing.

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB

Ohtani seeks $325K worth of baseball cards from ex-interpreter

Los Angeles Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. Ohtani also requested his longtime interpreter and friend return collectible baseball cards depicting the athlete. Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as his own medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.

NHL

Former NHL player

Bissonnette attacked during altercation at Scottsdale steakhouse

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Former NHL player and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette was reportedly assaulted during an altercation at a Scottsdale steakhouse. Bissonnette says he intervened when one member of the group got in the manager’s face and started grabbing him after his friend was asked to leave. Members of the group allegedly started throwing punches, and the fight spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby store. Bissonnette said he was kicked in the head three times and took several punches while landing several blows of his own against seven men. Scottsdale police arrested six men who are accused of assault and disorderly conduct.

NFL

Rams’ WR Robinson arrested on suspicion of DUI

Los Angeles Los Angeles Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The California Highway Patrol said Robinson was cited and released the day after he caught a touchdown pass in the Rams’ 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The CHP said its officers observed a white Dodge sedan driving over 100 mph at about 5:13 a.m. on the 101 freeway. The driver identified himself as Robinson, and he had “objective signs and symptoms of alcohol impairment,” the CHP said. After his arrest, Robinson was “released to a responsible party.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER

U.S. goalkeeper Naeher retiring from international competition

U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe, but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year’s Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final.

vie for

Most drivers not named Logano eager for some changes to NASCAR’s current playoff format

The majority of Cup racers hope to see regular season success rewarded more than it is now

The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — It seems everyone except champion Joey Logano is eager to see to a change to the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format. How to fix it remains up for debate. Logano won his third Cup Series championship, reigniting the conversation about whether the current playoff format is the best way to determine a worthy champion. Logano wound up winning four races this season but only had 13 top-10 finishes in 37 races and clearly didn’t have one of the best cars over the course of the season. Logano, it seemed, did just enough to get by. Logano’s run to the title has left some drivers wanting to see the system altered, with sug-

gestions ranging from minor tweaks to major changes.

“I think the message we are trying to send is make the regular season matter more,” said Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing and a co-owner of 23XI Racing. He suggested increasing the bonus points a driver gets during the regular season.

“The (Christopher) Bells, (Kyle) Larsons, they deserve to have a really good buffer there to make it through the (playoff) rounds,” Hamlin said. “We’re in a sport where you can get caught up in so many wrecks and different things that can happen. ... There are 26 (regular season) races and they are proving to be not that substantial to winning a championship, and that’s not something you want.”

Hamlin suggested that over the past three years the Team Penske champions — Logano twice and Ryan Blaney once — “didn’t have to do much” during the regular season.

“And that’s probably not good,” Hamlin added.

NASCAR likes the current playoff system because of the emphasis it places on each race heading down the final stretch of the season in its never-ending quest for Game 7 moments. Stock car racing’s governing body remains open to tweaking the format — it if it improves the sport.

“I love that aspect of it,” Bell said of the emphasis on the playoff races, “but maybe adjusting the points systems to make sure we get the right cars into the championship event would be awesome.”

Blaney said it’s up to drivers to adapt the rules in place. But he said in his “ideal world” he’d like to see the top 16 drivers on points in the regular season qualify for the playoffs. He said race winners should get 10 or 15 points instead of five, and that the regular-season champion should get an additional 30 points. Blaney’s final suggestion in-

volves fewer elimination races.

“I would like to see a group of races to end the year where you are not going to have anyone run away with it and you’re going to have three to five races and you’re still going to have some really good competition going on,” Blaney said. Logano just shakes his head and offers a sarcastic smile at all the tweak talk.

When asked if there are any changes that need to be made, Logano replied, “Nothing, personally. I wouldn’t change a thing,” adding that he thinks the format is “super entertaining.” Of course, if you’ve won three championships since 2018, why would you want to change?

“I think we all need to understand why we changed it in the first place, it’s because the fans said they didn’t like the way it was, so we changed it,” Logano said. “And then everybody loved it. And it was great. And now, oh, we’re going to complain about it again? C’mon, guys. Geez.”

Flag football scours nation with talent camps to uncover next wave of stars

The sport will make its Olympic debut in L.A. in 2028

The Associated Press

DENVER — So you’re the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or toyed with any sport, really. Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. The grand prize is a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it’s never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut.

It’s not an easy team to make. The men’s side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport’s national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent.

USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in

flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football.

Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program.

Around the world, it’s catching on. The women’s team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores.

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to,” said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s vice president of flag football.

This type of flag football, however, isn’t your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There’s a learning curve.

Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there’s no contact.

None.

That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017.

“If a receiver is running around, I’m thinking, ‘OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,’” Daniels explained. “They’re like, ‘No, you can’t.’ I’m just like, ‘So I’m supposed to let this guy just run?!’ I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn.”

Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries

LESTER

U.S. National Team flag football player Bruce Mapp (1) goes up for a catch against Brazil at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland.

to reach for a hug. It’s his way of working on avoiding a “defender” trying to snare the flag.

That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles.

“You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the ‘Redeem Team’ led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you’re always thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ Obviously, you couldn’t do it in your sport, because I played football,” said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area.

“With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on.”

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to.”

Stephanie Kwok, NFL’s vice president of flag football

It’s a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Yeah, the U.S. just wins,’” Daniels said. “But we work hard all the time. We don’t just walk in. We don’t just get off the bus thinking, ‘We’re going to beat people.’

JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO

Cars

position during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Darrin Jones

Feb. 12, 1963 – Nov. 29, 2024

Mr. Darrin L. Jones went home to be with his Heavenly Father on November 29, 2024. He leaves to cherish his loving memories his children: Lavar Jones, Darisa Jones, Lameen Jones, Dara Jones, Layla Jones, Malik Jones; mother, Alberta Jones; sisters: Joanne Henderson, Janine Jones; brothers: Carvin Jones, Sterling Jones, Martin Jones; five grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. Darrin will be greatly missed. A Memorial Service to honor his life and legacy will be held on Saturday, December 7; at noon at the Pauline T. Buie Chapel.

Ronnie Gerald Goodman

July 17, 1961 – Nov. 27, 2024

Ronnie Gerald Goodman, of Raeford, NC went to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at the age of 63. He was born in Elizabeth City, NC on July 17, 1961, to Ann Goodman and the late Carlos Goodman.

Along with his father, he was preceded in death by his twin brother, Donnie; his brother Carlos “Buzzy” Goodman Jr.; and his nephew, James Goodman Jr. Ronnie loved restoring antique trucks, fishing, and working with metal. He was previously the owner of Custom Iron Works. He went to Haiti on three occasions to do iron work for the school of orphaned children. One of Ronnie’s hobbies was playing the bass guitar. He was a hard worker, generous, and loved to cut up and make people laugh. He is survived by his wife, Melody Goodman; his daughter, ReDonna Goodman; his granddaughter, Isabella Mounts; his mother, Ann Goodman; brothers, James Goodman Sr. (Meloney) and Jeff Goodman (Mary); and one niece, Daphne Hartman. Services to be announced.

Online condolences may be made on the Crumpler Funeral Home Website.

Steven Wayne Roth

Aug. 7, 1959 – Dec. 1, 2024

Steven Wayne Roth went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, December 01, 2024, at the age of 65. He was born in Hawaii on August 07, 1959, to the late Jacob and Betty Roth. He was a firefighter from a young age until he retired in the early 2000s. Steve loved fishing and went with his son any chance he got. Though he was stubborn, he had a good heart. Steve is survived by his son, Brian Volkman (Acura); daughter, Alexis Volkman; his brothers, David and Jimmy; and his sisters, Sherry and Patty. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83

Woolery hosted Wheel of Fortune before being replaced by Pat Sajak

By Mark Kennedy

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” has died. He was 83.

Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote.

Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978.

In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV’s “Love Connection,” for which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds,” a two-fingered signature dubbed the “2 and 2.” In 1984, he hosted TV’s “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting two game shows on TV until 1990. “Love Connection,” which aired long before the dawn of dating apps, had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date.

A couple of weeks after the date, the guest would sit with Woolery in front of a studio audience and tell everybody about the date. The audience would vote on the three contestants, and if the audience agreed with the guest’s choice, “Love Connection” would offer to pay for a second date.

Woolery told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003 that his favorite set of lovebirds was a man aged 91 and a woman aged 87. “She had so much eye makeup on, she looked like a stolen Corvette. He was so old he said, ‘I remember wagon trains.’ The poor guy. She took him on a balloon ride.” Other career highlights included hosting the shows “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as hosting the short-lived syn-

dicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of TV’s “Melrose Place.” Woolery became the subject of the Game Show Network’s first attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003. It shared the title of the pop song in 1968 by Woolery and his rock group, the Avant-Garde. It lasted six epi-

sode and was panned by critics. Woolery began his TV career at a show that has become a mainstay. Although most associated with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, “Wheel of Fortune” debuted Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC with Woolery welcoming contestants and the audience. Woolery, then 33, was trying to make it in Nashville as a singer.

“Wheel of Fortune” started life as “Shopper’s Bazaar,” incorporating Hangman-style puzzles and a roulette wheel. After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Merv Griffin asked him to host the new show with Susan Stafford.

“I had an interview that stretched to 15, 20 minutes,” Woolery told The New York Times in 2003. “After the show, when Merv asked if I wanted to do a game show, I thought, ‘Great, a guy with a bad jacket and an equally bad mustache who doesn’t care what you have to say — that’s the guy I want to be.’”

NBC initially passed, but they retooled it as “Wheel of Fortune” and got the green light. After a few years, Woolery demanded a raise to $500,000 a year, or what host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin balked and replaced Woolery with weather reporter Pat Sajak.

“Both Chuck and Susie did a fine job, and ‘Wheel’ did well enough on NBC, although it never approached the kind of ratings success that ‘Jeopardy!’ achieved in its heyday,” Griffin said in “Merv: Making the Good Life Last,” an autobiography from the 2000s co-written by David Bender. Woolery earned an Emmy nod as host. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served in the U.S. Navy before attending college. In addition to his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and his daughter Melissa.

RONDA CHURCHILL/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL VIA AP

Chuck Woolery hosted a special premiere of the “$250,000 Game Show Spectacular” in 2007 in Las Vegas.

STATE & NATION

Democrats’ outgoing chair says party

must reassess how it

reaches voters

By Bill Barrow

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — As he concludes his time as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

But he acknowledged that Democrats must do a better job of selling the party’s priorities and accomplishments for the working class. He also called for continued nationwide investments in party infrastructure and better use of non-legacy media.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Kamala Harris is not going to be the next president of the United States,” Harrison said in an interview Monday. But “the political pendulum in this country has been swinging swiftly, back and forth,” he added, and “we got to buckle up and get ready for it” to continue.

Trump

Harrison made similar arguments in a memo being distributed Tuesday to Democratic Party leaders and donors around the country.

“Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Dem-

says he’ll

The celebration in Paris this weekend will be the president-elect’s first overseas trip since his win

By Jill Colvin

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring

ocrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, comparing Democrats’ losses in the U.S. to the more sweeping defeats that parties in power suffered in democratic nations around the world since the coronavirus pandemic and global inflation.

It is not surprising, of course, for a chairman to defend his party’s performances even after disappointing elections.

Harrison, President Joe Biden’s pick in 2021 to lead the national party during his term, and other top Democrats have been sharply criticized after Trump’s victory, particularly by progressives who argue the party is seen as having abandoned working-class voters.

Harrison pointed to victories for Sens.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, and the reelections of Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Republicans still ousted Democratic senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana on their way to a majority. But Harrison noted the GOP’s House majority will be threadbare — the final count is pending — and that Democrats flipped some Republican seats.

At the state level, Harrison noted Democratic romps in North Carolina’s statewide offices, legislative gains in a conservative state like Arkansas and stripping Republicans of outright control of the Alaska statehouse.

“It was a mixed bag,” he said.

attend Notre Dame Cathedral

that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

The trip will be Trump’s first abroad since he won November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023 as a candidate to visit his local golf courses.

Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures, known for

its mesmerizing stained glass.

Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world.

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, offering his advice to the city.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” he wrote.

French officials appeared to respond shortly after, noting that “All means” were being used to extinguish the flames,

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen this weekend, more than five years after a devastating fire.

Trump swept all seven battleground states against Harris, the Democratic vice president, and won the popular vote for the first time in three presidential runs. The president-elect cut into key Democratic constituencies: people of color, younger voters and union supporters.

He gained a larger share of black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. And his coalition increasingly included rank-and-file union members, a critical constituency in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harrison said Trump has the ability to scramble traditional coalitions but not remake them permanently. He acknowledged Trump’s appeal yet framed him as a unique figure whose reach cannot be replicated easily, if at all, by other Republicans.

“It’s the same thing with Barack Obama, right? Sometimes in politics, they’re cultural figures … that can build different coalitions,” Harrison said. “And those coalitions don’t last once they step off of the dais.”

reopening

can president’s whims as he tried to develop a personal connection built in no small part on flattery.

Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact.

As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.

“except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

Trump also spoke with Macron and Pope Francis at the time to offer his condolences and said he had offered them “the help of our great experts on renovation and construction.”

Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship.

During Trump’s first term in office, Macron proved to be among the world leaders most adept at managing the Ameri-

After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call.

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

Jason Harrison touted wins in North Carolina’s statewide races

DAVID CALVERT / AP PHOTO

Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in October in Reno, Nevada.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AP PHOTO

MOORE COUNTY

Bowl bound

NC State beat rival UNC on Saturday to send Tar Heels coach Mack Brown into retirement and make the Wolfpack bowl‑eligible. Above, State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (10) celebrates after his touchdown with tight end Justin Joly (15).

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Tight race for N.C. Supreme Court headed toward (another) recount

A very close election for a Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of more than 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that began in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. This race and two General Assembly races have yet to be called by The Associated Press.

USPS touts timely delivery of 99M mail-in ballots

The U.S. Postal Service says nearly 100% of completed mail ballots were returned to election offices within a week during this year’s presidential contest. That’s despite hurricanes, some misdirected election mail and delivery concerns raised by state officials. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said postal workers processed more than 99 million general election ballots. There were some notable problems even with the overall strong performance. Election offices in several places reported receiving completed ballots that should have gone to other states.

$2.00

Commissioners put out call for citizen assistance

Commissioners

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

CARTHAGE —

The Moore

County Board of Commis -

sioners passed two resolutions at its Dec. 2 meeting in support of continued relief efforts in response to the ongoing needs of the western parts of the state affected by Hurricane Helene earlier this year.

The first resolution was a request to FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management to provide more practical and useful responses and resources.

“Actually talking to the boots on the ground, folks on the ground in Transylvania County, it became apparent that while everyone is well meaning and trying to help, the coordination effort is very lacking,” said Commissioner Nick Picerno. “So this resolution basically says for the federal and state governments to get their best together and help these people and get the red tape out of the way.”

The second was a request to Moore County citizens to consider assisting Transylvania County citizens, who the

county officially “adopted” as part of its proposed Adopt-aCounty plan last month, with specific resources in response to Hurricane Helene.

The resolution calls for citizens to consider offering available housing (rental units either in the area or in Moore County, travel trailers, mobile units, etc.), cold weather resources (blankets, coats, heaters, etc.) and potential assistance with debris removal.

County staff plans to further organize potential lists, drop-off locations and signup information/forms on the county’s website, moorecountync.gov, in the coming days.

“Even though we’re just one county out of 100, we are standing up for everyone in that affected area.”

Chairman Kurt Cook

“There’s not a lot of help up there government-wise,” said Commissioner Kurt Cook. “Citizens from all states around came down and they brought all of their equipment and made roads. It’s a group effort, and I think this will move the government that even though we’re just one county out of 100, we are standing up for everyone in that affected area.”

Will Trump deliver on promised recognition for the Lumbee Tribe?

The tribe has been seeking federal recognition for decades

By Graham Lee Brewer The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY —

When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina, both candidates courted a state-recognized tribe there whose 55,000 members could have helped tip the swing state. Trump in September promised that he would sign legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, a distinction that would unlock access to federal funds. He ultimately won North Carolina by more than 3 percentage points, in part due to continued

The board also held a quasi-judicial hearing for a special use permit and subsequent approval of a preliminary plat for a fifth phase of the Brookwood Subdivision that will contain an additional four lots on one parcel containing 34.36 acres of property locat-

support from Lumbee voters.

Now, as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, the promise will be put to the test. He has Republican allies in Congress on the issue, and now the Lumbee, as well as tribal nations across the country, are watching closely to see what comes next.

Tribal nations typically receive federal recognition through an application with the Department of the Interior, but the Lumbee have been trying for many years to circumvent that process by going through Congress. Chairman John Lowery called Interior’s application process “flawed” and overly lengthy and said it should be up to Congress to right what he calls a historic wrong.

“It’s just crazy that we’re sitting here fighting this battle, and I have to tell you that I am real in 2024,” Lowery said.

Following the presidential election, the Lumbee hope there will be momentum behind their cause, but they face See TRIBE, page A4

DAVID YEAZELL / AP PHOTO

Abigail Blue, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, walks by the stage during a Trump campaign event in Red Springs in October.

The Moore County

approved a resolution asking citizens to help with the Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Transylvania County

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

“Join the conversation”

North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471 1365)

Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Ryan Henkel, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager

Published

TO SUBSCRIBE: 919 663 3232

THURSDAY

Nov. 24

• Stephanie Renee Caviness, 42, was arrested by MCSO for injury to personal property.

Nov. 25

• Kristen Leann Castillo, 34, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for second degree trespass.

• Tiffany Dawn Gonzalez, 48, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor larceny.

• Robert Travis Hill, 30, was arrested by MCSO for possession of heroin.

Nov. 27

• Macio Develle McNeil, 24, was arrested by MCSO for larceny of motor vehicle.

Nov. 28

• Debra Eleanor Jeager, 64, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for second degree trespass.

• Anderson Lee McLaughlin, 72, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for breaking and/or entering.

Dec. 2

• Joseph Lee Barber, 57, was arrested by MCSO for attempt trafficking opioids by transport.

• Shaina Maria Caviness, 38, was arrested by MCSO for cancellation/revocation/ suspension of certificate/ tag.

• Tiffany Lynn Langdon, 29, was arrested by MCSO for larceny of motor vehicle.

• Julie Anna Roach, 45, was arrested by MCSO for child support.

• Kirsten Nichole Seal, 34, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor larceny.

• Mark Christopher Walker, 43, was arrested by MCSO for possession of methamphetamine.

JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled eggs sold in 25 Costco stories in five states, including North Carolina, due to possible salmonella contamination.

Costco eggs recalled in NC due to potential salmonella contamination

The eggs were “not intended for retail distribution”

By Kenya Hunter and Devi Shastri The Associated Press

ORGANIC EGGS sold in 25 Costco stores in five southern U.S. states, were recalled this week for potential salmonella contamination.

The egg recall involved nearly 11,000 cartons of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand that landed on shelves in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee starting Nov. 22, according to the company’s announcement posted Wednesday on the FDA website. No illnesses were immediately reported. Handsome Brook Farms said the cartons included eggs that were “not

RELIEF from page A1

ed at the end of Enfield Drive.

The original Brookwood subdivision was approved in 2018 and consisted of four phases totaling 128 lots.

Following the hearing, the board approved the request.

In addition, the board also welcomed a new commissioner as Tom Adams was officially sworn in for the outgoing Frank Quis.

“Over the course of the year since I filed to run for commissioner, I’ve met a lot of Moore County’s people,” Adams said. “Each has ex-

intended for retail distribution.” Shoppers should check to see whether their egg cartons have Julian code 327 printed on the side and have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025. If the eggs are included in the recall, throw them out or take them back to the store for a refund.

Customers who have the recalled food products should wash items and surfaces that may have been in contact with the foods using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.

Salmonella can cause symptoms that begin six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment within a week, but young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill.

The egg recall comes alongside a cucumber recall that

pressed a love for our county and concern for its future. I’ve listened to our current commissioners debate tough issues while making sure to hear from those who will be most affected by their decisions. My natural instinct as a board member is to work to achieve consensus of those involved in the governance process. I’ve always been that way and I’ll continue that style as a commissioner.”

Cook was unanimously voted as chairman of the board and Picerno, who was reelected for another four-year term and previously served as the chairman,

sickened 68 people, including 18 who were hospitalized, in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. No one has died. Produce grown in Sonora, Mexico, by Agrotato S.A. may be the culprit, the agency said.

A recall announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was tied to the outbreak. SunFed Produce, based in Arizona, recalled cucumbers sold between Oct. 12 and Nov. 26, the FDA said.

The recall happened after SunFed was told by the FDA that there were associated illnesses reported between Oct. 12 and Nov. 15. People who bought cucumbers during the window should check with the store where they purchased them to see if the produce is part of the recall.

Earlier this summer, a separate salmonella outbreak in cucumbers sickened 450 people in the U.S.

was elected as vice chairman.

“A distinct honor and pleasure to serve Moore County and to be voted by my peers,” Cook said. “I’m humbled and honored and I will continue to serve Moore County and everyone in Moore County.”

“I would like to thank the citizens of Moore County,” Picerno said. “It’s an honor to serve. I was born and raised here, love this county and I’ll continue to do what I believe is in the best interest of all the citizens of this county.”

The Moore County Board of Commissioners will next meet Jan. 7.

Remember that we live in the best country, the best state, and by far the best county.

moore happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

Dec. 7

The Women of Seven Lakes 9th Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

8 11 a.m.

The Women of Seven Lakes (WoSL) will host their 9th Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 8 11 a.m. at the 7 Lakes North Club House on 118 Firetree Lane in Seven Lakes. Bring your family and friends to meet Santa. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 8. All proceeds will go to benefit local nonprofits. Avoid standing in line; get your tickets in advance by sending an email to: Wof7Lakes@gmail.com.

Classic Soul’s 10th Annual Christmas Show

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Come out to Time Out Sports Grill in Carthage for the Classic Soul’s 10th Christmas Show on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.! They will be bringing you that toasty warm feeling everyone craves during the holiday season! Please call ahead to make reservations at 910‑947‑2447.

Time Out Sports Bar 1005 Monroe Street Carthage

Dec. 10-12

Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House & Property Tours

1 4 p.m.

The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1 4 p.m. The tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning of the impressive history here in Moore County.

“The Moore County Historical Association is a non profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing, the rich historical legacy of the towns, cities and surrounding area, of Moore County, North Carolina.”

Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Pinehurst

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

The water of life

I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

MY WIFE AND I just bought a house.

The house we sold is in a city, just a three-minute drive from District Court.

If you beat the murder rap, you can walk to my house in about 20 minutes. There’s a methadone clinic a 10-minute walk away, too. Many clients of the court are also customers at the methadone clinic.

We live in between the two. It’s an itchy feeling sometimes.

We’re moving to a suburb. We’ll park in our own driveway, not on the street, and I will never again find a used syringe in my front yard.

Small stuff. I’m sure the constant bake sales in our new town will be just as annoying as the sound of gunfire where we live now.

Anyway, the new house, she is bought, and we haven’t moved in yet, but we need a new water heater because the one that came with the new house should be called a “water lukewarmer” and not a “water heater.”

So we had a plumber come to the house, and he gave us three options. I’ll list them in order of price.

A world of leverage

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump understands, better than any recent American president, one simple rule when it comes to dealing with the world: Leverage matters and ought to be applied to those who oppose American interests.

Trump believes, for example, that tariffs ought to be used to threaten those who would close their markets to American products or flood America with fentanyl or manipulate the pricing system to their own benefit. He believes that maximum pressure ought to be unleashed on countries who seek to destabilize vital strategic regions to their own ends.

And he is correct.

Trump has often been characterized as a bully, both publicly and privately.

But the reality of the world is simple: Someone will be doing the bullying, and someone will be bullied. The only question is which party is which.

It turns out that if America ceases to use leverage against its enemies or to pressure neutral countries to align more solidly with it, our enemies will use their leverage to do what they want. China isn’t shy about its use of power in the world; neither are Russia or Iran.

Xi Jinping has never apologized for his aggressive use of military threats against the Philippines or Taiwan; he has never shied away from the use of economic sticks and carrots against weaker countries. Vladimir Putin is fully willing to invade his neighbors and cut off oil supply to his enemies.

For $4,900, we get the British crown jewels. Hot water and plenty of it. We do not know how it works, but it’s “tankless,” and no one knows where the hot water stays until we shower.

For $2,900, we get a less expensive version of the $4,900 model. They promised us it would wear out fairly quickly and supply us with maybe half the hot water we need. We do not know how it works. It’s more thankless than tankless and doesn’t seem strong enough to do the job

For $1,900, we get a water heater that looks a lot like the one in our last house. It’ll wear out in a few years, but it makes hot water. We do not know how it works. Or we can rent a hot water heater and pay by the month., When it breaks, the people we rent it from will give us a new one at no additional charge. It’s worry-f ree, but it’s a monthly bill, and can a couple really say they’re Americans if they don’t own everything in their suburban home? In the city we’re leaving, a lot of people rent their furniture, which is

one of the ways you can tell they’re poor.

I was once in a rental place that had a rent-to-own deal on engagement rings.

“It’s the greatest thing ever,” a buddy of mine said. “You get engaged, you rent the ring. You break up, you quit making the payments, and they come get the ring back. You don’t have to see her again.”

The last option is to go without hot water, like cave dwellers. I’m saving that option for when the civil war starts and there is no running water because the water plant is in the hands of “rebel fighters” who ain’t strong on engineering. And I guess that makes the decision. If there might be a civil war in the future, I want to take boiling hot showers from now until “The People’s Army” takes over and nothing works anymore. Here’s the $4,900.

Hook up the illusion of forever happiness in America. It’s the only thing I’ve ever owned.

Marc Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.”

Iran has spread its terror proxies across the Middle East, cudgeling entire governments into doing its will.

So why wouldn’t America pursue similar tactics?

This is, for some odd reason, a mysterious insight to members of the Biden administration, who seem willing to apply leverage only to America’s allies and who seem to think that conciliation and tepidity somehow achieve victory against America’s enemies.

Perhaps they are of the Noam Chomsky-esque view that the world’s only country with actual agency is the United States, and that everything else is “blowback” — a common but foolhardy view rooted in a form of selfcenteredness that ignores the fact that every country has its own interests and pursues those interests with alacrity.

China does not threaten the South China Sea because of America’s naval presence; were America absent, China’s threats would simply be far more successful. Russia did not invade Ukraine because of Western influence in Ukraine; were that influence missing, Russia simply would have treated Ukraine as an outpost like Belarus long ago. Iran does not spread terrorism because of American presence in the region; it spreads terrorism because that is the best way for it to foment control over areas outside its purview.

America has interests in the world. Those interests are worth muscular

defense, particularly in economic terms. And Trump instinctively understands that. Geopolitics is not a place of laws and regulations, enforced by neutral arbiters.

It is a jungle, and the laws of the jungle apply.

The best hope for the world is that the strongest also happen to be the best.

But if the best refuse to be the strongest, someone else will be.

The world will be more stable with Donald Trump at the helm than Joe Biden. That much is obvious.

And in quieter moments, world leaders often acknowledge that reality. But it should be remembered just why that is true: It’s because the unapologetic American, confident in the interests of his country, is the best option for stability and growth in a cruel world. That does not make America the world’s policeman; American interests are not specious “global interests.”

But the pursuit of American interests has generally beneficial externalities. And American refusal to pursue those interests leaves the world in the hands of those who would tear it apart, piece by piece.

Ben Shapiro’s new collection, “Facts and Furious: The Facts About America and Why They Make Leftists Furious,” is available now. Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and cofounder of Daily Wire+.

COLUMN | MARC DION

Mexican authorities break up 2 migrant caravans heading to the US

President-elect

Donald Trump has pressured the country

By Edgar H. Clemente

The Associated Press

TAPACHULA, Mexico —

Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.

Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.

The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.

Last Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”

Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”

The first of the caravans started out from the southern Mexico

TRIBE from page A1

deep-rooted opposition from tribal nations across the country.

There are questions about Trump’s next move

Several tribes, including the only one that is federally recognized in North Carolina, argue that if the Lumbee Tribe wants federal acknowledgment, it should go through the formal process in the Department of the Interior. One person familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president-elect will require the Lumbee Tribe to do just that, and he won’t sign a Lumbee recognition bill. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly speak about Trump’s views.

Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said “no policy should be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump.”

Federal recognition is of enormous importance, as it comes with access to resources like health care through Indian Health Services and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the landto-trust process. But before that

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly spoke to President-elect Donald Trump about immigration into the United States.

city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Nov. 5, the day Trump was elected. At its height, it had about 2,500 people.

happens, a tribal nation has to file a successful application with the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, a department within the Interior.

The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987, based on the interpretation of a 1956 congressional act that acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition.

In 2016, the Interior reversed that decision, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the Lumbee have opted for the congressional route.

The Lumbee’s approach to gain recognition through legislation has stoked a simmering debate in both Indian Country and Congress about Indigenous identity and tribal nationhood.

The Lumbee have received support from members of both parties

Members of Congress from both parties have supported recognizing the Lumbee through legislation, including Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation who campaigned for Trump in North Carolina and backed the legislation.

In almost four weeks of walking, it had gone about 270 miles to Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.

In Tehuantepec, Mexican im-

But perhaps the state-recognized tribe’s most ardent ally in Congress is North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection in 2026.

Tillis introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act last year and has been a vocal supporter of the Lumbee. In interviews with The Associated Press, several tribal leaders, lobbyists and advocates said they were told by Tillis directly or by his staff that the senator is currently and will continue to block certain bills backed by tribal nations unless the leaders of those tribes support the Lumbee.

One of the bills he’s promised to block, according to those interviewed by the AP, is a land transfer that would allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to return 70 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the only federally recognized tribal nation in Tillis’s state. It would allow the tribe to put the land in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust. The plot is part of the tribal nation’s homelands and contains the birthplace of Sequoyah.

“It’s appalling to me. It’s disgraceful,” Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Michell Hicks said. He said Tillis told him earlier this year

migration officials offered the tired migrants free bus rides to other cities in southern or central Mexico.

that he would stop any legislation dealing with the Eastern Band unless Hicks pledged his support.

Hicks is among the tribal leaders who question the validity of the Lumbee’s historical claims, and he said that is out of the question. At one point about a century ago, the Lumbee were known as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, and for many years now all three Cherokee tribes — the Eastern Band, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians — have denounced this and been vocal opponents of granting the Lumbee federal recognition.

Representatives for Tillis declined to comment.

Tillis held up legislation last week that would have allowed for the preservation of the site of the Wounded Knee massacre. While doing so, he singled out the heads of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who have backed the preservation measure, for not supporting his efforts to federally recognize the Lumbee.

“This is not about you,” Tillis said to the two tribal nations, who he acknowledged had been trying for a century to preserve the site of the massacre. “But

“They took some of us to Acapulco, others to Morelia, and others from our group to Oaxaca city,” said Bárbara Rodríguez, an opposition supporter who left her native Venezuela after that country’s contested presidential elections earlier this year.

Rodríguez said by telephone she later caught a bus on her own to Mexico City.

In a statement Saturday, the National Immigration Institute said the migrants voluntarily accepted bus rides “to various areas where there is medical assistance and where their migratory status will be reviewed,” and said, “upon accepting (the rides), they said they no longer wanted to face the risks along their way.”

The second caravan of about 1,500 migrants set out on Nov. 20 and made it about 140 miles to the town of Tonala in Chiapas state. There, authorities offered a sort of transit visa that allows travel across Mexico for 20 days.

Sheinbaum has said she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with Trump — did not make clear who had offered what.

Apart from the much larger first caravans in 2018 and 2019 — which were provided buses to ride part of the way north — no caravan has ever reached the U.S. border walking or hitchhiking in any cohesive way, though some individual members have made it.

For years, migrant caravans have often been blocked, harassed or prevented from hitching rides by Mexican police and immigration agents. They have also frequently been rounded up or returned to areas near the Guatemalan border.

you need to know that your leadership is playing a game that will ultimately force me to take a position.”

Tillis suggested it was a “casino cartel” in part driven by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an Osage attorney named Wilson Pipestem working for the tribe that is trying to keep the Lumbee from gaining recognition, which could one day lead to the Lumbee opening their own casinos. Tillis threatened to continue publicly naming tribal leaders and their employees who he felt were standing in the way of his bill.

In a statement to the AP, Pipestem said Tillis should “apologize to the Tribal leaders for his false allegations and unscrupulous tactics.”

Lowery acknowledged that Tillis has held up both pieces of legislation, but he said that Tillis has not done so at the direction of the Lumbee.

“If he’s put a hold on the bill it’s because he reached out to tribal leaders to see where they stand on his bill, and they apparently have told him that they’re not in support,” Lowery said. “So, he said, ‘Well, if you can’t be supportive of my bill, I can’t be supportive of your bill.’”

FERNANDO LLANO / AP PHOTO

MOORE SPORTS

Football season ends with losses in Moore County

North Moore fell in the third round, and Pinecrest lost in the second

North State Journal staff

LAST FRIDAY’S action saw the last of the area’s football teams fall in the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs

North Moore

The No. 6 seed in 1A bracket, North Moore found itself the underdog for the first time in its 2024 playoff run, heading to No. 3 Wilson Prep.

Both schools had the same seeds as in last year’s playoffs, when Wilson ended the Mustangs’ season with a 42-15 win in the same round. The result this year wasn’t much different, as North Moore again fell to the Tigers, this time by a 56 -22 margin.

Stryker Murray (74 yards, 2 TDs) and Colby Pennington (76 yards, 1 TD, 1 2-point conversion) picked up the slack on a night when top rusher Brandon Powell was held to just 45 yards.

North Moore scored first and trailed by 10 at the half, but a 16-0 third quarter allowed Wilson Prep to pull away.

The loss came a week after North Moore posted an impressive second-round win over Bertie. Powell had 179 yards and found the end zone three times, while Murray rushed for 75 and a score. Pennington was a two-way force, gaining 56 combined rushing and receiving yards while adding a teamhigh six tackles and three tackles for loss on defense. North Moore rolled to a 46-22 win, setting up the rematch with the Tigers that ended the Mustangs’ season at 7-6.

North Moore bids farewell to its senior class, which includes Powell, Pennington, the team’s third-leading receiver in Gavin Deese, Dawson Garner (No. 2 in sacks), Jax Hussey (tied for team lead in interceptions), as well as Javier Mellado, Jordan Dillon, Jeremy Atkinson, Carson Green, BB Tanner and Oscar Ramirez.

Pinecrest

For the third straight year, the Patriots saw their season come to an end in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs. Pinecrest fell to Rolesville by a 45-8 margin. It was the fewest points Pinecrest has scored since September 2022 and the most lopsided loss for the Patriots since a season-ending 49-7 loss in 2018, the last time Pinecrest advanced farther in the playoffs.

Elijah Melton had the only score in the game, with a twopoint conversion by Chris Najm, as the Patriots fell behind early due to special teams miscues. Three fumbles on punt attempts — two dropped snaps and one bad snap — as well as

a fumbled kick return set up Rolesville scores, and the Rams put up the game’s first 45 points.

The loss ended Pinecrest’s season at 10-2. The senior-laded Patriots will need to reload next season after the departure of a class that included starting quarterback Chad Hanson, leading receiver Eli Melton and leading rusher Zymire Spencer. Also graduating are JT Medley (No. 3 receiver), Jayden Kounkel (No. 3 rusher), linebackers Keegan Cole-Bryan (No. 2 in tackles) and Kamari Ingram (No. 2 in sacks), defensive backs William Miller and Keaten Pegues (one-two in interceptions) and defensive lineman Liam Yurk (No. 3 in hurries).

The senior class also included defensive lineman Ryland Lowery, defensive backs Jayleen Hill, Donoven Brown and Trey McLeod, receivers Ricky Mercado, Nate Lowry, Daniel Camplin, Matthew Vernon and Gage White, linebacker Cole Riley, running backs Kenan Van Scovoc and Conner Christy, and offensive linemen Leo Nobbe, Breck Bosanko, Austin Deese, Andrew Webb, Jhalil Winfield and Mason Owens.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Stryker Murray

North Moore, football

Stryker Murray is a sophomore running back on the North Moore football team.

Playing on the road for the first time in the postseason, the Mustangs faced adversity from No. 3 Wilson Prep. Brandon Powell, the third-leading rusher in 1A this season, was bottled up, managing just 45 yards in the game. Fortunately for the Mustangs, North Moore had a one-two punch. Murray rushed for 30 yards on the second snap of the game and scored two plays later. He was the backbone of the North Moore offense, finishing with 74 yards and two scores.

Michigan State engineering professor, student design helmet inserts to help drown out crowd noise for QBs

3D printing has helped radio transmissions from the sideline to players become easier to hear

The Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich — Andrew Kolpacki would watch NFL games on TV and see quarterbacks putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed.

When the NCAA’s playing rules oversight committee approved the use of coach-toplayer helmet communications, Kolpacki, Michigan State’s head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans’ quarterbacks and linebackers were going to have a problem.

“There had to be some sort of solution,” he said.

As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street.

Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder.

Kolpacki “showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, ‘Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?” Bush said. “And I said, ‘Oh, absolutely.’” Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style.

Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise.

Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they’re getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables.

The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its ver-

sion of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development.

XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one

when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works.

“We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn’t forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football,” Klosterman said.

“We’ve now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend.” Michigan State’s inserts were tested in games against Michigan and Oregon this season.

Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. “The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues,” Kolpacki said. “It can be just deafening,” he said. “That’s what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off.” Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a “win-win-win” for everyone.

STRYKER MURRAY / HUDL

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Four of Pinecrest’s senior leaders — Zymire Spencer (3), William Miller (8), Austin Deese (65) and Keegan Cole-Bryan (2) — head to midfield for the coin toss before a playoff game.

MIKE HOUSEHOLDER / AP PHOTO

A 3D printer creates helmet inserts at Michigan State University’s Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory on Nov. 18 in East Lansing.

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Ohtani seeks $325K worth of baseball cards from ex-interpreter

Los Angeles Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants ex-interpreter

Ippei Mizuhara to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. Ohtani also requested his longtime interpreter and friend return collectible baseball cards depicting the athlete. Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as his own medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.

NHL

Former NHL player Bissonnette attacked during altercation at Scottsdale steakhouse

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Former NHL player and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette was reportedly assaulted during an altercation at a Scottsdale steakhouse. Bissonnette says he intervened when one member of the group got in the manager’s face and started grabbing him after his friend was asked to leave. Members of the group allegedly started throwing punches, and the fight spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby store. Bissonnette said he was kicked in the head three times and took several punches while landing several blows of his own against seven men. Scottsdale police arrested six men who are accused of assault and disorderly conduct.

NFL Rams’ WR Robinson arrested on suspicion of DUI Los Angeles Los Angeles Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The California Highway Patrol said Robinson was cited and released the day after he caught a touchdown pass in the Rams’ 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The CHP said its officers observed a white Dodge sedan driving over 100 mph at about 5:13 a.m. on the 101 freeway. The driver identified himself as Robinson, and he had “objective signs and symptoms of alcohol impairment,” the CHP said. After his arrest, Robinson was “released to a responsible party.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER

U.S. goalkeeper

Naeher retiring from international competition

U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe, but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year’s Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final.

Most drivers not named Logano eager for some changes to NASCAR’s current playoff format

The majority of Cup racers hope to see regular season success rewarded more than it is now

The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — It seems everyone except champion Joey Logano is eager to see to a change to the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format. How to fix it remains up for debate. Logano won his third Cup Series championship, reigniting the conversation about whether the current playoff format is the best way to determine a worthy champion. Logano wound up winning four races this season but only had 13 top-10 finishes in 37 races and clearly didn’t have one of the best cars over the course of the season. Logano, it seemed, did just enough to get by. Logano’s run to the title has left some drivers wanting to see the system altered, with sug-

gestions ranging from minor tweaks to major changes.

“I think the message we are trying to send is make the regular season matter more,” said Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing and a co-owner of 23XI Racing. He suggested increasing the bonus points a driver gets during the regular season.

“The (Christopher) Bells, (Kyle) Larsons, they deserve to have a really good buffer there to make it through the (playoff) rounds,” Hamlin said. “We’re in a sport where you can get caught up in so many wrecks and different things that can happen. ... There are 26 (regular season) races and they are proving to be not that substantial to winning a championship, and that’s not something you want.”

Hamlin suggested that over the past three years the Team Penske champions — Logano twice and Ryan Blaney once — “didn’t have to do much” during the regular season.

“And that’s probably not good,” Hamlin added.

NASCAR likes the current playoff system because of the emphasis it places on each race heading down the final stretch of the season in its never-ending quest for Game 7 moments. Stock car racing’s governing body remains open to tweaking the format — it if it improves the sport.

“I love that aspect of it,” Bell said of the emphasis on the playoff races, “but maybe adjusting the points systems to make sure we get the right cars into the championship event would be awesome.”

Blaney said it’s up to drivers to adapt the rules in place. But he said in his “ideal world” he’d like to see the top 16 drivers on points in the regular season qualify for the playoffs. He said race winners should get 10 or 15 points instead of five, and that the regular-season champion should get an additional 30 points. Blaney’s final suggestion in-

volves fewer elimination races.

“I would like to see a group of races to end the year where you are not going to have anyone run away with it and you’re going to have three to five races and you’re still going to have some really good competition going on,” Blaney said. Logano just shakes his head and offers a sarcastic smile at all the tweak talk.

When asked if there are any changes that need to be made, Logano replied, “Nothing, personally. I wouldn’t change a thing,” adding that he thinks the format is “super entertaining.” Of course, if you’ve won three championships since 2018, why would you want to change?

“I think we all need to understand why we changed it in the first place, it’s because the fans said they didn’t like the way it was, so we changed it,” Logano said. “And then everybody loved it. And it was great. And now, oh, we’re going to complain about it again? C’mon, guys. Geez.”

Flag football scours nation with talent camps to uncover next wave of stars

The sport will make its Olympic debut in L.A. in 2028

The Associated Press

DENVER — So you’re the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or toyed with any sport, really. Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. The grand prize is a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it’s never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut.

It’s not an easy team to make. The men’s side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport’s national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent.

USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in

flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football.

Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program.

Around the world, it’s catching on. The women’s team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores.

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to,” said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL’s vice president of flag football.

This type of flag football, however, isn’t your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There’s a learning curve.

Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there’s no contact.

None.

That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017.

“If a receiver is running around, I’m thinking, ‘OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,’” Daniels explained. “They’re like, ‘No, you can’t.’ I’m just like, ‘So I’m supposed to let this guy just run?!’ I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn.”

Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries

LESTER

U.S. National Team flag football player Bruce Mapp (1) goes up for a catch against Brazil at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland.

to reach for a hug. It’s his way of working on avoiding a “defender” trying to snare the flag.

That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles.

“You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the ‘Redeem Team’ led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you’re always thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ Obviously, you couldn’t do it in your sport, because I played football,” said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area.

“With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on.”

“Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That’s something to aspire to.”

Stephanie Kwok, NFL’s vice president of flag football

It’s a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Yeah, the U.S. just wins,’” Daniels said. “But we work hard all the time. We don’t just walk in. We don’t just get off the bus thinking, ‘We’re going to beat people.’

JOHN LOCHER / AP PHOTO

Cars vie for position during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Kitzy Norris Bundy

Dec. 2, 1939 – Dec. 2, 2024

Kitzy Norris Bundy, 85, of Southern Pines entered fully into the presence of her Lord and Savior on Monday, December 2, 2024. Born on December 2, 1939, in Cumberland County to the late Richard A. Norris and Marguerite A. Norris Vivian, she is also preceded in death by her beloved husband of 32 years, R. Franklin Bundy. Frank was the love of her life, and they enjoyed many travels and adventures together.

Kitzy is survived by her daughter Ashley Posey (Mark) of Raeford, son Richard Jones of Winnabow; granddaughter, Savannah Eason (Trevar) of Roper; great-grandson Carter Eason, and her beloved cat Sammy. She took great joy in being able to experience life as a greatgrandmother.

First and foremost, Kitzy was a faithful servant of God and despite her many struggles in life, her faith in God’s steadfast love for her remained strong. During her life she worked as a homemaker, secretary to Raeford United Methodist Church, Office Manager and Legal Secretary to Moses, Diehl & Pate Law Firm in Raeford, and served as Vice President of R. F. Bundy Construction working alongside her husband, Frank.

Now that Kitzy has passed into the arms of our Lord, we should remind ourselves that while this is the end of Kitzy’s physical life on earth, it is the beginning of an eternal and beautiful journey.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the St Joseph’s of the Pines The Health Center Whispering Oaks (600 hall) staff, the wonderful nurses and staff of FirstHealth Hospice, and her many dear friends who showed her much support, love, care and compassion throughout her life and into her final days.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Southern Pines United Methodist Church, 175 Midland Rd., Southern Pines, Friday, 11 a.m. The family will receive friends prior to the ceremony at the church from 10 - 11 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Pinelawn Memorial Park, Southern Pines.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Southern Pines United Methodist Church Food Bank- 175 Midland Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387, First Health Hospice Care150 Applecross Rd. Pinehurst, NC 28374, or a favorite charity of your choice.

Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

obituaries

Marjorie “Wren” Johnson Roberts

Jan. 4, 1925 – Nov. 25, 2024

Marjorie ‘Wren’ Johnson Roberts, born January 4, 1925, passed on Monday, November 25, 2024.

Marjorie retired from the state TB sanatorium in 1982 and cared for her mother until her passing in 1987. Born and raised outside Aberdeen, NC in the Ashley Heights community, when she moved to Southern Pines, NC. She always remembered living in Ashley Heights until her passing. She attended Shiloh Presbyterian Church, which was founded by her grandfather. Later Wren became a founding member of Sandhill’s Assembly of God, a faithful member until 2017 when she moved to Summerville, SC with her daughter. Even in her throws of Dementia, she continued to faithfully read God’s Word every morning and night. Wren was predeceased by her parents, Duncan Hurley and Myrtle Lucille Riley Johnson, sister Miralyn Stanley, and son Timothy Johnson Roberts. She is survived by Linda Roberts Sealy (Lowell/deceased), Thomas Jefferson Roberts (Dawn), James Terrell Roberts (Sue), and daughter-in-law Phyllis Roberts. Also grandchildren Joshua James (deceased), Jeff Morgan (Beth), (Kimberly Mettler, Eric Roberts (Rhonda), Chad Roberts (Jessica), Ashley Wheeler (Jason), Jodie Chiambretti (Steve) and greatgrandchildren Anna (Grant), McKenzie (Tyler) , Sara, Noah, Ansley, Ally, Donavan, Ann Marie, Garrett, Carson, Merritt, Olivia, and TJ; also loving niece Lynn (Randy), niece Lisa (deceased) and nephews Chris (April) and Joe (Charlotte), and loving friends Tracie Middleton (Scott) and Miriam Jones, deceased.

Thanks to caregivers Judy Gaither and special thanks to Susan Barrington for their loving care and dedication in caring for Wren. Also to the many friends and Bible study ladies who helped during her life in Summerville and to Agape Hospice, especially Ana.

A visitation will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines followed by a Funeral Service at 1 p.m. Burial will be private in Shiloh Presbyterian Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to Agape Care at 374 Meyers Road, Summerville, SC 29486. Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

Lynda Ritter Brewer

Aug. 24, 1941 – Nov. 25, 2024

Lynda Ritter Brewer, 83, of Athens, AL passed away on Monday, November 25, 2024, at Limestone Nursing Center in Alabama.

Lynda was born in Pinehurst on August 24, 1941, to the late Charles and Doris Perkins Ritter. She graduated from Fike HS in Wilson, NC in 1959. Upon graduating, she married her high school sweetheart, Gordon “Smokey” Brewer on September 15, 1959, and became an Army wife. She had two daughters, Wendy born in 1962 and Christy born in 1963. After 20 years of military life, she settled in Fayetteville, NC with her husband. Lynda had a rewarding career as an Administrative Assistant for the Methodist College Science Department for 22 years until her retirement. Retirement brought excitement and adventure with the purchase of an RV and the open highway, and off she and Smokey went. For eight years they explored our beautiful country and lived like gypsy’s. When it was time to come off the road full-time, they landed in Athens, AL. She joined the Crosspointe Church family and lived a happy life until she passed. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister Dianne Greene. Surviving is her husband Smokey Brewer; daughters Wendy Childress and Christy Miller; sister Carol Craft; grandchildren Justin Miller, Amanda Miller and Rhiannon Lucas, and four greatgrandchildren. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 2 p.m. at West End Presbyterian Church, 245 Knox Ln, West End, NC 27376. Burial will follow at West End Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville, AL. Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes.

Keith Wright

Nov. 23, 1937 – Nov. 24, 2024

Keith Wright, 87, of West End, NC passed away on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at his residence. Keith was born in Centerville, Utah on November 23, 1937, to the late Charles and Fay Hamby Wright. He proudly served in the US Military for 27 years, wearing three separate uniforms, Army, Navy and Marines, retiring from the Army

Margaret Bailey Mattocks

Feb. 22, 1934 – Nov. 23, 2024

Margaret Bailey Mattocks, age 90, was reunited with her Sir Richard in Heaven on November 23, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. She was born in Warren, PA on February 22, 1934, to Theodosia Reed Bailey and Dempsey Ernest Bailey. She was raised in Southern Pines with her 12 brothers and sisters and graduated from Southern Pines High School in 1952. Shortly after graduation she married her high school sweetheart, Richard LeRoy Mattocks. Margaret worked for

James “Jim” Abbott Simmons

March 2, 1942 – Nov. 24, 2024

National Guard. After military retirement he worked for 20 years with TRAP Rock Industry, retiring in Carthage, NC. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Carla Wright; his brother Frank Wright and sister-in-law Sharon. Surviving is his wife of 6 years, Barbara Walters; daughter Jean Wright (Russell Quigley); stepchildren; Cindy Burns (David) and Penny Lucas (Cleve); sister, Carol Wright; adopted grandson, Skylar Alexander and numerous stepgrandchildren. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 2 p.m. at Boles Funeral Home - Seven Lakes. Burial with full military honors will follow at West End Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to the American Cancer Society or The Salvation Army. Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes.

the town of Southern Pines, was the Registrar of Vital Statistics for Moore County and long-time legal secretary for Pollock and Fullenwider, and Jennifer Garner, before retiring. Margaret and Richard enjoyed traveling including a cross-country road trip in 2007 with their daughters. She was predeceased by her husband Richard, her parents, her brothers Reed, Carlos, Douglas, Robert, Neil and sisters Ernestine “Teenie” and Edna Lou.

She is survived by two daughters; Nonie Mattocks of Southern Pines, Lynne Lucas and her husband Wade, of Raleigh; three granddaughters; Stephanie Sellars of Whispering Pines, Erin Lucas of Cary and Bailey Lucas of Raleigh; grandson Wade Melton and his fiancé Amery Barnes of Carthage; great-great grandson, Luka Melton; and many loved nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374. No formal services have been planned. A family gathering will be held at a later date.

Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

James “Jim” Abbott Simmons, 82, of Aberdeen, NC passed away Sunday, November 24, 2024, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst. Jim was born March 2, 1942, in Teachey, NC to the late James Hubert Simmons and the late Macy Edna Savage Simmons. His mother died when he was a young boy and his step-mother, the late Lula Persinger Simmons helped raise him. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his wife Sylvia Simmons in 2022. Jim is survived his son, James Michael Simmons (Kim) of Kempner, TX; daughter, Ivy Simmons Thornton (the late Ricky; stepsons, Adam King (Candace) and Brandon King (Cassie); 8 grandchildren, Yvonne Bouldin (Jake) of Fort Worth, TX, Karlie Simmons-Hicks (Michael) of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Jessie Mae Thornton of Teachey, NC, Jamie King, Megan King, Faith King, Adam King Jr., and Ruby King; 3 great-grandchildren, Ashlynn Bouldin, Kylie Bouldin, and Alayna. Jim was a faithful member of Remix Church. He worked as a jeweler and gold prospector. For many years, Jim and his late wife Sylvia worked together at City Pawn Shop in Southern Pines. He faithfully served his country in the US Army for three years, being stationed in Germany for most of that time. He also worked as an EMT on the Wallace and Aberdeen Rescue Squads and was a volunteer at Rose Hill Fire Department. Jim was a member of the NC and National Bee Keepers’ Association and enjoyed keeping bees and procuring honey.

A memorial service to honor Jim’s life will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 2 p.m. at Remix Church, 7310 NC-22 Carthage, NC 28327. Bishop Heath Thurman will officiate the service. Services entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

STATE & NATION

Democrats’ outgoing chair says party

must reassess how it

reaches voters

By Bill Barrow

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — As he concludes his time as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison is downplaying his party’s November loss to President-elect Donald Trump and arguing Democrats avoided even greater losses that parties in power have faced around the world.

But he acknowledged that Democrats must do a better job of selling the party’s priorities and accomplishments for the working class. He also called for continued nationwide investments in party infrastructure and better use of non-legacy media.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Kamala Harris is not going to be the next president of the United States,” Harrison said in an interview Monday. But “the political pendulum in this country has been swinging swiftly, back and forth,” he added, and “we got to buckle up and get ready for it” to continue.

Trump

Harrison made similar arguments in a memo being distributed Tuesday to Democratic Party leaders and donors around the country.

“Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Dem-

says he’ll

The celebration in Paris this weekend will be the president-elect’s first overseas trip since his win

By Jill Colvin

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election.

The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend.

Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening.

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring

ocrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison wrote, comparing Democrats’ losses in the U.S. to the more sweeping defeats that parties in power suffered in democratic nations around the world since the coronavirus pandemic and global inflation.

attend Notre

It is not surprising, of course, for a chairman to defend his party’s performances even after disappointing elections.

Harrison, President Joe Biden’s pick in 2021 to lead the national party during his term, and other top Democrats have been sharply criticized after Trump’s victory, particularly by progressives who argue the party is seen as having abandoned working-class voters.

Harrison pointed to victories for Sens.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, and the reelections of Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Republicans still ousted Democratic senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana on their way to a majority. But Harrison noted the GOP’s House majority will be threadbare — the final count is pending — and that Democrats flipped some Republican seats.

At the state level, Harrison noted Democratic romps in North Carolina’s statewide offices, legislative gains in a conservative state like Arkansas and stripping Republicans of outright control of the Alaska statehouse.

“It was a mixed bag,” he said.

Trump swept all seven battleground states against Harris, the Democratic vice president, and won the popular vote for the first time in three presidential runs. The president-elect cut into key Democratic constituencies: people of color, younger voters and union supporters.

He gained a larger share of black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. And his coalition increasingly included rank-and-file union members, a critical constituency in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harrison said Trump has the ability to scramble traditional coalitions but not remake them permanently. He acknowledged Trump’s appeal yet framed him as a unique figure whose reach cannot be replicated easily, if at all, by other Republicans.

“It’s the same thing with Barack Obama, right? Sometimes in politics, they’re cultural figures … that can build different coalitions,” Harrison said. “And those coalitions don’t last once they step off of the dais.”

Dame Cathedral reopening

that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

The trip will be Trump’s first abroad since he won November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023 as a candidate to visit his local golf courses.

Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures, known for

its mesmerizing stained glass.

Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world.

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, offering his advice to the city.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” he wrote.

French officials appeared to respond shortly after, noting that “All means” were being used to extinguish the flames,

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen this weekend, more than five years after a devastating fire.

“except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

Trump also spoke with Macron and Pope Francis at the time to offer his condolences and said he had offered them “the help of our great experts on renovation and construction.”

Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship.

During Trump’s first term in office, Macron proved to be among the world leaders most adept at managing the Ameri-

can president’s whims as he tried to develop a personal connection built in no small part on flattery.

Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the relationship soured as Trump’s term progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact.

As he ran for a second term this year, Trump often mocked Macron on the campaign trail, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.

After Trump won another term last month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the first global leaders to congratulate Trump — even before The Associated Press called the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory phone call.

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

Jason Harrison touted wins in North Carolina’s statewide races

DAVID CALVERT / AP PHOTO

Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison speaks during a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in October in Reno, Nevada.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AP PHOTO