North State Journal Vol. 5, Issue 45

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 45

|

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

|

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020

From the editor: Covering COVID-19

By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — As the new year approaches, reflections on what happened in 2020 permeate news websites and Facebook timelines.

In that spirit, I wanted to take a moment and explain North State Journal’s coverage of COVID-19.

As the coronavirus pandemic spread from China across Asia, Europe and eventually the

shores of our country, there was hope it would turn out to be like other respiratory viruses that threatened, but didn’t ultimately lead to, severe impacts — 2003’s SARS epidemic being one example.

That, of course, didn’t happen.

March 3 was a significant date in that the first person in the state tested positive for the virus on the day of the state’s primary elections. So much about the next eight

PHOTO COURTESY NCDHHS

months can be traced to what happened on that date.

In a few more weeks, sports leagues paused, businesses sent their workers home, schools were thrust into remote learning, and the world as we knew it looked different.

Covering what became, quite literally, matters of life and death was sobering. But getting answers from our government was uneven.

After attending briefings from the state’s Emergency Operations Center, Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration shifted to virtual platforms that silenced questions from some outlets, ours included.

In mid-April and May, frustration from those who depended on See COVID-19, page A2

ERIN SCHAFF

2020 not a typical year for news Impeachment, pandemic, riots, elections, Supreme Court fights: any could be a year’s top story

By David Larson North State Journal A NORMAL YEAR in American politics is often defined by a single story that rises above the rest of the noise to grab the nation’s attention. But 2020 did not have one such story — it had several.

The year began in the middle of an impeachment fight over whether President Donald Trump had improperly abused his power by asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to look into Hunter Biden’s dealings with Burisma, a Ukrainian oil company. The Democrats’ first charge was that Trump inappropriately held military aid in the balance over the issue and only wanted it investigated to cause trouble for a political rival. The second charge was that the president impeded this investigation.

While the U.S. House impeached Trump on these two charges (230-197 on the first charge and 229-198 on the second), the Senate, on Feb. 5, acquitted him 52-48 on the first charge and 5347 on the second. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats, and only on the first charge. How history will judge the charges will likely rely on further details on Hunter Biden’s lucrative position on the Burisma board, which continue to come out.

Only a month later, the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest within the United States. This was not just a public health story, but touched every area of American life, including and especially politics. In early March, Trump banned travel from Europe, and by the end of the month, as the virus continued to spread, shutdowns were imposed in many states. The U.S. Congress passed a bipartisan $2 trillion relief package, called the CARES Act, to alleviate some of the economic pain being felt across the country as many places of work were deemed “nonessential.”

The global pandemic has remained a central political issue for the year, with fights over the extent to restrict business, religious worship and other activities. Now, toward the end of 2020, multiple vaccines have been approved by the FDA and another aid package was brokered by Congress.

While the country was adjusting to living under tightening restrictions, a new defining issue emerged in Minneapolis when a white police officer appeared to have caused the death of a black man, George Floyd, by putting a knee on his neck.

This incident, caught on video and viewed by millions, sparked protests and rioting across the country for months. The news site Axios was provided data by the Insurance Information Institute that the damage from the riots would be between $1 billion and $2 billion, the most costly civil unrest in the nation’s history.

The fallout elevated the protest movement known as Black Lives Matter, and soon, the phrase began to appear everywhere — from street murals and athletes’ jerseys to corporate advertising. The resulting racial advocacy was successful in reducing police budgets, removing statues of Confederate generals (and even founding fathers), and the renaming of at least two major league sports teams — the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians.

With all this going on throughout the summer See 2020, page A2

JOHN MINCHILLO | AP PHOTO

Top left, Gov. Roy Cooper looks on as NCDHHS secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen gives a Covid-19 briefing. Top right, a staff member places a photo of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before a ceremony for her to lie in state in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Bottom, protesters gather at a memorial for George Floyd where he died outside Cup Foods on East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, Monday, June 1, 2020, in Minneapolis.

Education a major casualty of COVID-19 “There’s a lot on the plate for the new General Assembly.”

Outgoing state Rep. Craig Horn (R-Union)

Lack of continuity of inperson instruction will likely ripple through the next decade

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — When the coronavirus hit North Carolina and Gov. Roy Cooper announced his statewide stay-at-home orders, one of the first casualties was public school students, and that has not really changed nine months later, heading into 2021.

Early on, it became clear there was no continuity of education plans in place either at the state, local or school level for a disruption of instructions. Parents quickly found out what their districts could and could not do and what their children were and were not learning.

The struggles in the last half of the 2019-21 school year were felt by every age student and their parents alike. Many children were unable to focus online or follow the often-changing ways lessons were assigned. Parents found themselves juggling working from home and having to monitor the attempt at online classes from their children.

Work schedules clashed with class schedules, connectivity and device access, and the increasing amount of screen time took a toll on all involved. Teachers were equally frustrated by having to navigate teach-

ing in a virtual environment with few resources and, in most cases, little to no training.

Relief from those struggles did not come with the new fall semester. Two weeks after his own announcement deadline, Cooper said schools could reopen under Plan B, a hybrid of in-person and remote instruction, but he also left the door open for the districts to choose Plan C, full remote instruction.

With districts essentially allowed to choose which plan they would operate under, the chaos from spring returned, and along with it came no relief for special needs students, who saw a lack of daily participation and plummeting grades.

Students with special needs who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were hit especially hard by school closures. The kind of hands-on instruction and various therapies these students need simply cannot be delivered over a laptop, so upset parents watched as their children regressed.

Near the end of July, parents of special needs students banded together, filing a civil class action suit which named almost every state and federal education agency in the country, including all 100 school districts in North Carolina. Plaintiffs in the class action suit are seeking an injunction prompting an immediate reopening of schools to students with disabilities or a “Pendency Voucher” for educational serSee EDUCATION, page A4

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

A2 WEDNESDAY

THE WORD: ANOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY

12.30.20 #263

“Esse quam videri” Visit us online nsjonline.com North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins Publisher Matt Mercer Editor in Chief Cory Lavalette Managing/Sports Editor Frank Hill Senior Opinion Editor Emily Roberson Business/Features Editor David Larson Associate Editor Lauren Rose Design Editor

Published each Wednesday

by North State Media, LLC 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609 TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 or online at nsjonline.com Annual Subscription Price: $25.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: North State Journal 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609

FILE PHOTO

“The Magpie” by Claude Monet (1869) is a painting in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris (Public Domain). Monet painted over 100 snowscapes and this painting is one of his largest in size and in popularity. “The Magpie” is also one of Monet’s first paintings using colored shadows (they are shades of blue, rather than shades of grey).

We say goodbye to 2020 this week. For most, 2020 will be an unforgettable year. Many are also happy to see this year come to an end. Fear was a driver of much of 2020. Fear of pandemics, government actions, elections and riots were hallmarks of 2020.

The end of a year also marks the transition to a new year. A time for calm and reflection is in order. The year 2020 brought uncertainty, unrest and unexpected loss, but the promises of Jesus remain intact. The Bible reminds us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. The end of the journey — no matter how hard — is eternity for those who believe in Christ.

JOHN 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

SENATE TELEVISION VIA AP CAROLYN KASTER | AP PHOTO

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases speaks in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March, 10, 2020 2020 from page A1 and early fall, one of the nation’s most divisive presidential elections in history was also in progress. Trump, labeled by many on the left and in the media as a racist, a Russian stooge and an unstable narcissist, ran against former Vice President Joe Biden, who those on the right largely saw as a corrupt liar and career politician too old to take on the job.

The brutal campaign was defined by moments like a debate that many commentators called the worst in presidential history because the candidates talked over one another and the moderator, Fox News’ Chris Wallace, couldn’t manage to gain control.

Even after the votes had seemingly been cast and counted, the nation remained divided, as conservatives, led by Trump, made repeated claims of fraud and ir-

regularities. The Electoral College eventually voted to make Biden the president-elect, but Trump has not yet conceded the race.

During the height of the campaign — and adding even more fuel to the political fire —progressive icon and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Sept. 18 at the age of 87. Trump immediately moved to fill the seat despite threats from some Democrats that they’d “pack the courts”

ROBERT CLARK | NSJ STAFF

A woman holds a sign at a “reopen” protest in Raleigh.

In this image from video, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts speaks before the vote in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. with left-wing justices if they gained control in November. The president nominated Amy Coney Barrett, Ginsburg’s philosophical opposite, and she was confirmed Oct. 26. The vote was entirely along partisan lines with the exception of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted against confirming Barrett.

In a typical year of politics, any one of these stories — a highly partisan impeachment battle,

the worst pandemic in the country’s history, the costliest race riots America has ever known, an extremely divisive presidential election, or the death of one Supreme Court justice and seating of another — could have carried the news cycle by itself. But 2020 graced journalists with every single one of these stories, simultaneously. All of this leaves many exhausted Americans hoping 2021 is a slow news year.

COVID-19 from page A1

the NCDHHS website and in other outlets. The number of cases is going to always go up. There are better ways to measure how far the virus has spread.

Thankfully, at no point did our state’s hospital capacity come under strain. Despite warnings, we were able to gather the data via public records that COVID-19 did not stop hospitals from being able to serve all people. An anticipated “field hospital” in Charlotte, for example, was never built.

Our pursuit of answers from elected leaders will continue as the historic effort to produce vaccines for COVID-19 is already bearing fruit.

Perhaps most amazingly, a record number of North Carolinians made their voices heard at the ballot box this year. Once all ballots were counted, turnout reached a shade over 75% of registered voters.

Finally, the pandemic did touch our staff in the worst, and best, of ways.

We grieved loss and celebrated the birth of new life.

As the calendar flips, NSJ will continue to work tirelessly to keep you, the reader, informed as we do our best to continue to elevate the conversation in North Carolina.

Cheers to 2021.

industries shuttered for their livelihoods began to protest. Their stories deserved to be heard.

“Reopening,” as it became known, also became controversial. It broke largely on political lines as so much else in our nation.

The struggle reached courtrooms as many felt religious liberty was under attack. In another story we reported, a quote from Federal Judge James Dever became a rallying cry for some. In a lawsuit filed against Cooper, churches prevailed, and Dever said, “There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution.” The quote was also used by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany later in the year.

Two more terms that have taken on new meaning this year are “science” and “data,” given their prevalence during Cooper’s media briefings. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services publishes daily updates on testing, hospitalizations and more. Putting that data in context has also proven to be important.

Often on our front page, we have published the number of people who have recovered from the virus. This report, published weekly, can be difficult to find on

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

How many North Carolinians are downloading the SlowCOVIDNC app?

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — After being available for three months, North Carolina’s app to track whether citizens have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 has only been downloaded by 540,000 people, according to numbers obtained by North State Journal.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) rolled out the state’s virus notification app called SlowCOVIDNC on Sept. 22, just a little over seven months into the pandemic. The app is designed to alert the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

For the first two weeks after the rollout of the app, both Apple and Android users in North Carolina were receiving push notifications from the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes store encouraging them to download the app.

Following receipt of a push notification on Oct. 5, North State Journal looked at the download numbers of the app on both Google Play and Apple iTunes. At that time, Google had recorded only 50,000 downloads and the Apple downloads were around half that.

Questions about the SlowCOVIDNC app, including downloads, privacy of data, security and costs were sent to NCDHHS. Kelly Haight Connor, NCDHHS Communications Manager, responded to North State Journal’s inquiries.

An Oct. 23 response received from NCDHHS said the app had been downloaded “249,000 times (iOS=127,543; Android=151,833).”

“Currently, there have been 69 individuals who have notified others of their positive test result. The app has sent a total of 421 exposure notifications to date,” Haight wrote in the response.

Google’s downloads showed a non-specific total of “100,000+” downloads as of Nov. 5.

North State Journal checked in with NCDHHS on Dec. 14 and was told both the download number and notifications had increased. The app has currently been downloaded more than 540,700 times. She also said in an email to North State Journal that 345 individuals have notified others of their positive test results and that the app has sent a total of 1,225 exposure notifications to date.

The number of North Carolina’s citizens using the app is similar to that of other states, according to a report by the Associated Press that included data from 16 states, Guam and the District of Columbia. That data revealed that as of the end of November, only 8.1 million people had utilized contact notification apps like SlowCOVIDNC. That translates to roughly one in 14 of the 110 million residents in those regions.

“Virginia’s COVIDWISE app launched on Aug. 5 and was the first to go live. Since then, fewer than one in ten residents have downloaded it, though the state estimates almost 20% of Virginians between the ages of 18 and 65 with a smartphone have done so,” the Associated Press report states.

FILE PHOTO

This screenshot shows the SlowCOVIDNC app home screen.

SlowCOVIDNC’s price tag In terms of cost, Haight said that SlowCOVIDNC had an initial investment cost of $360,000, with third party support and monthly operations costs of $15,000. Not including any possible pro-rated charges for September, the state will have incurred at least $45,000 in operations costs by the end of December.

The total cost to date divided by the current 540,700 downloads works out to be around $1.34 per download.

“Apple and Google developed the base code for the application and made it available to public health authorities at no cost, which allowed us to customize the application to allow for seamless integration with our existing contact tracing infrastructure,” wrote Haight about the cost of the app.

When asked how long the app will be used or if there was an end date for its use, Haight wrote that the app will be “available through the duration of the pandemic.” She said that once the pandemic is declared over, the app will be shut down.

According to the FAQ for the app, NCDHHS owns it. That ownership raised the question of what kind of data the app might be generating for NCDHHS. According to NCDHHS’ Sept. 22 press release, the app is “completely anonymous” and “does not collect, store or share personal information or location data.”

“The only data available from the app is anonymous, aggregate data concerning number of downloads, number of times tokens are uploaded and number of times exposure notifications are sent,” Haight wrote.

In the SlowCOVIDNC specifications, the app relies on Bluetooth. Earlier this year, it was reported that android phones are very susceptible to

hacking via Bluetooth. North State Journal asked about how the app would protect user data.

“The platform on which the app has been built has been purposefully constructed by the respective mobile operating system providers to ensure the integrity and security of the interface,” wrote Haight.

Haight also referenced Google’s COVID19 exposure notifications and privacy information which says “only public health authorities will be able to use this system.” Those officials have to meet “specific criteria around privacy, security, and data use.”

“The system does not share your identity with other users, Apple, or Google. Public health authorities may ask you for additional information, such as a phone number, to contact you with additional guidance,” Google exposure notification and privacy information page reads.

Haight reiterated that privacy information in her response, writing that “SlowCOVIDNC does not collect or share personally identifying or location information, but does share information about the date of potential exposures.”

She also said that SlowCOVIDNC never accesses your location and that Exposure Notification System is based on Bluetooth technology and does not collect any geolocation or GPS data.

Haight further described how the app works and keeps users anonymous.

“After opting-in to receive notifications, the app will generate an anonymous token for your device. A token is a string of random letters that changes every 10-20 minutes and is never linked to your identity or location, but is linked to date. This protects your privacy and security,” wrote Haight.

“Through Bluetooth, your phone and the phones around you with the SlowCOVIDNC app work in the background to exchange these anonymous tokens every few minutes. Phones record how long they are near each other and the Bluetooth signal strength of their exchanges in order to estimate distance.”

The app is “opt-in” meaning that one has to choose to download and use the app. Additionally, once downloaded, a person who tests positive can then obtain a unique PIN to submit in the app.

“This voluntary and anonymous reporting notifies others who have downloaded the app that they may have been in close contact with someone in the last 14 days who has tested positive,” Haight said in her response.

“PINs will be provided to app users who receive a positive COVID-19 test result through a web-based PIN Portal, by contacting the Community Care of North Carolina call center, or by contacting their local health department.”

According to Haight, the SlowCOVIDNC app periodically downloads tokens from the server from the devices of users who have anonymously reported a positive test. The person’s phone then uses its records of the “signal strength and duration of exposures with those tokens to calculate risk.” The app uses that information to determine if a person meets the threshold to receive an Exposure Notification.

A3

Remembering state legislators who passed away in 2020 NSJ staff Melanie Wade Goodwin Former Democratic Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin died on Sept. 1 at the age 50.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin, her husband, posted on social media that she died “with her children and me by her side” after being diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago.

Goodwin represented parts of Montgomery County and Richmond County in the House from 2005 to 2010. She was the first lawmaker to give birth while holding office in the spring of 2008. After leaving the legislature, Goodwin served on the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

“She was an amazing mother, wife, lawyer & legislator who fought for working people,” tweeted Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in her memory.

Tony Rand Former Democratic state Sen. Tony Rand passed away on May 1 at age 80 due after battling throat cancer. Rand was an attorney and lived in Fayetteville.

During his time in the N.C. House from 2001 to 2009, Rand represented Bladen and Cumberland counties and also served as the chamber’s majority leader. He was first appointed to the senate in 1981 and was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1988, losing to Republican Jim Gardner. In 1995 Rand returned to the senate where he served until his resignation in 2009. He had been instrumental in the controversial passage of the state lottery in 2005.

Rand was appointed chairman of the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission in 2009 by Gov. Bev Perdue, where he served until 2014. He was also appointed chairman of the N.C. Lottery Commission

by Gov. Roy Cooper from August 2018 until late 2019, when he resigned for health reasons.

Linda Johnson On Feb. 18, state Rep. Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus) died after a battle with cancer, which sources say included brain tumors and related strokes. She was 74 years old.

Johnson was a Cabarrus County native and served 10 terms in the North Carolina General Assembly. She was a senior House Appropriations Committee chair, a position which made her a leading budget writer for the state, and was also heavily involved in House education policy.

“Linda Johnson had a beloved and infectious spirit that resonated throughout the North Carolina General Assembly every day, and the tragic news of her passing is a terrible loss for our legislative community, her family, and the people she served in Cabarrus County,” House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) said in a statement.

Maryann Black On March 26, Rep. MaryAnn Black (D-Durham) passed away at age 76 from natural causes tied to a long-term illness, according to family. Prior to her death, she had said she would not be running for re-election this year. Following Black’s death, Democrat Vernetta Alston ran unopposed for the seat in the recent November election.

In February 2017, Cooper appointed Black to replace former Rep. Larry Hall, who resigned in order to take a cabinet position in the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Black retained the District 29 seat in 2018 by defeating Republican Charles Becker by a wide margin, with 88% of the vote.

Black served as a Durham County commissioner from 1990 to 2002 and was chairwoman for the last six years on the commission. She was also known for her more-than-30 years of work as a social worker providing psychotherapy services to children and families.

After naming bombing suspect, focus turns to motive The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With federal officials having identified the man believed to be behind Nashville’s Christmas Day bombing, authorities now turn to the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the explosion that severely damaged dozens of downtown buildings and injured three people.

While officials on Sunday named Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, the motive has remained elusive.

“These answers won’t come quickly and will still require a lot of our team’s efforts,” FBI Special Agent Doug Korneski said at a Sunday news conference. “Though we may be able to answer some these questions as our investigation continues, none of those answers will be enough by those affected by this event.”

In just a few days, hundreds of tips and leads have been submitted to law enforcement agencies.

Yet thus far, officials have not provided information on what possibly drove Warner to set off the explosion.

David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told reporters on Sunday that Warner had not been on the radar before Christmas.

Furthermore, officials have not

provided insight into why Warner selected the particular location for the bombing, which damaged an AT&T building and continued to wreak havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states as the company worked to restore service.

Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence collected from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner’s digital footprint and financial history, as well as a recent deed transfer of a suburban Nashville home they searched.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&T building was targeted.

Korneski said Sunday that officials were looking at any and all motives and were interviewing acquaintances of Warner’s to try to determine what may have motivated him.

The bombing took place on a holiday morning well before down-

“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” , told reporters at a news conference...

Christmas will never be the same.”

Metro Nashville police Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion town streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate. Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast.

Warner, who public records show had experience with electronics and alarms and who had also worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville realtor, had been regarded as a person of interest in the bombing since at least Saturday, when federal and local investigators converged on the home linked to him.

Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the back-

yard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown a recreational vehicle similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard, but it was not at the property on Saturday, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

On Sunday morning, police formally named Warner as being under investigation.

Officials said their identification of Warner relied on several key pieces of evidence, including DNA found at the explosion site. Investigators had previously revealed that human remains had been found in the vicinity.

In addition, investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol recovered parts from the RV among the wreckage from the blast, and were able to link the vehicle identification number to an RV that was registered to Warner, officials said.

“We’re still following leads, but right now there is no indication that any other persons were involved,” Korneski said. “We’ve reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreation vehicle.

We saw no other people involved.”

Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Suddenly the warning stopped, and “Downtown” started playing.

The RV exploded shortly after-

ward, sending black smoke and flames billowing from the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene, an area packed with honkytonks, restaurants and shops.

Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the company’s office tower, a landmark in downtown.

But on Sunday, just blocks from where the bombing took place, tourists had already begun to fill the sidewalks on Lower Broadway, a central entertainment district.

Some took selfies while others tried to get as close as possible to the explosion site, blocked by police barricades.

Earlier Sunday, the officers who responded provided harrowing details, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast.

“This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life,” Metro Nashville police Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told reporters at a news conference.

“Christmas will never be the same.”

Officer Brenna Hosey said she and her colleagues knocked on six or seven doors in nearby apartments to warn people to evacuate. She particularly remembered a startled mother of four children.

“I don’t have kids, but I have cousins and nieces, people who I love who are small,” Hosey said, adding she had to plead with the family to leave the building as quickly as possible.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

A4

New Year’s countdowns across NC

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Murphy to Manteo Marion nugget Mount Olive pickle

Beaufort pirate Eastover flea Burgaw blueberry

fatal if eaten.

Cornelius Williams called police after someone delivered a box of bear cubs to his home. He heard squeaky noises from the box left on his walkway, and police found two newborn bears.

Officials said coyote sightings were on the rise, but that may be because more residents are at home. Since people were home, opportunities to see coyotes increased. Coyotes may also be venturing out because people weren’t outside.

Ann McNamara thought she had a raccoon in her crawl space when she heard scratching. It turned out it was a yearling black bear participating in the Asheville Urban/ Suburban Bears Study. Researchers used day-old pastries to lure the bear out and returned it to the wild.

The emerald ash borer, an insect responsible for killing millions of trees, has been seen for the first time in Alexander County. The beetle bores into ash trees and destroys the tissue underneath as it feeds. While the trees look healthy on the outside, they die within three to five years.

Four goats, including two pregnant females, were reported missing from a Polk County 4-H Livestock program last month. Two more goats went missing a week later.

Originally investigated as a theft, remains of the goats were discovered and point to some type of natural predator, most likely a bear.

Broad Branch Distillery put its liquor-making skills to use for the good of the public: Making hand sanitizer to combat COVID-19. The ethanol produced for whiskey can be converted to battle germs. Broad Branch is focused on giving out its sanitizer free to the public, up to two bottles per person.

Lifeguards on a beach in the Outer Banks posted a new purple flag adorned with images of a jelly fish and a stringray. The flag serves as a warning when the sea creatures are nearby. Purple flags are a common maritime warning. But the images were added to be more specific.

Julie Loflin was attacked on her bed by a rabid fox who entered her home through a dog door. The animal jumped on her bed, bit her finger, and grabbed her ankle by its mouth. Loflin grabbed the animal, holding it down by its neck for more than 12 minutes as she waited for police to arrive.

Raleigh police used expired tear gas on demonstrators during protests. A review also found that police used tear gas unnecessarily to clear a street for an ambulance needed on a nearby medical call. The ambulance call was canceled, but word did not get to the officers.

CRIMINAL MASTERMINDS

PEAK 2020

MORE NATURE TRYING TO KILL US The mild winter allowed skunk cabbage to thrive in Watauga County. Described as having a smell “like death” and the ability to generate heat strong enough to melt snow, it’s

Peace N Peas Farm will rent Mambo, the 8-year-old miniature donkey, and his friends to crash boring company conference calls. Companies can choose other farm

vices and related care programs. The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that the educational rights of their children were violated under the U.S. Constitution, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Few elected officials consistently questioned school reopening decisions. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest criticized Cooper’s reopening stance and openly questioned the State Board of Education’s failure to advocate for students to return to full in-person instruction under Plan A. By mid-September legislative leaders and a coalition of parents joined Forest in criticizing Cooper for allowing schools to operate under any plan other than Plan A, full in-person instruction. Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) said at the time, “Gov. Cooper created this mess, and he needs to fix it,” and warned that “virtual learning is a slow-motion train wreck” which will have a dire impact on student learning and achievement.

That same month, lawmakers passed House Bill 1105, titled the Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0. The bill contained $115 million for education, including $6.5 million to expand choices for families at a criti-

cal time by eliminating waitlists for the Children with Disabilities Grant Program and the Education Savings Account Program.

Rep. Craig Horn (R-Union), chair for the House Education K-12 and Education Appropriations committees, said COVID-19 is likely creating a new paradigm shift in education.

“There’s a lot on the plate for the new General Assembly,” Horn said.

Horn, who is retiring this year also co-chaired the education working group for the House Select Committee for COVID-19. Related to the work that committee did, Horn said education funding will need to be tackled in the new session.

“We’re going to have to revisit how we fund education,” said Horn. “We can’t continue to fund education based on attendance or ADM [Average Daily Membership]. That just doesn’t work in a virtual environment.”

State data on enrollment for the second month of public school showed the statewide average daily membership (ADM) number fell by over 27,000 students. Compared to last year at the same point, enrollment dropped by 50,000 students, a dip of 3.6%.

Kindergarten saw the biggest enrollment declines nationwide. The most recent data shows over 13,300 expected NC kindergartners were not enrolled. Some have speculated

animals they want to invite as guests on their video calls including three horses, Heiren, Zeus and Eddie, along with some chickens and ducks. Customers can reserve 10 minutes with the animals for $50. The farm has also gotten requests from teachers who want the animals to crash their virtual classrooms.

A truck driver was pulled over hauling 18,000 pounds of toilet paper in a stolen trailer. The cargo was part of a lawful shipment — only the trailer was stolen. Deputies helped deliver it. No arrests have been made, but the driver is a suspect in the theft of the trailer.

Sara Knotts, director of Brunswick County elections, had to ask members of her board to reject her mother’s absentee ballot because she died several weeks before the general election. Her mother, Anne Ashcraft, 62, submitted her ballot in September, then died of brain cancer on Oct. 11.

North Carolina election law requires voters to be alive on Election Day.

EDUCATION from page A1

that a portion of parents may have held their kindergarten-aged children out this year, an act often referred to as “red-shirting.”

While public schools saw stiff declines in enrollment, the state’s public charter schools saw the opposite. By the end of the second month, charter school enrollment grew by 8,424 students. Additionally, homeschooling enrollment exploded, nearly tripling over the previous year.

10,281 Notice of Intent (NOI) filings were made just between July 1 and Aug. 24 versus 3,529 in 2019.

Horn also wondered who will be “looking over the next hill” in education. Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Deanna Ballard (R-Watagua) is one of the legislators looking over that next hill. Ballard said legislators will likely look to build on programs already out there, including expanding school choice.

“We’re going to continue to push,” said Ballard regarding getting kids back into the classroom. “We also need the education community to step up and say we’re ready to be in the classroom.”

Ballard said she’s heard more from parents this year than she has in the last nine years. She also said she heard a lot from teachers who were adamant about getting back in the classroom but felt they can’t say anything publicly because other teachers are going to shame them.

Ballard referenced the alarming

Attorney General wants lawmakers to change to some DNA collection laws

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

BEARS GONE WILD

Hikers found a man’s remains scattered near a campsite in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a bear lurked nearby, rangers said. After finding an unoccupied tent Friday, the backpackers saw what appeared to be human remains scattered across a nearby creek, “with a bear scavenging in the area.” Rangers said they also saw a bear “actively scavenging on the remains” and euthanized the animal.

NC rape-kit testing sees some progress

Black Creek heart

The best of Murphy to Manteo news briefs from 2020

A wildlife group offered a $5,000 reward to identify a person they say is responsible for putting a “Trump 2020” sticker on the collar of a bear. “Bears are NOT Billboards!”, the group, Help Asheville Bears, said on a Facebook post while announcing the reward.

Jones & Blount

Raleigh acorn

New York City’s iconic Waterford Crystal ball weighs nearly six tons and is 12 feet in diameter — but while this is the most famous, N.C. has its own ceremonial Charlotte crown drops.

The tradition of “drops” Brasstown possum to signal the passage of time dates back to England’s Royal Observatory in Greenwich in 1833, when a ball would drop at one o’clock every afternoon, giving nearby ships the ability to set navigation equipment.

The tradition during New Year’s Eve began in the 20th century.

Raleigh holds perhaps the most recognized drop in the state currently, with a 1,250-lb acorn set to begin its descent at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 (an acorn for the City of Oaks).

And further west, Brasstown in Clay County was the setting of an intense debate for years over its annual “Possum Drop,” which earned its own bill in the General Assembly.

The event moved to nearby Andrews in Cherokee County in 2019, but like so many other events, was canceled in 2020.

Thomas William Dalton was arrested for allegedly injuring his girlfriend during a domestic dispute. The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office says that Dalton threw hot soup on her during an argument at their home.

Riane Brownlee was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating an FBI agent on an online dating site, and on a date. She identified herself as Agent Alexandria Mancini and posed in a dating profile with a fake FBI badge and a stolen gun.

Police arrested a man who they say had been walking

information presented by N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s deputy superintendent of innovation Dr. David Stegall, who told lawmakers that due to the interruptions in instruction this year, that there would be “learning gaps.” He said it could take years for some students to recover and likely a large number of students would need to repeat a grade.

“Stegall said that if we’ve learned anything, ‘choice is vital to families,’” said Ballard. “And he’s thinking choice A, B, or C [reopening] plan.

And I’m sitting there thinking choice is a broad word. Choice means where can I get my kid the most optimal instruction for him?”

Stegall also reported that around 18% of districts were still operating under Plan C, fully remote instruction. Of the 59% of N.C. students learning in-person, an alarming 19% were missing “at least two days a week.”

“Our kids have already lost a full year of education growth. They are about to lose a second year of education growth,” Horn said, noting the state will be graduating thousands of students unprepared for college, the military and careers.

Horn didn’t blame teachers, who he said were working very hard during the pandemic, but stated it was clear “we are not moving the needle for kids.” Ballard also applauded teachers, saying that they’ve

A5

Morehead City crab

through people’s yards without any pants on. Carlos Antonio Soto, 18, was arrested in Johnston County and charged with indecent exposure.

The FBI asked for the public’s help in catching the “bad wig bandit” who’s been robbing banks in the Charlotte area.

The FBI said the suspect wore a different wig during each heist. One wig was blonde. Another was black. The third was red.

The FBI is searching for a serial bank robber dubbed the “Too Tall Bandit.” He’s responsible for 16 bank robberies in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee dating back to 2009. The suspect is a white male, between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-6, 210 to 250 pounds.

Christian Quinn Walters, 20, was charged with desecrating a gravesite this week after driving in circles through a Chadbourn cemetery, damaging headstones and floral arrangements. Deputies responded to a graveyard on calls someone was “doing donuts.”

Robert Burns was shot and killed in Shelby after he allegedly attempted to attack residents of a mobile home with a wooden deck railing. The residents were roused from sleep in the middle of the night when Burns reportedly was banging on the side of the home. When a male resident went out to investigate, Burns began striking him with the railing. He fired one shot, killing him.

HAPPY STORIES For her 100th birthday, Ruth Bryant crossed an item off her bucket list. She went to jail. The Person County Sheriff’s Office helped fulfill Bryant’s wish when two deputies showed up at her assisted living facility to serve a warrant charging her with indecent exposure. They handcuffed Bryant to her walker and placed her in a patrol car. Before she got in, deputies warned her not to put up a fight, and she playfully kicked at them. She had a mugshot taken, spent a few minutes in a jail cell, and left with an orange “PERSON COUNTY JAIL” shirt.

Justin Hinton of WLOS went live with a weather report on Facebook Live, as he helped the station cover the winter

had to “pivot this year like they’ve never had to pivot before.”

Ballard believes incoming state Superintendent Catherine Truitt will bring the necessary skills to help move students forward, and Horn said he thinks Truitt is going to be “student focused.”

“When considering learning lost due to COVID-19, we must look at where we were as a state prior to school closures and remote learning: 67% of 8th graders were not reading nor doing math proficiently heading into high school,” Truitt said. “So, for me, any Learning Recovery Plan must focus on the basics.”

While on the campaign trail, Truitt often spoke of launching a statewide reading initiative that would include school and parents. She said that there are many groups in the state working on how to shift resources from tutoring struggling students to equipping teachers and principals with a new tool kit grounded in the science of reading.

“The State Board and I are going to bring these groups together in February, so we can all row in the same direction on behalf of students,” said Truitt. “I’m also looking at tools for teachers that will leverage competency-based education to provide rapid diagnostic testing in math so that teachers can know immediately what their student last knew and could do, and tailor instruction from there.”

storms that hit the area. However, he accidentally left on a filter generator that caused cartoon masks, hats and animal noses and ears to appear on his face as he gave the report. Hinton had no idea it was happening until his video went viral on social media.

An original Salvador Dali wood engraving hangs on the wall of Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head after being discovered among the donated items of an Outer Banks thrift shop.

A thrift shop volunteer recognized it, preventing it from being sold for a few dollars. The paper, the style and the signatures all matched those of Dali.

A pregnant cow who swam 4 miles to shore after being swept away by Hurricane Dorian last year gave birth to a “miracle” calf. The cow, Dori, was one of three swept away

by Dorian that were found in the state’s Outer Banks. When Hurricane Dorian generated an 8-foot “mini tsunami,” it washed the calf’s mother and dozens of other animals away.

RALEIGH — North Carolina holds the dubious distinction of leading the nation in untested rape kits, but a report by the state’s attorney general shows some progress in clearing the backlog.

Attorney General Josh Stein’s Dec. 10 press release states 2,169 kits have been tested and 4,739 are currently either with the vendor lab for testing or preparing to ship to the vendor.

From the 2,169 tested kits, 764 of them have been entered into the state and national DNA databases. Stein’s office says that 40% of the entered cases had a hit to a known person in the database or to another case.

“Continuing to test these kits is critical to promoting public safety in North Carolina,” said Stein in a press release.

“Thanks to tested kits, law enforcement has made arrests in recent weeks solving violent crimes in Fayetteville, Wilmington, Durham, and other communities across the state.”

A September 2019 update by the N.C. Department of Justice indicated that 904 sexual assault kits had been tested “since January 2018.” In February of 2018, Stein confirmed that an inventory of kits conducted at the end of 2017 showed 15,160 untested sexual assault kits. That number matched the total listed at the beginning of 2017 by a rape-kit tracking website, EndTheBacklog.com.

In his release, Stein refers to two reports, the Statewide Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Tracking and Inventory Management System (STIMS) report and the Annual Crime Lab (ACL) report.

STIMS, which went active in October 2018, lists both certified inventory of newly collected kits and the previously untested kits. Across all agencies in the state, STIMS inventory lists 16,179 previously untested kits. The total of untested kits includes 1,296 “Anonymous

or Unreported Kits,” which won’t be tested at this point per the Survivor Act. The ACL report says that between October 2018 and September 2019, there were 830 new kits submitted to the State Crime Lab. Between the same time frames from 2019 to 2020, new submissions increased by 125% to 1,834.

“During the past year, case submissions have increased by 13.5% compared to FY 2018‐2019 and increased by 62% in the last five years,” the Annual State Crime Lab report says. That report also says new kit submissions to the State Crime Lab are more than double the previous year’s total.

The increase in submissions can partly be attributed to the Survivor Act, which requires that all kits collected from victims not wishing to remain anonymous be sent for testing. After implementation of the Survivor Act, the State Crime Lab has seen a 120% increase in submissions.

Citing increased demand nationwide, Stein says the price of testing kits has increased by “nearly 80 percent,” rising from $695 per kit to roughly $1,245 per kit.

Stein said they are “making progress,” but there is more work to do, requiring “additional funding and scientists.”

Stein said the legislature has not approved more funding to hire additional DNA scientists “despite this dramatic increase in case load.” The attorney general’s recommendations to help ease the case load include a one-time allotment to address outsourced testing of older kits and recurring funds for more scientists.

Attorney General Stein also announced that he is asking the General Assembly to update DNA collection requirements for individuals arrested for violent crime against a woman. Citing two recent arrests of decades-old alleged serial rapists in Fayetteville, Stein wants to have offender DNA collected and uploaded to the state DNA database.

“We know that sexual assault often starts with assault on a female,” Stein said. “By expanding the library of DNA in the database to include those arrested for violent crimes against women, we make it possible for law enforcement officers to solve more sexual assaults. This policy change will make our communities safer.”

RANDOM ODDITY Tesla driver Devainder Goli, whose car was on Autopilot mode, was watching a movie on his phone when he crashed into a sheriff’s deputy’s car.

Engineers shot trillions of laser beams at the $252 million Marc Basnight Bridge to make sure it will withstand the harsh elements of the Atlantic coast.

The Mount Grove AME Zion Church, located near Mount Gilead, suffered severe damage when a runaway tire struck the building. An empty log truck had a wheel come loose as it passed the church, and the tire careened into the building, flying through the window and taking out a chunk of the wall.

Lamar Advertising Co. wouldn’t accept a request from PETA to erect a billboard memorializing 21 cows killed in a tractor-trailer crash. PETA was seeking to place a billboard at the site where a truck overturned along Interstate 40 near Winston-Salem “in honor of the cows who were injured and killed.” The truck was traveling from Kentucky to a slaughterhouse in Asheboro.

PHOTO VIA N.C. DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Attorney General Josh Stein briefs media from the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.

98% of ALL Farms are Family Farms

ncfb.org

A6

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

north STATEment Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Margaret Thatcher on British democratic socialism

“To cure the British disease with socialism was like trying to cure leukaemia with leeches.”

SINCE AMERICA appears to be heading into a period of increased socialist policies under President-elect Joe Biden, and, if the unthinkable happens, most certainly under Vice-Presidentelect Kamala Harris, it is perhaps wise to see what other great leaders of freedom had to say about their countries’ experiments with “democratic” socialism.

Calling it “Hibiscus” socialism wouldn’t make it look any better. It is still highly centralized government control of our lives no matter how one describes it.

Biden’s election is “historic” only in the sense that he is the oldestperson to be president-elect in the United States of America. He is the first president-elect from Delaware, unless one counts Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th president, as the first since he was from Delaware, Ohio.

Donald Trump was responsible for over 100 million votes in the 2020 election: 74 million voted for him; 31 million voted against him. Polls say 39% of the people who voted for Joe Biden really voted against President Donald Trump because they hated him so much. Joe Biden might be lucky to count 50 million who truly were enthusiastic about voting for a Democrat candidate for president in 2020.

Hardly anyone has any idea of what Joe Biden stands for, what he did in 47 years of relatively obscure public service, or what he intends to do as President. He would not come into the White House with any of the adulation and public support that Presidents Obama, Reagan or Eisenhower enjoyed.

The #NeverTrumpers and people who hated Trump are about to get a real-life lesson in pure politics. They are about to get a dose of socialist policy they never believed possible. All they will be able to do is blame themselves for what they made possible.

Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of Great Britain in 1979, a year before Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. Both were elected because the creeping socialism in their respective countries was dragging both nations down into a morass of stagflation: 10% inflation, 21% interest rates and high unemployment.

Her task, as she saw it, was to dismantle socialism and replace it with a robust free market to restore the fortunes of Great Britain on the world stage. As only a great, educated British leader could do, she had some ripe comments about socialism:

“As Arthur Shenfield put it, the difference between the public and private sectors was that the private sector was controlled by the public sector and the public sector was not controlled by anyone.”

“The former Labour Cabinet Minister, Douglas Jay said that ‘the gentleman in Whitehall really does know better what is good for the people than the people know themselves’.”

“To cure the British disease with socialism was like trying to cure leukaemia with leeches.”

“Seen from afar, or from above, whether a socialist gentleman in Whitehall or by a High Tory, socialism has a certain nobility: equal sacrifice, fair shares, everyone pulling together. Seen from below, however, it looked very different. Fair shares somehow always turn out to be small shares. Then someone has to enforce their fairness; someone else has to check that this fairness does not result in black markets or under-the-counter favouritism; and a third person has to watch the first two to make sure that the administrators of fairness end up with no more than their fair share.”

Therein lie the inherent flaws in democratic socialism. Politicians who propound socialism for all almost uniformly have zero experience doing anything in the real world outside of government and politics. Joe Biden was in government for 47 years. Bernie Sanders never succeeded in anything before he ran for Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. AOC has never run a business, law firm or medical practice. Kamala Harris was a district attorney in San Francisco before becoming US Senator, but she is not an expert in the biogeochemistry of climate change, the economics of health care or any other aspect of our life socialists want to “change forever.”

Democratic socialists believe in their hearts, souls, and minds they, like the gentleman in Whitehall, know far better what is good for the people than the people themselves.

They don’t. America would do well to heed the words of Margaret Thatcher.

Happy New Year.

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

What we all should resolve to do better in 2021

2021 has got to be better than 2020 was. It’s just got to be.

THE YEAR 2020 has undoubtedly been a tough year for everyone, and it has been worse for some more so than others.

The coronavirus pandemic has been central to the woes of most Americans, starting with the outbreak in Washington state in February and continuing since.

While the availability of a vaccine (and more than one at that) has provided renewed hope for millions that life in America can soon get back to some sense of normalcy, there are things we as Americans can do in the meantime in order to hopefully speed up the process.

For starters, there needs to be a return to showing each other some basic courtesy.

This is anecdotal to be sure, but for about six weeks or so after the lockdowns began, I noticed that whenever I went out to the store to shop, or otherwise had to interact with neighbors in some way, there was a sense of togetherness and community. It was like most people had the “we’ll-get-through-this” mentality. There was a resoluteness to their behavior.

People were helping each other obtain hard-to-find items in the stores, like toilet paper. Others would give up their spots in line for an elderly shopper or for someone who only had a few items. You didn’t often see fights for parking spaces.

Most people, it seemed, appeared to have the mindset of “I’ve got more concerning things to worry about than who gets in line ahead of me.”

As the pandemic has dragged on, however, I’ve seen a change on this front, and I’ve read stories from others who have noticed the same thing. They’ve witnessed that people, in general, are much more short-tempered and less likely to be friendly and courteous in random interactions. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve encountered rude drivers and shoppers when I head out to run errands. This has become much more common than it was in the pre-pandemic days.

Along with the slow erosion of courtesy, we’ve seen patience fly out the window. It is without fail that someone will cut me off at a red light, or at the drive-through. I’ve talked to countless others who’ve noticed the uptick on things like this. The common refrain I hear is, “It wasn’t always this bad.”

While these incidents may not sound like much, daily interactions with people are a much bigger part of our lives than we give them credit for. Sometimes a good experience when you’re out and about can make the difference between having a really good day and a really bad one. Consistently being on the receiving end of discourteousness and impatience leads to bad attitudes fast, and that can have a negative trickle-down effect on others.

On one hand, it’s understandable that patience and courtesy are in short supply. Many have lost their jobs and/or have become isolated from their families, either due to government mandates or out of a sense of precaution. We are inundated with constant news reports on the latest case numbers and on how many have unfortunately lost their lives to the virus, all of which has left people on edge.

There are also all the reports on the mask wars, where some are being shamed for not wearing masks or where some non-mask wearers are taking out their frustrations on grocery store clerks and managers who are just trying to do their best.

This was also a presidential election year, where tensions tend to run high anyway.

On the other hand, however, that sense of togetherness and community is very important, and we’ve got to find a way to make it stronger again.

Because 2021 has got to be better than 2020 was. It’s just got to be.

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

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

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020 COLUMN | JENNA ROBINSON

COLUMN | GUY MITCHELL

Racial quotas by another name

A strong commitment to nondiscrimination and equality of opportunity will not be enough if equality of outcome is the new standard by which university leaders are judged.

ON DEC. 4, the UNC System Racial Equity Task Force adopted a series of recommendations to address issues of race across the system’s 16 campuses. The task force was created “to address inequities in the UNC System for the benefit of students, faculty, staff, and all North Carolinians,” according to UNC Board of Governors Chairman Randy Ramsey.

At first glance, the task force’s recommendations seem innocuous. They include more reporting, better data, additional training, and accountability measures. But the stated goal of these recommendations — “a racially diverse and equitable University student body, faculty, staff, and leadership” — goes far beyond traditional commitments to equal opportunity.

The “potential strategies” included in the report show that unofficial quotas and racial setasides will be the inevitable outcomes of adopting such a plan.

For example, one potential strategy for “better data and accountability” is: “Formalize incentives and accountability measures for stakeholders to engage in work to promote racial equity, diversity and inclusion, and include institutional measures related to racial equity as part of performance evaluations.”

This strategy will give stakeholders, administrators and university leaders powerful incentives to use unofficial racial quotas in order to receive positive evaluations. A strong commitment to nondiscrimination and equality of opportunity will not be enough if equality of outcome is the new standard by which university leaders are judged. If they are held accountable for numerical equity, then that is what they will count.

Quotas and racial set-asides are unconstitutional. In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court ruled that public universities could not set specific racial targets for admissions or employment. In City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., the Supreme Court ruled that minority setaside programs were unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. Any university program that explicitly sets its goal as numerical

equity in enrollment, employment or leadership positions will almost certainly run afoul of these precedents as the plan is put into practice.

The recommendations also present dangers to free speech and academic freedom on campus.

Of special concern is the recommendation that universities create “safe spaces” as well as “a clear path to reporting race and equity issues.” Like the bias response teams that have popped up on many campuses, these recommendations will be an invitation for policing the speech of students and faculty, quelling discussion and increasing the self-censorship that is already endemic on university campuses.

The recommendations will also entrench politicized scholarship that has already been discredited and discontinued in other sectors.

(The United Kingdom recently announced that it will end unconscious bias training for civil servants, citing evidence that the training didn’t work to change racial attitudes and could potentially backfire.)

These unintended consequences should be enough to give the UNC System pause as it considers important questions of race. But of greater importance is the substitution of equity for equality of opportunity as a guiding principle.

Equality of opportunity gives students a chance to succeed, thrive and flourish — based on their own abilities, effort and goals. Using equity as the standard “is fundamentally a denial of the principle of formal and legal equality,” says Nigel Ashford, “as people are treated not on the basis of their own virtues and faults, what Martin Luther King called ‘the content of our character,’ but on irrelevant characteristics such as gender or race.”

Although the United States, as well as many academic institutions, failed for years to live up to the promise of equal opportunity for all, it is the only principle by which universities can fulfill their commitments to all their students and to their missions of academic excellence and freedom of thought.

Instead of focusing on racial equity, universities should recommit themselves to nondiscrimination, equality of opportunity and academic freedom.

COLUMN | JAMES C. CAPRETTA

Defined contributions and standardized coverage This is the second and final installment of James Capretta’s article to reform employer-based health care insurance first published in North State Journal 12/23/20.

UNDER THIS PROPOSED REFORM, workers would pay more in taxes and premiums, but they would come out ahead if the overall reform lowered the cost of insurance without significantly diminishing the value of their insurance coverage (as discussed in more detail below). For instance, an 8% drop in premiums would mean a net gain of $1,800 annually for workers when taking into account their wage gains, the taxes they owe, and their premium payments.

Cutting health expenses by 8% is realistic with the right combination of policies. CBO has estimated that a similar reform in Medicare (“premium support”) would reduce overall costs by 8% after a transition period.

Comparable savings are possible with ESI if “premium support” reforms are attached to the new federal tax credits.

First, employers should be required to convert their premium payments into defined-contribution payments that their employees control so that workers will have strong incentives to enroll in low-cost plans. For instance, if an employer provides $15,000 in defined-contribution support for family coverage, and two plans are available with premiums of $18,000 and $19,000, workers choosing the less expensive option would save $1,000 annually.

Second, the benefits covered by competing ESI plans must be standardized as far as possible in terms of the medical care covered and the cost-sharing required by the enrollees.

The firms themselves would need to enforce this requirement by ensuring the plan offerings they make available to their employees do not have glaring omissions of covered services, or arbitrary and unreasonable differences in deductible amounts and required copayments. The goal is to force intensive competition at the level of premiums charged for insurance and not to allow insurers to confuse the choice by altering the services that are covered by the plans. With standardized benefits, insurers would be forced to deliver cost control by eliminating waste and inefficiency in the provision of care, which is where the focus must be to slow overall cost growth.

Third, firms participating in this voluntary reform must give their employees meaningful coverage options. The benefits must be standardized, but workers should have a say in how strictly their plans manage care on their behalf.

Federal certification of high-value plans In the 1970s and 1980s, the Health Maintenance Organization Act helped jumpstart the nascent managedcare industry. Something similar is needed today to encourage employers to offer plans with proven track records of highquality and cost control. Requiring firms to offer at least one federally certified plan would ensure workers have access to the most cost-effective offerings, as measured by objective and uniform criteria.

Certified plans also should be required to maintain effective

A7

employee-engagement programs, including shared savings arrangements for workers who select low-cost and high-value providers of services. For instance, insurers should make price shopping for routine services and procedures an important factor in controlling cost growth by giving their employees a portion of the savings when they select providers of services with prices below a reasonable benchmark (such as the median price in the market area for that service). Further, certified plans should be required to demonstrate how they will protect enrollees from any and all surprise bills.

Private exchanges Under the ACA, exchanges are used to organize the market for individuals buying coverage on their own. The exchanges bring together tens of thousands of consumers into larger pools, which improves the purchasing leverage of those shopping for coverage. Insurers establish uniform plan offerings and premiums for all participants in the same exchange pool.

Private exchanges also exist in the employer sector, with several large-benefit consulting companies sponsoring them for their clients, but enrollment has been modest.

The federal government could facilitate the emergence of a stronger private exchange system for employers by increasing the federal tax credit by 10% for coverage secured through a private exchange. Firms using the exchanges would be relieved of having to organize coverage offerings for their employees; their only obligation would be to make defined contribution payments to the exchanges in support of the enrollment choices of their workers. The private exchanges would be required to follow premium support principles to ensure strong competition and cost control.

The private sector cannot do this alone Job-based health insurance is a pillar of U.S. health care, but there are signs of stress. Cost pressures are contributing to wage stagnation and income inequality, which are serious concerns beyond what they imply for accessing needed medical care.

The private sector cannot fix ESI’s problems on its own because firms compete for workers through their benefit offerings.

Congress must step in and modernize ESI with stronger incentives for cost control. Firms should retain the power to pursue their own innovations and to tailor their offerings to the needs of their workers. But sensible reforms would help all firms keep premiums from squeezing what they can pay their workers.

That’s the key to ensuring employees continue to see value in retaining ESI as the main source of coverage for themselves and their families.

This article was first published in The Bulwark by James C. Capretta who is a resident fellow and holds the Milton Friedman Chair at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.

Joe Biden and the ‘settled science’ of man-made global warming AS PART OF JOE BIDEN’S far-reaching planned policy initiatives, the presumed presidentelect has pledged to spend $2 trillion during his first term on a plan to combat man-made global warming. Separately, Biden’s designated Treasury secretary nominee, Janet Yellin, has proposed a substantial tax on carbon dioxide emissions. If implemented, these measures will have pervasive negative consequences for the U.S. economy and U.S. consumers for years to come.

The Brookings Institute has projected substantial increases in gasoline and electricity prices if Biden’s proposed policies are implemented. Higher energy costs would raise the costs of goods and services for households and production costs for industry. The resulting lower corporate profits, lower wages and lower consumption will mean higher unemployment and lower living standards.

Given the scope and magnitude of Biden’s proposed climate plan, the effect on the U.S. economy and the everyday lives of all Americans is potentially cataclysmic. Biden insists that such radical initiatives are required to confront a threat to our very existence posed by man-made global warming. But what is the proof of this claimed predicate?

This question takes me back to a 2017 dinner party hosted by friends at their home in the North Carolina mountains.

During the course of the conversation over dinner, I asked a friend who was a professor at a nearby university what the main challenges were in teaching the students of today. He stated, “Some just do not want to accept the truth about certain issues.”

To which I replied, “What issues?” He responded in turn, “Well, like global warming for instance.

Ninety-seven percent of the world’s scientists believe that man has caused global warming.”

As I remained silent, all heads turned to hear what I might have to say. My friends expected that with my science and engineering background, I would have an intelligent opinion on this issue. The professor persisted: “Surely, Guy, you agree with 97% of the world’s scientists on this matter?” I had no ready answer.

That conversation, and my inability to provide any thoughtful response launched me on a threeyear quest in search of an answer.

As I began this personal odyssey, I thought my strong science background would allow me to reach a conclusion in short order. After all, I had received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a major in thermodynamics and a minor in thermal fluids. I presumed that my education in mathematics, physics, thermodynamics and gas dynamics would permit me to understand the underlying scientific principles involved in the fields of climate science related to the issue of man-made global warming (in scientific terms, “anthropogenic global warming,” or “AGW” for short). But I was wrong. This is a very complex subject.

For the next three years I plunged into an intensive and extensive study of the fields of quantum mechanics, atmospheric physics and spectroscopy, as well as the thermodynamic interactions of the earth’s biosphere: land mass, oceans and atmosphere. I spent more than two years studying scientific research on the subject of AGW to understand the various theories and evidence put forward to “prove” its existence.

Three years later, I finally have an answer to the question put to me at the 2017 dinner party. I strongly believe that the supposed “science” behind the popular theory of AGW is far from “settled,” and the conclusion that AGW poses a threat to human existence is political rather than scientific. Moreover, I believe that this political conclusion is being used to stifle debate and research that would provide us with an accurate assessment of the theory of AGW. Given the tremendous impact the Biden administration’s planned climate initiatives would have upon the lives of all Americans, I believe this is a subject that we should all understand as informed citizens. In a planned series of articles, I will share my journey to make sense of this complex subject, delving into the scientific evidence — and lack thereof --- behind the competing hypotheses, exploring various associated issues.

I hope these articles might provide readers with the background necessary to understand the debate over man-made global warming and come to an informed personal opinion on the subject. You may even find yourself educating the self-certain “climate experts” at your next dinner party.

(This article, the first in a planned series, was written by Guy K. Mitchell Jr., the founder and chairman of Mitchell Industries, a diversified manufacturing company based in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Mitchell is a member of Pi Tau Sigma, the International Honor Society for Mechanical Engineers and was elected a Distinguished Engineering Fellow by the College of Engineering, University of Alabama, in 1995. He is working on a book about what he believes to be the flawed claims of global warming caused by human activity. This article and those intended to follow are drawn from the content of Mr. Mitchell’s book.

BE IN TOUCH

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 3101 Industrial Dr. Suite 105. Raleigh, N.C. 27609. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

A8

NATION & WORLD After Arab Spring, a decade of upheaval and lost hopes

By Lee Keath The Associated Press CAIRO — Was it real?

It’s all been erased so completely, so much blood has been shed and destruction wreaked over the past decade. The idea that there was a moment when millions across the Middle East wanted freedom and change so much that they took to the streets seems like romantic nostalgia.

“It was very brief, man. It was so brief,” said Badr Elbendary, an Egyptian activist.

Elbendary was blinded on the third day of his country’s revolt in 2011, when security forces shot him in the face. It happened during a clash that became iconic among Egypt’s “revolutionaries,” when protesters and police battled on a bridge over the Nile in Cairo for hours, ending with the police scattering.

Today, he’s in the United States.

He can’t return home. Many of his comrades from the protests languish in prisons in Egypt.

In December 2010, the uprising began in Tunisia and quickly spread from country to country in revolts against longtime authoritarian rulers. It became known as the Arab Spring, but for those who took to the streets, the call was “revolution.”

The uprisings were about more than just removing autocrats. At their heart, they were a mass demand by the public for better governance and economies, rule of law, greater rights and, most of all, a voice in how their countries are run.

For a time after 2011, the surge toward those dreams seemed irreversible. Now they are further than ever. Those who keep the faith are convinced that yearning was real and remains — or is even growing as people across the Arab world struggle with worsening economies and heavier repression. Eventually, they say, it will emerge again.

“We have lowered our dreams,” said Amani Ballour, a Syrian doctor who ran an underground clinic treating casualties in the opposition enclave of Ghouta outside Damascus until it collapsed under a long, brutal siege by Syrian government forces in 2018. She was evacuated with other residents to northwest Syria, and from there she left the country.

“The spirit of the demonstrations may be over for now ... But all those who suffered from the war, from the regime’s repression, they won’t put up with it,” she said from Germany. “Even in the areas controlled by the regime, there is great frustration and anger building up among the people.”

FRANCOIS MORI | AP PHOTO

In this Sunday Oct. 23, 2011 file photo, Libyan celebrate at Saha Kish Square in Benghazi, Libya, as Libya’s transitional government declares the official liberation of Libya after months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

“Eventually” could be years.

The region is traumatized and exhausted by its most destructive decade of the modern era, perhaps the most destructive in centuries.

Across Syria, Yemen and Iraq, millions have lost their homes in war and struggle to find livelihoods, educate their children or even to feed themselves. Armed factions have proliferated in those countries and Libya, raking in money and recruiting young people who find few other options. Poverty rates have risen around the region, especially with the coronavirus pandemic.

Activists and analysts have had a decade to pore over why it went wrong.

Secular liberals failed to present a cohesive front or leadership.

Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood overplayed their hand. Labor organizations, neutered by decades of autocratic rule, couldn’t step up as a powerful mobilizer or political force. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the countries with some success, Tunisia and Sudan, both had strong labor and professional movements.

The international scene was pitted against the uprisings. The United States and Europe were

muddled in their responses, torn between their rhetoric about backing democracy and their interest in stability and worries about Islamists. In the end, they largely listened to the latter.

Gulf monarchies used oil wealth to smother any revolutionary tide and back reactionary powers. Russia, Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates waded into the region’s wars, either sending their own forces or arming factions.

Ultimately, few expected just how wide some leaders were willing to throw open the gates of Hell to keep power.

Syria’s Bashar Assad proved the most ruthless. Faced with armed rebellion, he and his Russian and Iranian allies decimated cities, and he used chemical weapons on his own people, clawing back Syria’s heartland and main cities and preserving his rule.

In Yemen, strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down in late 2011 in the face of the protests.

But he soon tried to regain power by allying with his longtime enemy, the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. Together, they captured the capital and Yemen’s north, pulling Saudi Arabia and other Gulf coun-

tries into a U.S.-backed campaign to rescue the government.

The resulting civil war has been catastrophic, killing tens of thousands and pushing the population toward starvation in the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian disaster. Saleh himself was killed by the Houthis when they suspected him of turning on them.

In Libya, the U.S. and European countries retreated from involvement after their bombardment helped bring down Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich Mediterranean nation promptly collapsed into a constantly shape-shifting civil war.

Over the years, it has involved the many local militias, units of the old national army, al-Qaida, the Islamic State group, Russian mercenaries and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters, with at least two — at one point three — rival claimant governments.

Europe’s main priority has been to stop the flow of African migrants from Libya across the Mediterranean. So Libya has become a horrific dead end for thousands of men and women trying to migrate from Central and East Africa only to find themselves locked up and tortured by militiamen.

Syria’s civil war gave al-Qaida’s former Iraq branch, rebranded as the Islamic State group, a theater in which to build strength. From there it overran a swath of Syria and Iraq and declare the creation of an Islamic “caliphate” — opening up yet another war that wreaked destruction in Iraq.

In Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi often points to the wreckage around the region to bolster one of his key claims to legitimacy — “without me, chaos.”

El-Sissi has taken the lesson from 2011 that even the slightest opening gives a foothold for turmoil, often saying stability is needed while he reshapes the economy. It’s an argument that resonates among many Egyptians, shaken not only by wars in Syria and Libya but also Egypt’s turmoil for years after Hosni Mubarak’s fall.

The result has been repression of dissent far beyond what was seen under Mubarak. The crushing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamists included a brutal attack on a sit-in that left hundreds dead. In recent years, his government has arrested secular activists and others, often bringing them before terrorism court.

Pompeo unloads on US universities for China ties

By Matthew Lee The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused U.S. universities of caving to Chinese pressure to blunt or bar criticism of the Chinese Communist Party in a speech two weeks ago. The attack, which included identifying two university administrators by name, comes as the Trump administration seeks to cement its anti-China policies before the end of January.

Pompeo took aim at universities across the U.S., claiming they refused to address the Trump administration’s concerns about China’s attempts to influence students and academics. He specifically called out the president of MIT, alleging he refused to host Pompeo’s speech, and a senior official at the University of Washington over a case involving a Chinese student.

Both universities swiftly and emphatically denied the charges.

Pompeo defended the Trump administration’s tough stance on China in remarks at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The speech came less than a month before Georgia’s two critical run-off races that will determine control of the Senate.

“Americans must know how the

CCP is poisoning the well of our higher education for its own ends, and how those actions degrade our freedoms and our national security. If we don’t educate ourselves, we’ll get schooled by Beijing,” he said. “They know that left-leaning college campuses are rife with anti-Americanism and present easy target audiences for their anti-American messaging.”

Pompeo has been a champion of the administration’s hardline stance on Chinese policies in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, the western region of Xinjiang and the South China Sea, and he has made similar pronouncements before.

He has imposed multiple layers of sanctions on Chinese officials; restricted visas for Chinese diplomats, journalists and academics; and lobbied other countries to reject Chinese high-tech communications.

But his comments were striking in that he named the two American university officials as complicit in alleged Chinese malfeasance.

Pompeo said he had initially wanted to give his Georgia Tech speech at MIT, but the president of the renowned scientific institution, Rafael Reif, had turned him down for fear of offending Beijing.

“MIT wasn’t interested in hav-

JOHN BAZEMORE | AP PHOTO

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at Georgia Tech Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in Atlanta. ing me give this speech on their campus,” Pompeo said. “President Rafael Reif implied that my arguments might insult their ethnic Chinese students and professors.”

MIT spokeswoman Kimberly Allen rejected Pompeo’s assertion, saying the university declined to host the speech because of coronavirus restrictions. She said several other prospective high-level events had also been rejected.

Reif “had real concerns that a high-level visit might not only draw crowds but suggest to students that MIT was not taking its own rules seriously,” she said.

“President Reif verbally conveyed MIT’s decision — based on a commitment to the health of our stu-

dents and our surrounding community — with his deep regrets.”

Pompeo also criticized Sarah Castro, the University of Washington’s director of federal relations, for allegedly refusing to help Vera Zhou, a student of Chinese origin who had been detained in China in 2017, so as not to jeopardize a “multimillion-dollar deal” between the university and Beijing.

“Now, thank God, Vera was eventually released, and returned to the U.S,” Pompeo said of the student. “But no thanks to the University of Washington, and no thanks to its deal with China.”

A statement from university spokesman Victor Balta called Pompeo’s remarks a “shameful”

and “outrageous” deflection by an administration that took “no effective action” on behalf of Zhou.

“That the Secretary of State would think a university has more power in this situation than the United States government is bizarre,” he said. “That he would single out a staff member by name is unbecoming of the office, and his statement is flatly wrong.”

The university has no record of contact from the State Department regarding any negotiation with China, Balta said, and officials don’t know what “multimillion-dollar deal” Pompeo was referencing. He added that, as of this quarter, Zhou is again enrolled at the university.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020

SPORTS

PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

LOOK AHEAD: 2021 COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

The return of fans — including Duke’s boisterous Cameron Crazies — will be a welcome sight in 2021.

Fans will again fill arenas, stadiums in 2021 We’re going to be back next year, maybe not in the numbers we were before — at least not yet — but the big return is coming.

We had to sit out a year, but we’ll be back

By Shawn Krest North State Journal IF YOU’RE READING THIS, congratulations. You’re the North State Journal’s choice for the 2021 Comeback of the Year.

We’re all going to be part of next year’s biggest comeback — from the Cameron Crazies to the beer-drinking, nacho-pounding fans at a midweek minor league game enjoying the summer evening and not sure what the score is.

We’re going to be back next year, maybe not in the numbers we were before — at least not yet — but the big return is coming.

When athletes win a Comeback of the Year award, it’s usually because they returned from an injury — a torn knee ligament or rotator cuff, perhaps.

We all felt something tear in 2020 as well and felt the pain when it did. It was our connection to the teams and sports we love, our feeling of security in a crowd of like-minded fans and our need to be there, in the arena, stadium or bleachers beside a field.

2020 is the year our sports

were taken away. The ACC Tournament: Gone. March Madness: Gone. Spring sports, minor league baseball, high school football, little league and all the options on cable or satellite every night of the week. From March to midsummer, it all went away.

Instead, we read — and wrote — stories about old games. We voted in tournament brackets where the winner was determined by social media poll instead of on the court. We watched NASCAR drivers play video games and NBA players shoot HORSE in their driveways. And we stayed home.

It wasn’t the end of the world, and we’d never claim that it was.

It wasn’t even the worst thing that happened this year. But, in a time of great stress and upheaval, we were abandoned by our lifelong companion. Sports has always been there for us. Maybe it’s the only thing you can talk civilly about with a co-worker or parent. Maybe it’s your favorite thing to argue about with an old friend.

Perhaps it’s just background noise for your evenings or weekend afternoon. But from trade rumors to buzzer-beaters, it was always a topic of conversation.

For many of us, it was also a place to gather. It’s no coincidence that fans refer to the “Church of

baseball” because sports give us a place to gather with other believers, to chant in unison, to cling to our faith and sing praise.

When the churches closed, so did the sports shrines, and we were left with nowhere to go. The very thing that gave us strength — the energy of the crowd — was what we were told could kill us.

And so we stayed home and waited. And when sports returned, we were left on the outside, looking in.

Games were played in empty arenas, giving us content to watch from the safety of our homes. It was the sports equivalent of Zoom meetings — a chance to connect, but a pale comparison of an in-person meeting. It wasn’t being there.

Venues tried to help make things the same, creating bizarre scenes that always seemed to top themselves in surreal peak 2020ness.

Who would have thought that the cardboard cutouts of heads student sections used to wave to distract free-throw shooters would become the only ones occupying courtside seats? Row upon row of cardboard fake fans, watching silently. When viewed from behind, they looked like rows of tombstones, perhaps a fit-

ting reminder of why we weren’t able to join them.

The pregame hype videos went on with no one to get hyped by them. All the gameday traditions were played — Cascada at Duke, “Jump Around” at Carolina, the NC State horns section’s late-game trip around the court.

Like a prerecorded anthem when a team can’t find someone to sing it, they were hollow, tinny replicas of something usually inspiring.

Then there were the fake crowd sounds, borrowed from video games and played over loudspeakers to give some type of white noise backdrop, often making a game in an empty arena sound like the rear seat of a commercial flight. And there were the senior nights, without parents in attendance, as players were honored for their four years with an introduction to an empty stadium.

It’s from all this that we shall return. We will gather, and we will shout. We will chant, and we will cry. We might sit farther apart than we used to at first. We might have to show proof of vaccination to get in. We might have to paint our masks as well as our faces, but we will be back.

We will be there.

Again.

Next year.

LOOK AHEAD: 2021 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

LaMelo Ball will bring excitement to Hornets There will be growing pains, but the dynamic point guard should usher in a crowdpleasing style in Charlotte

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal SELECTING IN THE top five of the NBA Draft hasn’t been particularly kind to the Charlotte Hornets.

In the early years of the franchise, the team hit the mark with players like Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, and the 1999 selection of Baron Davis at No. 3 was one of the best picks of that

year’s draft.

Since then? It’s been a parade of underachievers and disappointments. Emeka Okafor and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist never came close to living up to being second overall picks. Like Davis, Adam Morrison was picked third by Charlotte — and played just 161 games in the league, 122 of them with the Bobcats.

Cody Zeller, fourth overall in 2013, has proven to be a serviceable complementary player from a draft that’s best player wasn’t selected until 15th, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Raymond Felton, the fifth pick in 2005, played the first five years of a

solid 14-year career in Charlotte but was never an All-Star.

There’s reason to believe things will be different this time.

The Hornets jumped up in the lottery and landed the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft. With three players — LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman — all considered potential first overall picks, Charlotte was poised to get a top talent regardless of who fell to them after Minnesota and Golden State made their selections.

As it turned out, it was Ball — the 6-foot-7 point guard who spurned college to play in Australia — who See BALL, page B4

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

LaMelo Ball, the third overall pick by the Hornets, has the skill to become one of the most dynamic and exciting point guards in the NBA.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B2

LOOK AHEAD: 2021 PLAYER OF THE YEAR

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Already one of the top quarterbacks in college football, UNC’s Sam Howell will have a chance to build an even stronger resume in 2021.

Sam Howell could lift UNC to even greater heights “I just love the game and want to be the best player I can be. But I definitely want to be one of those guys in the spotlight.”

Sam Howell, UNC quarterback

Also chosen by NSJ as the favorite to win the 2020 honor, the Tar Heels quarterback is poised to be a Heisman contender next season

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal WHEN NORTH CAROLINA plays Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, it will mark its first appearance in one of college football’s major postseason games since 1950.

But in the estimation of Mack Brown, it’s only the second most important milestone in his second tenure as the Tar Heels’ coach.

The first came just over two years earlier when Sam Howell decided to decommit from Florida State to become the cornerstone of Brown’s rebuilding effort in Chapel Hill. “(It was) probably the most important thing we’ve done when we were able to flip Sam, being one of if not the top players in this state,” the Hall of Fame coach said during an appearance on ESPN’s National Signing Day show.

“I didn’t even realize it at the time. Being a leader, a quarterback, he comes in, wins the job and then he’s just had an incredible performance for the two years we’ve been here.”

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Indian Trail native burst onto the scene by putting together one of the best seasons ever by a UNC quarterback. He threw for 3,641 yards and a school-record 38 touchdown passes while earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Tar Heels to a resurgent 7-6 record.

It was a performance that led the sports staff of the North State Journal to select him as its choice to be the state’s Player of the Year in 2020.

Howell put together an equally productive sophomore season.

After improving his completion percentage to 69.1% and throwing for 3,352 yards with 28 touchdowns while helping UNC reach its lofty heights, he is once again NSJ’s pick to be North Carolina’s Player of the Year for 2021.

With Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence likely to be the No. 1 pick in this season’s NFL Draft and Notre Dame returning to independent status following its one-year dalliance with the ACC, Howell

can expect to attract more than just local attention.

He’ll enter his third — and what could be his final — year with the Tar Heels as a legitimate ACC Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy candidate.

It’s a role he said won’t change his approach, either on or off the field.

“I don’t play the game for the attention,” Howell said. “I just love the game and want to be the best player I can be. But I definitely want to be one of those guys in the spotlight. I’ve worked my whole life to get to where I am today and just to have the recognition people are starting to give me. Really, it’s a blessing.”

One of Howell’s most abundant blessings has been the wealth of offensive talent surrounding him this season.

The Tar Heels lead the ACC in total offense at 556.6 yards per game and are second only to national championship contender Clemson in scoring offense at 43 points per game.

Even with top receiver Dyami Brown and 1,000-yard rushers Michael Carter Jr. and Javonte Williams announcing their decision to opt out of the Orange Bowl to begin their draft preparations,

Howell will still have plenty of weapons at his disposal in 2021.

It’s a group led by big play receiver Dazz Newsome, who has 182 receptions, 2,367 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns in his collegiate career heading into the Orange Bowl.

“In both of those rooms, in the receiver and the running back room, we have a lot of really good players that really haven’t had a lot of opportunities to play just because the starters have been so good,” Howell said. “So it’s a great opportunity for those guys to step up, and we really don’t know exactly who’s going to be fulfilling those spots. It definitely is exciting for those younger guys to have a chance to compete and show us what they’ve got.”

As for Howell, he’s looking forward to putting up even bigger numbers in 2021. And not just those on the stat sheet as he and the Tar Heels look to continue the upward trend that started when he decided to come to Chapel Hill rather than Tallahassee.

“Sam and I have talked a lot about a legacy for a guy like him, and his legacy will be how many games he wins,” Brown said.

“That’s what quarterbacks are remembered for.”

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020 LOOK AHEAD: 2021 TEAM OF THE YEAR

B3

LOOK AHEAD: 2021 BOLD PREDICTIONS

The NSJ sports staff is again taking a stab at what will happen in 2021 — and some of the predictions aren’t for the weak-hearted. Sports editor Cory Lavalette and staff writers Brett Friedlander and Shawn Krest take a crack at what the next year will bring.

BRETT FRIEDLANDER ACC scraps divisional format

MARY SCHWALM | AP PHOTO

Elissa Cunane leads an NC State women’s basketball team that closed 2020 on a high and has even bigger plans for the coming year.

Wolfpack will solidify spot as top women’s basketball program After a breakthrough year in 2020, NC State is ready to prove it is an elite team

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal NC STATE’S 54-46 upset of No. 1 South Carolina last month was hailed by fans and the national media as the Wolfpack’s arrival among the elite of women’s college basketball.

For coach Wes Moore and his players, the victory — though significant — was just one more step forward in a journey that has yet to reach its destination.

“Obviously. I’m really proud,” Moore said in a Zoom conference immediately after ending the Gamecocks’ 29-game winning streak. “This is a game that will get attention, but it’s not March and we realize it’s just a game that we can hopefully build on and gain some confidence from, especially on the road.”

The Wolfpack’s ascension began when Moore, a former Kay Yow assistant, was hired in 2013.

Although he got the team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season, it wasn’t until 2018-19 that things began to gain steam.

State won its first 21 games that season and made it to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 for the second straight year despite a rash of injuries that depleted the roster. Last season, the program checked off another box by claiming its first ACC Tournament championship since 1991.

With an 8-0 record (3-0 ACC) and a No. 4 national ranking, Moore and his players have their sights set on an even more prestigious title in 2021. It’s an ambitious goal that has led the Wolfpack to be picked as North State Journal’s Team of the Year for next year — the second straight year the team has been predicted to win that honor.

“We can compete with the best

“We really want to win, so we’re going to do everything we can to do that.”

Elissa Cunane, NC State women’s basketball of the best,” said senior forward Kayla Jones, whose 16 points and 11 rebounds led the way in the South Carolina win. “Of course, every team is good, and we have to break down film and don’t take anyone lightly, just play our game.

Coach Moore prepares us to be a great team. We play to make ourselves better, and we know we are playing for something bigger each and every game we play.”

While winning a championship or even getting to the Final Four is a tall task for an upstart program in any sport, it’s especially difficult in women’s basketball because of the disparity between top-tier teams such as South Carolina, UConn, Baylor, Stanford and ACC rival Notre Dame.

But this season’s Wolfpack has the depth, talent and versatility to join that exclusive club.

Through the first eight games this season, five different players have led the team in scoring.

It’s a group anchored by center Elissa Cunane.

Nicknamed “Big Smile” because of her cheery disposition, the 6-foot-5 junior has become a dominant force named as a preseason candidate for both the Naismith and Wooden awards as national Player of the Year.

Adding a perimeter element to her already strong low post game, she leads the team in both scoring (15.9 per game) and rebounding (8.7 per game).

Jones, a steady performer through her first three seasons at

State, has upped her game again and is a steady veteran with a knack for playing her best in the biggest games.

Fellow senior Kai Crutchfield can play both guard positions and, like Jones, has shown an ability to take over games when the need arises — as she did in scoring 21 points in the Wolfpack’s season-opening win against North Florida.

Sophomore Jakia Brown-Turner earned ACC All-Freshman honors in her first college season, while fellow sophomore Jada Boyd — who missed the South Carolina game with an injury — is making a smooth transition from top reserve to starter on the wing.

The X-factor on the team is graduate transfer point guard Raina Perez.

The Big West Conference Player of the Year at Cal State Fullerton last season, Perez has stepped in to fill the void left by graduated team leader Aislinn Konig.

“I’m so thankful and we’re so blessed that she came to NC State,” Moore said of Perez. “We lost Ace Konig, who was our starting point guard the last three years, and Kaila Ealey, another one that started several games. We needed point guard experience. … She’s such a smart player and she’s a pro. She prepares, she’s focused.”

Perez’s addition paid dividends in the South Carolina win when, in her first start as a member of the Wolfpack because of Boyd’s injury, she contributed 11 points and four assists without committing a turnover while playing 37 of the 40 minutes against the Gamecocks’ full-court press.

What made her performance all the more important is that it helped State find a way to win despite a 30% shooting effort that included a subpar 3-of-13 performance from the team’s best player.

“Knowing that feeling of being on top of everybody, like we were the best, that really motivates you to keep going and play every day harder and harder,” Cunane said. “We know that it took a lot last year to get to the ACC Tournament and then win it all. It’s going to be double as hard this year. We really want to win, so we’re going to do everything we can to do that.”

The coronavirus pandemic brought about numerous changes in sports in 2020. Some, most notably the NCAA waiver that eliminated the minimum-win requirement for bowl eligibility, will soon be forgotten. Others, however, worked so well that they’ll become permanent. Among them is the ACC’s move to eliminate the divisional format it has used since 2005.

Ditching the Atlantic and Coastal divisions ensured that the league’s two best teams would be matched against one another in its championship game, stimulating greater interest, higher television ratings and increased revenue. Not only will the ACC go division-less in 2021, but it will also increase its conference schedule from eight to nine games to provide its television network with more content. The Notre Dame experiment will also eventually become permanent, especially now that Jim Phillips — with his ties to the Irish — has become commissioner. But that won’t happen for at least another couple of years.

Final Four for Wolfpack women NC State’s women’s basketball team was riding high with momentum after winning its first ACC Tournament championship in 29 years last March. But coach Wes Moore’s Wolfpack was deprived of a chance to add to its resume when the NCAA Tournament was shelved because of COVID-19. With most of its important pieces back, including national Player of the Year candidate Elissa Cunane, and soaring confidence after an early-season upset of then-No. 1 South Carolina, State is poised to make up for its lost opportunity by joining the nation’s elite and advancing to the Final Four for the first time since 1988 and only the second time in school history.

Gwiazdowski will qualify for Olympics, win a medal This is a repeat of last year’s prediction but because the Olympics were postponed until next summer, it still stands: A two-time NCAA champion at NC State, Nick Gwiazdowski is one of the nation’s premier freestyle wrestlers at 125 kilograms (275 pounds). Since his graduation, the former Wolfpack star has twice made the U.S. National Team that competed in the World Championships and both times, in 2017 and ’18, he has come home with a bronze medal. His next step is to represent his country next summer at the Olympics in Tokyo. And when he does, he’ll bring home the hardware from there, too.

SHAWN KREST Another challenge for Coach K Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will be moving on to his next challenge. The Hall of Fame Duke coach announces that 2023 will be his last season on the Duke bench and he’ll then move on to the newly created role of College Basketball Czar. After years of criticizing the NCAA for not having one person to speak for the sport, Coach K becomes the first person to assume the job, which will be a liaison with coaches, players and administration.

Quarterback plans for Panthers The Panthers stick with Teddy Bridgewater to try to make a run at a playoff berth in 2021, but the team uses a fifth-round draft pick to take Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond in the spring as the quarterback of the future. As Carolina struggles to hold onto one of the final wild card spots, the team’s management will be called into question over deciding to contend instead of a tank job to “Play foul for Sam Howell” in the 2022 draft.

New-look minor leagues With budgets tight already following a canceled 2020 season, North Carolina’s remaining minor league teams will face even more financial pressure when the season starts late and crowd capacity is still heavily limited. Fans looking for a fun, cheap family night at the ballpark will be outraged as teams announce steep hikes in ticket prices and concessions. Faced with the possibility of closing up shop, more than one franchise in the state will be put up for sale. One possible bright side of the industry’s struggles to survive will be a renewed push for an MLB expansion team in the state.

CORY LAVALETTE Everyone’s chasing Elliott Chase Elliott will strengthen his grip on being the face of auto racing by winning a second straight NASCAR Cup Series title. With more road courses — where Elliott dominates — on the 2021 schedule, the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 will lead the series in wins with 11 — including a staggering five on road courses — heading into the playoffs. From there, he will outlast a rejuvenated Kyle Busch to become the 11th driver to win backto-back championships and the first since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006-10. Elliott will also be named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for the fourth straight year.

Hurricanes win Central Division The NHL had to reconfigure its divisions for its upcoming 56-game season, putting all seven Canadian teams together due to travel restrictions in and out of the country. While the Hurricanes did not have any Canadian teams with them in the Metropolitan Division, the shuffling means they will play frequently against teams they don’t see often in a normal season in a new-fangled Central Division. That includes both Stanley Cup Final teams from the 2019-20 season: Tampa Bay and Dallas. It won’t matter. The Stars and Lightning both stumble in the early going with injury issues and Carolina capitalizes, building an early lead by faring well against the two powers of the division and feasting on the also-rans to win the Central.

The Hurricanes, however, get bounced by the Lightning in the playoffs, falling just short of reaching the final four.

Big turnover among college coaches

MARY SCHWALM | AP PHOTO

NC State coach Wes Moore guided the Wolfpack to an ACC Tournament title and a win over top-ranked South Carolina in 2020.

With fans finally returning to the stands, college athletic departments decide to loosen their purse strings in 2021 — and a lot of coaches move on from North Carolina. NC Central’s LeVelle Moton, UNCG’s Wes Miller and Western Carolina’s Mark Prosser all leave their respective basketball programs for greener pastures, while NC State’s Dave Doeren and Charlotte’s Will Healy will both land in the SEC after nine-win seasons.

Doeren will become the latest coach to try and revive Tennessee, while Healy takes over at Arkansas after Sam Pittman is let go after just two seasons.

B4

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

LOOK AHEAD: 2021 COACH OF THE YEAR

Close losses plagued Panthers in ’20; Matt Rhule and his team will improve Year two could be a breakthrough for Carolina and its coach

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

The Panthers are 5-10 with one game remaining in the 2020 season, but first-year coach Matt Rhule has Carolina pointed in the right direction for 2021 and beyond.

FOR THE CAROLINA PANTHERS, this year was more about what wasn’t there than what was. Missing from the Panthers were the players who built the core of the team over the past several seasons, including quarterback Cam Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly and tight end Greg Olson.

Also missing this season were a few plays at the ends of games that could have finished off a potential game-winning drive in the final minutes. Instead, the Panthers had seven chances to tie or pull ahead late and lost all seven of them.

Clearly, it was a year of transition for the Panthers, who began the year 2020 looking for a new coach and ended it by cutting loose GM Marty Hurney.

“I think sometimes you just need a restart, refresh,” owner David Tepper said on the team’s website. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on the GM side.

Maybe it should have been. It just seems like the right time to move forward.”

With the changes on the field and in the front office, the team has ensured that one hand will help guide the team’s direction as it moves forward — soon-to-be second-year coach Matt Rhule.

Rhule received a vote of confidence when he was hired last season, as Tepper gave him a seven-year $60 million contract to lure him from Baylor, paying the first-time NFL head coach far more than most rookie coaches receive. Now it appears he’ll have more front-office juice than most second-year coaches can boast.

Tepper has promised that Rhule will be involved in the GM hiring process. His fingerprints were already on the personnel moves last offseason as the team spent all of its draft picks on defensive players and brought in backup quarterback PJ Walker, a former Rhule player.

By all accounts, Rhule has had a solid debut season. While a season spent tanking for a high draft pick seemed all but assured after the roster purge, Rhule promised the team would try to win, then went out and delivered on that edict.

While the results haven’t shown up on the field — the Panthers were 5-10 with one game to go — the team has shown progress. As the number of late-game failures shows, the team has been competitive in most of its games, right down to the end. The team has offensive playmakers to build with, even with running back Christian McCaffrey missing the vast majority of the season due to injury. The Panthers have also found building blocks on defense.

Rhule’s real impact, however, may have been off the field. The team seems to have bought into his message.

“I don’t really have a schedule in my mind,” Rhule said during the season. “This first year, we’re just trying to find the right guys and have them buy into the process. I think they’re doing that.”

Despite the mounting losses and the seemingly never-ending string of late-game meltdowns, the players — veteran and youngster alike — have continued to listen to the coach fresh out of college. That’s an accomplishment that not many coaches can pull off.

So there are reasons for optimism heading into the offseason. The Panthers still have work to do on defense, as well as the offensive line.

If things break right over the offseason, instead of year two of a tanking situation, Carolina could find itself looking to make a run at a playoff spot. While a division title or spot as a top NFC contender is still likely on the horizon, the Panthers should be able to push for a wild card.

Rhule believes it’s possible, and, from what we’ve seen from him in his year with the Panthers, it’s clear that if he believes it, so do the players.

With a young, exciting team of believers, the Panthers could easily go to the depths of the 2020 preseason purge to a return to the playoffs, far ahead of schedule.

If he pulls it off, that will be enough to earn Matt Rhule the North State Journal’s 2021 Coach of the Year Award.

BALL from page B1 was still on the board when the Hornets went on the clock.

“He’s a playmaker. He’s confident,” Hornets coach James Borrego said after seeing Ball in action during the preseason. “He sets the tone for our pace, our energy, our ball movement. He was confident in his shot. … He just oozes confidence.”

That endorsement coupled with the fact that the 19-year-old brings the type of energy, style, playmaking and excitement not seen from a Hornets first-rounder in ages led to Ball being North State Journal’s pick to be the 2021 Newcomer of the Year.

There are, however, hurdles Ball will have to overcome.

There are concerns that Ball, while considered by many to be the best raw talent among this year’s draft-eligible players, hasn’t played enough against top condition. He was named Rookie of the Year in Australia’s National Basketball League, and his numbers were impressive: 17 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

The problem? He played just 12 games for the Illawarra Hawks, missing time with a foot injury before deciding to depart from the team to prepare for the draft.

He also shot just 37.7% from the

TONY DEJAK | AP PHOTO

While LaMelo Ball didn’t score in his NBA debut, the Hornets’ season-opening loss to Cleveland, the 19-year-old had 13 points and six rebounds in his second game — a loss to Oklahoma City — and six points, five rebounds and five assists in Sunday’s victory over Brooklyn, Charlotte’s first win of the season. field, highlighting a second concern — Ball’s shot.

It’s not just the numbers that indicate flaws in Ball’s shooting. His unorthodox release has been a concern of evaluators leading up to his draft year.

Like any young player, defense is

a work in progress. Oh, and there’s the noise always surrounding dear old dad…

But these are the criticisms that come with being an immensely talented young player — and the positives will surely outweigh the negatives.

As previously mentioned, Zeller has proven to be a useful player.

But he’s not going to bring many jaw-dropping plays — and that’s where Ball thrives.

“Drafting LaMelo Ball gives the Hornets a prospect who will define their style,” The Ringer’s Kev-

in O’Connor said. “They’ll be an up-tempo team with his passing wizardry and unselfishness.”

So while there will certainly be head-scratching decisions, forced passes, bad turnovers and missed shots at times, Ball will also provide electricity and charisma that hasn’t been seen in teal at Spectrum Center since Kemba Walker left for Boston.

And that means something in today’s NBA. You can succeed in Major League Baseball using shifts and openers, win in the NHL with the trap, and build an NFL team around defense.

But the NBA, first and foremost, is about entertainment and skill. If you have the former, you can attract more of the latter.

Ball has a long way to go to reach that level, and if the start of the season is any indication, he will be eased into the league by coach James Borrego.

The potential, however, is there, and as the 2020-21 season goes on, Ball will get more and more opportunities to make good on his promise. And even if his shot is a bit wonky or his father LaVar insists on a 1-on-1 with team owner Michael Jordan, the Hornets should get a clearer picture of how good Ball can be.

And chances are, by the end of 2021, it will be pretty good.

The 3 big que

his COVID-19 catastrophe

ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there w around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for Stanly this Count catastrophe one way or another.

3,341 related deaths has led April to worldwide North State Journal for Wednesday, 15, 2020panic, economic c catastrophe one way or another.

THIS WEEK, acco In order to put crisis caused by China in perspective, zero In ordermillions Americans needlessly thrown out of work.

A6thelied to put theofcrisis caused by China in being perspective, zero irus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China about the origin of the and state and local worldwide pandemics can trace their source to the United Statesworldwide over The crisiscan hastrace costtheir the U.S. taxpayer at leastStates $2.4 over trillion go i pandemics source to the United l pay for this virus, covered up its spread and tried to tell the world there were only the curve in the nove our 231-year history. At least four in the 20th century alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federal Reserve backup liquidity our 231-year history. At least four in the 20th century alone can be 3,341 related deaths has ledtraced to worldwide panic, collapse — after all,the tre directly to China: 1957economic “Asian flu,” 1968and “Hong Kong flu,” 1977 markets and financial outlets.

If the U.S.muted dollarflu,” were not directly traced to China: 1957 “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hong Kong 1977 ective, zero millions of Americans needlessly being thrown out of work. have abided by recom “Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence that the currency, would not be able to fund of these “Russian flu” and the we 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is any evidence thatemergen the Perhaps nited States over The crisis has cost the U.S. taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in addedPerhaps to stay at home;and theyc massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation massive 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor COVID-19 y alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the COVID-19 they’ve donned mask There is depreciation.

100% agreement, outside China, that COVID-19 There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 Weof need g Kong flu,” 1977 is China’s markets and financial outlets. If the U.S. dollar were not the reserveis China’s The result: a reduc originated inChina Wuhanhas Province probably from the completely originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely to pay for their aberrant ways and decisions thr evidence that the currency, we would not be able to fund any of these emergency transparency According to the Neal Robbins, Chernobyl. unregulated and unsanitary wet markets.

Some believe ithas came out of aUni Chernobyl. and wet markets.

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

Diplomacy obviously not ins in China. measures without unregulated immediate fear of unsanitary rampant inflation and currency Metrics and Evaluati and Chinese honesty Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior editor health biowarfare lab run by the communist army.opinion biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized world of 21st century OVID-19 depreciation.

Trump administratio from our rigorous verifiable policing andregimes regulation of take th Until adopts verifiable policing and regulation of Until China and adopts fair trade.

Totalitarian communist never mpletely China has to pay for theirChina aberrant waysrigorous and decisions through peak outbreak was re their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other scientific experts their food safety and health protocols, American or express sincere regret and remorse, because thatby is nearly not wh ve it came out of a economic and financial means.

Diplomacy has obviously not worked business has no other ventilators choice thantotalitarian to build redundant manufacturing elsewhere of purely — wedo. need to plants than toworld buildofredundant manufacturing governments They take advantage every w to bring China intochoice the civilized 21st century health, hygieneplants elsewhere purely August by nearly 12,0 for national security and safety reasons as well as supply and delivery know for national securityregimes and safety reasons asblame well as supply and delivery they find in adversaries andwhat keepthey pushing until they win or t regulation of and fair trade. Totalitarian communist never take the Here’s the problem reliability concerns. ness has no other or express sincere reliability regret and concerns. remorse, because that is not what adversaries push back.know, what they questions will al The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is tothat offer s elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness First, what is theCh tr The most direct way to make China “pay” for this disaster is to U.S. offertax credits That is, unless an exogenous event happens don’t and when to companies who will source at least half ofsuch theiras the pply and delivery they find in adversaries and keep pushing until they win or the important because it U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of theirproductionmeltdown 1986. States.

Some that event, theyexperts hope to back in theinUnited There isbelieve approximately $120not the S adversaries push back. be open or of closed, wh production back in the United States. There is approximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution the Sov billion worth of American direct investment plants and equipment know what in they isaster is to offer That is, unless an exogenous event happens such as the Chernobyl more liberalized soci billion worth of American direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989.direct investment in China. Chinese in the U.S. is about $65 billion by don’t. half of their meltdown in 1986.inSome experts believe thatinvestment event, not the Warsis about $65 billion by ought to lock down fu China.

Chinese direct in Star the U.S. comparison. Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. ximately $120 program of Reagan, led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union We’ve seen casepos fat comparison.

Senators in Washington are of already talking about the An investment tax credit of 30% on half U.S. investment in China s and equipment in 1989. the number of identifi today, or $60 billion,forgiving applied to$1.2 repatriated American An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China trillion in debt wemanufacturing owe them as one w out $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. andbillion the denominator investmentChina to the to U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 in US. Don today, or $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing “pay” for the damage they have caused the Senators in Washington are already talking about the possibility people have tax revenuebreath spreadwaiting over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is actually investment to the U.S. would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion in for a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask you vestment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in debt we owe them as one way to get number has been ove decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion in lost revenue is representatives to hold China accountable in tangible financ n manufacturing China to “pay” for the damage they have caused the US. Don’t hold your of death, particularly undertaking todisaster. save our own economy, not of defeated enemies as in the compared to the $6ask trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this $18 billion in breath waiting fordecimal a Chinesedust “Jubilee” to happen but your elected sources suggest the n past. to save ourinown economy, notways of defeated enemies as in the It is about time they are expected to operate as responsibl t revenue is representatives to undertaking hold China accountable tangible financial for many American people are dyin China has cheating, stealing, pirating nation. and pillaging past. thebeen world like any other modern Plan we are now this disaster.

Even more importa business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that they China has beentocheating, pirating and d enemies as in the It is about time they are expected operate asstealing, responsible citizens ofpillaging American actually have coronav intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and the world like any business other modern now nation. for the past 30 years. They have made no secret thatreplace they the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi. of identified cases co laging American number of people wh intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and no secret that they replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

orth STATEment

n

& Economy OP ntBusinessnorth STATEmen

CES

VISUAL

VISUAL VOICES

in the world and enminbi.

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

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

EDITORIAL | FRA

COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HU COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates The cavalier manner in which China lied about the origin of the WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-homeONE OBINSON nd in the United States, China will pay for this virus, covered upONE its spread and to tell after the world there to were only hina lied about the origin of the around THING IStried CERTAIN; thisthanks COVID-19 virus cavalierofmanner in which C orders local ordissipates state governments,The a majority Americans THIS WEEK, virus, according to members ofTHE the fede iedor toanother. tell the world there were only “THIS IS DA ay 3,341 related deaths to worldwide panic, economic collapse and aroundhas theled globe and in the United States, China will pay for this covered up its spread and t catast are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.” and state and local governments, Americans have WITH either shelter-in-place stay-at-home into place.

I understand the seriousness ofhas theled virus an rldwide economic collapse and (Psalm 118:24). he crisispanic, caused

by China in perspective, zero MOST STATES millionsunder of Americans needlessly thrown out of work. catastrophe one waybeing or or another.

3,341 related to Inwo o Some of fallen these orders extend at least through the endindeaths ofit”this month. ce or stay-at-home fallen into place.

I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The e beingcan thrown of work.

I know that during orders thanks or state a majority of at Americans to precautions, I’m uneasy how people who sim mics traceout their source to the United States over to localThe crisisgovernments, has cost the U.S. taxpayer leastVirginia’s $2.4 trillion in added In order to put the crisis caused

by China in take perspective, zero gobut millionswith of Americans needlessly stay-at-home orders into June. worldw ty of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask muted — after all, trends can easily reverse — but ayer leastfour $2.4in trillion in added working from home are having to what is being called the “new normal.” questions about the over data, and things can getting worldwide pandemics can trace their source to the United States The has coststart the U.S. taxp ry.

Atatleast the 20th century alone can be to adjustdebt plus trillions more in Federal Reserve backup liquidity toCarolina, the Here in North Democratic Gov.when Roycrisis Cooper stated during our 23 normal.” questions about Kong the data, when orders things can start getting back tohistory. have abided by recommendations and orders.

The Reserve backup liquidity to the be glad” as the Bible Some of these extend least through the ofleast this month. normal are treated in some circles with contempt. our 231-year AtU.S. four in the 20th century alone can be debt plus trillions more in Federa China: 1957 “Asian flu,” 1968 “Hong flu,”and 1977 markets andatfinancial outlets.

If end the dollar were not the reserve a recent coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the directl nd of this month. are treatedVirginia’s in some circles with contempt. to flu,” stay atthough home; we they’ve socialthe distancin he dollar were notnormal the reserve dad, Easter directly to to China: “Asian flu,” 1968They’re “Hong orders Kong markets andand financial outlets.

If t orders into June. treated as1977 as a practiced society simply must acce heU.S. 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence thatstay-at-home the currency, wego would nottraced be able fund1957 any of these emergency state’s stay-at-home will extend into May. “Russi Since when did Perhaps They’re treated as though we as a society simply must accept without they’ve donned masks. fund any of these emergency have to be thankful WALTER E. WILLIAMS “Russian flu” and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

There is evidence that the currency, we would not be able to Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what the government tells us about when it’s safe toa Perhaps If he decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the massiv nish flu”WALTER pandemic also itswhat origins in China. measures without immediate fear of rampant inflation and currency Wedoes need E. had WILLIAMS questioning per stated during question the government tells us about when it’s massive safe to begin the The result: a reduction inwithout expected hospitalizat Lenten and GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO of rampant inflation and currency pandemic.

COVID-19 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China. measures immediate fea a recent coronavirus press briefing that “we just don’t know yet” ifjustification the process of returning back to normalcy. for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we The greement, outside China, of that COVID-19 depreciation.

COVID-19 know yet” if thewithof process returning back toN.C., normalcy. transparency According to theseasons University of Washington Institu me,the myright faith is Easter government There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 depreciation.

People ReopenNC gather in Raleigh, as they press Gov. Roy Cooper to allow businesses to reopen during the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday, April 21, is China’s must do this out of an abundance of caution.” state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May. No. The government works for us, and2020. weFor have to an Province probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberrant ways and decisions through Since when did origin is China’s No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by m ant ways and decisions through making.

As I celebra and honesty originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberr provide a at allDiplomacy levels It will need be explained detailstay-at-home to the people of this state who If graduates he does to extend it, should asked as to the questions.

And theinlonger orders are in place a nsanitary wet markets. believe itlonger came out ofdecide aChernobyl. financial means. has obviously nottoworked Chernobyl. unregu asked to the questions.

And theis stay-at-home orders inquestions place all over the be administration, theand expected need for hosp but iseconomic only ableare toand find low-paying work. ned in as two past articles that student debt plomacy has obviously notSome worked questioning Corinthians 1:4, whi unregulated and unsanitary wet markets. believe it Trump came out of at asome economic financial means.

DM fromSome our are being told to remain jobless and home for an undetermined message of justification for it.

And the answers should not be vague ones like “we country, and the stricter them get in states, such as become a byones the communist Chinese army. to China into the civilized world of 21stment century health, hygienepeak outbreak was revised down Under agreement, he would owe an agreedlem and that universities have encouraged gue likecentury “we country, and the stricter somean ofISA them getbring in states, such as Michigan, biowar by over 120,000, and supplies.” orld of 21st health, hygiene affliction, that wew biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to we bring China into the civilized government scientific experts amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands ofso cases hope that will must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxi pts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade.

Totalitarian communist regimes never take the blame Dr. Walden says our state’s staupon percentage of his income — the actual dollar their own irresponsible behavior.

With bad thing? the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number of ov Unt unist regimes never take the blame affliction, with the co Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade.

Totalitarian comm are reliable.

— we need to tistics on job losses and deaths at all levels It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will d amount would be very low.

With a traditional loan, erse, graduates facing an uncertain financial once again enjoy nd health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and remorse, because that is not what of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand August by nearly 12,000. because that is not what God.” their f That is what their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and rem date, I’ve gone alongcomwith what the state has asked and then per To capita arewhat actually good he would owe the same amount regardless of his t’s particularly important to find solutions know they are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers. dtake redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely ndetermined totalitarian governments do.

They take advantage of every weakness answers.

Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the ans sporting events, advantage of become every weakness a If you are celebrat choice choice than to build redundant manufacturing plants elsewhere purely totalitarian governments do.

The free mandated thatstates, we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about pared to other including income.

Even with income-based repayment on his So,and what’s to cases be done? amount of time why models predicting hundreds ofcitizens thousands of cases Leaders at the localconcerts, and levels should beon as forthcom housands of Leaders the local state levels should be in as adversaries forthcoming assecurity they know, what they questions that state will allow economy tothis reopen. ty safety reasons as well asat supply andand delivery they find and keep pushing until they win or the pushing until they win or the reflect messa family for nat for national and safety reasons as well supply and delivery they findthe in adversaries and keep inthe the South.

“I as think N.C.’s ecothing? data.

State Republican leaders have, too. loan, he would likely make interest-only payments as dical proposals, likebad completely living in a free can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer are reliable. can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, First, what is the true coronavirus fatality rate?c s.student loans adversaries push back.

God’s example and don’t and when nomic brand will be intact afreliability concerns. adversaries push back. reliabi gatherings, Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife withthe principal continued to mount. and making subject AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with is them what society ked and then with details that give their important because it determines whether certain To I’veUniversity gonebelievability. along with what theexogenous statedirect has asked and then with that their statements nt happens such asThat the Chernobyl this difficult Th ter thethey pandemic,” hedisaster says.

“The way to make China “pay” for work. this disaster isdate, tostatements offer That is, unless an event happens such as the Chernobyl The most waywere to make China “pay” for this isgive to offer That is, believability. unless an exogenous ev hope todetails corruption.

The financial squeeze resulting The sometimes afinancial disturbing tendency among people to treat thosetime.

Purdue is already experimenting with ptcy protection, would certainly corruption.

The squeeze resulting church some services questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, be open or closed, whether we ought to pursue — state may even benefit from believe that event, not the Star Wars free citizens confident we will em mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about We should all continue to do what we can to keep our fam supposed companies who will source at least half of their meltdown in 1986.

Some experts believe that event, not the Star Wars from COVID-19 offers opportunities for a U.S. tax credits to companies who will source at least half of their meltdown in 1986.

Some experts ISAs under its “Back a Boiler” plan. The program is ders who put their own money on the line fromsimply COVID-19 offers opportunities a many U.S. ta know what they questioning the datare-andfor asking when we can start getting back and more Sponsored by first households and businesses ourselves, and ourthe communities safe. should also stillFoundation, continue Sponsored

by Union more liberalized society presumes wide sprea Sponsored by the dissolution of the Soviet In thisled same spirit bit ofbefore remediation.

Let’s examine what data.

State Republican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe.that But we should also stilt Sponsored by nue the United States.

There approximately $120 production back into the United There is approximately $120 program of Research Reagan, led directly the of the Soviet program of are Reagan, directly being funded byBut thewe Purdue diligence lending 18-yearbitStates. of remediation.

Let’s first examine what living intoisaUnion free to do, last I dissolution to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or people who produc don’t. locating from states impacted after our own asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home ought to lock down further. might be the root of academic corruption, neighbors helping ne when certain types of questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable st part of the university’s endowment.

It’s a smallof American ers. And direct the fearinvestment of students in filing for and Unfortunately, might be the root of academic corruption, billion worth direct investment in plants and equipment in 1989. merican plants equipment in 1989. otherwise don’t care they in get themselves or others sick. billion more adversely, such asifthose checked. were bysociety the title ofsmall a recent study, programthey ehernobyl. to treatsuggested those that measures areand understandable, should also have an expiration date.

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number of temporary In Concord, a high now but is already showing positive results. ydirect would ensure loans are suggested by the title of a recent study, in China.

Chinese direct investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Cd sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those measures are understandable, they should also have an expir investment in the U.S. is about $65 billion by Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl. the Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad Northeast.” in Chi “Academic Grievance Studies and the North State Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020 start getting back This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal.

Not in any way, the number of identified COVID-19 cases — but b eady talking about supposed the possibility money to buyNot aare 3-D Purdue’s websitethe explains few of the benefits of can “Academic Grievance and to theAmericans, sacrifices are comparison.

Senators Washington alra simply questioning data aand when we starttalking getting back To this point, theStudies N.C. isfree allChamnew andsociety it isin not normal. in thing?

That isThis what citizens living in a free were supposed Senators in asking Washington are already about the possibility Corruption of Scholarship.”

The study was we compa A6 are people who shape, or form.

So while should remain vigilant and stay safe, at and the denominator are likely wrong.

We don’t k ISAs: we owe as one way to get hdebt a solution isthem politically unpopular.

Corruption of Scholarship.”

The study was health care workers ber Foundation recently released An investment tax credit of 30% on half of U.S. investment in China of China forgiving $1.2 trillion in over. tomortgage do,opinion last Iandinvestment to normal as though they areforgiving conspiracy theorists or debt are people who form.

So while we should remain vigilant and stay to do, last Ishape, checked. done

by Areo, an analysis ax credit ofreduce 30% on half of U.S. in China of China $1.2Back trillion in we owe them as one wayor toand getpeople National An i ick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new The standard payment period for the have actually died of coronavirus.

Some so onsiderably the number of done by Areo, an opinion analysis y have caused the US. Don’t hold your a research report examining thealong today, ordamage $60 billion, applied to repatriated American manufacturing China to “pay”isfor the damage digital magazine.

By American the way, Areo is short My first concern astime we go in all this, of course, my family.

I’m the otherwise don’t care ifisthey get themselves or itothers sick. the same we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-call on, applied to repatriated manufacturing China to “pay” for the they have caused the US. Don’t hold your checked. today, a Boiler-ISA Fund about 10 years, making ble to borrow for college and would digital magazine.

By the way, Areo is short see” become a bad normal.” pandemic’s impacts as well as number has been overestimated, given that classifi By Elizabeth Lincicome to happen butto ask your elected lender expand indelivered for Areopagitica, a speech bySince when did questioning government investment the U.S. become would cost the U.S. Treasury $18 billion the in virus, and breath waiting Ifor a Chinese worried about them catching I’m worried will.

After “Jub attoall levels aAreopagitica, bad normal.”

U.S. would cost thein U.S. Treasury $18 in waitingPlus for and a Chinese “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected competitive withbreath most Federal private loan ionately affect low-income students.

It opportunities heading into 2021. for a in speech delivered by particularly North State Journal investm y were supposed Not one little bit.billion of death, among elderly patients, can untable in tangible financial ways for John Milton defense of free speech. tax revenue spread over a few years. $18 billion lost revenue is representatives to hold China acc suffering from the H1N1 virus flu) during the 2009 pandemic, “Personal contact jobs Mecklenburg Co. thing?

ThatInisaddition, whatrepresentatives free ina asix-month free society were supposed Not one little bit.(swine foundation works to for proover a few years.majoring $18 billion in lost revenue is to hold China accountable in The tangible financial ways all citizens studentsliving receive disfavor students in soft but John Milton in defense of free speech. tax rev Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. terms. sources suggest the number is dramatically under decimal dust compared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now this disaster.

I’ve been trying to take extra because all of this brings up mote theHelen social welfare of N.C. byprecautions, RALEIGH — As Americans to do, last I checked. grace period post-graduation before payments begin. iplines.

Authors Pluckrose, James A. pared to the $6 trillion+ Marshall Plan we are now will never fully come back, this disaster.

Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that e, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah many people are dying at home. decim CHARLOTTE — Intercontinental d to operate as responsible citizens of undertaking to save our own Lindsay economy, notPeter ofstudying, defeated enemies as in the It is about timenot they expect way too many memories of a painful I’d prefer to are repeat. identifying, researchring New Year, Once ato recipient makes successful for ee are solutions that can be implemented — prepare and Boghossian say that something has gone drastically wrong My first concern as we along inpayments all course, is my family.

Stacey Matthews has alsoexperience written under the pseudonym Sist our own economy, not of enemies asto in thein the It is go about time they areof expected to operate as I’m responsible citizens of Capital Group Inc, a direct ied I will.

After and is adefeated regular contributor RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how mn and thethis, small business ation. under past. the world like any other modern ing, and analyzing, in a nonparit’s clear 2020 will go down as beBut what alsois makes mewrong lose sleep is how easily most everyone has the prescribed term of the contract, no and additional s acrimonious political climate. something has gone drastically in academia, especially within certain mortgage lender specializing worried about them catching the virus, I’m worried I will.

After and a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrec the world like any other modern nation.

2009 pandemic, actually have coronavirus.

Some scientists sugges past. tisan pirating manner, thepillaging factors ingpayments one of theare worst. But from China has rate beencould cheating, and American bankruptcy be stealing, within the humanities.

They evenaif(swine they have less solutionfields been to as “skin in call in academia, especially within that certain inhas single-family residential suffering from therequired H1N1 virus flu)paid during the 2009 pandemic, of this brings up referred ofcliidentified cases could be an order of magnitude cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American enhance the state’s business purely economic standpoint, the Chin business now for the past 30 years.

They have made no secret that they these fields “grievance studies,” where than the amount of funding theyas received.

Such a policy would for institutions fields within the humanities.

They call properties, willcall significantly high as 25%.” all of this brings Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion refer not to repeat.

I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because up mate, workforce development, number of people who have had coronavirus and n virus has impacted businesses he past 30 years.

They have made no secret that they scholarship is not so much based upon intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and busine Save Energy in 2021 Both ISAs and skin in the game policies would hare in the credit of every student these fields “grievance studies,” where expand itsrisk Charlotte operations, and quality of life.

The organizaand workers in starkly different ost everyone has way too many memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer not to repeat. finding truth butover upon he as premier superpower and down-stream benefits. replace the dollar currencyiswith their renminbi. adding 500 jobs theattending coming have many Both would put as the reserve outU.S. a loan tothe attend the institution.

In intothe world not so much based upon intend NCSU Dr. scholarship tion’s president Kelly Fuller says and very ways, creating We’re all ready for a fresh start, social grievances.

Grievance But whatspecific also makes metolose sleep is economics how easilyprofessor most everyone hastruth five years, Governor Roy Copper as the reserve currency with their renminbi. pressure on universities keep tuition low and his means that universities would bescholars on finding but upon attending to replac moving forward businesses will winners of many big business- Michael L. Walden but New Year’s resolutions can bully and other announced last administrators week.

The when offset some of the artificial pressure on demand for or some part ofstudents, student loan debt social grievances. Grievance scholars

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

FACTS

As chaotic year ends, NC economy faces uneven recovery

Fixing college corruption

n.c.

STATEWIDE SPOTLIGHT

north STA

Approved Logos

A6

Approved Logos

VISUAL VOICES

es (such as health care compa-

need to reconsider the ways they

be hard to keep. Set yourself up departments intoinadhering their company’s Mecklenburg higher education. would efault. Such a policyplans would requireto action bully students, administrators recruit and maintain talent. and otherforJason nies, consumer goods They giants, and also align universities’ worldview.

The worldview they promote is success in 2021 by knocking County include a capital interestsmanufacturers) with those of students.

Universities would s since student loans are disbursed by the technology departments adhering their “We haveinto learned many to lessons while neither scientific nor rigorous. Grievance out attainable energy-saving investment of $5,844,450.

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS be invested in student success, not just increased ernment. worldview they one promote is this year,The yet 2020 has taught do well on the other side of theworldview. smaller ones (notably studies consist of disciplines such as battering goals. These tips will ensure you Intercontinental Capital Group THEWS enrollment.

Some universities would probably begin ther solution can be implemented locally. neither scientific nor rigorous.

Grievance lesson most clearly: hope for the pandemic include technology (all ones that rely on personal conEDITORIAL sociology, anthropology, gender keep your resolutions — and save | STAC (“ICG”), established in 2005 and studies, tosuch offerasbetter to students they pharmaceuticals, choose of institutions are already giving it critical a studies of disciplines such RICHARD as best consist but be prepared for disrupthis when zooming), tact those guidance in the hospitalCOLUMN | REP. HUDSON queer studies, sexuality race money, to boot. headquartered in Melville,and NY, tion,” says Fuller. “Thisgender reportstudies, is interestingly - textiles, if wesociology, itymajors, and services choosesectors). classes As andthe take and out -loans. e Share Agreements (ISAs). ISAs are anthropology, studies. is licensed in 46 states and the Temperature matters! Pay a tool to help us strategically face race stockpile masks Wall These Street Journal recently not- will innovative solutions do what “Freeand gowns.” l agreements inofwhich students receive queer studies, sexuality and critical In 2017 and 2018, authors District Columbia, as well asPluckrose, by attention to your appliances, not the challenges and opportuniJohn E. Skvarla who former-studies. ed:College” “The tactics that helped many cannot: make students and universities funding Lindsay in for a predetermined and Boghossian started theexchange U.S. Department of Housing just your thermostat. Keep your ties coming in 2021.

In terms of ly served as Secretary of the N.C. corporate titans thrive – laypost-graduation income a certain In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, refrigerator set between 37 and 40 submitting bogusover academic and Urban Development.

The papers to behave more wisely and act together towards the workforce development,started we must of Commerce as wellLindsay off thousands workers, academic in cultural, queer, ingsame goal. Thatofgoal is to gocreateDepartment educated, wise years. The percentjournals of company income and and Boghossian privately-held also number match unemployed North Caro- to degrees; keep your freezer set to 5 as Secretary of the N.C. Departing deep into debt, and grabbing race, gender, fat and sexuality studies n changeoperates based upon a student’s major and and productive graduates. Only with smart policies submitting bogus academic papers several communitydegrees; and lower the thermostat linians with job openings, ment of Environmental Qualimarket share from struggling determine if they would pass peer that incentivize student success can we ensure that tential. to academic journals in cultural, offer queer, focused brands including onTHE your water heater to 120 training and reskilling for disty says he fears major impacts on competitors – will shape the re“THIS IS DAYinto the lord hasunderstand made, let usthe r seriousness of the virus and the review be accepted for need publication.

WITHparents, MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen place. colleges truly provide value for students, Veterans Community Home a good deal forand students because they race, gender, fat and sexuality studies degrees.

(While you’re at itI— keep N.C. industry have not yet been placed workers, and provideinencovery for months, if not years.”

Acceptance of dubious research it” (Psalm 118:24). y with people who ask Loans which concentrates on taxpayers and society. ky thanhow loans.

Imagine asimply student who that to determine if they would pass peer orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m unea your house at 68 degrees or lower On a statewide level, the coro- measured and will be significant. hanced childcare options.” editors found sympathetic to their serving the financial needs of I know that during this challenging time of soc n thingsjournal can start getting back to TATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home fallen into place. understand theto seriousness ofAmong the virus and need and be accepted for publication. areI having toaadjust what isreview being called thereport’s “newthe normal.” questions about data, wh when heating for the bestthe bang for andWIT the key find“Not just from current perspecnavirus has had a similarly unintersectional or postmodern leftist vision current and retired military working from home or losing a job, it may be diffi withorcontempt.

Acceptance of dubious research that cal state governments, a majority of Americans to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated in some circle ings: your energy buck.) tive but in the intermediate and even impact on North Carolina’s orders of the world would prove the problem of members and their families. editors found sympathetic to their be glad” as the Bible tells us toall do.

However, asha aasC simply must accept Economic sectors were long term someone still has to re-journal various industries questions and its oversta society to what isacademic being called thewithout “new normal.” about the data, and when things can start getting back to affectVirginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

Lighten up.

Replace your old are They’re treated as though we low“As standards. we evaluated different intersectional orRoy postmodern leftist vision and the Easter holiday hasthe reminded me oftelj sders us about when it’s safe to begin the ed unequally in both North Car-dad, payHere allinthe debt that was created all economic recovery.

Accordlight bulbs with LED lamps.

For in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Cooper stated during question what government extend at least through the end of this month. normal are treated some circles with contempt.

Several of the fake research papers locations, it became clear Som of the world would prove the problem olina and thejust U.S., including subbridge the cash crisis.

There Walden, treated a to have be thankful and hopeful for, even the m alcy. orders points, install switches that were accepted for publication.

The Fating to Dr. Michael L.They’re a recent coronavirus briefing that “we don’t know yet”to if of thebonus process of returning back in to norm home go into June. as though we as apress society simply must accept without that whether we were looking Virgin EFF TARTE, FORMER NC STATE SENATOR academic andstandards. sustained losses in William Neal Reynolds Distin- will be a negative trickle-downlowstantial Lenten and automatically turn lights off after works a pandemic. us, and we have the right to ask those Studies journal published a hoax paper state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May. No. The government for for marketing talent to better arolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during question what effect the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the Since when did the leisure andfake hospitality indusand the tax increases and Several guished Professor and Extension of the research papers time or when that argued the term was For me, set myamount faith isofan important part ofstay-atmyHer da home orders arewith in place all bodybuilding over the Easter seasons connect customers, If heback does decide tobe extend it, questions should be asked as toFat the questions.

And thethere’s longer us pressexclusionary briefing that “we just don’t know yet” if the process of returning to normalcy. tries.

Manufacturing employregulatory changes will felt for Economist at North Carolina were accepted for publication.

The a recen questioning andto should be replaced noImotion in theEaster room. with my family, build making.

As celebrated hem get engineers in states,eager such as Michigan, justification for it.

And the answers should not be vague ones like “we country, and the stricter some ofI provide a mentjournal in North Carolina years to come.”

State University, the national and e orderswith will“fat extend into May. No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those Studies published awas hoaxhit paper bodybuilding, as asales fat-inclusive Polar plunge.

Heating hot water state’s tomorrow’s solutions today, government Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our Lord “com eeling isolated and/or anxious about Since when did must do this out of an abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at home f notably harder than in neighborOn the brighter side, he agrees local economies will lose about message of bodybuilding that argued the term was uses a lot of your home’s energy. politicized performance.”

One engtofor extend it, questions should be reviewer asked as to the questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over theaffliction, andfamilies, operations talent passionate If he so that we may be able to comfort those their will demand ing states. that some of the biggest winners 3% of their production this year at all levels It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who when they can get back to provid questioning “Icustomer thoroughly enjoyed this like “we and should be replaced Cut back on use with simple swaps justific hope that we will about service a reading And thesaid, answers should notorbe vague ones country, and the stricter some many of them get exclusionary in states, such as Michigan, affliction, with the comfort which we ourselves ar North Carolina’s Fund be the told area’s medical recover by the will are being to remain jobless and atbodybuilding, home for anGeneral undetermined answers. article and believe eager it has to anmake importantbut should fully with “fat as a fat-inclusive become a such as washing all laundry in cold budding workforce government an should abundance of caution.” the more people, sitting at“LabCorp home feeling isolated and/or anxious about once again enjoy budget has not been as negativelaboratories. did $11.5 end of 2021. However, he says, must d God.” vels be as forthcoming as they contribution to make to the field and this amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases Leaders at the local and state le politicized performance.”

One reviewer a transition, they were all here in water. bad thing? e explained in detail to the people of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand ly impacted as many feared, with billion in revenue last year, just unemployment will continue to sporting events, If you the Easter season, I—urge atwith alldelivered. levels again, not vague answers, but answer Itand w journal.” are reliable. in place. Elderly persons with underlying conditions said, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading thisare celebrating cansealed, be those answers Charlotte,” said IICG founder and ORMER state senator, have been asked Signed, Seal be higher due That to permanent job wait to see 2020 and 2021 num- conservative practices providing emain jobless and at home for an undetermined answers.

“Our Struggle Is Mythe Struggle: Solidarity is what reflect on this message and be comforted, so that ents believability. are be concerts, family Executive Officer Dustin would be monitored by health teams for some time, article and believe it has an important s what I Chief would do regarding stay-atyour home, especially during To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then with details that give their statem become a some cushion againstascutbacks bers!” he says.

“Other big winners lossesofincases some industries.

“Per-at the Feminism anfamilies, Intersectional Reply to hy models predicting hundreds of thousands Leaders local and state levels be as forthcoming they DiMisa.

God’s example comfort those in to need arou we can to keep as our leveraging telemedicine and virtual hospitals. contribution to make to the field and thisdraftyand ratin North Carolina.

The current SAH winter weather.

Use caulk amoun free citizens mandated that we do, butshould along the way I’ve also had questions about We shouldallall continue to do w gatherings, in government employment and are companies like Wal-Mart sonal contact jobs will never fulNeoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was bad thing?

The Carolina can be with those answers and again,real not vague answers, but answer this difficult time.

Through faith and by helping o fe. on ButApril we should also still continue Led by our major health system leaders and—Republican journal.” res 29.North fill leaky spaces around windows, are rel the data.

State leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities s services.

Many other states are who were chosen without ly come back, and the small busichurch services living inHospital a free Association, I would accepted for of publication by Affilia, a Department Commerce led the the North Carolina “Our Struggle Is My Struggle: Solidarity te senator recently said we are has going to and doors, and pipes.

That is what confident we will emerge out of this pandemic str ecause while reasonable stay-at-home e along with what the state asked then with details that give their statements believability. not as fortunate. reason to stay open while the litness bankruptcy rate could be as Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is to ask questions about the data, b To d feminist journal for social workers.

The and many more state’s efforts secure theis arrival society were Forspirit, more resources and have a25%,” master planWe with primary suppliers asame Feminism as an Intersectional Reply to same four things: whoan istoexpiration sick, who not,questions Inthose this I continue totips be inspired by yow should also have Bankruptcies, evictions and tle guy doingand the thing got high as Walden notes.

“It all do, but paper along the way I’ve also had about should continue do what we can toamong keep our families, sometimes ato disturbing tendency some people to treat measures are understandable, the consisted in part of adate. rewritten free citizens manda of ICG, which also considered after our own throughout the year, visit backup plan for manufacturers in N.C. to re-purpose Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was een sick and who has not.

I agree.

Public crushed, and health care supply will be a long road back for small supposed neighbors helping neighbors. d it is not normal.

Not in any way, passage from Mein Kampf.

Two other publican leaders have, too. ourselves, and our communities safe.

But we should also still continue simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back This is all new to Americans, a other U.S. destinations. The the da in a free www.electricities.com. facilities Industries to producethat ventilators and PPE necessary for publication

by Affilia, are coalescing around benchmarks to businesses.

See ECONOMY, page B6 for drugs, equip-accepted may manufacturers temporary In aConcord, a shape, high living school senior named derts remain vigilant and stay safe, at get hoax papers were published, including to do, last I toabout normal asdata, though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who company’s new jobs will offer or form.

So while weTanne shoul when certain types of questions asked, there is to ask questions the because while reasonable stay-at-home Unf to take care of our own demands. An ongoing needs feminist journal forare social workers.

The ore rules “Rape ease: reductions in new Culture and Queer Performativity society were money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic to make fa mfortable withsustained this so-called “new sacrifices salaries averaging $87,500 per otherwise don’t care they get themselves others sick. the same time we shouldn’t get co rbing tendency among some people to treatassessment those checked. measures are understandable, theyifshould also have anor expiration date. somet would evaluate the re-purposing of paper consisted in part of a rewritten deaths, widespread testing, ample hospital at Urban Dogmore Parks.”

This paper’s subject year, creating than $47.3 health care workers out of his own home.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad normal.” over. supposed gndthe and when wethe candog start This is all to Americans, normal.

Not in any way,Two other hotels,back empty warehouses andnew university dorms and it is not passage from Mein Kampf. thedata ability toinasking monitor new But patients simply was dog-on-dog rape. rapegetting million annual payroll impact inand thing?

Thatwe is should what free citizens living in a free society were supposed Nottoone little bit. gh they are conspiracy theorists or are people who shape, or form.

So while remain vigilant and stay safe, at as emergency field hospitals in conjunction with hoax papers were published, including contacts. paper eventually forced Boghossian, do, last I to nor the Charlotte Region after 2025. tocare do, last I checked. deployment strategies for health professionals.

“Rape and Queer Performativity and Lindsay to prematurely re reasonable data points that should serve out if theyPluckrose themselves orinothers sick. the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable withCulture this so-called “new It get plans to begin hiring 2021 otherw checked. undertothe pseudonym Sister Toldjah Mycare firstoptions concern as we go along in allDog this, of course, my family.

Matthews has also written themselves.

A Wall Street Journal writerVirtual hospitals and direct primary at Urban Parks.”

This is paper’s subjectI’m Stacey ation make decisions to everyone for positions that willkeep include questioning government at all levels become a bad normal.”

Sinc dState and Legal Insurrection. had figured out what theyany were doing. would be made available through worried about them catchingwas the dog-on-dog virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor to Re every health rape.

But the dog rape not going back to fullin normal time sales and marketing, fulfillment, tefree citizens living a free society were supposed Not one little bit. thing?

Some papers accepted for publication implemented. eventually forced re not reopening everything tomorrow.

We system. Ongoing testing would be suffering from the H1N1 viruspaper (swine flu) during the Boghossian, 2009 pandemic, technology, administration d. in academic journals advocated trainingRigorous statewide antibody testing to do, and executive management. would be to take extra Pluckrose andbecause Lindsayall to of prematurely care of our most vulnerable citizens, and I’ve been trying precautions, this bringsout up as we go along in all this, of course, is my family.

I’m Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah men like dogs and punishing white male The company’s innovative ICG My implemented once available. way too many memories of a painful themselves.

A Wall Street Journal writer egin to reopen our businesses, now. experience I’d prefer not to repeat. forpaid historical slavery

by After m catching thestudents virus, I’m I will. and is other a regular contributor tomakes RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Academy provides training In conjunction with regional governors had figured outeasily what they were doing.has lowing acollege couple of data and models —worried Fuller, worrie But what also me lose sleep is how most everyone asking them professional to sit during in silencethe on 2009 the floor in andThe ongoing H1N1 virus (swine flu) pandemic, and cooperation with the White House, I would Some papers accepted for publication d the CDC. models project N.C. cases sufferi chains duringopportunities. class and to be expected to development ensure N.C. receives a fair allocation of items such in academic journals advocated training tween April 20 and May 5. take extra precautions, because all of this brings up I’ve be learn from the discomfort. Other papers astoventilators men like dogs and punishing white male do the following: Imorbid would not extend mories ofcelebrated a painful experience I’ repeat. from national stores to ensure we obesity asdaprefer healthynot life way to can address college students for historical slavery by rder April 29 without and advocated treating privately akespast mechoice lose sleep is howcompelling easily most everyone has any peak scenario. There would be a But asking them to sit in silence on the floor in ng its necessity.

It masturbation is imperative as to akeep conducted form of standing directive for rapid response to enable the use of FDA-approved drugs that are experimental in chains during class and to be expected to ygiene measures in place: such as social sexual violence against women. Typically, learn from the discomfort. Other papers , gathering limits,journal masks,editors hand washing, academic send submittedrelation to a pandemic virus.

As long as a business could demonstrate the ability celebrated morbid obesity as a healthy life papers out to referees for review. In

VISU

It’s okay to ask questions about when sk questions about when It’s okay The comfort and hope we begin to get back to normal

get back to normal

we begin

What would you do?

The XC60 will keep you safe and treat you right

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B6

ncdot CASH REPORT For the week ending 12/23 Total Cash & Bond Proceeds:

$1,946,288,996 Add Receipts:

$73,396,064 Less Disbursements:

$90,243,002 Reserved Cash:

$936,295,004 Unreserved Cash Balance Total:

$3,501,280,972

Retailers brace for flood of returns from online shopping New York A huge surge in online shopping during the pandemic has been a savior for retailers, but it comes at a price. Shoppers are expected to return twice as many items as they did during last year’s holiday period, costing companies roughly $1.1 billion, according to Narvar Inc., a software and technology company that manages online returns for hundreds of brands. Retailers don’t want the returns, but they do want shoppers who may not feel safe going to stores to be comfortable buying things they haven’t seen or tried on in person.

People have been doing so much online buying since March that carriers like UPS and FedEx were already at full capacity before the holiday shopping season. And online sales just keep soaring. From Nov. 1 though Tuesday, they spiked 32% to $171.6 billion, compared with the year-ago period, according to Adobe Analytics.

The massive challenges of shipping COVID-19 vaccines in the weeks and months ahead could put further pressure on the system. Many companies are offering more locations where customers can drop off returns, which cuts down shipping costs and gets refunds to shoppers more quickly. A growing number of retailers are asking shoppers to not even bother sending back certain rejected items.

Some businesses thrived, many lagged during pandemic planners and other businesses that rely on people being in close proximity were particularly hardhit, as were those tied to tourism.

In April, payroll provider ADP reported nearly 20 million jobs were lost at U.S. companies, more than half at businesses employing under 500 people. A government relief program helped by giving out more than 5.2 million loans to small businesses and non-profits between April and August. Congress approved another round of funding this week but many companies could still fold.

The Associated Press

By March 23, Apple had lost $435 billion in market value in about five weeks and many of its retail outlets were shut as the virus pandemic walloped the global economy and stock markets.

Meanwhile, a report issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 2% of small businesses surveyed had shut down permanently in March.

On Dec. 21, Apple’s stock market value totaled over $2.18 trillion, up 121% since March 23. On the same day, Congress approved nearly $300 billion in additional relief for small businesses, money that many hard-hit owners only hope can help them survive until the pandemic finally eases The success of Apple and other big technology companies and the struggles of the smallest of businesses is just one example of how the pandemic created winners and losers in the business world in 2020. Wall Street recovered after March; Main Street is still struggling.

In 2020, it hasn’t been uncommon to work remotely in sweatpants — while meeting on video conferencing platforms like Zoom — hop onto an expensive hightech exercise bike afterwards and have your favorite restaurant dish delivered to your home (by a driver trying to earn an extra buck and hoping not to catch the coronavirus).

Of course, the flip side of that scenario has been deserted office buildings, empty restaurants and sparsely-populated gyms. And as few people traveled, the airline industry needed billions of dollars in aid from the government and is still threatening to lay off workers.

What follows is a look at those businesses that benefitted from the pandemic and those that faltered.

First, the winners: BIG TECH Big Tech was the big winner by far of the pandemic. Lockdown orders accelerated the big shift in life online that had already been underway. With workand shop-from-home suddenly the norm, profits proved resilient for Big Tech even as the pandemic crushed movie theaters, malls and other industries. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Google’s parent company now account for roughly 22% of the S&P 500 by themselves. Never before have five companies been so dominant on Wall Street. At the start of the year, those five accounted for less than 17% of the index.

As 2020 closes, though, pressure is rising. Regulators across the country and the world are putting Big Tech under more scrutiny, which may jeopardize their leadership.

STREAMING SERVICES As movie theaters closed and lockdowns descended across the country, people turned to the ever-growing number of video

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI | AP PHOTO

Travelers head through the south security checkpoint check in the terminal of Denver International Airport, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Denver. streaming services for entertainment. Americans increasing their time streaming by 75% in the second quarter from a year ago, according to Nielsen, as the pandemic accelerated the trend of people shifting to watching TV online rather than via traditional cable. Among the new services launched were NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max. Netflix was a big winner, adding 28 million subscribers through the first nine months of the year. And Disney+ gained 86.8 million subscribers in just one year, a bright spot for Walt Disney Co., whose other businesses, including movie studios and theme parks, were upended by the pandemic.

DELIVERY SERVICES As people hunkered down at home because of the coronavirus, restaurant delivery companies that were merely convenient in 2019 became essential businesses in 2020. Grubhub’s revenue jumped 36% through September as more restaurants started using app-based delivery services to survive full or partial shutdowns of their dining rooms. At Uber, its Uber Eats delivery service brought in more money during the third quarter than the signature ridesharing business. And the trend is global. DoorDash, for instance, now offers delivery from 390,000 merchants in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The company’s shares jumped 86% in their stock market debut on Dec. 9.

HOME WORKOUTS Fitness regimens shifted from the gym to the home in a big way during 2020. Interactive fitness bike maker Peloton was one of the biggest winners of the workout-from-home trend. Revenue during the first nine months of the year more than more than doubled to $1.9 billion as its hightech bikes and treadmills found more homes. Subscriptions rose dramatically during the year, reaching just over 1.3 million

by September compared with 563,000 a year earlier. Meanwhile, gyms did not fare so well as people avoided crowded places. Planet Fitness saw revenue

plunge 45% through September as memberships fell and the company furloughed workers. Others such as 24 Hour Fitness sought bankruptcy protection.

PET SUPPLIES More homebound Americans got pets during the pandemic, and investors have taken note. Sixty-seven percent of U.S. households now own a pet, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association. That’s up from around 56% 30 years ago. Looking to cash in on the trend, San Diego-based Petco this month filed for an IPO. The details remain under wraps, but last year’s IPO by online pet supplies seller Chewy provides a drool-worthy comparison. Chewy’s stock has quadrupled since its 2019 IPO. The stock of another pet supplies company, Freshpet, has more than doubled this year.

And, the industries that lost ground in 2020: TRAVEL Travel for work and leisure evaporated in 2020. Planes were empty and airports were ghost towns. On April 14, the Transportation Security Administration screened just 87,534 passengers at U.S. airports, down a stunning 96% from the same day in 2019.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said last month that business travel, a big source of airline revenue, was down 90%. Far fewer people needed hotel rooms as well. Market data company STR said that the end of October, U.S. hotel occupancy for the year to date averaged 45%, down from 66% for all of 2019, And forget about escaping on a cruise: Most major cruise companies have voluntarily halted sailings from U.S. ports through the end of February 2021.

BUSINESS ATTIRE Untuck it? More like don’t even wear it. A sizable chunk of the millions of people forced to work from home by the coronavirus pandemic have been less inclined to wear business attire. According to retail industry analyst NPD Group, sales of men’s suits fell 62% from March to October compared with the same period in 2019. People are choosing comfort over style, a trend that was already in motion but accelerated by COVID-19. Consumers are “using active apparel for everyday purposes, which does not always include exercise,” said NPD analyst Maria Rugolo. That’s good news for makers of sweatpants, tee-shirts and even pajamas.

REAL ESTATE Commercial real estate has been among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic, and there are doubts about how quickly it will recover. Vacancy rates for retail, office and other property types are up sharply from a year ago. Apartments are bucking the trend, benefiting from increased demand for housing. Real estate sector stocks are one of the few sectors to be down for the year.

The pandemic forced millions of people to work from home and turn to e-commerce more than ever to buy groceries and other goods. These trends, already gaining momentum before the pandemic, have accelerated. The question is how much will they affect demand once the pandemic is over.

FOSSIL FUELS

The coronavirus and the drastic measures put in place by government officials to try to control its spread had a severe toll on many small businesses in the U.S. Restaurants, hair salons, event

The oil industry was pummeled after travel was halted in efforts to contain the coronavirus, sending demand for jet fuel and gasoline plummeting. Producers were already struggling before the pandemic struck, due to a weak global economy and a market flooded with cheap oil.

As the coronavirus spread and Saudi Arabia and Russia mounted a price war, oil prices plunged.

Prices recovered but languished around $40 a barrel for months, well below what most producers need to break even. The oil, gas and chemical industries laid off 107,000 workers over the spring and summer, according to a Deloitte Insights study. Oil giants Exxon Mobil, Chevron and others curtailed spending and slashed their workforces.

rus, raising fear among thousands of workers.

Gamble said much of the fear has come from misinformation about workers catching the virus in factories, which is not true.

“They need to have a complete understanding that we’re doing everything we can to keep them safe,” Gamble said. “Because they have a right to be afraid.”

The statistics on the pandemic’s impact on the meatpacking industry offer plenty of reason to worry. The UFCW union, which represents roughly 80% of the nation’s beef and pork workers and 33% of its poultry workers, estimates that at least 19,800 meatpacking workers have been infected or exposed and 128 have died of COVID-19.

“We made substantial investments in personal protective equipment, social distancing safeguards, and other increased health and safety measures across our business. We’ve seen a dramatic reduction in active cases involving our team members since last spring,” Tyson CEO Dean Banks recently told investors.

Measures include wellness questionnaires before work, temperature checks, plastic screens between work stations, increased cleaning of the plants, random testing, and the required use of masks and other protective equipment. The industry spent roughly $2.5 billion on those improvements and additional pay for workers in the first six months, said Will Sawyer, a protein economist at Cobank, an agribusiness

bank.

Auto and meatpacking companies say generally less than 1% of their workforces are catching the virus. Automakers and the UAW are urging workers to wear masks in public outside the plants.

Ford, General Motors, Toyota and others are starting to see minor problems with smaller parts companies having to shut down factories due to virus outbreaks or government restrictions, especially in Mexico. Ford’s Johnson said a truck driver shortage is affecting parts deliveries. The company has lined up just-in-time freight to get parts to keep plants running, he said.

Ford had to delay production of its new Bronco SUV from spring until summer because of virus-related parts shortages that the company wouldn’t specify.

Toyota said it has come close to halting assembly lines due to a lack of parts, but so far has managed to avoid it.

“There have been a few close calls for sure,” said spokesman Scott Vazin. “Any given day, we’ve got up to 10 parts we’re closely monitoring on red alert.”

The UFCW’s Lauritsen said he hopes the industry will continue working hard to limit the spread of the virus.

“We can’t get complacent just because things seem to be holding right now,” Lauritsen said.

“We know that plants of any kind — anytime people get together in large groups — can act as a super spreader with this virus.”

SMALL BUSINESS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ECONOMY from page B5 foreclosures, and commercial real estate disruption will continue to be headwinds in 2021.

However, North Carolina’s high quality of living may allow the state to benefit from interest in more remote work, supply-chain resiliency and redundancy, and likely growth in the state’s historically strong presence of biopharma and other innovation sector companies.

Experts agree that up to this point the rising spread of the virus and related restrictions are holding back a meaningful recovery.

As Michael Pearce, a notable U.S. economist at Capital Economics put it, “You can give consumers cash but if they’re not comfortable or able to go out and spend it in the economy it’s not going to do a lot of good to boost the economy in the near term.”

There are certainly highs and lows when it comes to how state and federal governments have handled the crisis. Walden says in his view the burden of helping the economy has been at the federal level, because only there can the government borrow trillions of dollars. “I give the federal government high marks (grade of B) because they initially acted rapidly and decisively. The slowness in getting the last stimulus plan, however, was not their finest day.”

US plants hope to maintain production despite virus threat The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — U.S. factories have been cranking out goods during much of the pandemic at rates that are remarkably close to normal. However, manufacturers are concerned they may not be able to keep pace until most of the country is vaccinated because the coronavirus continues to surge in areas where many plants are based.

Safeguards that were put in place after the initial wave of the virus appear to have prevented the large outbreaks that sickened hundreds of workers and forced automakers, meat processors and other businesses to halt production last spring. But with the nation’s COVID-19 death toll eclipsing 300,000 and the virus spiking in communities that surround the plants, industry and union officials say it may be impossible to keep the virus out of factories.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of positive (test) rates like you’re seeing in the surrounding communities,” said Gary Johnson, chief manufacturing officer at Ford Motor Co., which has about 56,000 hourly factory workers nationwide.

Federal Reserve statistics show that U.S. industrial output is about

5% below levels in February, before the pandemic hit. It fell by 16.5% between February and April but has rebounded since, led by auto manufacturing.

Beef and pork production have both been running just below last year’s levels, Iowa State University agricultural economist Lee Schulz said.

But as it will be months before many people will be able to get vaccinated, factories will remain vulnerable.

“Even though we are doing OK now, this virus can spread rapidly in areas,” said Mark Lauritsen, director of the food processing and meatpacking division for the United Food and Commercial Workers International union. “I worry every day that this virus will explode in one of our plants again, even with all the precautions that we’ve taken.”

At auto plants and factories in other industries where the United Auto Workers union represents workers, cases have risen slightly since around Halloween, but nearly all have been traced to outside of the plants, said UAW President Rory Gamble.

Since reopening in May after an eight-week shutdown, three workers from Fiat Chrysler factories near Detroit have died from the vi-

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B7

2020 Volvo XC60

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VOLVO

Whether you’re crossing the country or just across town Straight Outta Sweden

By Jordan Golson North State Journal SAN DIEGO — When people find out what I do, they invariably ask me — the expert car journalist — what car I own. Presumably they feel this will reveal some great insight into the automotive world, or they just are curious that, of the many hundreds of cars I’ve driven and reviewed over the years, which one stuck out so much that I decided I needed to have it.

The answer is, of course, a Volvo wagon. Journalists love Volvo wagons. I once borrowed one from Volvo for a month (it was brown, of course), and my dad had one when I was growing up (and then another one when I was learning to drive as a teenager). I’ve written about them before. I have a 2016 Volvo V60 and I just drove it from New Hampshire to San Diego over four-anda-half days and it was absolutely lovely.

New Hampshire to San Diego is a three-thousand-mile jaunt and is about as far as you can go from one end of the country to the other. I also managed to visit Oklahoma and Arkansas, two of the states I hadn’t visited before, on the way (Remaining: AK, HI, OR, MT, ND).

Volvo wagons are also sporty, eminently practical, rather good looking, and extraordinarily safe.

Curiously, they’re also rather unpopular here in the States because there exists something that Americans love even more than sporty, practical wagons: the Sport Utility Vehicle.

Luckily, in addition to the V60 wagon that I own, Volvo makes the XC60 SUV. It’s the mid-size variant and is probably the vehicle I recommend the most when people ask me which car to buy because it’s sporty, practical, good looking, and extraordinarily safe. It’s not as good looking or as sporty as the V60, but it’s arguably even more practical and equally safe.

In Volvo-parlance, the V in V60 stands for “Versatile” and the XC in XC60 stands for Cross Country, which is also an offroady variant of the V60. Confused yet? Don’t be.

These days, Volvo sells sedans (S), wagons (V), and SUVs (XC).

The number at the end tells us how big it is (40, 60, 90). So, XC60 is the medium sized SUV which means that’s the one to buy. The

XC90 is larger and drives like it.

Sure, there are three rows and more cargo space, but if you don’t need three rows, you should buy the XC60 because it’s far nicer to drive and quite a bit nicer on the wallet as well.

My tester was a top-tier Inscription model with almost all the bells and whistles, with a “T6” engine — that translates to a 2.0-liter super- and turbocharged four-cylinder unit that makes 316 horsepower. It’s incredibly clever and they’ve been building that engine for more than five years now. In one form or another, it powers every car that Volvo makes. There’s also a T5 variant that is solely turbocharged and a plug-in hybrid T8 variant that goes more than 20 miles on a charge (I reviewed the XC90 T8 last year).

But like with the XC60, the T6 is also the engine sweet spot.

It purrs like a kitten and propels you from zero-to-60 mph faster than you expect. I don’t quote the actual time here because what does it matter? This is a family SUV. It’s got plenty of go when it needs it.

The Inscription trim is the luxury version and it isn’t strictly necessary, but includes niceties like four-zone climate control, fancy interior lighting, auto-dimming mirrors, power-folding rear seats, nav, and some other stuff.

The Advanced Package is $2,500 and includes Volvo’s Pilot Assist driver assist system which I would have enjoyed greatly on my cross-country drive. It’s an advanced lanekeeping system that makes driving on the highway considerably less taxing because the car does a bunch of the steering for you. It’s not hands-free, but it’s close.

The Luxury package is another $2,200 and includes extraordinarily comfortable seats that massage you, but isn’t strictly necessary if you’re on a budget. The 4-corner air suspension ($1800) and 20-inch wheels ($800) are also skippable items, though I’d be hard-pressed to pass up on the exquisite $3,200 Bowers and Wilkins premium sound system. It can perfectly replicate the acoustics of the Gothenburg Concert Hall which is a nifty party trick.

All in, my XC60 was $65,740 delivered to you straight from Gothenburg, Sweden. If you’re frugal and willing to sacrifice some lux features, you can get the XC60 Momentum trim down into the low-50’s or even high40’s.

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B8 FEATURES

Artists, activists rush to save Black Lives Matter murals In Indianapolis, organizer Malina Jeffers is unsure about the future of the Black Lives Matter street mural stretching across Indiana Avenue. The mural is wearing down from traffic, and with winter will come weather damage and snowplows.

But the mural will live on in prints and T-shirts created by the local Black artists behind the original mural. More than 1,000 shirts have been sold. Vinyl banners representing 24 other murals painted in the downtown area are displayed at the city’s Central Library.

“All of us know the mural won’t be there forever,” Jeffers said. “So we all wanted a piece of it to hold onto.”

For Seattle’s Black Lives Matter street mural, Mexican American artist Angelina Villalobos, aka 179, mixed her mother’s ashes into the bright green paint she used for the letter A. City workers scrubbed the mural from the asphalt after it began chipping, but one worker collected paint from each letter, which Villalobos plans to keep on her mother’s altar in the kitchen.

“I’m getting my mom back, but she’s been transformed,” she said.

“It’s like ... a time capsule of that mural experience and all the work and thought and pain that went into it.”

The original artists have repainted the mural, planning to touch it up again in five years.

Designers at the Seattle architecture and design firm GGLO are using a different approach to preserve protest art by creating an augmented reality art show that

allows visitors to use smartphones to view works scattered around the city. The show includes a digital version of the “Right to Remain” poster by local artist Kreau, 3D graffiti honoring victims of police brutality and digital tears pouring over Seattle’s skyline.

Gargi Kadoo, a member of the design team, says much of the protest art around Seattle was removed. Street art has been erased in many other cities, including Tulsa, Oklahoma, where workers in October removed a Black Lives Matter painting at the site of the Tulsa Race Massacre where in 1921 a white mob attacked a prosperous African American district, killing an estimated 300 people.

Other cities such as Indianapolis and New York City have seen their Black Lives Matter murals vandalized.

“This is our homage to the art that is gone,” she said. “It’s trying to keep the message alive virtually, in a form that no one can take down or hose off.”

In Oakland, California, community arts organizations are preserving and cataloging more than 700 murals. The team is discussing plans including a December outdoor exhibition, a 2021 indoor exhibition, and high school lesson plans centering the artwork, said Jean Marie Durant, president of Oakland Art Murmur Board of Directors.

The Black-led Black Cultural Zone has a leading role in the project.

“We’ve been living this story, this trauma for a long time,” CEO

Carolyn Johnson said. “That gives us a perspective that others may not have. We know how to best tell this story.”

Back in Minneapolis, Save the Boards is working with researchers Lawrence and Shirey as well as the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery to document, archive and plan an exhibition in May 2021, the anniversary of Floyd’s death.

Museum co-founder Tina Burnside says the initiative hopes to preserve the murals in a way that continues dialogue on systemic racism, provides context and allows for public access.

“It’s an important chapter in the fight for racial justice in this country,” she said. “We’re documenting history.”

Kelly and Zellner-Smith have filled their warehouse space to capacity. They started out by hoarding boards in their garages. Now, they have 537 in a warehouse. They say watching the space fill up was surreal.

“Being surrounded by these boards that encompass this pain and grief and hope, it was spiritual,” Kelly said.

The group’s next steps are to catalog the boards, do 3D scans and build a virtual gallery.

But while Kelly and Zellner-Smith created a GoFundMe to raise money for the project, funds have quickly dwindled.

“They all need to be saved,” Zellner-Smith said. “They all matter, and we want to keep collecting.

We’re just a little stuck right now.

But the work is far from over.”

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, 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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE

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),

and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 6, 2021 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 157 of Ramsgate, Phase 1, Map 1, as shown on plat recorded in Map Book 44 at Pages 57 through 59, Cabarrus County Registry, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular metes and bounds description.

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

Said property is commonly known as 4201 Broadstairs Drive SW, Concord, NC 28025.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset

bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. 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 All Lawful Heirs of Carl D. Hailey.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and

against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 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 the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior

to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 20-06286-FC01

foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Concord in the County of Cabarrus, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain property situated in the City of Harrisburg in the County of Cabarrus and State of North Carolina. Being more fully described in a deed dated 06/30/1977 and recorded 06/30/1977, among the land records of the County and State set forth above, in Deed Volume 479 and Page 280. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 3212 Perry Street, 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 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, 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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1285635 - 10788

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 January 6, 2021 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 112, in a subdivision known as Green Valley Estates, Section 3, Part 1, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 40, Page 38, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

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

Said property is commonly known as 1506 Trevino Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28303.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars

($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. 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 Sharon Holmes and Ronald Carter and wife, Liz Carter.

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

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 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 the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return

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

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 10-21209-FC05

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 20sp421

substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 4, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Rosie D. Grant, dated October 25, 1999 to secure the original principal amount of $57,600.00, and recorded in Book 5181 at Page 0848 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.

Address of property: 1332 Essex Pl, Fayetteville, NC 28301 Tax Parcel ID: 0428-82-4488

Present Record Owners: Rosie D. Grant And Being more commonly known as: 1332 Essex Pl, Fayetteville, NC 28301 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Rosie D. Grant.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and

assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued

in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is August 28, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-109043

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 20 SP 564

substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:30AM on January 4, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Joe E. Brown and Ramona Brown aka Ramona E. Brown, dated April 29, 2005 to secure the original principal amount of $15,600.00, and recorded in Book 6868 at Page 101 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.

Address of property: 7 0 1 Rockwood Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Tax Parcel ID: 0439-94-8845

Present Record Owners: Joe E. Brown and Ramona E. Brown And Being more commonly known as: 701 Rockwood Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28311 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Joe E. Brown and Ramona E. Brown.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and

assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was

renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is September 2, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-108874

The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Neither woman could bring themselves to watch the video of George Floyd’s final moments, his neck pinned under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee.

But as their city grieved, Leesa Kelly and Kenda Zellner-Smith found much-needed comfort in the messages of anguish and hope that appeared on boarded-up windows as residents turned miles of plywood into canvases. Now, they’re working to save those murals before they vanish.

“These walls speak,” said Zellner-Smith, who said she was too numb to cry after Floyd’s killing.

“They’re the expressions of communities. We want these feelings, hopes, calls to action to live on.”

Together, the two Black women formed Save the Boards to Memorialize the Movement, part of a push to preserve the ephemeral expressions of anger and pain born of outrage over racial injustice that triggered weeks of protests across the country.

Some artists began painting intricate murals, but many spray-painted raw messages of anguish. Zellner-Smith started with the simple pieces.

“Some of these boards aren’t pretty,” she said. “There is collective pain and grief in each board, and each one tells a different aspect of this story. And now we get to tell that story to everyone.”

One is the word “MAMA” scrawled hastily onto the side of an abandoned Walmart. The word

was among Floyd’s last. Now it’s part of a database of protest art called the Urban Art Mapping George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art database.

“The art was changing quickly, and these raw, immediate responses were being erased and painted over,” said Todd Lawrence, an associate professor of English at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and one of the database’s creators. “We want people to see the full range of responses, the complexity, the multitude of voices.”

Lawrence and art history professor Heather Shirey were part of a research team already documenting street art. When the streets of countless cities became temporary galleries after Floyd’s death, they set out to capture the art before it disappeared.

Although many of the 1,600 artworks in the crowdsourced database come from Minneapolis, Shirey says they hope to expand to pieces from around the world.

“Oppression and racial violence is unfortunately universal, so art is responding to it around the world,” she said.

Similar work is going on across the country as groups take measures to keep the art alive.

In New York City, the Soho Broadway Initiative worked with local arts groups to get permission for murals and provide artists with materials. As murals started coming down, the organization returned 22 artworks to artists and collected 20 more waiting to be returned.

TAKE NOTICE

CABARRUS AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 248

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Fred D. Carpenter, Jr., Christine G. Carpenter (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Fred D. Carpenter, Jr. and Christine G. Carpenter) to John Dyer, Trustee(s), dated April 28, 2004, and recorded in Book No. 5301, at Page 0157 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

20 SP 343 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CABARRUS COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Carl D. Hailey and Ruby L. Hailey to Philip Mahoney, Trustee(s), which was dated April 12, 2012 and recorded on April 13, 2012 in Book 09959 at Page 0023, Cabarrus 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

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 14

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by William Edward Miller, Barbara Akins Miller (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): William Edward Miller and Barbara Akins Miller) to Ann Steinman, Trustee(s), dated November 24, 2000, and recorded in Book No. 3041, at Page 153 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

CUMBERLAND 19 SP 944 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Sharon Holmes to L/O Holly C. Steven, Trustee(s), which was dated October 14, 2003 and recorded on October 16, 2003 in Book 6311 at Page 231, Cumberland 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

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY ROSIE D. GRANT DATED OCTOBER 25, 1999 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 5181 AT PAGE 0848 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY JOE E. BROWN AND RAMONA BROWN AKA RAMONA E. BROWN DATED APRIL 29, 2005 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 6868 AT PAGE 101 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned

indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at in Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Concord in the County of Cabarrus, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Lying and being in the City of Concord, Number Two (2) Township, Cabarrus County, North Carolina and being all of Lot Number Ninety Six (96), Map Eight (8), BENTRIDGE, COVINGTON SUBDIVISION, as same as shown on map thereof recorded in Map Book 35, Page 30, Cabarrus County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 4852 Asherton Place, Northwest, Concord, North Carolina.

c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 2475 - 5659

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B9

TAKE NOTICE

CUMBERLAND NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 789

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Lawrence J. Coon, Tamara L. Coon (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Lawrence J. Coon and Tamara L. Coon) to William R. Echols, Trustee(s), dated August 14, 2017, and recorded in Book No. 10150, at Page 0897 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,

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 20SP499 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY SARAH JUSTICE DATED APRIL 20, 2007 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 7590 AT PAGE 504 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction

19 SP 1330 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Harold W. Gilchrist and Valerie A. Edwards a/k/a Valerie A. Gilchrist to M. Douglas Crisp, Trustee(s), which was dated January 13, 1998 and recorded on January 21, 1998 in Book 4791 at Page 167, Cumberland 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 January 6, 2021 at 01:30 PM, and

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 652

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by James Smith and Gwendolyn Smith to Jeff Dunham, Trustee(s), dated the 10th day of June, 2006, and recorded in Book 7274, Page 038, and Re-recorded in Book 7342, Page 511, and Re-recorded in Book 7447, Page 830, and Additional Deed of Trust in Book 7247, Page 041, in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby 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 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 in the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 4,

20 SP 5 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Sidney Wolinsky a/k/a Sidney Walinsky and Peggy Wolinsky a/k/a Peggy Walinksy to First American Title Insurance Company, Trustee(s), which was dated February 13, 2007 and recorded on February 20, 2007 in Book 7506 at Page 384 and rerecorded/modified/corrected on November 4, 2019 in Book 10622, Page 0602, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 4, 2021 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 39 in a subdivision known as Lake Rim North Addition, Phase 1, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 112, Page 144, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 821 Coathill Street, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Parcel: 9487-82-2401Trustee 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

to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:30AM on January 4, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Sarah Justice, dated April 20, 2007 to secure the original principal amount of $50,000.00, and recorded in Book 7590 at Page 504 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.

1 9 1 8 Address of property: Stanberry St, Fayetteville, NC 28301 Tax Parcel ID: 0438-17-4779 The Heirs of Present Record Owners: Sarah Justice And Being more commonly known as: 1918 Stanberry St, Fayetteville, NC 28301

will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT 236 IN A SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS SOUTHGATE, SECTION FOUR, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SAME DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 41, PAGE 72, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 1305 Kienast Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28314.

A cash deposit (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.

2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 10, in a subdivision known as Recombination and Zero Lot Line Subdivision for Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity and the same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 116, Page 165, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 428 Vanstory Street, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Property Address: 428 Street, Fayetteville, NC Parcel Identification No.: 0437-70-8204

Vanstory 28301

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS 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 NCGS 7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and

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 January 6, 2021 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:

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 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

The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Sarah Justice.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as

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, 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 Harold W. Gilchrist and Lance M. Bert.

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

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. 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

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 effective date of the termination.

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

superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 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 the termination.

request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

STEELE LANE S. 02 DEGREES 17 MINUTES W. 164.0 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE IN THE NORTHERN RIGHT OF WAY LINE (30 FEET FROM CENTER) OF PAVED SR 2234; THENCE WITH THE NORTHERN RIGHT OF WAY LINE (30 FEET FROM CENTER) OF PAVED SR 2234 N. 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES W. 122.0 FEET TO THE BEGINNING IRON PIPE.

A cash deposit (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

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

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

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 522

being more particularly described as follows: The Premises in Rockfish Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina, described as follows:

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Norris F. Bonner, Janice Bonner (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Norris F. Bonner) to Chicago Title, Trustee(s), dated December 4, 2015, and recorded in Book No. 09776, at Page 0630 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 designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 11, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Hope Mills in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and

Being all of Lot 167, Southview, Section One, according to a plat of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 88, Page 178, Cumberland County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 800 Connaly Drive, Hope Mills, North Carolina.

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), 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, 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. 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 781

and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain property situated in the City of Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland and State of North Carolina, being more fully described in a deed dated 08/18/2003 and recorded 08/20/2003, among the land records of the County and State set forth above, in Deed Volume 6236 and Page 875. Tax Map or Parcel ID No.: 0404-59-7542. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 3417 Harrisburg Drive, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

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 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. 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Michael J. Hohan a/k/a Michael Joseph Hohan, Tracy Elizabeth Hohan (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Michael J. Hohan and Tracy Elizabeth Hohan) to David L. Brunk, Trustee(s), dated June 21, 2006, and recorded in Book No. 7278, at Page 255 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 designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 11, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina,

BEING the same property conveyed to Norris F. Bonner and Annette B. Bonner from Harrell Construction Company, Inc. by Deed dated November 15, 1996 and recorded November 18, 1996 in Book/Volume/Page Book 4578, Page 43, as Instrument # in the Land Records of Cumberland, NC 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

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

File No.: 19-11612-FC01

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.

LANDS OWNED BY AND-OR IN THE POSSESSION OF PERSONS AS FOLLOWS: ON THE SOUTH BY PAVED SR 2234, ON THE WEST BY EDDIE M. MCKOY, JR., AND P.E. SHAW ET UX, AND ON THE NORTH AND EAST BY LANDS OF P.E. SHAW, ET UX; SAID TRACT OF LAND LYING APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF N.C. HIGHWAY NO. 87 AND PAVED SR 2234; AND BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED BY COURSES AND DISTANCES ACCORDING TO A SURVEY BY ROACH & NOBLES, REGISTERED SURVEYORS, IN MARCH, 1971, AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT AN IRON PIPE AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTHERN RIGHT OF WAY LINE (30 FEET FROM CENTER) OF PAVED SR 2234 AND THE EASTERN LINE OF THAT LOT CONVEYED BY DEED TO EDDIE M. MCKOY, JR., AS RECORDED IN BOOK 2006 AT PAGE 681, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, SAID BEGINNING IRON PIPE BEING SOUTH 34 DEGREES 54 MINUTES WEST 111.92 FEET, N. 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES W. 553.25 FEET SOUTH 02 DEGREES 17 MINUTES W. 200.0 FEET AND N. 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES W. 182.0 FEET FROM THE BEGINNING CORNER OF THAT TRACT OF LAND CONVEYED BY DEED RECORDED IN BOOK 584, PAGE 141, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, AND RUNS THENCE WITH AND BEYOND THE MCKOY LINE N. 02 DEGREES 17 MINUTES EAST 164.0 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE; THENCE S. 89 DEGREES 59 MINUTES EAST 122.0 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE IN THE WESTERN RIGHT OF WAY LINE (30 FEET FROM CENTER) OF STEELE LANE; THENCE WITH SAID WESTERN RIGHT WAY LINE (30 FEET FROM CENTER) OF

**FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY** The improvements thereon being known as 800 Connaly Drive, Hope Mills, NC 28348.

Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587

the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE

18 SP 1217 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

THAT CERTAIN TRACT OF LAND CONTAINING 0.46 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, LOCATED IN GRAY’S CREEK TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA; AND BOUNDED, NOW OR FORMERLY BY

400

to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

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. 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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,

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

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 January 6, 2021 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:

Suite

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 expressly are 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

A cash deposit (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

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Hollie Butler and Daniel Butler to Holly C. Stevens, Trustee(s), which was dated August 5, 1999 and recorded on August 11, 1999 in Book 5144 at Page 0777, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-110106

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC

Said property is commonly known as 268 Shawcroft Road, Fayetteville, NC 28311.

NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY

The date of this Notice is September 10, 2020.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

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

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

c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3708 - 11751

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.

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, 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 Sidney Wolinsky and wife, Peggy Wolinsky.

BEINGALLOFLOT126,KING’SGRANTSUBDIVISION, SECTION THREE, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF THE SAME DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 70, PAGE 74, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA REGISTRY.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE

BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED TO KENNETH H. TART AND WIFE, FRANCES H. TART BY TRUSTEE’S DEED, DATED OCTOBER 27, 1988 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 3434, AT PAGE 410 OF THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY AND BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED TO DANIEL BUTLER AND HOLLIE H. BUTLER BY DEED RECORDED IN BOOK 2265, AT PAGE 99 OF THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY AND INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 2763 Blossom Road, Hope Mills, NC 28348.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may

c/o Hutchens Law Firm LLP P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Case No: 1284471 (FC.FAY)

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 18-10801-FC01

DEED.

the effective date of the termination.

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, 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 Daniel Butler and wife Hollie H. Butler.

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

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 16-20122-FC02

in this 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.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3410 - 8796

P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3806 - 12614

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B10 TAKE NOTICE

CUMBERLAND AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 19 SP 1580

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Thurgood Bunche Flowers a/k/a Thurgood B. Flowers, a/k/a Thurgood Flowers, Emma Lee Flowers a/k/a Emma L. Flowers, a/k/a Emma Flowers (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Thurgood Bunche Flowers, Heirs of Thurgood Bunche Flowers a/k/a Thurgood B. Flowers, a/k/a Thurgood Flowers: Taylor Janai Flowers a/k/a Taylor J. Flowers, a/k/a Taylor Flowers, Clari Luz Martinez a/k/a Clari L. Martinez, a/k/a Clari Martinez, Emma Lee Flowers) to Law Firm of Jamie Faye Newsom, Trustee(s), dated June 1, 2006, and recorded in Book No. 7258, at Page 670 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note

DAVIDSON 12 SP 1051 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, DAVIDSON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Timothy R. Price a/k/a Timothy Ray Price and May H. Price to J. LaRoss Ketner, Attorney, Trustee(s), which was dated February 17, 1997 and recorded on February 20, 1997 in Book 1022 at Page 1732, Davidson 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

20 SP 45 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, DAVIDSON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Patrick Roby Tussey and Lisa A. Whipple Tussey to Robert W. Garrison, Trustee(s), which was dated August 22, 2006 and recorded on September 7, 2006 in Book 1727 at Page 1670 and rerecorded/modified/corrected on April 17, 2012 in Book 2054, Page 207 and rerecorded/modified/corrected on August 1, 2013 in Book 2112, Page 1445, Davidson 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 January 4, 2021 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Davidson County, North Carolina, to wit: TRACT I BEGINNING at an existing iron stake, said stake being in the line of James Long, Jr. as described in Deed Book 1209, Page 1230, Davidson County Registry, said stake also being a corner to Bobby Joe Moore as described in Deed Book 1264, Page 1337, Davidson County Registry,

JOHNSTON AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 164

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 in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 4, 2021 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 83, in a Subdivision known as Middle Creek Section 3, The same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 59, Page 84, Cumberland County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 7265 Pebblebrook Drive, Fayetteville, North Carolina.Pin: 9487-38-3202Trustee 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.

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 January 4, 2021 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Davidson County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING Lot No. 20, Block C, Section Two, DEARR PARK as more specifically set out in Plat Book 14, Page 76, as recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Davidson County, North Carolina, to which reference is hereby made for a more particular description.

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

Said property is commonly known as 105 Converse Drive, Lexington, NC 27292.

For further reference see Deed Book 141, Page 260, Deed Book 411, Page 35 and Deed Book 1264, Page 1337, Davidson County Registry.

BEGINNING at an existing iron pipe, said pipe being located in the right of way line of Boggs Road (S. R. 2034) and being a common corner with John Norton as described in Deed Book 594, Page 72 and Deed Book 500, Page 435, Davidson County Registry; thence South 20° 59’ 13” West 155.20 feet to a point; thence South 05° 01’ 11” West 277.00 feet to a point; thence North 83° 38’ 27” West 9.82 feet to a point; thence South 21° 34’ 23” West 197.48 feet to a point, said point being located in the line of Banner Boggs as described in Deed Book 481, Page 305, Davidson County Registry; thence with Boggs’ line North 81° 27’ 13” West 198.00 feet to an existing iron pipe; thence North 04° 33’ 43” East 183.09 feet to an existing iron pipe; thence North 03° 51’ 44” East 425.91 feet to an existing iron stake, said stake being located in the line of James Long, Jr. as described in Deed Book 1209, Page 1230, Davidson County Registry; thence continuing with Long’s line South 83° 55’ 45” East crossing an existing iron pipe at 104.51 feet and continuing along the same course an additional 169.30 feet and crossing an existing stone and continuing along the same course an additional 42.70 feet to an existing iron pipe, for a total distance traveled of 316.52 feet, said existing iron pipe being the point and place of the beginning and containing 3.684 acres more or less as shown on a survey

TRACT

II

BEGINNING at an existing iron pipe, said pipe being located in the right of way of Boggs Road (S. R. 2034), also being the northeast corner of Deed Book 192, Page 170, and a common corner with John Norton in said right of way line, thence with said right of way the following six courses and distances: South 09° 45’ 16” West 234.29 feet to a calculated point; thence South 09° 21’ 15” West 123.51 feet to a calculated point; South 08° 14’ 44” West 73.42 feet to a calculated point; thence South 06° 09’ 39” West 70.39 feet to a calculated point; thence South 04° 25’ 39” West 79.76 feet to a calculated point; thence South 02° 19’ 38” West 40.01 feet to a calculated point; thence North 81° 27’ 13” West 11.21 feet to an existing axle, said axle being located in the line of Banner Boggs as described in Deed Book 481, Page 305, Davidson County Registry; thence continuing with Boggs’ line North 81° 27’ 13” West 66.20 feet to a point; thence North 21° 34’ 23” East 197.48 feet to a point; thence South 83° 38’ 27” East

sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Kenly in the County of Johnston, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: TRACT ONE: All that tract or parcel of land lying and being in O’Neals Township, Johnston County, State of North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 19SP369

the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 4, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Johnston County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Darius Allen Moore and Debroah A. Moore, dated January 2, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $112,000.00, and recorded in Book 2615 at Page 345 of the Johnston County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of

RANDOLPH IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION RANDOLPH COUNTY 19sp384 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY TIMOTHY D. TOLLISON AND LINDA M. TOLLISON DATED JANUARY 10, 2000 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 1642 AT PAGE 1265 IN THE RANDOLPH COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

19 SP 294 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, RANDOLPH COUNTY

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, 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 Timothy R. Price.

9.82 feet to a point; thence North 05° 01’ 11” East 277.00 feet to a point; thence North 20° 59’ 13” East 155.20 feet to an existing iron pipe, said pipe being the point and place of the beginning and containing 16,782 square feet (9,466 and 7,316) more or less as shown on a survey entitled “Survey for Jerry Douglas Darnell and Carolyn K. Darnell” dated July 29, 2003, revised August 18, 2003, known as Job No. 03-10116, by Charles C. Whicker, RLS.

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Amanda Creech Horne n/k/a Amanda Leah Creech, Timothy Clevon Horne (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Amanda Creech Horne and Timothy Clevon Horne) to George Atkinson, Trustee(s), dated October 17, 2005, and recorded in Book No. 2999, at Page 904 in Johnston 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 Johnston 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 in Smithfield, Johnston County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on January 5, 2021 and will

NOTICE OF SALE

A cash deposit (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.

thence with Moore’s line South 04° 40’ 04” West 608.53 feet to a new iron pipe; thence South 81° 27’ 13” East 6.34 feet to an existing iron pipe; thence North 04° 33’ 43” East 183.09 feet to an existing iron pipe; thence North 03° 51’ 44” East 425.91 feet to an existing iron stake, said stake being the point and place of the beginning and containing 2,401 square feet more or less as shown on a survey entitled “Survey for Jerry Douglas Darnell and Carolyn K. Darnell” dated July 29, 2003, revised August 18, 2003, known as Job No. 03-10116, by Charles C. Whicker, RLS.

BEGINNING at an existing concrete monument in the Western right of way of S.R. No. 2117, common corner of R.L. Creech and J.D. Bunn, now or formerly, and runs as said right of way South 03 degrees 07 minutes 40 seconds East 124 feet to an iron pipe set; thence a new line South 82 degrees 40 minutes 22 seconds West 403.83 feet to an iron pipe in the property line of R.L. Creech and J.D. Bunn; thence as their old division line North 66 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds East 431.04 feet to an existing concrete monument, the point of BEGINNING, and being a part of Lot No. 8 of the J.H. Creech division, containing 24,970.24 square feet according to a survey for C. D. Bunn dated November 18, 1985, prepared by Ragsdale Consultants, P.A.. For further reference see Deed of Record in Deed Book 1269, page 213, and Book 1292, page 697, Johnston County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 789 Creech Church Road, Kenly, North Carolina.

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY DARIUS ALLEN MOORE AND DEBROAH A. MOORE DATED JANUARY 2, 2004 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 2615 AT PAGE 345 RERECORDED ON APRIL 20, 2007 IN BOOK 3327, PAGE 598 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA

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

1 0 6 7 Address of property: Thompson Rd, 1105 Thompson Rd, 1123 Thompson Rd, Lot Adjacent to 1123 Thompson Rd, Four Oaks, NC 27524 Tax Parcel ID: 08I13032D; 08I13032E; 08I13032F; 08I13032G Present Record Owners: Darius Allen

TRACT

III

Subject to: 1. Public Utility Easements for Local Service. 2. Restrictive covenants.

Tax I.D. #: 11N05049M 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

Moore and Debroah A. Moore And Being more commonly known as: 1067 Thompson Rd, 1105 Thompson Rd, 1123 Thompson Rd, Lot Adjacent to 1123 Thompson Rd, Four Oaks, NC 27524 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Darius Allen Moore and Debroah A. Moore.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 2:00PM on January 6, 2021 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Randolph County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Timothy D. Tollison and Linda M. Tollison, dated January 10, 2000 to secure the original principal amount of $62,800.00, and recorded in Book 1642 at Page 1265 of the Randolph 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.

113 Meredith Address of property: Drive, Archdale, NC 27263 Tax Parcel ID: 7708783143 Timothy D. Present Record Owners: Tollison and Linda M. Tollison

and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 5, 2021 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Randolph County, North Carolina, to wit:

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

And Being more commonly known as: 113 Meredith Drive, Archdale, NC 27263 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Timothy D. Tollison and Linda M. Tollison.

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Douglas Wrightson and Robin Wrightson to Amy Mandart, Trustee(s), which was dated February 5, 2004 and recorded on February 12, 2004 in Book 1855 at Page 1775 and rerecorded/modified/ corrected on March 10, 2020 in Book 2692, Page 408, Randolph County Registry, North Carolina.

BEING ALL OF LOT NO. 5 OF EARLFIELD ACRES AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 64, PAGE 29, IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR RANDOLPH COUNTY, 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

Said property is commonly known as 4464 Jerry St, Trinity, NC 27370.

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, 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 Douglas Wrightson and wife, Robin Wrightson.

A cash deposit (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

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

20 SP 118 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

property situated in Randolph County, North Carolina, to wit:

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

NORTH CAROLINA, RANDOLPH COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Stephanie Ann Strader to A. Grant Whitney, Trustee(s), which was dated August 25, 2014 and recorded on August 25, 2014 in Book 2404 at Page 205, Randolph 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 January 6, 2021 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described

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

BEING all of Lot No. 10, Map No. 2 of the Sunrise Acres Subdivision as per plat recorded in Plat Book 40, Page 55, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Randolph County, North Carolina SUBJECT to those Restrictive Covenants of record recorded in Book 1406, Page 990, Randolph County Registry Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 2107 King Ct, Asheboro, NC 27203.

A cash deposit (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

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, 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 All Lawful Heirs of Stephanie Ann Strader.

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,

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, 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. 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

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

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 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 the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the

entitled “Survey for Jerry Douglas Darnell and Carolyn K. Darnell” dated July 29, 2003, revised August 18, 2003, known as Job No. 03-10116, by Charles C. Whicker, RLS. For further reference see Deed Book 141, Page 260, Deed Book 192, Page 170 and Deed Book 411, Page 35, Davidson County Registry.

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

Said property is commonly known as 226 Boggs Road, Thomasville, NC 27360.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. 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 Lisa A. Whipple Tussey.

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.

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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1276154 - 10753

loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 16-20127-FC01

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 effective date of the termination.

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

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-19389-FC01

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, 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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

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

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3115 - 7650

The date of this Notice is September 2, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 11-017714

Suite

400

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice

conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is made subject to all prior liens and encumbrances, and unpaid taxes and assessments including but not limited to any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. Following the expiration of the statutory upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

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 effective date of the termination.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are a tenant residing in the property, be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October 1, 2007, be advised that you may terminate the rental agreement upon written notice to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time notice of termination is provided. You may be liable for rent due under the agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

The date of this Notice is August 31, 2020.

Grady I. Ingle or Elizabeth B. Ells Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 02-36439

Suite

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587

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

File No.: 19-08657-FC01

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 effective date of the termination.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587

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

File No.: 20-05023-FC01

400

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

B11

TAKE NOTICE

UNION 20 SP 391 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, UNION COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Larry L. Burns a/k/a Larry Leonard Burns to Doug Dixon, Trustee(s), which was dated May 10, 2000 and recorded on July 27, 2020 in Book 07748 at Page 0803, Union 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 January 5, 2021 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described

1292953 DRS 20-SP-320 NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

UNDER AND BY VIRTUE of the power and authority contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed and delivered by Classical Liberal Arts Academy, LLC (hereinafter “Borrower”) dated May 17, 2011 and recorded on May 20, 2011 and recorded in Book 5536 at Page 335 in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Union County, North Carolina (hereinafter “Deed of Trust”); and because of default in the payment of the indebtedness secured thereby and failure to carry out and perform the stipulations and agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will place for sale, at public auction, to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the Union County Courthouse, 400 North Main Street, Monroe, North Carolina on THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021 AT 1:00 P.M., all of Borrower’s right to the real described herein below, together with any improvements and fixtures existing or hereafter placed on or attached to the real property, and all other appurtenant rights and privileges, situated, lying and being in Monroe, Union County, State of North Carolina, and being more

WAKE AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 850 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Richard J. Bandy and Michele Bandy to Thomas V. Choiniere, Trustee(s), dated the 21st day of July, 2014, and recorded in Book 015726, Page 00438, in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the note thereby 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 of Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 1397

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Betty J. Bartlow (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Barbara B. Flannery and Betty J. Bartlow) to Rebecca W. Shaia, Trustee(s), dated October 25, 2007, and recorded in Book No. 012818, at Page 01082 in Wake 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 Wake 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 in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 1117

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Santee Sanders, Jr., Lenora Sanders (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Santee Sanders, Jr. and Lenora Sanders, Heirs of Santee Sanders, Jr.: Sandy Sanders, Cindy Simone Sanders-Lucas) to Brent Robinson, Trustee(s), dated November 29, 1999, and recorded in Book No. 008473, at Page 01804 in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh,

20 SP 1767 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, WAKE COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Sheryl L. Brady and Joby R. Brady to Walter F. Jones, Trustee(s), which was dated April 13, 2005 and recorded on April 26, 2005 in Book 011326 at Page 01996, Wake 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

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 17 SP 1641

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Rebecca Jones Cooper a/k/a Rebecca J. Cooper, a/k/a Rebecca Cooper, Thomas Scott Cooper a/k/a Thomas S. Cooper, a/k/a Thomas Cooper (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Rebecca Jones Cooper and Thomas Scott Cooper) to Alie Yates, Trustee(s), dated December 1, 2006, and recorded in Book No. 12300, at Page 1326 in Wake 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 Wake 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 in Raleigh, Wake County,

property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit: BEGINNING at an iron pin, said point being a common corner of the tract from which this lot is carved and property of Mrs. Elmer G. Deese (Deed Book 107, Page 61) and being located North 64 degrees 15 minutes 00 seconds West 245 feet from an iron pin within the right of way of Mill Grove Road in the vicinity of its intersection with Noah Helms Road, said point in the road being a common corner of the property from which this tract is carved and said Deese property and runs thence from said beginning point with the line of said Deese property North 88 degrees 00 minutes West 485 feet to an iron pin; thence three new lines North 02 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds East 233.30 feet to an iron, South 65 degrees 31 minutes 15 seconds East 531.71 feet to an iron, South 13 degrees 52 minutes 30 seconds West 30.66 feet to the point of BEGINNING and containing 1.48 acres as surveyed by Edward L. Killough, NCRLS, January 30, 1985.

The above conveyance made subject to an easement for egress and ingress 30 feet in width crossing the abovedescribed 1.48 acres from its eastern boundary line of its western boundary line, the southern boundary line of said easement being the southern boundary line of the abovedescribed tract and running along the said Deese property.

Also conveyed herewith is an easement for egress and ingress between the above-described property and the Mill Grove Road more particularly described as

particularly described as follows: First Tract: Being that 11.730 acre tract as shown upon plat of survey entitled boundary and division survey, the property of Ruth B. Funderburk Heirs, prepared by Carroll L. Rushing, NCRLS, L-1513, on January 11, 2006 and recorded in Plat Cabinet J, File 140, in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Union County, NC. PARCEL: 04-090-003P Third Tract:

follows: BEGINNING at the beginning point of the abovedescribed 1.48 acres and runs thence with its eastern boundary North 13 degrees 52 minutes 30 seconds East 30.66 feet to a corner of said property; thence South 64 degrees 15 minutes 00 seconds East 249.87 feet to a point within the right of way of Mill Grove Road; thence within the said right of way South 23 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds West 30.03 feet to an iron pin; thence with the said Deese property line North 64 degrees 15 minutes 00 seconds West 245 feet to the point of BEGINNING. For reference see Will of Dorothy Lena Burns, deceased, recorded in File No. 84 E 140 in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court of Union County.

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

Said property is commonly known as 8403 Mill Grove Road, Indian Trail, NC 28079.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. 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 All Lawful Heirs of Larry L. Burns.

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

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

Feet and 2nd, North 41 Degrees 54 minutes 15 seconds West 60.29 feet; thence south 76 degrees 08 minutes 12 seconds West (passing a rebar at 15.0 feet on the western side of the creek) a total of 1010.30 feet to a point in the center line of Stack Road; thence with the center line of Stack Road South 23 degrees 47 minutes 19 seconds East 454.62 feet to the point and place of beginning, containing 10.07 acres as shown upon unrecorded map of survey dated February 27, 1997 by Walter Gordon and Associates, Jeffrey S. Gordon, N.C.R.L.S., L-3751.

same, the successful bidder may also be required to pay revenue stamps on the Trustee’s Deed, any Land Transfer Tax, and the tax required by N.C.G.S. § 7A-308(a)(1).

Address of property: 11.73 acres off Stack Road and 1621 Stack Road, Monroe, Union County, North Carolina

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 sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the Trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

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

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 19-12759-FC01

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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the this 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.

Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. Substitute Trustee By: William Walt Pettit, Attorney 6230 Fairview Road, Suite 315 Charlotte, NC 28210 Telephone: (704) 362-9255

Beginning at a point in the center line of Stack Road (SR 2115); evidenced by a rebar, marking a common corner with an existing 25 foot road right of way, if extended (Deed Book 758, Page 741); thence from the beginning point with the center line of the existing 25 foot road right of way North 72 Degrees 34 Minutes 00 Seconds East 346.65 feet; thence North 76 Degrees 41 Minutes 00 Seconds East 700.00 Feet to a point evidenced by a railroad spike; thence North 27 Degrees 28 Minutes 00 Seconds West 286.68 Feet to a point in a creek; thence North 14 Degrees 21 Minutes 39 Seconds West 38.72 feet to a point in the center line of the creek; thence two lines in the center line of the creek, 1st, North 29 Degrees 52 Minutes 51 Seconds West 64.86

Tax Parcel IDs: and 04 090 003L

Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in the City of Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 11, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the City of Holly Springs, in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 133 in Twelve Oaks Pud, Phase 1A, as shown on map recorded in Book of Maps 2007, Pages 1516, 1517, and 1518, Wake County Registry

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 expressly are 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 their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained

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 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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days

but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

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), 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

courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 6, 2021 at 10:30 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Wake County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING all of Lot 98, Enchanted Oaks, Section II, Phase III according to plat recorded in Book of Maps 1987, Page 221, Wake County Registry.

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

Said property is commonly known as 5200 Blue Stem Ct, Raleigh, NC 27606.

A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR

DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. 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 Sheryl L. Brady and husband, Joby R. Brady.

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

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1,

2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 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 the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return

the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 FAX: (910) 392-8587 File No.: 20-00590-FC02

North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Cary in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 12, Lochaven Subdivision, as shown on map recorded in Book of Maps 1965, Page 240, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 804 Pamlico Drive, Cary, North Carolina.

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 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. § 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 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 that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this 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.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in NCGS §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 NCGS §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

situated in Cary in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 70, The Legacy at Carpenter Village, Phase 2, as shown on plat recorded in Book of Maps 2005, page 350, Wake County Register of Deeds. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 108 Presidents Walk Lane, Cary, 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

Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on January 4, 2021 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Cary in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Land referred to in this commitment is described as all that certain property situated in Cary in the County of Wake, and State of North Carolina and being described in a deed dated 05/07/85 and recorded 06/10/85, among the land records of the County and State set forth above, and referenced as follows: Book 3494 Page 823. Being all of Lot 17 Coronado Village, Section One, as recorded in Book of Maps 1976, Page 177, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 431 Walnut Street, Cary, 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

Present Record Owner: Classical Academy, LLC

04 090 003P

The real property hereinabove described is being offered for sale “AS IS, WHERE IS” and will be sold subject to all superior liens, unpaid taxes, and special assessments.

Other conditions will be announced at the sale. The sale will be held open for ten (10) days for upset bids as by law required.

the effective date of the termination.

Liberal

Arts

The terms of the sale are that the real property hereinbefore described will be sold for cash to the highest bidder. The Substitute Trustee reserves the right to require a cash deposit or a certified check not to exceed the greater of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00). In the event that the note holder or its intended assignee is exempt from paying the

Additional Notice Where the Real Property is Residential With Less Than 15 Rental Units:

An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession

in this 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.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm LLP P.O. Box 12497 6230 Fairview Road, Suite 315 Charlotte, North Carolina 28210 Phone No: (704) 362-9255 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Case No: 1296582 (CFC.CH)

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3301 - 8235

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 3179 - 7867

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 1212962 - 10205

B12

North State Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

pen & paper pursuits

sudoku

solutions From Dec. 23, 2020

TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 13 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 | STANLYJOURNAL.COM

Stanly County Journal

PHOTO COURTESY ATRIUM HEALTH

A healthcare worker at Atrium Health in Charlotte holds the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine after the first doses arrived in late December of 2020.

Atrium Health Stanly among first in rural NC to receive Moderna vaccine

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — A coronavirus vaccine is coming soon to Stanly County, according to Atrium Health.

The health system announced in late December that its Albemarle location is one of three facilities in rural North Carolina — Atrium Health Stanly, Atrium Health Kings Mountain and Atrium Health Anson — that will be given early access to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 18.

Atrium Health is among the first in the state to get a shipment of the Moderna vaccine, which is projected to be available to the

general public in the spring of 2021 and available to hospital staff even sooner.

“With this shipment of the new vaccine from Moderna, frontline healthcare employees who work at one of Atrium Health’s integrated network of hospitals outside of the Charlotte area will now have convenient access to a COVID-19 vaccine,” Atrium Health said in its press release.

While the hospital plans to utilize the Pfizer vaccine within Charlotte, it will focus on distributing the Moderna vaccine outside of the city, in part due to its storage capabilities. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine can be stored in a standard freezer (-13 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit), thus allowing it to be kept in healthcare facilities that lack an ultra-cold

freezer.

According to Atrium Health, who is also slated to participate in a clinical trial with a third vaccine candidate in late December, the Moderna vaccine is viable for 30 days after being removed from a freezer.

“Atrium Health received an initial shipment of 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has been clinically proven to be safe and 94.1% effective,” Atrium’s press release continued. “This supply will be used to vaccinate Atrium Health’s frontline healthcare workers, working in high-priority areas where they are at a higher risk of exposure, to receive the vaccine at a faster pace.”

While it’s already been approved for usage, the Moderna vaccine is being reviewed by the

Stanly County Schools to operate remotely until Jan. 19

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — While Stanly County’s students, parents and teachers don’t know yet how the entirety of their spring academic calendar will play out, they now know that the semester will begin entirely remotely when they return from the holidays on Jan. 7.

At a special-called meeting of the Stanly County Board of Education, board members unanimously voted in favor of operating through virtual learning for the first two weeks after holiday break. Students would then be brought back to classrooms on Jan. 19, unless the board sees reason to maintain remote learning.

The primary reason for the board’s decision to delay the return to in-person learning is the county’s reported spike in positive COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving break, with the hope that a two-week delay will act as a buffer zone for an increase in cases after Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“After Thanksgiving, we pretty much had what I would call an exponential growth curve in our numbers with COVID-19,” SCS Superintendent Dr. Jarrod Dennis told the school board. “My team

and I have been meeting and going over different options, because we saw what is going to be inevitable after the holidays.”

Using a slideshow presentation, Dennis explained that while the remote-only learning format is the plan that provides the least COVID-19 exposure to students and staff, he knows that some students struggle with the lack of classroom learning and that the remote-only format can cause staff furloughs in hard-to-staff areas.

Even with that in mind, the school system administration concluded that a two-week delay is the correct route of action and gave that opinion through the superintendent’s presentation to the board.

“We would like to see a delayed return in face-to-face,” Dennis said. “A lot of this is totally predicated upon resources and the lack thereof that we think will be impending due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases coming after the holidays.”

Students will be able to return to their classrooms on Jan. 19 if they choose to come back to a physical setting. At that time, in-person learning, remote learning and hybrid formats will be available.

Based on this current plan, only six face-to-face class days will be missed after virtual days and the

Martin Luther King Jr. holiday are factored in.

The free meal program that the Stanly County School System has used will resume through the options of pickup or bus delivery. Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays, meals will be available for families to pick up at Albemarle Middle School, North Stanly Middle School, South Stanly Middle School and West Stanly Middle School.

On Dec. 17, the Stanly County Health Department released its latest batch of COVID-19 numbers, reporting 3,791 total positive coronavirus cases, 2,919 recovered cases, 16 hospitalizations and 89 deaths. According to age demographics, 8.5% (308 cases) of all positive cases within the county have been residents 17 years of age and younger.

The department is currently monitoring 786 individuals who have tested positive recently, including four cases of reinfection where an individual has tested positive again after at least 12 weeks of their first infection.

The Stanly County Board of Education’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5, two days before students begin their spring semester with two weeks of virtual learning.

FDA in an ongoing Phase 3 trial of around 30,000 participants; the dosage is split up into two separate injections separated by 28 days.

On Dec. 14, Atrium Health announced that it was the first provider in the state to administer the Pfizer vaccine, which it has given to over 1,500 of its employees so far and is scheduled to give to 5,300 more. Like the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine is also split into two doses separated by a month.

With millions of people awaiting a vaccine, an ethical and financial decision for epidemiologists going forward will be whether or not they should distribute two separate doses to the general public or to vaccinate double the amount of people with that same supply. On Dec. 10, the FDA released docu-

“With this shipment of the new vaccine from Moderna, frontline healthcare employees who work at one of Atrium Health’s integrated network of hospitals outside of the Charlotte area will now have convenient access to a COVID-19 vaccine.”

Atrium Health ments indicating that a single dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines is still highly effective at preventing COVID-19.

In the meantime, Atrium Health has started up a voluntary vaccine research registry that will provide information regarding vaccine development — individuals who want to get involved in the registry will be provided advanced access to future COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Trump’s impact on courts likely to last long beyond his term The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — On this, even President Donald Trump’s most fevered critics agree: He has left a deep imprint on the federal courts that will outlast his one term in office for decades to come.

He used the promise of conservative judicial appointments to win over Republican skeptics as a candidate. Then as president, he relied on outside conservative legal organizations and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to employ an assembly line-like precision to install more than 230 judges on the federal bench, including the three newest justices of the Supreme Court. Trump never tired of boasting about it.

Indeed, undeterred by Democratic criticism, the Senate was still confirming judges more than a month after Trump lost his reelection bid to Joe Biden.

“Trump has basically done more than any president has done in a single term since (President Jimmy) Carter to put his stamp on the judiciary,” said Jonathan Adler, a law professor

at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland. Congress created about 150 new judgeships during Carter’s presidency, he said.

The impact will be enduring. Among the Trump-appointed judges, who hold lifetime positions, several are still in their 30s. The three Supreme Court picks could still be on the court at the 21st century’s midpoint, 30 years from now.

Beyond the Supreme Court, 30% of the judges on the nation’s court of appeals, where all but a handful of cases reach their end, were appointed by Trump.

But numbers don’t tell the entire story. The real measure of what Trump has been able to do will be revealed in countless court decisions in the years to come on abortion, guns, religious rights and a host of other culture wars issues.

When it came to the president’s own legal challenges of the election results, however, judges who have him to thank for their position rebuffed his claims. But in many other important ways, See SCOTUS, page 6

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

2 WEDNESDAY

12.30.20 #166

Girl Scouts rebuke Boy Scouts in escalating recruitment war

By Larry Neumeister The Associated Press

“Join the conversation” Stanly County Journal ISSN: 2575-2278

Publisher Neal Robbins

Editor David Larson

Sports Editor Cory Lavalette

Senior Opinion Editor Frank Hill

Design Editor Lauren Rose Published each Wednesday by North State Media LLC 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Albemarle, N.C. 28001 (704) 269-8461 INFO@STANLYJOURNAL.COM STANLYJOURNAL.COM

TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 or online at nsjonline.com Annual Subscription Price: $25.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Stanly County Journal 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Albemarle, N.C. 28001.

NEW YORK — The Girl Scouts are in a “highly damaging” recruitment war with the Boy Scouts after the latter opened its core services to girls, leading to marketplace confusion and some girls unwittingly joining the Boy Scouts, lawyers for the century-old Girl Scouts organization claim in court papers.

The competition, more conjecture than reality two years ago, has intensified as the Boy Scouts of America organization — which insists recruits pledge to be “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous and kind” — has unfairly recruited girls lately, according to claims in legal briefs filed on behalf of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

The lawyers filed papers in Manhattan federal court Thursday to repel an effort by the Boy Scouts to toss out before trial a trademark infringement lawsuit the Girl Scouts filed in 2018.

Last month, lawyers for the Boy Scouts asked a judge to reject claims that the Boy Scouts cannot use “scouts” and “scouting” in its recruitment of girls without infringing trademarks.

They called the lawsuit “utterly meritless.”

The Boy Scouts on Saturday pointed to legal arguments in which it blames the Girl Scouts for reacting to its expansion plans with “anger and alarm” and said the Girl Scouts launched a “ground war” to spoil plans by the Boy Scouts to include more girls.

In a statement, the Boy Scouts said it expanded program offer-

ings for girls “after years of requests from families” who wanted their boys and girls both participating in its character and leadership programs or for other reasons, including a desire to become an Eagle Scout.

“We applaud every organization that builds character and leadership in children, including the Girl Scouts of the USA, and believe that all families and communities benefit from the opportunity to select the programs that best fit their needs,” the statement said.

In its filing, the Girl Scouts said the Boy Scouts’ marketing of expanded services for girls was “extraordinary and highly damaging to Girl Scouts” and had set off an “explosion of confusion.”

“As a result of Boy Scouts’ infringement, parents have mistakenly enrolled their daughters in Boy Scouts thinking it was Girl Scouts,” the lawyers said, adding that this never occurred before 2018.

The Girls Scouts said they can prove there are “rampant instances of confusion and mistaken instances of association between Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts” after the Boy Scouts targeted girls and their parents with marketing and recruiting communications in ways it never has before.

In its statement, though, the Boy Scouts said: “To imply that confusion is a prevailing reason for their choice is not only inaccurate – with no legally admissible instance of this offered to date in the case – but it is also dismissive of the decisions of more than 120,000 girls and young women who have joined Cub Scouts or Scouts BSA since the programs

became available to them.”

“The parties’ programs, which have many similarities, are now directly competitive,” the Girls Scouts maintained.

The organization cited proof from a narrow subset of documents turned over by 19 of 250 local Boy Scout councils, including evidence that registration fees sometimes were returned to parents who mistakenly thought they registered girls for the Girl Scouts.

It said repeated instances of confusion and interference at the local level by the Boy Scouts was a tiny fraction of what was occurring nationwide.

Each of dozens of times the Girl Scouts complained about unfair marketing, the Boy Scouts responded by blaming individuals, churches or others for what they said was an isolated incident, the lawyers said.

“According to Boy Scouts, blame for the rampant marketplace confusion lies at everyone’s feet but its own,” they wrote.

Both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, like other major youth organizations, have seen declines in membership in recent years as competition grew pre-pandemic from sports leagues and busy family schedules.

In spring 2018, the Boy Scouts program for 11- to 17-year-olds announced it would change its name to Scouts BSA in early 2019. The parent organization, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts, a program serving children from kindergarten through fifth grade, kept their names.

The organization started admitting girls into the Cub Scouts in August 2018, and Scouts BSA

began accepting girls in February, 2019, lawyers said.

Afterward, Boy Scouts councils and volunteers began using Girl Scouts’ intellectual property to recruit girls, employing targeted advertising utilizing terms such as “Scout, Scouts, Scouting, Scout Me In and Scouts BSA,” the lawyers wrote.

The Boy Scouts contend, though, that “undisputed evidence” proves that the Boy Scouts have used “Scout” alone for more than 100 years and in connection with the marketing of some coed youth services for nearly 50 years.

It said hundreds of thousands of pages of documents produced in the court case and more than 40 depositions of witnesses prove the Boy Scouts never engaged in trademark infringement or created consumer confusion.

The lawyers for Girl Scouts said Boy Scouts councils in Illinois acknowledged improperly using the Girl Scouts’ slogan in Cub Scout recruiting materials and pictures of Girl Scouts to promote a Boy Scouts “Scouts Sign-Up Night!”

They said a western Massachusetts Boy Scouts council posted a recruiting flyer on Facebook including a photograph of a girl depicted in her Girl Scouts Brownie uniform.

Meanwhile, Ohio Boy Scouts used the Girl Scouts trademark to try to get a local newspaper to write an article, suggesting a storyline entitled “Boy and Girl Scouts Looking for Members” even though the recruitment involved only the Boy Scouts, the lawyers said.

In Seattle, a Boy Scouts council used the Girl Scouts trademark in social media recruiting materials, the lawyers said.

They said confusion has skyrocketed among children, parents, schools and religious organizations and they cited examples in other states, including Florida, Minnesota, Arkansas, Michigan, North Carolina and Hawaii.

RV-buying mistakes to avoid

By Liz Weston The Associated Press RECREATIONAL VEHICLE sales are soaring, and the RV industry expects 2021 to be a record-breaking year. Dealerships say much of the demand is coming from first-time buyers and others anxious to find a safer way to vacation during the pandemic.

As any RV owner will tell you, though, buying a motorhome, camper or trailer is a complex process that requires a ton of decisions. The more choices you make, the more opportunities you have to make mistakes, especially when you’re a novice.

If you’re considering your first RV, these are some of the errors to avoid.

Mistake no. 1: Assuming you’ll save a lot of money on travel If you want to make a motorhome owner laugh, say something silly like, “I bet you save a ton of money on hotels!”

Well, maybe. But new motorhomes typically cost $60,000 to $500,000, according to the RV Industry Association. Add in the cost of gas for a vehicle that gets 6 to 10 mpg, plus insurance, maintenance and the inevitable repairs. Campground fees typically run $25 to $80 a night. You may need to pay for storage if you can’t park the rig at your house, since many cities limit the time that RVs can be parked on the street. Storage can cost $30 to $450 a month, depending on whether it’s outdoors or indoors, heated or unheated, near a major city or out in the boonies.

Campers and trailers can be more economical — as long as you already own the truck or SUV you need to haul them. Pop-up trailers and truck campers start at around $6,000, according to the RVIA. Travel trailers usually range from $6,000 to $55,000, while fifth-wheel trailers range from $18,000 to $160,000.

If you need a loan, you may wind up paying a lot of interest over time because RV loans often stretch for 10, 15 or even 20 years. Borrowing $40,000 for 15 years will cost you nearly $19,000 in interest, even at a reasonable rate (for RV loans) of 5.5%.

Add it all up, you could spend a lot of time in some pretty nice hotels for what you’ll pay camp-

ing in an RV. There are definitely ways to spend less. If you’re shelling out for a new rig, though, don’t kid yourself that you’re vacationing on the cheap.

Mistake no. 2: Buying new As with cars, RVs lose a considerable amount of value the second they’re driven off the dealership lot. Letting the first owner take that big depreciation hit can save you a lot of money.

For example, RV Trader — one of the biggest RV marketplaces — recently advertised a 2021 Winnebago Navion 24D for sale in California with a list price close to $160,000. The 2019 version, with just 5,200 miles, was listed for $120,000.

You may worry that a used RV will be a money pit, and that could be true. But unlike cars, RVs often aren’t trouble-free even when they’re new. There may be leaks, rattles and manufacturing defects. The first owner may spot and fix the worst problems before passing the RV on to you. (You’ll still want a seasoned mechanic at a good dealership to inspect any used rig before buying.)

Mistake no. 3: Rushing your purchase Making a big purchase in haste is rarely a good idea, but you could really regret joining the stampede to buy an RV right now.

Normally, you can negotiate a discount of 20% or more off a new RV’s sticker price. But the pandemic slowed production at factories just as demand surged over travel safety concerns. The result is a seller’s market with limited inventories at dealerships. That means a lot less wiggle room on prices for new and used rigs. A year or two of high demand is often followed by a lull, though, so consider renting an RV now and buying after things calm down.

Renting first is a good idea in any case, because it gives you a chance to try different types of RVs and to see if this kind of camping is for you. (We ultimately decided we preferred national park lodges and nice hotels.) Sites including Outdoorsy, RVShare.com and Cruise America offer a wide variety of rental options, with motorhome prices typically starting around $100 a night.

HBO MAX VIA AP

This image released by HBO Max shows Laura Benanti from “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020," a new special offering a window onto Gen Z and how they're dealing with the pandemic.

TV and Broadway star Laura Benanti celebrates Gen Z voices

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press NEW YORK — When the coronavirus pandemic closed high schools, Broadway and TV star Laura Benanti knew it also meant most spring high school musicals would be scrapped.

So Benanti asked crestfallen young people across the country to record themselves performing their songs, post them on social media and tag her. Stages might be silent, but she wanted to hear them.

The response stunned her — 15,000 submissions.

“I really thought the initial sort of call to action would be quite small. I never imagined it would turn into what it did,” says Benanti, a Tony Award winner and star of shows like “Nashville,” “Supergirl” and “Younger.”

The effort — dubbed Sunshine Songs — has led to a new poignant special on HBO Max led by Benanti called “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020,” which was filmed remotely and offers a window on Gen Z. The hourlong documentary follows seven seniors and how they’ve navigated what should have been the best months of their lives. Several jumped into social activism, one experienced homelessness and one realized she was transgender.

“While some of these kids dealt

with such a tough time in 2020 as well as personal challenges before, it was really inspiring to see their outlook on it all,” said Jennifer O’Connell, an executive vice president at HBO Max. “Although at times, they acknowledged how tough it has been, they all shared an optimism for the future and chose to not dwell in the negative. The audience will be able to see them reclaim their 2020 with this experience.”

The seven — aged 17 or 18 — come from across the nation — Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio and two from Texas.

Each tells their story and sings a song that shares their experience.

A teen from West Orange, New Jersey, sings R.E.M.’s apocalyptic “It’s the End of the World as We Know it (And I Feel Fine)” and one from Douglasville, Georgia, sings Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” with masked background dancers armed with bubble guns.

Others sing “Pray” by Sam Smith, “My Future” by Billie Eilish, “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine, “Lift Every Voice and Sing/I Can’t Breathe”

by H.E.R. and “Somewhere” from the musical “West Side Story.” At the end, they join for a rendition of “Waving Through the Window” from “Dear Evan Hanson.”

“We really wanted a cross-section of America and not just the typical pretty princess white girl

that you associate with musical theater,” Benanti says. “And I include myself in that.”

Benanti and producers found the seven by starting with the thousands of submissions and whittling the list down to only graduating high school seniors, about 1,500. They narrowed the list to about 20 candidates then cut to seven.

“That was the worst part of it,” says Benanti, who personally contacted those who didn’t make the cut. As an actress, she has been in their shoes and tried to communicate that the teens not picked had done nothing wrong.

“There are people performing in the subway that I’m like, ‘What?

Why are you in the subway and I get to be on Broadway?’ Really to me, that is just being in the right place at the right time. That is luck because there are so many talented people in this world; it’s astonishing.”

The creators originally considered making it a scripted show but pivoted into documentary after the death of George Floyd. “We all collectively agreed that it’s best to let these kids tell their own story instead of putting words into their mouths,” says Benanti.

The special highlights voices from a generation that often gets looked down on. But viewers are reminded that these young people, born around 9/11 and never knowing a world without smartphones, have endured school shootings and now COVID-19.

“This is the generation that self-identifies as anxious more than any previous generation.

Their levels of anxiety are through the roof,” says Benanti, who is shooting a “Gossip Girl” reboot for HBO Max and “Younger” for TV Land.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES

OPINION | MICHAEL BARONE

Biden: Identity politics and no apologies

Most people care more about policy than ethnicity, more about competence than ticket balancing.

IDENTITY POLITICS seems to be sticking around. Important election results seemed to refute the notion that Americans vote for their ethnic or racial identity. Hispanic voters trended significantly toward the supposedly anti-Hispanic Donald Trump, and Californians, while voting 63% for Joe Biden, rejected racial quotas and preferences in a referendum by an even larger margin than in the 1990s.

But Joe Biden, even as the Supreme Court rejected the last proTrump lawsuit and the Electoral College confirmed his 306-232 majority, seemed to be playing identity politics with his major appointments. “Identity-based groups,” The New York Times is reporting, “continue to lobby Mr. Biden to ensure racial and gender diversity at all levels of his administration.”

He’s facing demands for two Cabinet posts for “Latinas,” for a black attorney general and for a Native American interior secretary (which he did by naming Rep. Deb Haaland). He’s facing criticism for placing “people of color” in posts for which they have no apparent expertise — Xavier Becerra at the Department of Health and Human Services, Susan Rice at the Domestic Policy Council.

Every incoming president faces vexing choices — and scornful criticism — but it’s an especially vexing problem for Democrats.

Their party, since its creation in 1832, has been an often-unwieldy coalition of out-groups with grievances and self-appointed advocates. Their urban political bosses developed the art of balancing party tickets dozens of decades ago.

The plaints and pleas of identity-group advocates can sometimes seem disconnected from reality. How many Hispanic-surnamed women out there are determined to renounce the Democratic Party unless Biden appoints to his Cabinet not just one but two Latinas (at least The Times isn’t using the university-spawned and unpronounceable adjective “Latinx”)? Will black voters really feel betrayed if this Democratic president doesn’t appoint a black attorney general as the last Democratic president did?

At this point in our history, it seems apparent that Americans will not only accept but also approve of appointees of any ethnic or racial description, depending on their performance and policies.

And one suspects that among the public, if not in the press, most people care more about policy than ethnicity, more about competence than ticket balancing.

On that count, the Biden administration is shaping up to be less radical than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her squad may like, but also sharp-edged in its partisanship. Becerra’s legal persecution of abortion opponents and Rice’s willingness to advance falsehoods about the 2012 Benghazi attack are pertinent

examples that could prove of greater importance than their racial classifications.

A sharp-edged partisan tone was also apparent in Joe Biden’s mostly emollient remarks Monday night during which he acknowledged his victory in the Electoral College.

“It’s time to turn the page as we’ve done throughout our history,” Biden said, “to unite, to heal.” He promised to “be president for all Americans.” But he also took pains to rebuke Donald Trump and Republicans who have supported the Texas attorney general’s lawsuit to overturn the results in four other states, rejected by an essentially unanimous Supreme Court.

Biden was right in disparaging that particular case and for noting that other pro-Trump lawsuits were not successful. But he was wrong to suggest that Trump’s victory four years ago was accepted ungrudgingly by Democrats.

On the contrary, congressional Democrats then, on no more basis than the Texas attorney general had last week, challenged the Electoral College results. And Obama administration intelligence and law enforcement officials interfered in the political process during and after the campaign, continuing for years after Trump was inaugurated to advance the charge of collusion with Russia, for which no credible evidence has ever appeared.

Calls “to work together to give each other a chance to lower the temperature” are likely to prove unavailing absent a confession of error — an acknowledgement and apology — from those, including the president-elect, who denied the legitimacy of the man who was president-elect four years ago.

Acknowledgements and apologies should also be forthcoming from major press outlets and from Facebook and Twitter for suppressing what we now know was the valid New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s misdeeds.

The Trump lawsuits failed to identify any wrongdoing that cost Trump electoral votes. But the largely successful suppression of those stories may have changed the outcome of the election, just as Obama-appointed FBI Director James Comey’s late-in-thecampaign statement that reopened the Hillary Clinton email investigation may have changed the outcome in 2016.

But, hey, back to business as usual. There’s no sign that acknowledgements, much less apologies, are forthcoming, while the identity politics cabinetmaking merrily continues.

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.

OPINION | JESSICA A. JOHNSON

Biopic on former Clemson player shows that we all need a ‘safety’ net

McElrathbey needed safeties in his life, people who would be that line of defense to support him, as caring for Fahmarr became overwhelming.

AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS look forward to the New Year’s six bowls and the playoff games that lead to the national championship, during a season that has been filled with disappointments, the recently released Disney+ biopic “Safety,” which tells the story of the adversity former Clemson star Ray McElrathbey (played by Jay Reeves) overcame as a student athlete, will score big in their hearts.

You don’t have to be a part of Tiger nation to appreciate how “Safety” intensely portrays the family hardships that were huge obstacles in McElrathbey’s life, similar difficulties that many Division 1 African American football players endure while they are in school.

“Safety” takes us back to the 2006 college football landscape, in the era of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), a system that used computer ranking to select the top eight teams to play in the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. That year, Tommy Bowden was Clemson’s head coach, and the Tigers did not dominate the Atlantic Coast Conference, as they presently do under coach Dabo Swinney, but they were still pretty darn good. They were ranked 18th in the preseason AP poll, and McElrathbey was a talented safety recruit coming into Clemson’s program.

Earning a football scholarship gave him the opportunity to escape a home life being exposed to the drug addiction of his mother, Tonya (Amanda Warren), and he came to Clemson with a vision for his future. McElrathbey’s focus wasn’t on making it to the NFL, which only becomes a reality for less than 2% of college football players.

He took on a heavy academic load, taking 18 credits, something most advisors would not recommend for a student athlete while his sport is in season. Even though he struggled with time management, McElrathbey wanted to take advantage of everything college had to offer him. Things were going well until he was notified that his mother had been arrested again. This put him in a tough position of having to care for his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson).

There are many life lessons relayed in “Safety.” The main one is that if we are in a dire situation where we need help, we should not be ashamed to ask for it. Those of you who are familiar with the Xs and Os of football know that the safety is the one on the defense who lines up at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. On big pass and running plays, the safety is often the lone defender left to prevent a touchdown, and he must be in position and take the right angles on a tackle as the opposing offense switches up schemes.

Being in the right position on third-down plays, when the defense is trying to get off the field, is critical.

Using football symbolism, McElrathbey needed safeties in his life, people who would be that line of defense to support him, as caring for Fahmarr became overwhelming. Once he finally asked for help, McElrathbey’s teammates, coaches and a community church came to his rescue. In an emotional scene, McElrathbey tells Fahmarr that he prayed every day for their mother to get better, which she eventually did, but at that time, he would have to become the guardian for his brother. Student athletes must balance their study time along with their required practice in between classes, which, in the case of football, is often over 20 hours a week. Imagine trying to juggle all that responsibility with raising a younger sibling at the age of 18.

McElrathbey’s life today is a testimony to God answering his prayers during his college years. Tonya is drug-free, and she and Fahmarr help him run the Ray Ray Safety Net Foundation, which works with youth who are at risk of being separated from their families due to substance abuse. I think this verse from the song “Hold Us Together” on the “Safety” soundtrack beautifully illustrates the message of faith that McElrathbey wants viewers to take from his story: “I will trust in You, Your thoughts and plans of me, they are good./ I’ll wait on You, I know that you will see me through.”

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University’s Lima campus.

3

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

4

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT NHL

NHL rules will require coaches to wear masks behind bench New York NHL coaches are required to wear masks behind the bench, owners are barred from having face-to-face meetings with players, and teams can travel with no more than 50 people. Under the coronavirus protocols, players arriving at their home cities for the start of training camp will be required to self-quarantine for a seven-day period, during which they will be tested four times. The NHL’s seven teams which failed to qualify for the playoffs open camp on Dec. 31, with the remaining 24 teams beginning four days later.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Auburn hires Boise State’s Harsin to lead football program Auburn, Ala. Auburn hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as its head coach last week, luring him away from his alma mater and into the powerful Southeastern Conference.

The 44-year-old Harsin is 69-19 with three Mountain West titles in seven seasons at Boise State, but winning in the SEC affords greater chances for playoff berths and national titles. Auburn fired Gus Malzahn earlier this month after he went 6-4 in his eighth season — a move that cost the school more than $21 million to buy out the former coach’s contract.

Silver confident that NBA season can be pulled off safely The league tipped off last week with a planned 72game regular season

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press THE NBA FOUND a way to get through last season amid a pandemic. Adam Silver sees no reason why the same cannot ring true again this season.

Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, said Dec. 21 — a day before the new season began — that he is confident the league’s health and safety protocols will allow teams to get through their planned 72game regular season slates even as the coronavirus rages across the country and the world. He did, however, warn that he expects the virus to create some problems along the way.

“I think we are prepared for isolated cases; in fact, based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, based on watching other leagues operating outside a bubble, unfortunately, it seems somewhat inevitable,” Silver said. “We’re prepared for all contingencies.”

Games could be postponed or canceled along the way, and Silver said that if the league encounters issues that cannot be controlled by what’s covered in the health and safety protocols that sus-

MATT STAMEY | AP PHTO

PJ Washington and the Hornets started the 2020-21 season last week, a campaign that NCA commissioner Adam Silver believes will be safe — but not without "bumps along the way — for players and team staff. pending the season — just as was the case back on March 11, when the 2019-20 season was halted for 4 ½ months — will again be a possibility.

But the league, Silver vowed, will wait its turn to get players and others inside the NBA vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“In no form or way will we jump the line,” Silver said.

Silver said if the league didn’t believe in its plans, the season simply would not be starting.

“We do anticipate that there will be bumps in the road along the way,” Silver said.

Teams will play 10 fewer games than the customary 82-game slate. The season is starting two months later than usual and the playoffs are set to stretch into

“We do anticipate that there will be bumps in the road along the way.”

Adam Silver, NBA commissioner July, all with players and coaches being tested daily and with nearly 60 players missing some time with their teams during training camp and the preseason because of positive COVID-19 tests.

The NBA currently expects only six of its 30 teams to open the season with fans in the stands, and no arena is planning to have more than 4,000 ticketholders in the seats at this point. Smaller attendance means smaller revenue, and the league missed its revenue projection by about $1.5 billion last season — largely because many games were canceled and the bubble games, including the playoffs, were played without fans in the seats.

Silver said playing another season without fans would mean NBA revenue would dip about 40%.

“Tens of thousands of people rely on our league and its related businesses for their livelihoods,” Silver said. “We also feel a responsibility to our fans. People continue to look at sports as a break from the challenges of the pandemic and as a small reminder of what life was like before COVID-19. ... It’s a piece of life I feel we’re able to get back, for the time being.”

BASKETBALL

Pierce, Collins lead 1st-time nominees for basketball hall Springfield, Mass.

Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce and longtime player, coach and broadcaster Doug Collins lead the firsttime nominees announced Tuesday for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Also making their debut as candidates are Michael Cooper, Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman, Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.

Finalists are scheduled to be announced in early March. Other returnees to the ballot include Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Bob Huggins, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Jay Wright, Swin Cash and Becky Hammon.

CRICKET

Australian cricketer Bradman’s test cap sells for $340,000 Sydney An Australian businessman has purchased Donald Bradman’s first baggy green test cap for 450,000 Australian dollars ($340,000) at auction, the second-highest price paid for a piece of cricket memorabilia. Peter Freedman, the founder of Rode Microphones who earlier this year paid 9 million Australian dollars ($6.8 million) at an auction for a guitar used by Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, plans to tour Bradman’s test debut cap around Australia.

The price for Bradman’s 1928 Australia cap sits behind the $1,007,500 ($760,000) paid at auction for Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s test cap earlier this year — the world-record price for an item of cricket memorabilia, auction officials said.

WAYNE PARRY | AP PHTO

Online sports betting — pictured in New Jersey in 2013 — is coming to Virginia in 2021.

Online sports betting in Virginia nearing its debut Twenty states have now legalized gambling on sports The Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Virginians have long been sidelined when it comes to gambling, but it’s a safe proposition that sometime before the upcoming Super Bowl they will be able to wager from the comfort of their couches as Virginia joins a growing list of states that allow sports wagering.

The Virginia Lottery is expected to give the go-ahead next month to what will likely be more than a dozen betting sites to take wagers from Virginians on numerous types of sports. Officials predict Virginians will respond by betting as much as $400 million in 2021, with steadily increasing amounts thereafter.

The change is coming after Virginia legislators approved sports gaming for a state that had been a gambling holdout but is belatedly embracing the trend. The sports betting will precede the arrival of

casinos in four cities that approved their construction in referendums last month but are not expected to be open for several years.

Sports gambling, meanwhile, is imminent. Virginia Lottery Director Kevin Hall said the state has received 25 applications from would-be players in the industry.

The law requires the lottery to pick a minimum of four and a maximum of 12 providers.

In fact, Hall said, he expects that Virginia will approve more than 12 applications, because the law grants preference to professional sports organizations with a home in Virginia. So any applications submitted by the Washington NFL football team, the D.C. United soccer franchise and NASCAR could be approved in excess of the 12-vendor cap.

The football team did not respond to queries about its plans.

Earlier this year, the Denver Broncos announced plans for a partnership with FanDuel — and subsequent deals with other operators — to offer a Broncos-branded betting experience. Hall said he antic-

$400M The estimated amount of betting expected in Virginia in 2021 ipated that any sports clubs in Virginia that enter the market would do so through a similar partnership.

There will be no brick-and-mortar sportsbooks — only online options are permitted under the state law. Wagers are barred on games involving Virginia colleges. Bets on the Olympics won’t be allowed, either, to the chagrin of gaming sites that tried to convince state regulators it should be permitted.

Virginia is joining 19 other states that now have legalized sports gambling, according to the American Gaming Association, part of a rush that occurred after a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that gave all states the option to allow

wagering.

The states have adopted a patchwork of approaches. Virginia and Tennessee are the only two states that have adopted a strictly online approach.

States also tax gambling at very different rates, from 6.75% all the way up to 50%. Virginia’s tax rate of 15% is roughly in the middle of the pack.

Jessica Feil, a lobbyist with the gaming association, said the industry believes a tax rate in the low teens is ideal. While Virginia has more vendors interested in providing gaming than it can approve, she said a higher tax rate might scare off potential operators, especially in a nascent market like Virginia.

While lottery proceeds in Virginia are dedicated to education, tax revenue from sports gambling will go to the state’s general fund.

Hall said estimates show that the state will get $4 to $5 million in the first year, but that will grow in subsequent years as the market establishes itself to as much as $55 million a year.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

5

BRIAN BLANCO | AP PHOTO

Notre Dame and Clemson, which both earned spots in the College Football Playoff, had 9% and 6% gaps, respectively, in graduation rates among white and black football players this year, according to an annual study.

Study: Graduation gap widens between white, black athletes The research showed that white athletes graduate at a rate 16.3% higher than black teammates

By Pete Iacobelli The Associated Press THE GRADUATION gap between white and black and football players on bowl-bound teams is increasing.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found that among the 56 teams playing in bowl games in this pandemic-affected season, white athletes graduate at a rate 16.3% higher than black teammates.

A similar study last year saw white athletes graduate at a rate of 15.6% higher than black athletes.

“Generally, those numbers had been going up for any number of years,” study primary author Richard Lapchick said Tuesday.

“The gap between black and white student athletes had been narrowing, but this year it went up.”

Lapchick acknowledged the study was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Last year’s report included 39 bowl games (78 teams) instead of 28 games in 2020. Lapchick, the institute’s director at the University of Central Florida, said he was still adjusting

data given Army’s late inclusion to the Liberty Bowl after Tennessee opted out of the game.

“Unfortunately, the gap between white and black football student-athletes continues to be a major issue,” Lapchick said.

He noted in the study that one school surveyed, Louisiana Tech, graduated less than half of its black football players, which was two fewer than in 2019. No team in the newest study graduated less than half of its white football players among those eligible to graduate, Lapchick said.

Overall, graduation rates for football players were down as well, the study found.

In 2019, bowl-bound teams graduated 79.1% of athletes. That fell to 78% this year.

“The academic success of FBS football student-athletes has declined this year,” Lapchick said.

Of the four teams in this year College Football Playoff competing for the national championship, the survey found that Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame had strong academic standing “while Ohio State lagged behind,” Lapchick said.

Notre Dame graduated 91% of its football players, Alabama 88% and Clemson 83%. Ohio State graduated just 69% of its football players.

Among black football players,

An annual study showed the graduation gap between white and black college football players at bowl-bound schools widened this year. (Stew Milne / AP Photo)

STEW MILNE | AP PHOTO

Alabama graduated 84%, Notre Dame 82% and Clemson 77%.

Ohio State graduated 60% of its black players.

Alabama and Clemson graduated 100% of their white football players, Notre Dame 96% and Ohio State 90%.

Lapchick called the gap be-

Boys’ basketball season arrives Stanly County Journal previews the five local high schools

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS have been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, but high school basketball is finally ready to return, albeit more than a month after it would have started in a normal year. Here is a look at the five local high schools and their prospects for the 2020-21 season.

West Stanly Colts (Rocky River Conference 2A/3A) Coming off two seasons with a 13-14 record, the Colts, led by 11th-year coach John Thompson, improved last year as they put together a 16-12 season with a 5-5 record in conference play.

They will look to continue that progression in 2021.

Last February, the Colts made an impressive run in their conference tournament, knocking off Mount Pleasant (10-15, 4-6 RRC), Central Academy of

Technology and Arts (2-23, 0-10 RRC), and Anson (10-14, 6-4 RRC) before succumbing to Forest Hills (29-1, 10-0 RRC) in the championship round.

Later that month, a five-point loss to Lake Norman Charter (22-7, 13-1 South Fork Athletic 2A Conference) in the first round of state playoffs ended West’s campaign.

Perennial heavyweight Forest Hills will likely once again be the team to beat in the RRC, and the Colts will get their chance as the Yellow Jackets travel to West for a matchup on Jan. 13. In the meantime, the Colts will kick off their season with a pair of nonconference games against North Stanly (Jan. 5) and South Stanly (Jan. 8).

North Stanly Comets (Yadkin Valley Conference 1A) The Comets took a step back last season, compiling a 14-12 overall record after winning 19 games the year before. Still, North was able to pick up 10 conference wins and finished fourth out of the 10 schools in the YVC. Advancing to the second round of their conference tournament,

the Comets suffered a 79-64 loss to Chatham Central (22-6, 14-2 YVC) and lost to North Rowan (22-8, 14-2 YVC) by three points a week later in the first round of 1A playoffs.

Under first-year coach George Walker, North is hoping to break out of the middle of the conference pack this year. The 2021 Comet squad will be made up of three seniors, eight juniors and a pair of sophomores, according to a current preseason report.

The beginning of the Comets’ schedule appears to be daunting as they square off with the RRC’s West Stanly (Jan. 5) and Forest Hills (Jan. 8) before commencing YVC play with a road rematch against North Rowan on Jan. 12.

South Stanly Rebel Bulls (Yadkin Valley Conference 1A) Fourth-year coach Sean Whitley and the Bulls have been steadily improving over the past few years and will try to make a run at the YVC crown in 2021 and put together a third consecutive winning season. As far as final conference standings, South has landed in second place and third place the past two years.

tween white and black football graduation rates at these schools “disturbing.”

Other things the study found were that while 54 of the 56 schools had graduation rates of 70% or higher for white players, only 36 programs had similar rates among black players.

Wisconsin, Ball State and Northwestern were the only schools with higher graduation rates for black players than white players.

Lapchick noted that football players at the schools studied were graduating at a higher rate than the overall college student body.

The 2019-20 Bulls (19-7, 14-2 YVC) were riding an 11-game winning streak until they were unexpectedly derailed in the first rounds of the conference and state playoffs by Uwharrie Charter Academy (10-13, 7-9 YVC) and Queen’s Grant (19-9, 10-4 PAC 7 1A Conference), respectively.

Seniors Malik Kluttz and Brandon Teller are returning to the Bulls’ starting lineup, joined by juniors Collin Smith and Carson Lowder, as well as sophomore Joseph Finlay.

South opens the season Jan. 6 with a nonconference game with Montgomery Central and a matchup with West Stanly two days after that. The Bulls’ conference play begins Jan. 12 with a road trip to North Moore, a team that only managed four wins last season.

before being defeated 76-56 by North Stanly (14-12, 10-6 YVC) in the first round of conference playoffs.

The 2020-21 Bulldogs’ two nonconference matchups to start the season are against Covenant Classical (Jan. 7) and Montgomery Central (Jan. 8) before squaring off in two conference road tests versus Uwharrie Charter Academy (Jan. 15) and South Stanly (Jan. 22).

Albemarle Bulldogs (Yadkin Valley Conference 1A) There’s no way around it: last season was a noticeable step back for the Bulldogs (9-15, 7-9), who experienced a drop-off a team that won 14 games the season before. Sixth-year coach Marc Raye, who saw his team’s run of three consecutive winning seasons snapped, will look to right the ship in 2021.

Last year’s team won two of its three final regular season games

Gray Stone Day Knights (Yadkin Valley Conference 1A) With an overall record of 1-18 last season, the Knights are still chasing their elusive first winning season in the YVC. The 2018-19 Gray Stone squad (5-19, 3-13 YVC) had made some improvements over previous seasons, but a lack of experience in the lineup last year inevitably saw the Knights struggle against the more seasoned rosters in their conference.

As it currently stands, sixthyear coach Joel Childrey and the Knights have a narrowed schedule compared to the rest of the teams in the YVC. Gray Stone’s season-opening game will be a road trip to North Stanly on Jan. 15 and the Knights will follow that up with their home opener a week later against Chatham Central.

For Nutbush residents He also cited a widespread fear the threat of overburdened of being unnecessarily exposed to fear of contracting the v itals, states across the country matched with the worry th the virus. onverting convention centers, could lose stores that are “All around, people are scared,” ts facilities and performance Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020 the neighborhood. Offici he said. es into backup treatment sites Their fears are not unfounded. ven’t said if stores would oronavirus patients.

In this majority-black city along the Gateway facility was hat some Memphis, Tenthe Mississippi River, lawmakers If they did, shopping wo e, residents don’t get is why in SCOTUS from page 1 tially “outsourced” judicial nom- burg. Trump and Senate Republicome more difficult for re andtocommunity been city, a shopping center in the cans didn’t hesitate.

He nominatinations McConnell leaders and thehave especially for those who ar sounding the alarm over what they dle of a his predominantly black, ed Barrett even before Ginsburg Federalist Society, specificalsuccess with judicial appointArlington National have no means of transpo ly thesee group’s Leonard Leo ofwas as aleader disturbing trend theburied vi- at income ments residential alreadyneighboris paying dividends Cemetery ensured and former WhiteAfrican House counsel for chosen. conservatives. toMcConnell stores located farther aw rus killing Americans at a and d has been waspeople done before Don McGahn, a Federalist Society the confirmation When the are Supreme “For who don’t higher rate. ty and state officials con- Court member who made judicial nomi- the election.

New York from enforccar, what do they do?” ask Nutbush resident Patricia The Hared that blocked an influx of patients Senate has continued connations a top priority. ing certain limits on attendance ris,nominees who spoke ris wondered aloud if city officials Memphis, as well as nearby evento af-The Ass At the same time, the Federal- firming Trump at churches and synagogues in Press while lugging wereand “trying contaminate” the issippi, areas Arkansas and asrural ter his defeat for reelection, break- a bottl ist Society other to conservative designated hard hit by ing a norm that has a stood since of bott groups, including the Judicial CriCOVID-19, Justice Amy Coney tergent, package neighborhood.

Tennessee, will strain hospi1900 with one exception, said from t sis Network and Americans for Barrett, the newest member of the Activist Earle Fisher, an Afri- ter and other items Their fears are echoed across ADRIAN SAINZ | AP PHOTO Russell Wheeler, a visiting fellow Prosperity, have taken millions of court, cast the decisive fifth vote. can American Memphis pastor, A Lot to her car. She note country: Governors, mayors dollars in anonymous donations at the Brookings Institution. FedPreviously, the court had allowed grocery storeKirsch recently clos understands the anxiety.eral “This health restrictions experts in onnumerous This Friday, April 3, 2020 photo, shows Gateway Shopping Center prosecutor Thomas and waged public and behind-thereligious services her house and she is an honest and reasonable cons are also researching and in Memphis, Tenn. was confirmed as Barrett’s re- already scenes campaigns for right-wing over the dissent of four justices, intravel fartherappeals to get to Gate cern and skepticism,” Fisher said. on placement the federal tructingcluding makeshift judges, Whitehouse said. the othermedical two Trump nomcourtfor based in Chicago Dec.do 15, things Trump “opened forcourse “Whenonwe “I think it’sthe parchannel for the ities. inees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kaon a mostly party-line vote. special-interest interference in juvanaugh. got to consider the people black people to be righteously and other New York City, they’re turn- Lee has disclosed a few: the Mu- a Chinese restaurant PATRICK SEMANSKY The exception was the Senate’s dicial selection,” Whitehouse said.

Five Trump appointees were in neighborhood,” she said. “W skeptical of governmental interbusinesses. sic City Center in Nashville, the o the Javits Center convention “That, I think, is very novel and bipartisan acceptance in 1980 of the majority of the 6-4 decision by In this Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 file photo, President Donald need to make the vention that did not consult with Locating a treatment center for Chattanooga Convention Center, in Chicago, the McCormick obviously lends itself to corrup- a former Senate staff member as a neighb the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Trump and Amy Coney Barrett stand on the Blue Room Balcony worse than it already the ground first.”federal appeals coronavirus patients there the Knoxville ExpoCourt Center — all e Convention and in court judge.

That is.” tion.” people He said:on “Right wing forces AppealsCenter; in September that made after Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas administered the posnominee was Stephen Breyer, nowCohen, have for Doug decades sought the the kindcity’s chief U.S. Rep. Steve harder for felons in Florida to away McGowen, Constitutional Oath to her on the South Lawn of the White House say: es two problems, residents sites from residential neighdy, Utah,itthe Mountain Amera Supreme Court justice. of influence in judicial nominaregain the right to vote.

The AtWhite House in Washington, D.C. It could potentially expose them operating officer, said the Gate- phis Democrat, said the d borhoods. xpo Center.

Along the question legtions way that the administralanta-based court a majority doesn’t make of sense. siteTrump was being considered be- with The Gateway Shopping Cen- to the virus amid concerns that he U.S. Army Corps of had Engiacy is whether Trump’s record on tion outright gave them.’’ of Democratic-appointed judges “I’mchanges sure there cause itscoffed could atpotentially accomblacks contracting ter in the Nutbush s has been scouting locations spurs major to theare othe McConnell the crit- judges And are the high court seatCOVID-19 wasn’t ministration, by neighborhood far.’’ when Trump took office. that would work, and they modate hundreds of beds.

He said at higher rates; and it could force of Memphis is different.

The cenennessee, Last andmonth, officials here They might not have called it a the only one waiting to be filled icism. “The reason a lot of them judiciary.

Judges Britt Grant have used said those it the were converted to aistreatment the stores theyinrely on to ter features a Save A Lot compiled list of Lagoa, 35 possiWheeler, at Brookings, onerather t belongif to Federalist Society when of Trump took office Janupartnership at the time,grocery but their some and aBarbara both named of the most of the neighbo thatitiswould sort of the coreonly mis- mildly ary 2017. Altogether, 104 judge- because reinforcing work began close.

by Trump, into a features residential site, hold ill striking store, mutually a Rent-A-Center, a Famibackup sites.

They formed haven’tthe re-majority teamwork Trumpsaid. and McConsion ofcoronavirus the Federalistpatients Society — to could were open afterand Republieven abefore Trump’s election on a three-judge 11thBill circuit ly panwho be ofCohen Nutbush resident commuDollar, beauty supply shop,in ships d the whole list, but Gov.

6

el that struck down local Flori- 2016.

Trump used the issue of the fedda bans on therapy that seeks to change the sexual orientation of eral judiciary to win trust with votLGBTQ minors. Other appeals ers who might have questions about courts around the country have the conservative credentials of a upheld the conversion therapy billionaire real estate developer who had once supported abortion bans.

In one early look at Trump’s ap- rights and did not have a track repointees to federal trial courts, po- cord in politics.

He put in writing a list of potenlitical science professors Kenneth Manning, Robert Carp and Lisa tial nominees, provided by the conHolmes compared their decisions servative Federalist Society and with more than 117,000 opinions Heritage Foundation, he would select from in filling a Supreme Court published dating to 1932.

“Trump has appointed judg- vacancy.

Kellyanne Conway, who served es who exhibit a distinct decibin a son of King Salman, Associated Press pattern that is, on as his campaign manager in 2016, sion-making theSalman, assented saidtoit the was deal. a move that people who whole, significantly more conserhadwith been the in office for years than previous presidents,” “I go consent, so and I UBAI, vative United Arab Emirwanted to ascend to the presidenthe political scientists concluded — OPEC, Russia and other agree,” the prince said, chuckling, cy “didn’t have the courage to do, in a working paper in October. a round of applause from roducing nations on Sunday drawing The one constant of the past which is name names.” those on theitvideo call. ized anfour unprecedented proAs happens, there was a high years — through impeachBut it had not been and ion cut ment, of nearly 10 million time, following the coronavirus pandem- court opening at the smiles of Justice Antonin and of Trump’s election loss —laughs has the fordeath weeks after the Scalia soels, or a ic10th global supply, February.group of OPEC been his nomination of and Senate called inOPEC+ opes of boosting crashing pricMcConnell.

Thefailed Repubconfirmation of judges. membersEnter and other nations mid the coronavirus pandemic The president has had several lican blocked President Barack March to reach an agreement a price war, officials Obama’s nomination of Merrick partners in thesaid. judicial effort,inbut on production cuts, sending prichis could theimportant largest than re- McCoGarland, refusing so much as a nonebemore es tumbling. sharply ion in production from particular OPEC pride hearingSaudi for theArabia respected appeals nnell, who takes court judge whom had reshapingmaybe the Supreme criticized Russia daysRepublicans earlier over erhaps in a decade, lon- Court. previously identified as a high court think it’sSecretary far and awaywhat the it described as comments said U.S.“I Energy could support. most consequential thing I’vecritical ever nominee of thetheykingdom, which Brouillette, who credited It was a gamble at a time when been involved in,’’ the 78-year-old finds itself trying to appease ident Donald Trump’s perMcConnell said in an interview. Trump’s electoral prospects seemed a longtime critic. l involvement getting duel- Trump, but it paidOPEC off with his stun“And it’sinthe most long-lasting ac- dim, Evenning U.S. senators had warned victory over Hillary Clinton. complishment of the current adparties to the table and help-

PEC, oil nations agree o nearly 10M barrel cut

to end a price war between Saudi Arabia to find a way to boost prices as American shale di Arabia and Russia. il prices have collapsed as the firms face far-higher production navirus and the COVID-19 costs. American troops had been ss it causes have largely halt- deployed to the kingdom for the lobal travel and slowed down first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, r energy-chugging sectors attacks over concerns of Iranias manufacturing. It has an retaliation amid regional tensources of income in recent years.

By Michael Balsamo stated The theAssociated oil industry in sions. The person was not authorized Press “They’ve spent over investigation the last U.S., which now pumps more to discuss an ongoing waging war on American e than anyWASHINGTON, other country.D.C. — Amonth publicly and spoke to The Associatsubed Press while on condition of anonymity. seeking documents from producers we are defendut some poena producers have been oil A lawyer thehow younger Biden, Biden asked for informaing theirs.

This isfornot friends tant to Hunter ease supply.

The cartion related to more than two doz- George Mesires, did not comment nd other nations on Sunday treat friends,” said Sen. Kevin en entities, including Ukraine gas on the story and a spokesman for Cramer, Republican ed to allow Mexico to cut only transitionfrom teamNorth declined company Burisma, according to theaBiden Dakota, the OPEC+ deal.

000 barrels a month, to before comment. a person familiara stickwith a Justice Hunter Biden have confirmed on Dec. Department taxinitially investigation U.S. of producers already point for an accord 9 that hisoutput. taxes areThe under federal presumptive President-elect been Joe reducing Amerhed Friday after a marathon investigation.

In addition to the BuBiden’s son. o conference between 23 na- ican Petroleum Institute laudThe breadth of the subpoena, risma-related request, the subpoeed Sunday’s global pact, saying it s. The nations agreed underna issued last week also seeks inforissued together in mid-December, will help get other nations’ ut 9.7 million barrels a day Hunter Biden’sstateChinese scores the wide-angle lens prosecu- mation on owned oil production to the ughout May and June. other finantors are taking as they examine the business dealings andfollow transactions.

Biden’s finances and interlead of cial U.S. producers that are tryhe groupyounger reached the deal just The to probe was launched ventures. plunging demand.in s beforenational Asianbusiness markets re- ing to adjust 2018, the year before his father anHunter Biden’s ties to Burisma Brouillette said the U.S. did not ed Monday and as internain particular have long dogged the nounced his candidacy for presimake dent. commitments ofthe itsinvestigaown al benchmark Brent crude aspiraAt one point in policy work and political production cuts, prosecutors but was able ed at just barrel were to also tionsover of his$31 father,aJoe Biden. It’s un- tion, federal obviouspotential — that money plunging American shale producers examining launclear whether Hunter Biden’s show work the offenses, familiar at the Ukrainian company is ademand cen- dering because oftwo thepeople pandemggle. with the to matter told the AP. tralby part the federal investigation ic is expected slash U.S. oil prodeo aired theofSaudi-owned or whether prosecutors are simply lite channel Al-Arabiya duction. The younger Biden joined the seeking information about all his board of Burisma in 2014, around Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanwed the moment that Saudi gy Minister Prince Abdulaziz ganeh also told state television

cans used their Senate majority to grind the nomination process to a near halt in Obama’s final two years in office. Only 28.6% of his nominees were confirmed in that stretch.

The pace quickened almost immediately. Republicans moved with an urgency on confirmations that hasn’t let up. In Trump’s first two years, they pushed through 30 appellate court judges and 53 district court nominees. It was the highest number of appellate court confirmations in a two-year period since Ronald Reagan and nearly double the number that Obama secured in his first two years.

McConnell and top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee eliminated rules that had allowed the opposition party to delay confirmations, most notably requiring just a simple majority, instead of 60 votes, to move Supreme Court nominees. Democrats, bitter over the stalled Garland nomination, otherwise would have blocked Gorsuch’s confirmation in April 2017.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and a sharp Trump critic, said Trump’s judicial legacy “is a lot less about what he’s done than what he’s allowed others to do in his name.’’

Whitehouse said Trump essen-

get the courts back to doing what they’re supposed to do and not legislate from the bench,” he said.

On the campaign trail and at White House events, Trump would often cite his record on judicial appointments as an example of accomplishment, while ignoring the obstructions that occurred during the Obama years.

“You know, when I got in, we had over 100 federal judges that weren’t appointed,” he said. “Now, I don’t know why Obama left that.

It was like a big, beautiful present to all of us. Why the hell did he leave that? Maybe he got complacent.” Trump omitted the essential fact that McConnell had blocked Obama’s nominees.

The high court vacancy at the start of Trump’s term was, in essence, a gift from McConnell. Justice Anthony Kennedy’s decision to retire in 2018 allowed Trump to replace the court’s swing justice with the more conservative Kavanaugh, who survived his own bruising confirmation hearings that included allegations he sexually assaulted a woman when they were both in high school decades ago. Kavanaugh denied the claims.

Less than two months before the 2020 election, Trump was handed another opening with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Gins-

nell is that they acted as though they had the support of most Americans. They did not, he said.

“My main beef with this current group is that there’s just no mandate to turn the judiciary so far to the right,” Wheeler said. “Trump lost the popular vote massively in 2016, but nevertheless has behaved as if he had a mandate to reshape the federal judiciary at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals level and I think that’s just unfounded.”

Liberal groups already have been pushing for changes at the highest level, including expansion of the Supreme Court and term limits for justices. The political prospects for both ideas are uncertain, at best.

But there’s less doubt from any vantage point about what Trump has wrought.

The U.S. “will be living with the legacy of Donald Trump for decades to come as a result of his judicial appointments,’’ said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, a liberal advocacy group. People who accepted judicial appointments from Trump will “wear the moniker of ‘Trump judge’ for the rest of their lives.”

Not so, in Conway’s view. “It will be one of the most lasting pieces of his legacy, distinguished and durable,” she said.

Hunter Biden subpoena seeks info on Burisma, other entities

SAUDI ENERGY

In this photo released by Saudi Energy Ministry, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Minist Energy of Saudi Arabia, third right, chairs a virtual summit of the Group of 20 energy minister his office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, April 10, 2020, to coordinate a response to plummet the time his father, then vice pres- the department had to be care- need for a special counsel to investiprices an oversupply market a downturn global demand due to the pandemi the election. ful about any and information coming ingate ident, due was to helping conduct thein the

A special counsel would make it Obama administration’s foreign from Ukraine, saying: “There are a policy with Ukraine. President lot of agendas in the Ukraine, a lot more difficult for Biden had his attorney general nominee to close inof cross currents.

Andits wepresident, can’t take Andrés Donald Trump and his allies have and praise. the deal but that Kuwait, Saudi Arabia vestigations under Trump. anything we received from Ukraine had longUnited argued, without evidence, that “The pure size of the cu Manuel López Obrador, said begun the Arab Emirates would In his 2019 confirmation hearHunter Biden’s work in Ukraine in- at face value.” that he had agreed with precedented, but, then ag cut another 2 million barrels of TheFriday former New York City may- ing for deputy attorney general, actfluenced the Obama administrathe impact the corona Trump that the U.S. oil a day between them atop the ing Attorneyis General Jeffrey Rosen whenwill the compention’s policies toward the Eastern or was a main character havingtoon demand,” what MexicoTrump. cannot said addhetowas willing OPEC+ The three countries rebuff politi- said M Housesate voted to impeach Europeandeal. nation. from the White House impeachment Ghulam, an energy an Republicans said in a re- The the proposed inquiry cuts. cen- cal pressure med didSenate not immediately acknowledge necessary.Raymond He told James. legislators tered on“The Trump’s dealings portcut earlier this year that the ap-Zanbig Oil Dealwith withifOPEC the themselves, though thathuncriminal investigations should Ukraine’s andThis whether pointment may have a conBut Ghulam and others w Pluspresident is done. willhesave ganeh attended theposed video conferabused his office by seeking the in- “proceed on the facts and the law” flict of interest. it may not be enough. dreds of thousands of energy jobs ence.

For months, the U.S. attor- vestigation into the Bidens. Giuliani and prosecutions should be “free of “This is at least a tempo in the United States,” Trump said political Officials said other planned improper influences.” pressured officials to do the invesney’s office in Pittsburgh has alsocuts lief for the energy in a tweet.

“I would like to thank would stand in the deal, meaning “If the appropriate answer is toindustry been collecting information from tigations and has been pushing unsay no to somebody, theneconomy.

I will say This i substantiated corruption allegaTrump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, cut the global and congratulate President Puan 8-million-barrel-per-day no,” heof said atisthe tions against the Bidens. and others as part ofthe the end Justice tootime. big to be let to fail and tin of Russia and King Salman from July through of the Trump was interested both responsibili in a In his final press conference as Department’s process to receive liance showed year and a 6-million-barrel cut for Saudi Arabia.” and analyze information related to Attorney General, however, Wil- counsel to investigate the younger this agreement,” said Per M Kremlin saidto President 16 months beginning in 2021.

Biden’s tax dealings and a second said he saw no reason Ukraine, including documents Gi- liam BarrThe Nysveen, the Vladimir Putin held a joint call “This will enable the to look into election fraud.

Hehead even of ana a special counsel.

Left the uliani wanted to present to rebalancprose- appoint Rystad Energy.

“Even tho with Trumponand King Saling of the markets and the exfloated the idea of naming attorney Justice Department Dec.Saudi 23. cutors that oil he had been gathering Powell as the counsel. a reasonsupport to ap- Sidney in Ukraine about Joe Hunter production cuts are small mannottoseen express of the pected rebound of and prices by $15 “I have requires that an atpoint deal. a special counsel and I havespokeFederal Biden. what the market needed a It also said Putin sep- law per barrel in the short term,” said In announcing that process no plan to do so before I leave,” he torney general appoint any special postpone the stock buildi arately with Trump about the oil ain statement from Nigeria’s oil February, Barr cautioned that said, adding that there was also no counsels.

ministry.

Mexico had initially blocked

market and other issues.

Analysts offered cautious

straints problem, the wors now avoided.”

& CREMATORY 522 North 2nd St. P.O. Box 7 Albemarle, NC 28002 Phone 704-983-1188

460 Branchview Dr. NE P.O. Box 367 Concord, NC 28026 Phone 704-786-1161

13575 Broadway Ave. P.O. Box 100 Midland, NC 28107 Phone 704-888-5571

www.hartsellfh.com

12115 University City Blvd.

P.O. Box 219 Harrisburg, NC 28075 Phone 704-247-1722

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, April 15, 2020

7

7

obituaries obituaries Boston Celtics Hall of Famer K.C. Jones dies at 88 Jason Efird Katherine EUGENE “GENE” EFIRD, 94, went home to be with JhisASON Huneycutt Lord Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at his

KATHERINE home in Stanfield. WHITLEY HUNEYCUTT, of Oakboro, Gene was born88, October 9, 1925, in NC, passed awaytoMonday, Cabarrus County the late Simeon December Her graveside Jason Efird 21, and2020. the late Sarah Ella service will be Wednesday, Burris Efird.

In3pm addition to his December 23, 2020 in the parents, he was preceded in death by Oakboro Cemetery his wife, Jewell Little with Efird;Rev. sisters, Kinney WallaceFannie and Rev. Keith Mary Lambert, Almond, Walters officiating.

There will be Minnie Furr, Wilma Burleson and no formal visitation.

Aileen Huskey; and brothers, Homer Katherine wasand born May Efird, 1, Efird, Getus Efird Wayne 1932 Sr. in Stanly County, NC to theAlate William Harlie and private funeral service will be Grace Whitley. was held onBarbee Saturday, April 11,She 2020 aatretired seamtress.

Love’s Grove UnitedKatherine Methodist was an avid reader and loved to Church Cemetery in Stanfield cook.

Sheby especially loved her officiated Rev. Jim White.

Burial children, great will followgrandchildren, at the Love’s Grove United grandchildren, friends and 4360 her Methodist Church Cemetery, special nieces nephews.

Polk Ford Road,and Stanfield.

Katherine was preceded in Survivors include son Gerald death her Efird husband, Junior Wayneby (Gail) of Albemarle; Huneycutt onEfird May(Mark) 8, 1997.

She is daughter Lisa Hartsell survived by granddaughters, her children, Dorian of Stanfield; Huneycutt, Raenae H.Lauren Little Kelly Efird Barbee and (David), Kelly H. Baucom Hartsell (Justin) Crump; andand greatRex Huneycutt all of Oakboro, grandsons, Ian Patrick Simmons and NC; Elliotgrandchildren, Jacob Simmons.Nicole Austin (Lee), Travis Little Memorials may be(Jessica), made to Love’s Krystal B. Eury (Jeff), Karmen Grove United Methodist Church, PO L. Carelock (Benny), Box 276, Stanfield, NCCaleb 28163-0276.

Huneycutt and Derek Baucom; great grandchildren, Owen Austin, Sara Lanee Eury, Stella Carelock, Emerson Eury, Deegan Little, Kinley Little, Collins Eury and Millie Carelock and a sister, Jahala Whitley Thomas of Charlotte, NC. Katherine is also preceded in death by a son Ritchie Lynn on March 18, 2016.

Memorials may be made to Mineral Springs Baptist Church, P.O. Box 478, Oakboro, NC 28129.

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Locust is serving the Huneycutt family.

P

Pauline Tucker

AULINE ELIZABETH ALMOND TUCKER, 98, passed away peacefully at Trinity Place, Albemarle, NC on April 11, 2020.

Pauline was born on March 22, 1922 in Cabarrus County, NC to the late John Richard Almond and Alice Ada Ann Lambert Almond.

She is survived by her three daughters, Gay Michel (Jack), Oak Island, NC; Pamela Rushing (Foreman), Oakboro, NC; Kathy Hunt (Marc), Albemarle, NC; her son, Chris Tucker (Chris Lear), Washington, DC. She will be greatly missed by her five grandchildren, Heather Rushing Chaney (Shannon), Michael Rushing, Elizabeth Michel Hartzog (Craig), Jack Michel, Jr. (Jenn), and Woody Hunt as well as Celebrate the life seven great-grandchildren.

She also leaves behind cherished nieces and of your loved ones. nephews.

Submit obituaries The family expresses its sincere and death notices gratitude to the staff and caregivers be for published at Trinityto Place the care they providedinPauline.

SCJ at obits@ A private graveside service will be stanlyjournal.com held on Monday, April 13, 2020. A celebration of Pauline’s life and legacy will be held this summer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the BrightFocus Foundation at www. brightfocus.org.

teammate Sam Jones won more NBA championships as players.

“Where K.C. Jones went, winBOSTON — Basketball Hall ning was sure to follow,” the Celtof Famer K.C. Jones, an Olym- ics said in a statement before their pic gold medalist and two-time Christmas Day game against the ONY MONROE SMITH, 72, ofeight Brooklyn ERLE LORRAINE AUSTIN Nets.

NCAA champion who won Rockwell, NC, went to beduring with the HELMS, 72,demonstrated of Marshville, that “K.C. also straight NBA titles his Lord andBill Savior Jesus Christ 8, comone away couldWednesday, be both aApril fierce Celtics’ Russell era and then passed on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at at McWhorter Hospice House petitor and a gentleman in evcoached the Boston teams with 2020 his home by family.

A and in Monroe. ery sense of the word. He made Larrysurrounded Bird, Kevin McHale private family service held.cham- Lorraine was born April 28, his teammates better, and1947 he got Robert Parish towill twobemore Online condolences can1980s, be made to the David he the most outlate ofHomer the players pionships in the hasatdied. in Monroe stanlyfuneralhome.com Austin and Jewell coached,” the Delphia-Jane team said. “Never He was 88.

TonyThe was Celtics born August 1947 fami- Austin. was also preceded in was one She to seek credit, his glory said 11, Jones’ in Stanly County tothat the late Pearlie by brothers, A.D.fundamental and Teddy of found in the most ly confirmed he died on Fri- death Asbury and Emmer Leefacility in Austin; and sister, Joy— Austin. basketball ideals being part of daySmith at an assisted living Smith.

He was the son in law Pat been The family will receive friends a winning team.”

Connecticut, where he ofhad and receiving Mick Caglecare where worked at dis- from 6:00 8:00 pm,Hall Friday, Jonespm is -the third of Famfor he Alzheimer’s the fish house for many years until April 10, 2020 at Hartsell er from the 1965 NBAFuneral champions ease for several years. he opened Anchor House Seafood of Albemarle. to die this year: The Johnfuneral Thompson, “K.C. was the nicest man I ever Home in Rockwell.

He and his wife Becky service will be at 11:00 am on success met. He always went out of his who went on to greater owned Anchor House Pleasant Hill Baptist died as the at coach at Georgetown, wayand tooperated make people feel good, Saturday for 25 beforean retiring 2009. in Marshville, officiated in August, and Celtics player and it years was such honorinto play for Church Mr. him,” Smith was a charter member by Rev. John Miller and Rev. Leon died last Bird said in a statement. coach Tommy Heinsohn and “His deaconaccomplishments at Open Door Baptist SheTwo willdays lie in state 30 month. afterfor observing are too Whitley.

Church in Richfield.

He loved the minutes prior to the service.

She will many to list, but, to me, his great- a moment of silence for Heinsohn Lordest andaccomplishment his family abundantly.

Tony be laid to rest in the church cemetery. was being before their season opener, the was such a wonderful husband, father, is survived by her beloved Celtics had another for Jones on an outstanding personand to all She grandfather and could fix anything husband of 47 years, Paul Helms who had the privilege of knowing Friday. he put hisIhands on. him dearly.” of the“He home; son, was a Alex great(Deanna) coach to work him, will miss Mr. Jones Smith is by hisplayers wife in Helms of Pageland; daughter, Paula for. He was a class act, and yet he is survived one of seven Becky Cagle Smith of the home, (Cristin Brandt) Helms of Mint Hill; that history to have won an Olympic had this competitive edge sonsgold Walter Smith an andNCAA Robbie champi- grandchildren, Grant, and was fierce,”Mason, said current Celtics medal, Smith; daughter Kayla Henderson Helms; Boyce, president of brothers, basketball operations onship and an NBA title. He won Raegan (Brandon); grandchildren Danielle, Royce, Tim Austin; and sisters, two more NBA crowns as an as- Danny Ainge, who played for the Dustin, and coach Steele Smith, Keaton Angel when Tarleton. teamMullis, from and 1981-88, Jones sistant and was the Celtics Patricia and head Ella Henderson; brother David Memorials may be made to the head coach when they went to the was an assistant and then Smith; sisters Kay Kriechbaum, coach. s Association, 4600 Park NBA Finals four straight years Alzheimer’ Karen Stevenson, Ruby Eudy, and NC 28209.

“He 250, hadCharlotte, this gentleness and from 1984-87, winning it all in Rd., Suite Dorothy Smith (Nick).

‘84 and again two years later with kindness. He was a great leader of He is preceded in death by a team that won a then-record 67 men,” Ainge said before Friday’s brothers Joe Smith, Wayne regular-season gamesSmith, and went game. “I looked at him as a menClaude Smith, Smith, Robert tor, and a friend. Much more than 15-3 in theWade postseason.

Smith, Only and sister Mary Morris.

Russell and fellow Celtics a coach.”

Memorial contributions can be made to Open Door Baptist Church at 44563 Hwy 52, Richfield, NC 28137 or to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County at 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.

By Jimmy Golen The Associated Press

T

Tony Smith

M

Merle Helms

D

Danny Luther

J

Jerry Fincher

ANNY PAUL LUTHER, ERRY FINCHER passed from 65, of Norwood, passed away this life on April 3, 2020 at 8:05 unexpectedly Thursday, April 9, pm. He was surrounded by his family 2020 at Atrium Health Stanly in and holding the hand of the love of HOUSTON | AP PHOTO Albemarle. his life. JerryROBERT is preceded in death Mr. Luther was born March 27, by three siblings, two brothers, Billy In this March 1, 1956, file photo, K.C. Jones, captain of 1955 the late Robert Fulton and Gilbert Fincher, and Larry Richard thetoUniversity of San Francisco Dons, right, is shown with Helen Tucker Luther.

Fincher, and one sister, Barbra Joyce teammate Bill Russell in San Francisco.

Danny was survived by his wife, Moore.

Denise Burleson Luther of Norwood; He is survived by his wife, Eleanor sons,AJeremy (Karen) Luther and Kate of the home, He took over fordaughter, Fitch in point guard who excelled on 1981.Fincher Jody Luther;Jones step-sons, Bryan Jacobs Wingate 1984 Fincher and over the of next five seadefense, joined with Rus- Cindy Whitley (Anita) Whitley; and daughter in law, Tommy sonsson never won fewer than 57 sell to and leadGregg San Francisco to back- NC., Grandchildren, Daniel Luther and (Tiffany) Fincher of New London to-back NCAA championships in games or failed to reach the EastHunter Zado, as well his brother, Children, Jimmy (Lisa) ern Step Conference finals.

1955-56.

The twoasalso played on NC., Bob Luther Jr (Lorena), uncle Jack Lanier of Locust NC, Wanda Ainge said Jones was (Bob) misunthe U.S. team that won the OlymLuther andmedal severalat other of Locust NC., Eric derstood and underappreciated pic gold the loved 1956 nieces, Games Krimminger nephews and cousins.Jones reunited (Sharon) of Charlotte NC., becauseLanier he was more laid back in Melbourne.

Danny recently retired from Grandchildren-Trey (Gera) Whitson with Russell in Boston to win than some of his predecessors and Charlotte Pipe andNBA Foundry afterfrom ofthus Midland, Step-grandchildren, less often mentioned among eight straight titles a dedicated 37 years and worked Zach (Brittney) Washington, Aaron the great Celtics coaches like Red 1959-66. there“Friends with his sons and several other (Kinsey) Washington, Caleb (Nayeli) for life,” Russell post- Auerbach, Heinsohn and Fitch. friends familyalong members.

Beth (Robbie) Setzer,for “People are always looking ed onand Twitter, with what he Washington, Danny loved spending time at Matthew ( April ) Wallace, Step said was their last photo together. the people that are seeking that his lake house with his and be- great-grandchildren, attention in front Britlyn-Eve of the camerJones retired in family 1967 and friends as well as vacationing with his Setzer, George as. K.C. wasRobert fine with everybody gan coaching, first in college at Washington, family.

Danny and Denise enjoyed (Sara) Setzer, Tracy (Rob) Setzer Brandeis and Harvard before else getting the attention and listening beach music and loved to Bumgardener, Katie Underwood, not much being focused on him,” joiningtothe Los Angeles Lakers shag dance every chance they could Andrew Underwood, Stephave greatto do as an assistant, where he earned Ainge said. “He didn’t get.

He wasNBA an amazing father, loving grandchild, Waylon Georgedo it it very often — and he didn’t another championship ring great grandfather and had greathead friendcoaching to Setzer and brother very often — butDonald when Lewis the time in 1972. He many.

Hewith will never be forgotten.

Albemarle, NC. came tooftake a stand, he would go stints the San Diego Con- Fincher A celebration life will and be led the toe-to-toe Jerry Fincher laid to on withwill thebeHall of rest Fame quistadors of of the ABA announced onceBullets the current 8,2020 at 11:00 am players on April our team.”

Washington to the 1975 Wednesday COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. at Canton Anyone by Jones’ Baptist No. 25Church. was retired NBA Finals.

Hartsell of interested inin attending, please RSVP the Celtics 1967, and he was inAfter Funeral a stop Home in Milwaukee, Albemarle is serving the Luther at 704-796-2412.

Dr. Phil McCray Jones returned to Boston in 1978 ducted into the Naismith Memofamily.

TommyHall Fincher will in rialPastor Basketball of Fame and won his 10th NBA title as an and 1989. assistant on Bill Fitch’s staff in officiate.

Ivry Gitlis, a violinist Leslie West, guitarist of rock who spanned Lindaband Mountain, has died at 75 genres, dies at 98 Hatley L

INDA TUCKER HATLEY, 69, of Albemarle, passed away Monday, April 13, 2020.

The Associated Press West began Linda was born September 18, 1950 inviolinist Concord to thehis late music Jacob and PARIS — Ivry Gitlis, an acclaimed Claris Tucker.

She was also preceded career in the who played with famed conductors, rock stars death by herto brother, Terry Lee and jazz bands around the worldin and worked mid-60s her twin sister, Brendawith make classical music accessible Tucker, to the and masses, Tucker Strickland.

We know Brenda The Vagrants has died in Paris at 98. and Linda are in Heaven watching France’s culture minister announced his with his us and laughing. death Thursday, hailing him as over “a magnificent brother Linda was a loving mother, sister, HIRLEY MAE HAIRE, 73, performer, a generous musician” who dedicated and “Nana.”

She was aLarry very giving ofhis Albemarle passed away on of music.” life “to serving all kinds The cause West loving person. Linda would April 2020 at Atrium Health of11,death and plans for funeral and arrangements Weinstein, always do anything she could for Stanly.

The family will hold a announced. private were not immediately others, She who played graveside service for Mrs. Recognizable in Haire. recent decades by especially his long her family. enjoyed working at FastShop #5, Shirley washair bornand December 12, caps and scarves, Gitwhite distinctive bass.loved Locust.

Linda will be forever 1946lisinbegan Washington, DC to the playing in the 1920s and performed and greatlycelemissed. late into Charles and Philharmonic theRichard 2010s.Bateman The Paris Survivors her son, Elizabeth Mulligan bratedMae “one of the Bateman. longest and most prolific include caAlan Hatley and wife, Angela, of Shirley is survived by her reers in the history ofhusband music.”

Albemarle; brother, of 30 years Vaughn SmithinofHaifa in 1922, Gitlis was born and sent to Ronnie Tucker and wife, Linda, Albemarle; sister Sandra Painter the Paris Conservatory at age 10 under the guid-of Midland; granddaughter, of Gainesville, VA; half-brother ance of violinist Bronislaw Huberman, the min-Leslie Hatley; 1 niece; and nephews.

Robert Bateman of continued Stevensville,training in Europe2 and istry said. He The family will receive friends MD;the step-children Heather Smith U.S., where he performed with leading confrom 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Thursday, of Jacksonville, FL andin David ductors starting the 1950s.

April 16, 2020 at Hartsell Funeral Smith of New London, NC; 4with the Rolling Gitlis performed Stones Hometelevision in Albemarle. Linda will step-grandchildren; Cyndi on French and jazz stars,nieces appeared be laid to rest during a private Hentschel Leesburg, VA and showsofand founded a French music festival in committal service at Bethel United Cheryl Aylett,listeners VA; 16 grandtheHardy 1970sofwhere ate and slept in a field Methodist Church, Midland. nieces andlistening nephews; and Gus the while to music. lieu of flowers, please consider a dog. Stanly Funeral Cremation Among hisand many worldwide Inappearancmemorial Carees, of Albemarle is serving the Gitlis was the first Israeli musician todonation per- to Bethel UMC, 12700 Idlebrook Haire family. form in Soviet Russia, in 1963, according to Le Rd, Midland, NC 28107.

Monde.

He held charity concerts in Japan after the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami while many other performers canceled shows, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported, and played a violin made from wooden debris from the disaster.

S

Shirley Haire

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Leslie West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several ‘70s rock anthems including “Mississippi Queen” with the popular band Mountain, has died. He was 75.

His spokesman Steve Karas said West died Wednesday in Palm Coast, Florida. Karas said West died from cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital.

West battled with health issues in the past few years. In 2011, his lower right leg was amputated in a life-saving operation related to his diabetes.

Rockers like Gene Simmons and Slash showed support for West on social media a day before his death when it was clear he was in dire condition. Paul Stanley called West a “gentle man and guitar hero” on Twitter.

West began his music career in the mid-60s with The Vagrants with his brother Larry West Weinstein, who played bass. The band known as a blueeyed soul group had a minor hit with “I Can’t Make a Friend” and covered Otis Redding’s “Respect” in 1967.

West stepped out on his own with a solo career, releasing the 1969 album “Mountain,” which was produced by Felix Pappalardi. West and Pappalardi ended

up starting the hard rock band Mountain, which was named after West’s debut solo album.

In 1969, Mountain performed an 11-song set at Woodstock before the Grateful Dead. A year later, the band released their biggest hit “Mississippi Queen,” which appeared on numerous movie and TV soundtracks along with video games including Guitar Hero. The song was covered by several artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, W.A.S.P. and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Mountain’s song “Long Red” became popular among multiple hip-hop artists including Jay-Z, Kanye West and Nas, who sampled the single. “Theme From An Imaginary Western” was another of the band’s notable songs.

During a Mountain hiatus, West formed the group West, Bruce and Laing along with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and Mountain drummer Corky Laing.

West appeared in films such as “Family Honor” and “Money Pit.” He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show. The musician was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

West is survived by his wife, Jenni, whom he married on stage after Mountain’s performance at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel, New York in 2009.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

Simple, Affordable, Convenient Available 24 Hours a Day

Southern Piedmont Cremation Services provides a basic cremation service for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one and do not desire a traditional funeral or farewell ceremony.

When your loved one passes simply call our office and our professional team will come as quickly as possible and bring your loved one into our care.

Phone: 704-985-4851

Fax: 704-550-5508

Email: care@spcremation.com

8

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

STATE & NATION

Transition stumbles test Biden’s bond with Capitol Hill

By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden brings more Capitol Hill experience than any president will have in decades, but his transition has stumbled in ways large and small, exposing the challenges of navigating a Congress that is a different place than when he last served in 2009.

He rolled out an almost allwhite national security team when allies were expecting diversity. He filled top posts with familiar Washington hands rather than fresh newcomers. His team clumsily floated some names and retracted others for the Cabinet.

The slights and slip-ups of Biden’s interactions with Congress leave the impression his team is misreading the Capitol Hill audience he’ll be relying on for legislative outcomes.

And it calls into question one of the incoming president’s most prized attributes — his presumed ability to work with Congress.

Biden last walked the marbled halls as a senator more than a decade ago. Only one-third of the senators with whom he served remain in office.

“A strong belief that my dad drilled into my head: First impressions are lasting, and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” Rep. James Clyburn, the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Congress said recently in an interview.

Clyburn said people were “raising hell” over what he called the “herky-jerky” rollout of the initial, predominantly white Cabinet picks. Biden’s team swiftly adjusted, introducing black, Latino and Asian American nominees as the he vows to build the most diverse administration in history.

“I’m satisfied with what they’re doing,” Clyburn said. “I was not satisfied with the way they did it.”

It’s often said in Washington that personnel is policy and Biden’s team has built an entire infrastructure around his outreach to Congress, drawing input and counsel from its well of seasoned lawmakers and staff.

Yet the 78-year-old Biden is confronting the expectations of a younger, more liberal Democratic Party hungry for generational change.

Some early developments have set an awkward tone.

In nominating retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense secretary, Biden put Democrats in a difficult position of having to flipflop on granting a waiver of rules limiting military oversight of the department. Many senators voted against such an accommodation for Trump’s Pentagon pick.

Biden’s team incensed Hispanic and Asian and Pacific American lawmakers with its handling of Cabinet choices from their communities. He drew eyerolls over tapping former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to return to the job. Progressives heaped scorn on his naming a budget chief who

JACQUELYN MARTIN | AP PHOTO

In this Sept. 17, 2020, file photo, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of S.C., speaks during a news conference about COVID-19, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. has been a vocal critic of liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders is poised to be the top Democrat on the Budget Committee when it considers budget director Neera Tanden’s nomination.

Democrats said the coalition of groups and communities that make up the big tent of the Democratic Party wants not just a seat at the table, but also a say in what happens around that table.

“Biden’s team understands that,” Sroka said. “Things have changed.”

The Biden era promises a turnaround from Trump’s team, which had little experience with the complex rules and relationships that make up the often ram-

bunctious House and insular Senate.

The buildout of the new administration is a test not only for Biden but also for his incoming chief of staff Ron Klain, a longtime adviser to powerful Democrats.

Klain’s appointment drew praise across the fractious party, but his performance has not been perfect. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus lawmakers were upset he was a no-show for a long-sought virtual meeting over lack of representation from their community in Cabinet picks.

A first test will come as the Senate begins to consider Biden’s

nominees.

Transition spokesperson Andrew Bates said he expects the Senate will confirm Cabinet nominees “as swiftly as possible.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, warned that Republicans are prepared to block Biden’s Cabinet choices the same way Democrats dragged out confirmation of Trump’s picks.

“Democrats are always lecturing Republican senators about approving future Biden Cabinet nominees even if we don’t agree with them,” Grassley said.

“I want to hear from Democrats why we should not now adopt their standards and vote down nominees based on politics?”

Beyond the no-knock: Push in states to reform police tactics

By Claudia Lauer The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — After a year marked by mass civil unrest and protests against law enforcement, some activists are taking aim at police tactics that can lead to deadly middle-of-the-night raids.

Rather than waiting for direction from lawmakers, a group of academics, policing experts and activists called Campaign Zero has created model legislation around so-called no-knock warrants they hope will be attractive to cities and states as they work to curtail police tactics that lead to both civilian and officer casualties.

SWAT team and tactical drug raids appear to have increased from about 3,000 in the early 1980s to more than 60,000 annually in the last few years, mostly because of drugs and drug task forces, according to Peter Kraska, a criminology professor at Eastern Kentucky University who has studied police raids for decades. The data includes no-knock and other warrants.

Generally, under the law, police must knock and announce their presence when serving a warrant, meaning they must wait before entering a property. But with noknock warrants, officers don’t have to say anything and don’t have to wait. That’s because the warrants are reserved for dangerous moments or if suspects are likely to destroy evidence if they are alerted to officers’ presence, but critics say not always.

“There has been an historic issuance of no-knock warrants for inappropriate purposes, basically for fishing expeditions for drug evidence,” said Kraska, who helped Campaign Zero write its recommendations. “There are very few situations where Timothy McVeigh is standing behind that door when it gets knocked down.” McVeigh carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

But just banning the warrants isn’t enough, because the raids would only continue in other ways, said Campaign Zero manager Katie Ryan. She says that’s why the group has included in its legislation a complement of extreme reforms:

“There has been an historic issuance of no-knock warrants for inappropriate purposes, basically for fishing expeditions for drug evidence."

Peter Kraska, criminology professor at Eastern Kentucky University requiring officers to be in uniforms that make them easily identifiable, requiring warrants to be served between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and requiring the officers to know when asking for the warrant who lives at the residence, including whether there are children, older people or anyone with a disability.

“We had to create something comprehensive to cut off flimsy legislation and get real change,” Ryan said.

The model also mandates officers use body-worn cameras and

fill out within 72 hours a warrant execution report that is reviewed by an independent board. It would also require any property seized during those raids to be returned if a person isn’t convicted of a crime.

Capitalizing on this year’s resurgence of anti-police protests following the death of George Floyd, they worked with at least 315 cities and eight states that adopted portions of their recommendations to reduce fatal force.

The group is now working with 37 cities and states to introduce legislation on no-knock warrants.

A bill filed earlier this month in New York by Sen. James Sanders, D-New York City, is among the first to include all 15 of the campaign’s recommendations.

Sanders said Taylor’s death brought the practice to people’s attention, but his district has its own examples of dangerously executed raids.

The family of Alberta Spruill, a 57-year-old grandmother who died of a heart attack in 2003 after police officers fired a flash bang grenade into her apartment, has given Sanders its support. Officers had

been looking for a drug dealer who lived in a different apartment and who they already had in custody.

Sanders said the bill will work its way through the legislative process after the new year. He’s heard a lot of support from other legislators, and he’s hoping to hear support from law enforcement, too. Officers are often injured in such raids.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, when police Chief Johnny Jennings took over his post in July he dug into the issue of no-knock warrants and ended their use for the department’s 1,800 officers.

“We found that if there is something that is so dangerous that it requires a no-knock search warrant, that we did not need to take that risk. We use other means to try to get someone to come out of a structure,” he said.

Some law enforcement advocates have cautioned that departments need warrants for situations like human trafficking or kidnapping, and others have said a recommendation that officers wait 30 seconds to enter after announcing their presence could open a window for suspects to fire on police.

In this Sept.

23, 2020, file photo police and protesters converge during a demonstration in Louisville, Ky.

JOHN MINCHILLO | AP PHOTO

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 15 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020

Twin City Herald

EFREM LUKATSKY | AP PHOTO

People ice skate around the Christmas tree in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020.

AP-NORC poll: Virusweary Americans less festive this year The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maureen Brennan will spend Christmas with her daughter at their Nashua, New Hampshire, home after declining invitations from other relatives to celebrate with them. Michael Smith will mark the holidays alone in Elko, Nevada, unwilling to risk being infected with the coronavirus before he can be vaccinated.

Neither feels overly festive this holiday season, reflecting the

mood of many Americans as a year marred by a national health crisis and teetering economy ends with the coronavirus pandemic still raging out of control. That’s according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that also finds some Americans are feeling a bit sadder, lonelier and less grateful than last year.

Just 22% of Americans say they feel very or extremely festive this year, down from 49% one year ago. Those who do feel festive tend

to be those least worried about the virus.

Holidays are always a stressful time, “but now people are feeling really, really worn down because this has been going on for so long,” said Dr. Karestan Koenen, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Some people are suffering financially, and stimulus checks are running out.”

The pandemic — which has driven health care systems to the brink, thrown millions out of work and killed more than 310,000 in the U.S. — is casting a long shadow, with research showing that it has taken a toll on Americans’ mental health.

About 4 in 10 Americans are still intensely worried that they or a family member will be infected, with roughly three-quarters at least somewhat concerned. The coronavirus vaccine has capped the year with a glimmer of hope, but the poll found only about half

of Americans are ready to get vaccinated immediately, with the rest unsure or uninterested. The poll was conducted shortly before the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for emergency use.

Overall, half of Americans say they’re at least somewhat lonely this holiday season, up from 41% last year. Fifty-two percent say they’re at least somewhat sad, compared to 44% last year.

Adults under 30 are more likely than those older to say they feel very sad or lonely — and more feel these emotions this year than they did last year.

Koenen said this is a time that young adults normally would be starting their independent lives.

But now, graduation ceremonies may have been canceled, they may be forced to live with their families and it could be difficult to find a job because of the slowed economy.

For those who live alone, it’s “really hard right now (because)

Downed evergreen tree becomes symbol of COVID-19 crisis The Associated Press NORWAY, Wis. — For a holiday season marked by the upheaval of a public health crisis, residents along Loomis Road in the town of Norway think they have found the perfect symbol.

When storm winds Nov. 10 toppled a 40-foot evergreen in the Wind Lake neighborhood, residents at first figured they had a mess to clean up.

Then they realized that the image of a holiday tree laying flat on its back is a fitting metaphor for the disaster that 2020 has come to represent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So neighbors left the downed evergreen right there, roots and all.

And they decorated the mess with makeshift ornaments symbolizing the COVID-19 outbreak, including face masks, rolls of toilet paper and empty beer cans, the Racine Journal Times reported.

Complete with a sign declaring “COVID Christmas,” the unusu-

SCOTT WILLIAMS | THE JOURNAL TIMES VIA AP

A 40-foot evergreen tree that was knocked over in a storm on Nov. 10 , 2020, rests on the ground in the Wind Lake neighborhood in Norway, Wis. al holiday display is turning heads among neighbors and passersby.

Property owner Ginger Dittman said the tree had been growing on her property for 40 years. Seeing it

knocked down during the holiday season seemed to fit right in with 2020′s events.

“It tipped over, and it represents what a lot of people have been go-

ing through,” Dittman said. “Everything is just falling apart.”

Nearby hardware store owner Andy Scholbe, who donated lights for the COVID Christmas tree, said the oddball holiday exhibition started out as a joke, then morphed into a genuine effort to boost people’s spirits.

“It turned a terrible year into a feel-good story,” Scholbe said.

The evergreen tree came crashing down on the night of Nov. 10 during a violent thunderstorm that knocked out power in the Wind Lake area. When the sun came up the next day, residents saw that the towering pine tree had been uprooted in Dittman’s front yard.

Dean Shallow, a friend who lives about a mile away, said the sight of the dead tree laying on its back seemed symbolic for a holiday season that is taking place under the shadow of COVID-19.

“I said, ‘We’ve got to do something with this tree,’ ” Shallow recalled. “This is just the most perfect thing.”

you’re literally alone all the time,” she said.

Still, just 37% of Americans say they feel especially generous, compared with 52% last year.

Americans are also less likely to say they feel very grateful, though a 60% majority still say so, down from 73% a year ago.

Last year, similar majorities across ages and races said they were grateful. Now older Americans and Black Americans are especially likely to say they are.

Koenen said it could be a reflection of their experiences.

“Maybe they’re grateful that they’re still here and also perhaps longer life gives one perspective,” Koenen said. “We do know gratitude increases resilience and mental health.”

Focusing on gratitude can help reduce anxiety, as can finding ways to help others, Koenen said. “So many felt helpless ... but I think people feel better if they can do something,” she said.

Dittman agreed to leave the tree where it fell over and to let it become a statement for the neighborhood.

The toilet paper represents the shortage of paper products and other store goods. The face masks represent the personal protective gear that has become commonplace.

And empty beer cans and wine bottles represent the extra drinking some people have done while quarantined at home.

After several neighbors and others stepped forward to help, a group gathered to decorate the tree. An official tree-lighting took place the weekend after Thanksgiving.

“It brought a lot of friends together,” Shallow said, “and we had a good chuckle.”

Dittman said she plans to leave the display up until the end of the year.

The property owner said she is delighted that her fallen tree has brought a little extra holiday cheer to the neighborhood at a time of stress and anxiety.

“It’s been a sad time for so many people,” she said. “If I can bring a couple of smiles to people’s faces, that’s what it’s all about.”

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

2 WEDNESDAY

12.30.20 #119

“Join the conversation” Twin City Herald Publisher Neal Robbins

Editor Shawn Krest

Sports Editor Cory Lavalette

Senior Opinion Editor Frank Hill

Design Editor Lauren Rose Published each Wednesday as part of the North State Journal.

3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609 (704) 269-8461 INFO@TWINCITYHERALD.COM TWINCITYHERALD.COM

TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 or online at nsjonline.com Annual Subscription Price: $25.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Stanly County Journal 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Albemarle, N.C. 28001.

OPINION | MICHAEL BARONE

Biden: Identity politics and no apologies

Most people care more about policy than ethnicity, more about competence than ticket balancing.

IDENTITY POLITICS seems to be sticking around.

Important election results seemed to refute the notion that Americans vote for their ethnic or racial identity. Hispanic voters trended significantly toward the supposedly anti-Hispanic Donald Trump, and Californians, while voting 63% for Joe Biden, rejected racial quotas and preferences in a referendum by an even larger margin than in the 1990s.

But Joe Biden, even as the Supreme Court rejected the last pro-Trump lawsuit and the Electoral College confirmed his 306-232 majority, seemed to be playing identity politics with his major appointments. “Identitybased groups,” The New York Times is reporting, “continue to lobby Mr. Biden to ensure racial and gender diversity at all levels of his administration.”

He’s facing demands for two Cabinet posts for “Latinas,” for a black attorney general and for a Native American interior secretary (which he did by naming Rep. Deb Haaland). He’s facing criticism for placing “people of color” in posts for which they have no apparent expertise — Xavier Becerra at the Department of Health and Human Services, Susan Rice at the Domestic Policy Council.

Every incoming president faces vexing choices — and scornful criticism — but it’s an especially vexing problem for Democrats. Their party, since its creation in 1832, has been an often-unwieldy coalition of out-groups with grievances and self-appointed advocates. Their urban political bosses developed the art of balancing party tickets dozens of decades ago.

The plaints and pleas of identity-group advocates can sometimes seem disconnected from reality. How many Hispanic-surnamed women out there are determined to renounce the Democratic Party unless Biden appoints to his Cabinet not just one but two Latinas (at least The Times isn’t using the university-spawned and unpronounceable adjective “Latinx”)? Will black voters really feel betrayed if this Democratic president doesn’t appoint a black attorney general as the last Democratic president did?

At this point in our history, it seems apparent that Americans will not only accept but also approve of appointees of any ethnic or racial description, depending on their performance and policies. And one suspects that among the public, if not in the press, most people care more about policy than ethnicity, more about competence than ticket balancing.

On that count, the Biden administration is shaping up to be less radical than Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez and her squad may like, but also sharp-edged in its partisanship. Becerra’s legal persecution of abortion opponents and Rice’s willingness to advance falsehoods about the 2012 Benghazi attack are pertinent examples

that could prove of greater importance than their racial classifications.

A sharp-edged partisan tone was also apparent in Joe Biden’s mostly emollient remarks Monday night during which he acknowledged his victory in the Electoral College.

“It’s time to turn the page as we’ve done throughout our history,” Biden said, “to unite, to heal.” He promised to “be president for all Americans.” But he also took pains to rebuke Donald Trump and Republicans who have supported the Texas attorney general’s lawsuit to overturn the results in four other states, rejected by an essentially unanimous Supreme Court.

Biden was right in disparaging that particular case and for noting that other pro-Trump lawsuits were not successful. But he was wrong to suggest that Trump’s victory four years ago was accepted ungrudgingly by Democrats.

On the contrary, congressional Democrats then, on no more basis than the Texas attorney general had last week, challenged the Electoral College results. And Obama administration intelligence and law enforcement officials interfered in the political process during and after the campaign, continuing for years after Trump was inaugurated to advance the charge of collusion with Russia, for which no credible evidence has ever appeared.

Calls “to work together to give each other a chance to lower the temperature” are likely to prove unavailing absent a confession of error — an acknowledgement and apology — from those, including the president-elect, who denied the legitimacy of the man who was presidentelect four years ago.

Acknowledgements and apologies should also be forthcoming from major press outlets and from Facebook and Twitter for suppressing what we now know was the valid New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s misdeeds.

The Trump lawsuits failed to identify any wrongdoing that cost Trump electoral votes. But the largely successful suppression of those stories may have changed the outcome of the election, just as Obama-appointed FBI Director James Comey’s late-in-the-campaign statement that reopened the Hillary Clinton email investigation may have changed the outcome in 2016.

But, hey, back to business as usual. There’s no sign that acknowledgements, much less apologies, are forthcoming, while the identity politics cabinetmaking merrily continues.

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.

RV-buying mistakes to avoid

By Liz Weston The Associated Press RECREATIONAL VEHICLE sales are soaring, and the RV industry expects 2021 to be a record-breaking year. Dealerships say much of the demand is coming from first-time buyers and others anxious to find a safer way to vacation during the pandemic.

As any RV owner will tell you, though, buying a motorhome, camper or trailer is a complex process that requires a ton of decisions. The more choices you make, the more opportunities you have to make mistakes, especially when you’re a novice.

If you’re considering your first RV, these are some of the errors to avoid.

Mistake no. 1: Assuming you’ll save a lot of money on travel If you want to make a motorhome owner laugh, say something silly like, “I bet you save a ton of money on hotels!”

Well, maybe. But new motorhomes typically cost $60,000 to $500,000, according to the RV Industry Association. Add in the cost of gas for a vehicle that gets 6 to 10 mpg, plus insurance, maintenance and the inevitable repairs. Campground fees typically run $25 to $80 a night. You may need to pay for storage if you can’t park the rig at your house, since many cities limit the time that RVs can be parked on the street. Storage can cost $30 to $450 a month, depending on whether it’s outdoors or indoors, heated or unheated, near a major city or out in the boonies.

Campers and trailers can be more economical — as long as you already own the truck or SUV you need to haul them. Pop-up trailers and truck campers start at around $6,000, according to the RVIA. Travel trailers usually range from $6,000 to $55,000, while fifth-wheel trailers range from $18,000 to $160,000.

If you need a loan, you may wind up paying a lot of interest over time because RV loans often stretch for 10, 15 or even 20 years. Borrowing $40,000 for 15 years will cost you nearly $19,000 in interest, even at a reasonable rate (for RV loans) of 5.5%.

Add it all up, you could spend a lot of time in some pretty nice hotels for what you’ll pay camp-

ing in an RV. There are definitely ways to spend less. If you’re shelling out for a new rig, though, don’t kid yourself that you’re vacationing on the cheap.

Mistake no. 2: Buying new As with cars, RVs lose a considerable amount of value the second they’re driven off the dealership lot. Letting the first owner take that big depreciation hit can save you a lot of money.

For example, RV Trader — one of the biggest RV marketplaces — recently advertised a 2021 Winnebago Navion 24D for sale in California with a list price close to $160,000. The 2019 version, with just 5,200 miles, was listed for $120,000.

You may worry that a used RV will be a money pit, and that could be true. But unlike cars, RVs often aren’t trouble-free even when they’re new. There may be leaks, rattles and manufacturing defects. The first owner may spot and fix the worst problems before passing the RV on to you. (You’ll still want a seasoned mechanic at a good dealership to inspect any used rig before buying.)

Mistake no. 3: Rushing your purchase Making a big purchase in haste is rarely a good idea, but you could really regret joining the stampede to buy an RV right now.

Normally, you can negotiate a discount of 20% or more off a new RV’s sticker price. But the pandemic slowed production at factories just as demand surged over travel safety concerns. The result is a seller’s market with limited inventories at dealerships. That means a lot less wiggle room on prices for new and used rigs. A year or two of high demand is often followed by a lull, though, so consider renting an RV now and buying after things calm down.

Renting first is a good idea in any case, because it gives you a chance to try different types of RVs and to see if this kind of camping is for you. (We ultimately decided we preferred national park lodges and nice hotels.) Sites including Outdoorsy, RVShare.com and Cruise America offer a wide variety of rental options, with motorhome prices typically starting around $100 a night.

HBO MAX VIA AP

This image released by HBO Max shows Laura Benanti from “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020," a new special offering a window onto Gen Z and how they're dealing with the pandemic.

TV and Broadway star Laura Benanti celebrates Gen Z voices

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press NEW YORK — When the coronavirus pandemic closed high schools, Broadway and TV star Laura Benanti knew it also meant most spring high school musicals would be scrapped.

So Benanti asked crestfallen young people across the country to record themselves performing their songs, post them on social media and tag her. Stages might be silent, but she wanted to hear them.

The response stunned her — 15,000 submissions.

“I really thought the initial sort of call to action would be quite small. I never imagined it would turn into what it did,” says Benanti, a Tony Award winner and star of shows like “Nashville,” “Supergirl” and “Younger.”

The effort — dubbed Sunshine Songs — has led to a new poignant special on HBO Max led by Benanti called “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020,” which was filmed remotely and offers a window on Gen Z. The hourlong documentary follows seven seniors and how they’ve navigated what should have been the best months of their lives. Several jumped into social activism, one experienced homelessness and one realized she was transgender.

“While some of these kids dealt

with such a tough time in 2020 as well as personal challenges before, it was really inspiring to see their outlook on it all,” said Jennifer O’Connell, an executive vice president at HBO Max. “Although at times, they acknowledged how tough it has been, they all shared an optimism for the future and chose to not dwell in the negative. The audience will be able to see them reclaim their 2020 with this experience.”

The seven — aged 17 or 18 — come from across the nation — Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio and two from Texas.

Each tells their story and sings a song that shares their experience.

A teen from West Orange, New Jersey, sings R.E.M.’s apocalyptic “It’s the End of the World as We Know it (And I Feel Fine)” and one from Douglasville, Georgia, sings Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” with masked background dancers armed with bubble guns.

Others sing “Pray” by Sam Smith, “My Future” by Billie Eilish, “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine, “Lift Every Voice and Sing/I Can’t Breathe”

by H.E.R. and “Somewhere” from the musical “West Side Story.” At the end, they join for a rendition of “Waving Through the Window” from “Dear Evan Hanson.”

“We really wanted a cross-section of America and not just the typical pretty princess white girl

that you associate with musical theater,” Benanti says. “And I include myself in that.”

Benanti and producers found the seven by starting with the thousands of submissions and whittling the list down to only graduating high school seniors, about 1,500. They narrowed the list to about 20 candidates then cut to seven.

“That was the worst part of it,” says Benanti, who personally contacted those who didn’t make the cut. As an actress, she has been in their shoes and tried to communicate that the teens not picked had done nothing wrong.

“There are people performing in the subway that I’m like, ‘What?

Why are you in the subway and I get to be on Broadway?’ Really to me, that is just being in the right place at the right time. That is luck because there are so many talented people in this world; it’s astonishing.”

The creators originally considered making it a scripted show but pivoted into documentary after the death of George Floyd. “We all collectively agreed that it’s best to let these kids tell their own story instead of putting words into their mouths,” says Benanti.

The special highlights voices from a generation that often gets looked down on. But viewers are reminded that these young people, born around 9/11 and never knowing a world without smartphones, have endured school shootings and now COVID-19.

“This is the generation that self-identifies as anxious more than any previous generation.

Their levels of anxiety are through the roof,” says Benanti, who is shooting a “Gossip Girl” reboot for HBO Max and “Younger” for TV Land.

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

3

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT NHL

NHL rules will require coaches to wear masks behind bench New York NHL coaches are required to wear masks behind the bench, owners are barred from having face-to-face meetings with players, and teams can travel with no more than 50 people. Under the coronavirus protocols, players arriving at their home cities for the start of training camp will be required to self-quarantine for a seven-day period, during which they will be tested four times. The NHL’s seven teams which failed to qualify for the playoffs open camp on Dec. 31, with the remaining 24 teams beginning four days later.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Auburn hires Boise State’s Harsin to lead football program Auburn, Ala. Auburn hired Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as its head coach last week, luring him away from his alma mater and into the powerful Southeastern Conference.

The 44-year-old Harsin is 69-19 with three Mountain West titles in seven seasons at Boise State, but winning in the SEC affords greater chances for playoff berths and national titles. Auburn fired Gus Malzahn earlier this month after he went 6-4 in his eighth season — a move that cost the school more than $21 million to buy out the former coach’s contract.

SPONSORED BY

Silver confident that NBA season can be pulled off safely The league tipped off last week with a planned 72game regular season

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press THE NBA FOUND a way to get through last season amid a pandemic. Adam Silver sees no reason why the same cannot ring true again this season.

Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, said Dec. 21 — a day before the new season began — that he is confident the league’s health and safety protocols will allow teams to get through their planned 72game regular season slates even as the coronavirus rages across the country and the world. He did, however, warn that he expects the virus to create some problems along the way.

“I think we are prepared for isolated cases; in fact, based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, based on watching other leagues operating outside a bubble, unfortunately, it seems somewhat inevitable,” Silver said. “We’re prepared for all contingencies.”

Games could be postponed or canceled along the way, and Silver said that if the league encounters issues that cannot be controlled by what’s covered in the health and safety protocols that sus-

MATT STAMEY | AP PHTO

PJ Washington and the Hornets started the 2020-21 season last week, a campaign that NCA commissioner Adam Silver believes will be safe — but not without "bumps along the way — for players and team staff. pending the season — just as was the case back on March 11, when the 2019-20 season was halted for 4 ½ months — will again be a possibility.

But the league, Silver vowed, will wait its turn to get players and others inside the NBA vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“In no form or way will we jump the line,” Silver said.

Silver said if the league didn’t believe in its plans, the season simply would not be starting.

“We do anticipate that there will be bumps in the road along the way,” Silver said.

Teams will play 10 fewer games than the customary 82-game slate. The season is starting two months later than usual and the playoffs are set to stretch into

“We do anticipate that there will be bumps in the road along the way.”

Adam Silver, NBA commissioner July, all with players and coaches being tested daily and with nearly 60 players missing some time with their teams during training camp and the preseason because of positive COVID-19 tests.

The NBA currently expects only six of its 30 teams to open the season with fans in the stands, and no arena is planning to have more than 4,000 ticketholders in the seats at this point. Smaller attendance means smaller revenue, and the league missed its revenue projection by about $1.5 billion last season — largely because many games were canceled and the bubble games, including the playoffs, were played without fans in the seats.

Silver said playing another season without fans would mean NBA revenue would dip about 40%.

“Tens of thousands of people rely on our league and its related businesses for their livelihoods,” Silver said. “We also feel a responsibility to our fans. People continue to look at sports as a break from the challenges of the pandemic and as a small reminder of what life was like before COVID-19. ... It’s a piece of life I feel we’re able to get back, for the time being.”

BASKETBALL

Pierce, Collins lead 1st-time nominees for basketball hall Springfield, Mass.

Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce and longtime player, coach and broadcaster Doug Collins lead the firsttime nominees announced Tuesday for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Also making their debut as candidates are Michael Cooper, Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman, Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.

Finalists are scheduled to be announced in early March. Other returnees to the ballot include Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Bob Huggins, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Jay Wright, Swin Cash and Becky Hammon.

CRICKET

Australian cricketer Bradman’s test cap sells for $340,000 Sydney An Australian businessman has purchased Donald Bradman’s first baggy green test cap for 450,000 Australian dollars ($340,000) at auction, the second-highest price paid for a piece of cricket memorabilia. Peter Freedman, the founder of Rode Microphones who earlier this year paid 9 million Australian dollars ($6.8 million) at an auction for a guitar used by Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, plans to tour Bradman’s test debut cap around Australia.

The price for Bradman’s 1928 Australia cap sits behind the $1,007,500 ($760,000) paid at auction for Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s test cap earlier this year — the world-record price for an item of cricket memorabilia, auction officials said.

WAYNE PARRY | AP PHTO

Online sports betting — pictured in New Jersey in 2013 — is coming to Virginia in 2021.

Online sports betting in Virginia nearing its debut Twenty states have now legalized gambling on sports The Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Virginians have long been sidelined when it comes to gambling, but it’s a safe proposition that sometime before the upcoming Super Bowl they will be able to wager from the comfort of their couches as Virginia joins a growing list of states that allow sports wagering.

The Virginia Lottery is expected to give the go-ahead next month to what will likely be more than a dozen betting sites to take wagers from Virginians on numerous types of sports. Officials predict Virginians will respond by betting as much as $400 million in 2021, with steadily increasing amounts thereafter.

The change is coming after Virginia legislators approved sports gaming for a state that had been a gambling holdout but is belatedly embracing the trend. The sports betting will precede the arrival of

casinos in four cities that approved their construction in referendums last month but are not expected to be open for several years.

Sports gambling, meanwhile, is imminent. Virginia Lottery Director Kevin Hall said the state has received 25 applications from would-be players in the industry.

The law requires the lottery to pick a minimum of four and a maximum of 12 providers.

In fact, Hall said, he expects that Virginia will approve more than 12 applications, because the law grants preference to professional sports organizations with a home in Virginia. So any applications submitted by the Washington NFL football team, the D.C. United soccer franchise and NASCAR could be approved in excess of the 12-vendor cap.

The football team did not respond to queries about its plans.

Earlier this year, the Denver Broncos announced plans for a partnership with FanDuel — and subsequent deals with other operators — to offer a Broncos-branded betting experience. Hall said he antic-

$400M The estimated amount of betting expected in Virginia in 2021 ipated that any sports clubs in Virginia that enter the market would do so through a similar partnership.

There will be no brick-and-mortar sportsbooks — only online options are permitted under the state law. Wagers are barred on games involving Virginia colleges. Bets on the Olympics won’t be allowed, either, to the chagrin of gaming sites that tried to convince state regulators it should be permitted.

Virginia is joining 19 other states that now have legalized sports gambling, according to the American Gaming Association, part of a rush that occurred after a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that gave all states the option to allow

wagering.

The states have adopted a patchwork of approaches. Virginia and Tennessee are the only two states that have adopted a strictly online approach.

States also tax gambling at very different rates, from 6.75% all the way up to 50%. Virginia’s tax rate of 15% is roughly in the middle of the pack.

Jessica Feil, a lobbyist with the gaming association, said the industry believes a tax rate in the low teens is ideal. While Virginia has more vendors interested in providing gaming than it can approve, she said a higher tax rate might scare off potential operators, especially in a nascent market like Virginia.

While lottery proceeds in Virginia are dedicated to education, tax revenue from sports gambling will go to the state’s general fund.

Hall said estimates show that the state will get $4 to $5 million in the first year, but that will grow in subsequent years as the market establishes itself to as much as $55 million a year.

the bett ing to e stitution don’t kn now.”

The o for mil taking while a about t

Larson’s

Larson’s

op Cup Racing. ist of a

ur races stopped

uring a against es. The SCAR’s

ediately he slur, ng him, eryone,

up wins

. He is of two

4

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

STATE & NATION

Transition stumbles test Biden’s bond with Capitol Hill

By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden brings more Capitol Hill experience than any president will have in decades, but his transition has stumbled in ways large and small, exposing the challenges of navigating a Congress that is a different place than when he last served in 2009.

He rolled out an almost allwhite national security team when allies were expecting diversity. He filled top posts with familiar Washington hands rather than fresh newcomers. His team clumsily floated some names and retracted others for the Cabinet.

The slights and slip-ups of Biden’s interactions with Congress leave the impression his team is misreading the Capitol Hill audience he’ll be relying on for legislative outcomes.

And it calls into question one of the incoming president’s most prized attributes — his presumed ability to work with Congress.

Biden last walked the marbled halls as a senator more than a decade ago. Only one-third of the senators with whom he served remain in office.

“A strong belief that my dad drilled into my head: First impressions are lasting, and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” Rep. James Clyburn, the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Congress said recently in an interview.

Clyburn said people were “raising hell” over what he called the “herky-jerky” rollout of the initial, predominantly white Cabinet picks. Biden’s team swiftly adjusted, introducing black, Latino and Asian American nominees as the he vows to build the most diverse administration in history.

“I’m satisfied with what they’re doing,” Clyburn said. “I was not satisfied with the way they did it.”

It’s often said in Washington that personnel is policy and Biden’s team has built an entire infrastructure around his outreach to Congress, drawing input and counsel from its well of seasoned lawmakers and staff.

Yet the 78-year-old Biden is confronting the expectations of a younger, more liberal Democratic Party hungry for generational change.

Some early developments have set an awkward tone.

In nominating retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense secretary, Biden put Democrats in a difficult position of having to flipflop on granting a waiver of rules limiting military oversight of the department. Many senators voted against such an accommodation for Trump’s Pentagon pick.

Biden’s team incensed Hispanic and Asian and Pacific American lawmakers with its handling of Cabinet choices from their communities. He drew eyerolls over tapping former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to return to the job. Progressives heaped scorn on his naming a budget chief who

JACQUELYN MARTIN | AP PHOTO

In this Sept. 17, 2020, file photo, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of S.C., speaks during a news conference about COVID-19, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. has been a vocal critic of liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders is poised to be the top Democrat on the Budget Committee when it considers budget director Neera Tanden’s nomination.

Democrats said the coalition of groups and communities that make up the big tent of the Democratic Party wants not just a seat at the table, but also a say in what happens around that table.

“Biden’s team understands that,” Sroka said. “Things have changed.”

The Biden era promises a turnaround from Trump’s team, which had little experience with the complex rules and relationships that make up the often ram-

bunctious House and insular Senate.

The buildout of the new administration is a test not only for Biden but also for his incoming chief of staff Ron Klain, a longtime adviser to powerful Democrats.

Klain’s appointment drew praise across the fractious party, but his performance has not been perfect. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus lawmakers were upset he was a no-show for a long-sought virtual meeting over lack of representation from their community in Cabinet picks.

A first test will come as the Senate begins to consider Biden’s

nominees.

Transition spokesperson Andrew Bates said he expects the Senate will confirm Cabinet nominees “as swiftly as possible.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, warned that Republicans are prepared to block Biden’s Cabinet choices the same way Democrats dragged out confirmation of Trump’s picks.

“Democrats are always lecturing Republican senators about approving future Biden Cabinet nominees even if we don’t agree with them,” Grassley said.

“I want to hear from Democrats why we should not now adopt their standards and vote down nominees based on politics?”

Beyond the no-knock: Push in states to reform police tactics

By Claudia Lauer The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — After a year marked by mass civil unrest and protests against law enforcement, some activists are taking aim at police tactics that can lead to deadly middle-of-the-night raids.

Rather than waiting for direction from lawmakers, a group of academics, policing experts and activists called Campaign Zero has created model legislation around so-called no-knock warrants they hope will be attractive to cities and states as they work to curtail police tactics that lead to both civilian and officer casualties.

SWAT team and tactical drug raids appear to have increased from about 3,000 in the early 1980s to more than 60,000 annually in the last few years, mostly because of drugs and drug task forces, according to Peter Kraska, a criminology professor at Eastern Kentucky University who has studied police raids for decades. The data includes no-knock and other warrants.

Generally, under the law, police must knock and announce their presence when serving a warrant, meaning they must wait before entering a property. But with noknock warrants, officers don’t have to say anything and don’t have to wait. That’s because the warrants are reserved for dangerous moments or if suspects are likely to destroy evidence if they are alerted to officers’ presence, but critics say not always.

“There has been an historic issuance of no-knock warrants for inappropriate purposes, basically for fishing expeditions for drug evidence,” said Kraska, who helped Campaign Zero write its recommendations. “There are very few situations where Timothy McVeigh is standing behind that door when it gets knocked down.” McVeigh carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

But just banning the warrants isn’t enough, because the raids would only continue in other ways, said Campaign Zero manager Katie Ryan. She says that’s why the group has included in its legislation a complement of extreme reforms:

“There has been an historic issuance of no-knock warrants for inappropriate purposes, basically for fishing expeditions for drug evidence."

Peter Kraska, criminology professor at Eastern Kentucky University requiring officers to be in uniforms that make them easily identifiable, requiring warrants to be served between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and requiring the officers to know when asking for the warrant who lives at the residence, including whether there are children, older people or anyone with a disability.

“We had to create something comprehensive to cut off flimsy legislation and get real change,” Ryan said.

The model also mandates officers use body-worn cameras and

fill out within 72 hours a warrant execution report that is reviewed by an independent board. It would also require any property seized during those raids to be returned if a person isn’t convicted of a crime.

Capitalizing on this year’s resurgence of anti-police protests following the death of George Floyd, they worked with at least 315 cities and eight states that adopted portions of their recommendations to reduce fatal force.

The group is now working with 37 cities and states to introduce legislation on no-knock warrants.

A bill filed earlier this month in New York by Sen. James Sanders, D-New York City, is among the first to include all 15 of the campaign’s recommendations.

Sanders said Taylor’s death brought the practice to people’s attention, but his district has its own examples of dangerously executed raids.

The family of Alberta Spruill, a 57-year-old grandmother who died of a heart attack in 2003 after police officers fired a flash bang grenade into her apartment, has given Sanders its support. Officers had

been looking for a drug dealer who lived in a different apartment and who they already had in custody.

Sanders said the bill will work its way through the legislative process after the new year. He’s heard a lot of support from other legislators, and he’s hoping to hear support from law enforcement, too. Officers are often injured in such raids.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, when police Chief Johnny Jennings took over his post in July he dug into the issue of no-knock warrants and ended their use for the department’s 1,800 officers.

“We found that if there is something that is so dangerous that it requires a no-knock search warrant, that we did not need to take that risk. We use other means to try to get someone to come out of a structure,” he said.

Some law enforcement advocates have cautioned that departments need warrants for situations like human trafficking or kidnapping, and others have said a recommendation that officers wait 30 seconds to enter after announcing their presence could open a window for suspects to fire on police.