North State Journal Vol. 6, Issue 45

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 45 | WWW.NSJONLINE.COM | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

Biden: More competition in meat industry can ease food costs Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers to discuss initiatives to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to combat inflation.

“Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism — it’s exploitation,” Biden said.

On food costs, Biden is looking at possible violations of the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act, which was designed to ensure fair competition and protect consumers. Meat prices have climbed 16% from a year ago, with beef prices up 20.9%.

Some industry groups are pushing back against the administration’s planned oversight of the food industry.

Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the coronavirus and higher costs for energy and labor are driving meat prices higher, not the corporate structure of the industry.

Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, said, “This looks like a solution in search of a problem.” He said the administration is using the food industry as a “scapegoat for the significant challenges facing our economy.”

Morning in North Carolina

Brodie Lavalette fishes in the Duck surf on the Outer Banks as the sun rises the morning of Dec. 29.

Quick court case to decide fairness of NC maps begins

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Arguments began Jan. 3, end Jan. 6

Records: Wrong Ohio Wright brothers plate flew through approval Columbus, Ohio The backward Wright Flyer that was at the center of an embarrassing license-plate mistake in Ohio last year flew through the approval process with little to no discussion, records show.

The flipped around plane — dragging a “Birthplace of Aviation” banner from its front, rather than its back end — appeared to be there from the outset, according to emails and images from the 15-month design process.

The Wright brothers’ historic aircraft was intended as a symbol of Ohio’s place in aviation history, but it turned into a punchline in October, after the new plate design was unveiled and people immediately noticed it was oriented incorrectly.

“Y’all leave Ohio alone,” tweeted the Department of Transportation in North Carolina, where the Wright brothers took their famous first flight in 1903. “They wouldn’t know. They weren’t there.”

Some 35,000 plates were produced before the wrong Wright Flyer was caught.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

US manufacturing activity slows to 11-month low in December Washington, D.C. Growth in U.S. manufacturing slowed in December to an 11-month low with companies still combating supply chain problems.

The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, reported Tuesday that its index of manufacturing activity fell to a reading of 58.7 in December, 2.4 percentage points below the November reading of 61.1.

Any reading above 50 indicates growth in the manufacturing sector, which has recorded 19 straight months of growth going back to the spring of 2020 when the pandemic hit.

The December reading was the lowest since a matching 58.7 in January 2021.

The slowdown in December reflected a decline in both new orders and in production.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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CORY LAVALETTE | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

By David Larson North State Journal

Just what is the NC Commission for Public Health and who sits on the board?

The NCCPH has legal authority to alter K-12 vaccination requirements

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The N.C. Commission for Public Health (NCCPH) says it is the “public health rulemaking body for North Carolina” and is “authorized and directed by the N.C. General Assembly to adopt rules to protect and promote the health of the public and to adopt rules necessary to implement public health programs administered by the Division of Public Health.”

According to its website, the NCCPH was created by the General Assembly in 1877 and was originally named the State Board of Health. It was renamed once, in 1973, and then became the Commission for Public Health in 2007.

In August 2021, the members of NCCPH had entertained the idea of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students across the state. The commission met virtually on Oct. 15 and members of the body joked about what they referred to as anti-vax and mask “rhetoric,” in audio obtained exclusively by North State Journal.

The NCCPH is the only body other than the legislature that can require inoculation changes for the state’s K-12 public schools.

The commission has four members appointed by the N.C. Medical Society and nine by the governor. The members of the NCCPH serve four-year terms. N.C. Medical Society appointed members include Dr. Janelle Rhyne, an internal medicine and infectious disease specialist from Wilmington; and Dr. Douglas Sheets, an OB/GYN from Rutherfordton. Additionally, Dr. Ronald May, who serves as chair, is the vice president of Medical Affairs at CarolinaEast Med-

ical Center in New Bern and had been previously appointed to the NCCPH by former Gov. Beverly Perdue in 2010.

All of the gubernatorial appointees currently on the board are Gov. Roy Cooper’s, as he is now into his second term. But who are they?

Dr. Don Chaplin is an internist from the Burlington area. He was a Medical Society appointee. Chaplin’s term expired Nov. 30 of this year, so his seat is now vacant.

Dr. Joseph Gordon is a veterinarian from Raleigh. He’s served for 10 years on the N.C. Veterinary Board.

Dr. Venkata Jonnalagadda is from Greenville and is the medical director for the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.

Gene Minton is licensed pharmacist, CEO and owner of Drugco Pharmacies, and serves on the N.C. Board of Pharmacy. He resides in Littleton.

Dr. Jimmie “Wayne” Riggins is an optometrist from Fayetteville. He is currently an assistant professor at Campbell University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Michael Riccobene is a licensed dentist with 35 branches of his firm, Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry. He serves on the UNC Dental School Board of Advisors and is from Wilmington.

George Sweet, Jr. was appointed as the Professional Engineer/Soil Scientist Member. He is from Saluda, worked for Duke Energy for 35 years and is on the Macon County Watershed Council as well as the Little Tennessee Watershed Association.

Sharon West is a registered nurse who was first appointed by former Gov. Pat McCrory.

As she is still on the commission, Cooper must have reappointed her, however, unlike See NCCPH, page A2

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s maps for congressional and state legislative seats are getting their brief time in court after the state Supreme Court ordered the Wake County Superior Court to render an initial decision on the fairness of the maps by Jan. 11. Arguments began Jan. 3 and will conclude Jan. 6. This decision will then almost certainly end up back in the state Supreme Court after the losing party appeals.

After 2020 U.S. Census results showed N.C. had gained enough population relative to other states to earn an extra congressional seat, the stakes were raised further in the once-a-decade map-drawing process — one constitutionally assigned to the state’s General Assembly and with no veto threat from the governor. With GOP majorities in

both the state House and Senate, Republicans were able to direct the process and passed new maps into law. According to the liberal groups who have since sued over the maps, though, Republicans drew the maps in a way that would tilt the partisan balance too much to their advantage.

Initially, there were two separate court cases against the new maps by left-leaning groups, but the court decided to combine the cases. Voter groups Common Cause and the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) claim in the suit that the maps are unfair in that they create 10 solid Republican seats out of 14 total seats in a state where neither party dominates statewide races.

Some initial fireworks in the case surrounded the “optimized maps” that the NCLCV proposed to replace the General Assembly’s maps. NCLCV initially would not reveal how its maps were created and wanted the person in charge of the process to be shielded from See MAPS page A2

NCDHHS updates schools guidance in final days of 2021 Majority of changes deal with quarantine process similar to CDC updates

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — In the final days of 2021, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services updated the guidance for the state’s K-12 schools to conform with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently shortened quarantine timeframes.

The StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit (SST) was updated on Dec. 30 and the majority of changes were made in the section dealing with quarantining processes.

That section, titled “Handling Possible, Suspected, Presumptive, or Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19,” was revamped to bring the quarantine days down from 10 to five across the three exclusion-from-school categories of diagnosis, symptoms and exposure.

There was no change to guidance related to skipping quarantine so long as all parties involved were “appropriately and consistently” wearing masks regardless of vaccination status. According to the SST, this only applies “to exposures in classrooms, other in-school settings, and school transportation” but not for “exposures during extracurricular activities, including athletic activities.”

If one or both of the parties was unmasked and unvaccinated See EDUCATION, page A2

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

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1.5.22 #315

THE WORD: PONDER YOUR PATH

Proverbs 4:25-27 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

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“Liberty’s story” 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: $50.00 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 PUBLIC DOMAIN

Happy New Year! As we turn to a new calendar with hopes of new opportunities, we also celebrate the visit of the three wise men to Bethlehem, which is commemorated by the Epiphany, or Old Christmas as it is called in some parts.

The wise men trusted in the Lord above their own understanding and followed his instructions. While the new year marks just another grain in the sands of eternity, it is a perfect time to reset our field of view to focus on important endeavors and cast off distractions and bad habits.

The Lord goes before us and is always with us. That means that we should have no fear as we march into the uncertainty of a new year.

“Adoration of the Magi” (circa 1476) is a painting by Botticelli which is part of the collection of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.

NCCPH from page A1

MAPS from page A1

the other appointees, no press statement could be located on the governor’s website for her reappointment.

One of Cooper’s appointees is not in the medical or public-health-related fields. Greg Hatem is in real estate and is the founder of Empire Properties.

Among the properties his firm has redeveloped are restaurants in downtown Raleigh, such as Sitti and the Raleigh Times.

Hatem, a registered Democrat, has also been a generous donor to Cooper, giving three donations to his 2020 campaign totaling $10,800 and three donations totaling $10,200 in 2016. Hatem has also given tens of thousands of dollars to a long list of other state and federal candidates over the last decade, the majority of them Democrats.

He’s given at least $10,000 to the N.C. Democratic Leadership Committee in the last two years.

Including Hatem, six of the 13 commission members have given donations to Cooper.

Gordon, a Democrat, gave Cooper’s campaign $10,800 in 2020 and $10,200 in 2016.

Riggins, also a registered Democrat, donated $6,000 in 2016 and $1,825 in 2020 to Cooper.

Patel had a mix of donations, in 2016 giving $2,600 to Cooper and $250 to Pat McCrory. The following election cycle, Patel gave Cooper’s campaign $2,700.

Voter registration information for Patel was not found at the State Board of Elections.

Chaplin, a Democrat, had donated moderately in the past to candidates like Mike Easley and Barack Obama, but only gave Cooper $250 in 2020.

Minton and Riccobene are the only Republicans on the commission, but both are Cooper appointees. Records show Minton has donated over $50,000 in the past 14 years, split almost evenly between Republican and Democrat candidates. Riccobene was found to have given Dan Forest $10,600 in the 2020 cycle, amongst the $66,200 in campaign donations he has made across the last 13 years.

The next NCCPH meeting will be on Feb. 2, 2022. The meeting will be held via Cisco WebEx Events, but the access details have not yet been published.

any questioning from the defense’s legal team. But the court rejected this motion, opening the mapmaker, NCLCV’s lead attorney in the case, Sam Hirsch, up to questions on how the maps were made.

Republicans blasted the NCLCV and Hirsh for this, with cochair of the Senate Redistricting Committee state Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Burke) saying in a press statement, “The brazen hypocrisy is remarkable. We drew districts in open committee in full view of the public. Now a political action group hired a litigator to draw maps in secret, wants those maps ordered into law, and insists the mapmaker should be immune from any public scrutiny of proposed districts that produce results another Democratic expert panned as a massive gerrymander.”

Republicans also blasted the NCLCV’s optimized maps as PHOTO VIA AP being outliers to a far greater degree than the General Assem- From left, Superior Court Judges Nathaniel Poovey, Graham Shirley and Dawn Layton listen to bly’s ones they were suing over. testimony from Jowei Chen, a political scientist from the University of Michigan, not pictured, during The Daniel press release cited a partisan gerrymandering trial over North Carolina’s new political maps Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. analysis by the Civitas Center for Public Integrity, a subsidiary of “I found that the Enacted ing data from Duke University’s conservative think tank the John seven GOP seats were created Locke Foundation, which pre- 4.1% of the time, those with eight Plan does not violate the equal Dr. Jonathan Mattingly, who dicted the NCLCV’s congressio- GOP seats 30.4% of the time, population requirement, nor do made 10,000 computer-simulatnal map would produce only six those with nine GOP seats 62.1% any of its districts violate conti- ed maps from the criteria, which of the time, and those with 10 guity,” Chen said in his testimo- put the state Senate maps right GOP-leaning districts. ny. “However, by comparing the in the predicted range of results.

Republicans argue that ac- GOP seats 3.4% of the time.

A map like the General Assem- Enacted Plan to the 1,000 com- The release from state Sen. Amy cording to the plaintiff’s expert witness, Jowei Chen of the Uni- bly’s, which had 10 GOP-leaning puter-simulated plans, I found Galey (R-Alamance) said that up versity of Michigan, 10 GOP seats, therefore, was an outli- that the Enacted Plan fails to to 43% of the simulated maps seats is a much more likely out- er but a statistical possibility; minimize county splits, fails create more likely Republican come of a neutral process than whereas, the NCLCV one, ac- to minimize VTD splits, and is seats than their maps did.

The state Supreme Court decording to Daniel, was “almost a significantly less geographically six GOP seats would be. compact than is reasonably pos- layed primary elections, which Chen testified that he “pro- statistical impossibility.” are typically held in March, to The reason a random process sible.” grammed the computer algoAnother major plaintiff wit- May 17 to allow the trial to conrithm to create 1,000 indepen- (after using the agreed-upon crident simulated plans adhering to teria) would give Republicans ness, Chris Cooper, a professor tinue. Candidates had already the following the seven district- at least eight out of 14 seats in at Western Carolina University, begun filing for the election, ing criteria, as specified in the 96% of maps and at least nine also took issue with the General however, leading many to comAdopted Criteria,” which were: seats in 66% of maps — despite Assembly’s congressional maps. plain that the delay threw the population equality, contiguity, frequently narrow margins in He said the maps would result process into chaos. But the Suminimizing county splits, min- statewide races — is due to how in more Republicans and fewer preme Court placed the trial on imizing voting district splits, populations are spread in the Democrats being elected and in an expedited timeline, mandatgeographic compactness, avoid- state. Republicans are much fewer competitive races, adding, ing a decision by Jan. 11, to avoid ing incumbent pairings and not more evenly spread throughout “This is not a result of natural further complications.

They ordered three judges on the state, while Democrats are packing or geographic clustersplitting municipal boundaries.

Out of the 1,000 congressional heavily concentrated in cities ing, but rather because the con- the Wake County Superior Court gressional district lines shifted — Graham Shirley, Nathaniel maps the computer created with and college towns.

While GOP maps with nine in ways that, taken together, Poovey and Dawn Layton — to these guidelines, all of them prodetermine if the maps were conduced results of seven to 10 GOP seats are likely (62%), and those benefit the Republican Party.”

The General Assembly’s state stitutional. Two of these judges seats out of 14. Maps like the with 10 seats are possible (3%), NCLCV “optimized map” that Chen argued this particular GOP House and state Senate maps are Republican and the third had only six of 14 seats going to map was an outlier in some ways are also being challenged in the Democrat, while the Supreme Republicans were created zero when compared to the 1,000 suit. Republican legislators sent Court has a 4-3 Democratic maout a press release on Jan. 4 cit- jority. out of 1,000 times. Maps with computer-simulated maps.

EDUCATION from page A1

“The toolkit also maintains that no person is required to show proof of a negative test in order to return to school.”

when exposure occurred, there is a five-day quarantine period before returning to school if they are asymptomatic and they are required to complete five days of “strict mask use.” This includes anymore more than six months out from their second

mRNA dose, or two months for a J&J dose, and those eligible for booster but not yet boosted.

Vaccinated persons don’t have to quarantine if they have had no symptoms after being a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and aren’t living in a congregate setting like a group shelter.

The SST also maintains that no person is required to show proof of a negative test in order to return to school. Similarly, a health care provider is not required to give any specifics of an alternate diagnosis.

The exemption from quarantine for persons who have tested antibody positive within 3

months before or immediately after a close contact has been removed in the Dec. 30 update.

With regards to guidance on masks, the Dec. 7 version uses the section-title “Cloth Face Coverings,” but the word “Cloth” been dropped in the Dec. 30 update. The text of the section on masks remains unchanged.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Navy blocked from acting against 35 COVID vaccine refusers

By Robert Burns The Associated Press A federal judge in Texas has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Navy from acting against 35 sailors for refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations mandatory for all members of the military. The vaccination requirement allows for exemptions on religious and other grounds, but none of the thousands of requests for religious waivers so far have been granted.

There was no indication that the order would affect service members beyond the 35 sailors who sued Austin and the Navy.

The Pentagon had no immediate response to a request for comment.

Well over 90% of the military has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least 98.5% of active and reserve members of the Navy. Austin asserts that vaccines are a valid and necessary medical requirement to protect service members and their families and ensure the combat readiness of the force.

In his decision, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote that the Navy’s process for considering a sailor’s request for a religious exemption is flawed and amounts to “theater.”

O’Connor, who was appointed

by President George W. Bush, wrote that the group of 35 sailors who sued the government in November and sought a preliminary injunction against the Navy have a right on religious and First Amendment grounds to refuse the vaccination order.

“The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” O’Connor wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms. There is no COVID-19 exception to the First Amendment.

There is no military exclusion from our Constitution.”

The O’Connor injunction was

ROLEX DELA PENA/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin views the military honor guard at Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines Friday, July 30, 2021. first reported by The Washington Post.

Without commenting on the case in Texas, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby last month defended the validity of the military service’s processes for considering religious exemptions.

“Each exemption asked for on religious grounds is evaluated by a chaplain, by a chain of command, by medical experts and is given quite a lot of thought, and they’re all decided case by case individually,” he said Dec. 21.

In his decision in favor of the injunction sought by the 35 Navy sailors, O’Connor wrote that they objected to being vaccinated on four grounds: “opposition to abortion and the use of aborted fetal cell lines in development of the vaccine; belief that modifying one’s body is an affront to the Creator; divine instruction not to receive the vaccine, and opposition to injecting trace amounts of animal cells into one’s body.”

“Plaintiffs’ beliefs about the vaccine are undisputedly sincere, and it is not the role of this court to determine their truthfulness or accuracy,” the judge wrote.

The sailors who sued are members of the Naval Special Warfare Command, including SEALs. The suit was filed by First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that focuses on defending religious liberty.

In the early stages of the pandemic, the Navy struggled with one particularly critical COVID-19 outbreak. Hundreds of sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier were infected, starting in late March while on a deployment to Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia.

The ship was taken out of operation at Guam, its commanding officer was relieved of duty and the crisis led to the resignation of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly.

Since then, the Navy and other services have managed to avoid major disruptions. In December, officials said about two dozen sailors on board the USS Milwaukee, or roughly 25% of the ship’s crew, had tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the vessel sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. On Monday, the Navy announced that the ship had returned to sea.

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Schumer: Senate to vote on filibuster change on voting bill

By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Days before the anniversary of the Jan. 6 protest at the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting legislation that Democrats say is needed to protect America’s democracy.

In a letter Monday to colleagues, Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate “must evolve” and will “debate and consider” the rule changes by Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Democrats seek to overcome Republican opposition to their elections-law package.

“Let me be clear: January 6th was a symptom of a broader illness — an effort to delegitimize our election process,” Schumer wrote, “and the Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an aberration — they will be the new norm.”

The election and voting change package has been stalled in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster with Democrats unable to mount the 60 votes needed to advance it toward passage.

So far Democrats have been unable to agree among themselves over potential changes to the Senate rules to reduce the 60-vote hurdle, despite months of private negotiations.

Two holdout Democrats, Sens.

Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have tried to warn their party off changes to the Senate rules, arguing that if and when Republicans take majority control of the chamber, they can then use the lower voting threshold to advance bills Democrats strongly oppose.

President Joe Biden — a former longtime senator who largely stands by existing rules but is also under enormous political pressure to break the logjam on the voting legislation — has waded only cautiously into the debate.

Advocates of loosening voting laws warn that Republican-led states are passing restrictive legislation and trying to install election officials loyal to the former president, Donald Trump, in ways that could subvert future elections.

How the Senate filibuster rules would be changed remains under discussion.

It seems certain that a full-scale end of the filibuster is out of reach for Democrats. Changing the rules would need all 50 votes, and Manchin and Sinema have made it clear they are unwilling to go that far.

Senators are wary of a sweeping overhaul after seeing the fallout that came from Democrats ending the filibuster for some judicial and executive branch nominees.

Once Republicans took power, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader, did away with the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations — ushering three Trump-picked conservative justices to the high court.

But despite their reluctance on major filibuster changes, Manchin and Sinema both support the election legislation. In fact, Manchin helped craft the latest package in an unsuccessful effort to win Republican support. Now the two Democrats’ colleagues are working on ways to change the filibuster so at least this legislation could pass.

Private talks with senators have been underway for weeks and continued during the holiday break.

Ideas include forcing senators to hold the floor, old-fashioned style, rather than simply raise their filibuster objections — a scene that would have echoes of the 1950s and 1960s when Southern Democrats filibustered civil rights legislation.

Other ideas are also being considered, and some Democrats have noted that Sinema has mentioned she is open to hearing the arguments as part of a full debate.

Republicans are so worried Democrats will end the filibuster that McConnell has taken other actions to try to keep Manchin and Sinema close so they don’t join the rest of their party in making any drastic changes.

One Republican, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, argued on Monday that ending the filibuster would turn the Senate into a “Lord of the Flies”-style institution where majority rules, no matter what.

“It is absurd and dangerous to the institution itself,” said Lee in a statement. He said Schumer and his “disastrous plan” must be stopped.

N.C. General Assembly as seen from the grounds of the Capitol building.

A.P. DILLION | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Musical chairs at the General Assembly as some retire, some run for other seats

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Over the past two months, multiple members of the General Assembly and the state’s congressional delegation have announced either retirement or that they are running for a different elected office.

On Dec. 6, Sen. Kathy Harrington (R-Gaston), the first female state Senate majority leader, said in a statement that she would be retiring. The statement was not clear whether or not she plans to continue through the end of her current term.

“I’m immensely proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish over nearly 12 years in the Senate. It’s been an honor to serve the people of Gaston County,” Harrington said. “Looking back at my tenure I can say for a fact that I’ve accomplished all my goals and worked

tirelessly on behalf of my constituents. North Carolina is in a vastly different position than it was when I first took office. We have lower taxes, balanced budgets, and working families can send their children to schools that best fit their educational needs. With that in mind, I felt like it was the right time to retire.”

Harrington endorsed longtime Republican activist Brad Overcash as her replacement.

Eight-term state House Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret) also announced she will not seek reelection in 2022. McElraft, who will turn 75 heading into the 2022 election cycle, first assumed office in 2007 and has easily won reelection every cycle since. She replaced Rep. Jean Preston in 2006, who at the time ran for the state Senate.

Celeste Cairns, a first-time candidate from Emerald Isle, will be seeking the Republican nomina-

tion to replace McElraft.

Some of the top Democratic fundraisers in the North Carolina House of Representatives departing including Buncombe County Democrats Reps. Susan Fisher and Brian Turner.

Additionally, state Reps. Verla Insko (D-Orange) and Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus) announced their retirements, State Reps. Charles Graham (D-Robeson) and James Gailliard (D-Nash) both depart the legislature with the intent to run for Congress.

Another Republican, Randolph County state Rep. Allen McNeill, will not run for re-election.

State Rep. Rachel Hunt (D-Mecklenburg), daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, announced her intent to run for state Sen. Jeff Jackson’s seat, which spans part of southeastern Mecklenburg County.

Jackson is one of several candidates

who was seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2022 U.S. Senate race. Jackson, however, ended his campaign for the Senate seat, which could change Hunt’s plans.

State Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) will be attempting to secure state Sen. Valerie Foushee’s district, which after redistricting now includes all of Orange, Caswell and Person counties, as Foushee seeks a seat in the U.S. Congress. The newly drawn state Senate District 23 has also attracted Jamie DeMent Holcomb, a former restaurant owner and cookbook author from Hillsborough, as well as Orange County Commissioner Renée Price.

Meyer’s attempt to move to the Senate has drawn Hillsborough Town Commissioner Matt Hughes as a candidate for the Orange County House seat.

In the N.C. Senate, Sen. Ben Clark (D-Cumberland) will not be seeking another term and later announced he will be running for the redrawn Fourth Congressional District seat.

U.S. Congressman David Price, an Orange County Democrat who has served the Triangle area since

1997, announced on Oct. 18 that he will not seek re-election in 2024. In addition to Foushee, current state Sen. Wiley Nickel (D-Wake) has also said he will run for the seat.

Nickel has already run into some controversy over a false claim he made regarding his experience as a “former prosecutor” on both his campaign website and his law firm’s website.

FOX News reported they obtained records showing Nickel only served as a prosecutor for 25 days in 2006. According to FOX News, “Those references were quietly deleted from Nickel’s law firm website and campaign website after this article was published.”

In November, Democratic U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC01) also announced his retirement. State Rep. James Gailliard (D-Nash) has said he will run for the seat, and state Sen. Don Davis (D-Greene) has already filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to do the same.

Former state Sen. Erica Smith (D-Northampton) issued a statement that she is ending her bid for U.S. Senate in order to run for Butterfield’s seat.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Murphy to Manteo

January is National Blood Donor Month

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Buncombe County A deer strike on a Virginia highway led to a Christmas Eve crash that killed an 8-year-old girl and injured two other children. A Honda minivan hit a deer and came to an abrupt stop. A tractor-trailer behind it couldn’t stop.

The 8-year-old girl died of her injuries on Christmas. The minivan driver, Michael Mack of Taylorsville; passenger Shelly Mack; and a 6-year-old boy in a booster seat were treated for minor injuries. A 4-year-old boy secured in a child safety seat suffered serious injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The Associated Press

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1. Asheville Red Cross 2. Huntersville Red Cross 3. Charlotte Red Cross 4. Winston-Salem Red Cross 5. Greensboro Red Cross 6. Durham Red Cross 7. Cary Red Cross 8. North Raleigh Red Cross 9. Raleigh Blood Donation Center 10. Greenville Red Cross 11. Wilmington Red Cross

PIEDMONT

Bear strolls through Rabbit Rabbit in downtown

Police: Minivan hit deer before crash that killed girl

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January is National Blood Donor Month, which has been celebrated each January for nearly 50 years to raise awareness for the lifesaving impact of blood and platelet donors.

Blood centers across the state take appointments for donations, and the American Red Cross says January is traditionally a low point of the year in donations.

Even during the coronavirus pandemic, each appointment takes just an hour from start to finish and just 8 to 10 minutes for the actual donation.

To make a potentially life-saving appointment, visit rcblood.org/appt.

Buncombe County Movie watchers got more than they bargained for when a black bear took a stroll through Rabbit Rabbit after an outdoor screening of “Elf” on the evening of Dec. 21. The bear was spotted in an alleyway that evening, and bear tracks were found outside a nearby brewery. A witness called the bartender at Rabbit Rabbit and told her to get everyone inside the bar.

The movie had ended and there were nearly 20 people still on the property finishing their beers and meals. Guests saw the bear, but no one interacted with it. The bear quickly went about its way.

AP

AP

Surry County Four people have been charged after a woman was kidnapped, stabbed and burned.

The Surry County Sheriff’s Office found a 45-year-old woman with a stab wound to her legs. She had also been kidnapped and burned with a metal object. Lakin Nicole Harvey, 28; Gregory Todd Sawyers, 53; and Travis Ray Hall, 38, are charged with attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Harvey is charged with assault by strangulation, and Sawyers is charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Grayson Gregory Sawyers, 32, is charged with firstdegree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping.

Sheriff’s office: Child, 3, accidentally shot self Henderson County A 3-year-old was flown to a North Carolina hospital on Christmas Day after what authorities said was an “accidental selfinflicted shooting.” The Henderson County Sheriff’s office said a 911 caller reported Saturday that a child had been shot in Edneyville. The caller said the “child had gained access to a firearm and had accidentally been shot.”

The child was flown to Mission Hospital but details of the child’s condition were not available, sheriff’s office spokesperson Johnny Duncan said.

Avery County A fire on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain grew over the holidays. The fire is estimated to be 350 acres and 10% contained, the U.S. Forest Service said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but U.S. Forest Service officials believe it to be caused by someone. The Linville Volunteer Fire Department said on its Facebook page that it had crews in the area on standby to protect structures from the fire, which was reported on Friday in the Roseboro area. The department said the fire was on the Blue Ridge Parkway side of Grandfather Mountain.

Wake County Identical twins Alean Chavis and Kathleen Stephenson celebrated their 100th birthdays together in Raleigh, their hometown, where they have hardly spent a day apart, on New Year’s Eve. The Guinness Book of World Records lists a pair of Japanese sisters, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama, as the oldest identical twins in history as of September, when they were 107. Stephenson had five children, Chavis, one. They both attend Wake Chapel Church, not far from where they grew up. For their birthday, they waved as the cars pass for a drive-thru celebration at Wake Chapel — toasting their friends.

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Gaston County Charles Thomas Cole, 33, was jailed for attempted murder and other charges after firing at police officers on a city street. Cole entered a restaurant, threatened workers with a handgun and stole money from the business and a customer. Officers stopped his truck, and the suspect fired at officers, with rounds striking a marked police car, police said.

The officers returned fire, and the suspect fled. Cole faces more than a dozen charges, including three counts of attempted firstdegree murder of government officials.

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Pregnant Navy veteran fatally shot in club Wilson County A pregnant U.S. Navy veteran was fatally shot in a club during a Christmas event.

Precious Vernetta Dyer was pronounced dead at a music hall in Wilson. The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said the 29-yearold was an innocent patron and that there wasn’t evidence of her being involved in an altercation. Dyer served in the Navy for seven years and was four months pregnant. She planned to marry the father of her baby in January.

Currituck County A wild horse that lived on the Outer Banks was struck and killed by a vehicle. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, which protects and manages the Colonial Spanish Mustangs, said in a statement that the horse was named Rabbit and had been born in 2019. She had “galloped down the dunes and directly into the path of the vehicle,” the fund said. The driver called 911 and the fund. The crash was ruled an accident.

Durham County Police say that a fatal shooting in Durham was “likely related to celebratory gunfire.”

The shooting occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Durham Police said officers initially responded to a call about a woman being in cardiac arrest. She was found unconscious in a driveway. Police said the woman was taken to a hospital, where it was determined that she had been shot. She later died of her injuries. Authorities said that preliminary reports indicate that the shooting was related to celebratory gunfire. Police did not elaborate, but the investigation is ongoing.

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Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss reopening schools.

Burr questions HHS over COVID-19 test shortage North State Journal staff

Search suspended for missing kayaker on coast

Columbus County A man accused of killing a woman in Charlotte as well as a man in Greensboro has died from an apparent suicide in prison.

Malek Anthony Moore was found dead Thursday in his cell at Tabor Correctional Institution in Tabor City. Moore was arrested in September. He had been wanted for first-degree murder in the death of Christian Mbimba, 21, of Nashville, Tennessee, on Sept. 3 in Greensboro.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police also wanted Moore for first-degree murder in the death of Gabryelle Allnutt, 29, on Sept. 6. First responders and local paramedics attempted to revive Moore until paramedics arrived.

GREG NASH/POOL VIA AP

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AP

Authorities: Man charged in 2 killings found dead in cell

The new law clarifies that the tribe, which has a 700-acre reservation in upstate South Carolina, is subject to tribal gambling laws and affirms the Interior Department’s actions.

Catawba Chief William Harris said the bill was “the final step in a decadeslong fight” to receive federal support for the casino project, The Rock Hill Herald reported.

The passage of the bill is a setback for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates two casinos in western North Carolina. The competing tribe sued the Catawba and the Interior Department in federal court last year to try to stop the Kings Mountain casino, but a federal judge sided with the Catawba.

“The courts have been reviewing the legality of the Catawba casino, but this legislation will end that process,” said Richard Sneed, the Eastern Band’s principal chief, in a statement. “We are disappointed to not be granted the ability to defend our position in the courtroom.”

Catawba officials hope the casino will help lower the tribe’s high unemployment and poverty rates.

Car fatally strikes horse on Outer Banks

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Police: Fatal shooting likely related to celebratory gunfire Police: Suspect fired gun at officers

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Wildfire near Grandfather Mountain grows to 350 acres

KINGS MOUNTAIN — A new federal law affirms the operation of a casino in North Carolina by the South Carolinabased Catawba Indian Nation, ending a yearslong dispute.

President Joe Biden signed the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act, which was included in a larger piece of legislation authorizing military spending.

The Catawba Indian Nation will oversee the $273 million Catawba Two Kings Casino with plans for 2,600 permanent jobs and revenues for the tribe. There is already a temporary, preliminary operation up and running at the site off Interstate 85 in Kings Mountain, about 35 miles west of Charlotte.

Spurned by South Carolina in previous efforts to offer gambling other than bingo in their home state, Catawba members sought to build a casino in North Carolina, citing what they call its historical and ancestral ties to land in the state. The U.S. Interior Department agreed in early 2020 to put 17 acres in Cleveland County into trust for the project.

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Raleigh identical twins turned 100 on New Year’s Eve

Four arrested for kidnapping, assaulting woman

Jones & Blount New federal law affirms Catawba casino in North Carolina

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Carteret County The U.S. Coast Guard said it has suspended its search for a missing kayaker along the coast. Rescue crews had searched an area of 268 square miles for about 24 hours.

Warren Liner, 73, was reported missing in the area of Bogue Inlet. Liner was last seen on Bear Island in Hammocks Beach State Park. His kayak was found on Bear Island Friday afternoon. The search for Liner began his wife said he had not returned from a kayaking trip. The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and three boats to search.

AP

WASHINGTON, D.C. — North Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and another U.S. senator penned a letter to express frustration with the current status of COVID-19 test shortages nationwide.

Burr, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, along with U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, urged U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to detail the Biden administration’s strategy for solving the nation’s shortage of COVID-19 tests.

The senators said the need to clarify the administration’s plan comes as coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant continue to skyrocket.

Sens. Burr and Blunt noted that the

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nation is facing a shortage of COVID-19 tests despite Congress having provided more than $80 billion over the last two years for the administration to improve, expand and distribute tests and testingrelated capabilities.

“With over $82.6 billion specifically appropriated for testing, and flexibility within the Department to allocate additional funds from COVID-19 supplemental bills or annual appropriations if necessary, it is unclear to us why we are facing such dire circumstances now. It does not appear to be because of lack of funding, but a more fundamental lack of strategy and a failure to anticipate future testing needs by the administration,” the senators’ letter read.

“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that Congress, and the American people, have an understanding of the administration’s strategy and accounting of how the Department is using taxpayer funding,” they added.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

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

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Who’s afraid of free speech?

A New Jersey garbage barge driver who was drunk in a Newark bar was sent to prison for two months for saying he didn’t care if a cannonball was “fired through {the president’s} arse!”

THE ONLY PEOPLE who are afraid of free speech are those who cannot support their views with facts and reason.

I have never seen anyone in public life who was confident in their ability to understand the issue at hand and use facts, reason and a winsome manner to persuade others try to shut the other side up and not allow them to speak their minds.

Restricting the number of amendments offered on the floor of the U.S. Senate or House or abolishing the filibuster restricts free speech. So do university restrictions on who can be hired or who can speak on campus.

Liberal socialist progressive Democrats from President Biden to AOC want to crush free speech on major public-policy issues simply because they can’t explain what they want to do in public and get away with it.

Silencing the opposition is the only way they can succeed.

Polished and skilled leaders welcome the arguments of the other side.

Points made by the opposition can be used to buttress the points the skilled leader is making. The opposition usually makes preposterous arguments which diminishes their position, not enhances it.

Free speech is as crucial to the American experience as oxygen is to fire, as James Madison alluded in Federalist Paper #10, an abridged version of which is printed nearby.

Progressive liberal Democratic socialists are the intolerant ones today when it comes to free speech. Conservative right-wing Southern Democrats were the intolerant ones in the 1950s and 1960s in North Carolina when it came to the “Speaker Ban” at Chapel Hill, when the NCGA prevented communists from speaking on campus.

Neither progressive socialist Democrats today nor right-wing Southern Democrats then must have known very much about the Sedition Act signed by President John Adams on July 14, 1798. President Adams was a prickly sort, the kind of person who doesn’t mind being prickly towards others but hates it when they are prickly in return.

You know the kind.

The Sedition Act made it a crime, a punishable offense, only nine years after the new Republic was founded on the pillars of free speech and liberty, to make “false, scandalous and malicious” comments in print or in-person against the government, the president or Congress.

Since John Adams was a Federalist and Vice President Thomas Jefferson was an ardent Republican, the Sedition Act conveniently left insults and invective hurled against the vice-president as legal and, therefore, encouraged because there was a presidential election coming up in 1800.

Talk about selective principles. Republicans have been attacked by centralized government control freaks for their speech and ideas for as long as the United States has existed.

As Lynne Cheney recounts in “The Virginia Dynasty,” a homeless man in Massachusetts was found guilty as he spouted off Republican principles as he wandered about the state. He was deemed a “threat” to the young republic by the Federalists then in control of government.

A New Jersey garbage barge driver who was drunk in a Newark bar was sent to prison for two months by saying he didn’t care if a cannonball was “fired through {the president’s} arse!” as he heard a cannon tribute announcing the arrival of the president and Abigail Adams down the street. He too was considered a “threat” to the young republic.

University presidents and faculty who seek to exclude conservative professors from employment on their campus or who prevent conservative speakers from speaking on campus look about as ridiculous as Federalists did back then barring homeless people and drunks from speaking their minds.

If opposition views are so stupid and their ideas are so bad for America and its people, why not encourage them to keep talking? There is nothing worse or more embarrassing to a public figure than being proven wrong in public with the facts and the truth.

In the new year, let’s all resolve to be speak more freely and to challenge authoritarians at every level of government, academia or business if they seek to restrict speech one tiny bit.

Let people talk. Let everyone talk and say their piece. It really is the heart of being an American anyway.

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Joe Biden finally admits he can’t ‘shut down the virus’

It was those same vaccines that both Biden and his vicepresidential running mate Kamala Harris deliberately undermined in the fall of 2020 since Trump was allegedly “rushing them through.”

THROUGHOUT MOST of 2020, thenDemocratic candidate for president Joe Biden promised he was going to “shut down the virus.”

He made the pledge so often that I lost count. One of the more memorable instances was in a tweet posted on Oct. 30, 2020, just a few days before the election.

“I’m not going to shut down the country. I’m not going to shut down the economy. I’m going to shut down the virus,” Biden wrote at the time.

It was reminiscent of a claim made by disgraced former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in 2004 as failed Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s vicepresidential running mate.

“If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again,” Edwards told a crowd of supporters at an October 2004 rally.

Though we one day hope that there will be a cure for devastating spinal cord injuries the likes of which Reeves suffered, it’s likely a long way off, and certainly cannot be cured by the magic touch of a presidential candidate.

A virus like COVID-19, on the other hand, is something that has to be managed and will never fully go away. It hasn’t gone away in countries that implemented the severest of lockdowns, and it won’t happen here in America, either.

After the spike in cases from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which happened after the spike in cases from the Delta variant,

Joe Biden finally admitted late last month that “there is no federal solution” to shutting down the virus, during a call with the nation’s governors.

It was a remarkable statement for Biden to make considering he repeatedly suggested last year that then-President Donald Trump was a failure for not getting the virus under control, though it would be under Trump’s administration that COVID vaccines would be developed in record time.

Ironically, it was those same vaccines that both Biden and his vice-presidential running mate Kamala Harris deliberately undermined in the fall of 2020, saying they would be hesitant to take them unless a “board of scientists” reviewed them since Trump was, to paraphrase, allegedly “rushing them through.”

Senior members of his administration including top health advisers like Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky are marching in lockstep with Biden as well, conveniently loosening guidelines surrounding CDC recommendations on isolation and quarantine periods for those who have been infected or exposed to the virus respectively, admittedly based primarily on economic considerations.

Biden’s one-year metamorphosis on eradicating the coronavirus has been both quite astonishing and infuriating at the same time, especially when one considers that some of the solutions and admissions that are now being made by these people are things Republicans, including Trump, said last year.

They were essentially branded murderers for their observations at the time.

Why is all this happening?

Reading between the lines, a major driver behind the CDC changes — in my opinion — was not just economics but also because the “important” people — such as Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren, business leaders, and others who preached to the highest hilt about getting vaccinated, boostered, and who urged people to be willing to make economic “sacrifices” for the greater good — were catching the Omicron variant even though they were the supposedly “safe” types who wouldn’t catch it.

Of course, they didn’t want to stick to the same rules they demanded others who were infected adhere to.

Plus, there are political considerations for Joe Biden going into a midterm election year, and it just wouldn’t look good over the next few months for the guy who promised to “shut down the virus” to continue the country on such an unsustainable path, now would it?

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, January 5, 2022 COLUMN FRANK DOWD, IV

COLUMN | JAMES MADISON

The Federalist Number 10 AMONG THE NUMEROUS advantages promised by a well-constructed union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.

The friend of popular governments, never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail therefore to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it.

The valuable improvements made by the American constitutions on the popular models, both ancient and modern, cannot certainly be too much admired; but it would be an unwarrantable partiality, to contend that they have as effectually obviated the danger on this side as was wished and expected.

Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty; that our governments are too unstable; that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties; and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice, and the rights of the minor party; but by the superior force of an interested and over-bearing majority.

By a faction I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

There are two methods of removing the causes of faction: The one by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.

Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an [element] without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.

It is in vain to say, that enlightened statesmen will be able to adjust these clashing interests, and render them all subservient to the public good. Enlightened statesmen will not always

be at the helm: Nor, in many cases, can such an adjustment be made at all, without taking into view indirect and remote considerations, which will rarely prevail over the immediate interest which one party may find in disregarding the rights of another, or the good of the whole.

The inference to which we are brought, is, that the causes of faction cannot be removed; and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects.

A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking.

The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic, are first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended.

In the first place it is to be remarked, that however small the republic may be, the representatives must be raised to a certain number, in order to guard against the cabals of a few; and that however large it may be, they must be limited to a certain number, in order to guard against the confusion of a multitude.

In the next place, as each representative will be chosen by a greater number of citizens in the large than in the small republic, it will be more difficult for unworthy candidates to practice with success the vicious arts, by which elections are too often carried; and the suffrages of the people being more free, will be more likely to center on men who possess the most attractive merit, and the most diffusive and established characters.

It clearly appears, that the same advantage, which a republic has over a democracy, in controlling the effects of faction, is enjoyed by a large over a small republic—is enjoyed by the union over the states composing it.

The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular states, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other states.

In the extent and proper structure of the union, therefore, we behold a republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government. And according to the degree of pleasure and pride, we feel in being republicans, ought to be our zeal in cherishing the spirit, and supporting the character of federalists.

Publius [22 November] 1787

COLUMN | ROBERT M. LEVY

Has America disregarded its Founders’ plan for prosperity?

MOST CONSERVATIVES place the United States Constitution second only to the Bible in reverence and respect. And, that makes sense. It is the most successful acknowledgement of limited government and individual liberty yet devised. It is the foundation of the most prosperous nation on earth, a place where even those in “poverty” are envied by the poor elsewhere around the world.

So why do we now ignore those portions of the U.S. Constitution that brought us such prosperity? Why are we playing “fast and loose” with our Founders’ template success?

The little-discussed “Coinage Clause” to the U.S. Constitution is part of that template. It states that “The Congress shall have the power to… coin money [and] regulate the value thereof.” Moreover, “No state shall… coin money… [or] make any Thing but gold and silver coin a Tender in payment of debt…”

Even in the 18th Century, the Founders knew that money was the key to economic success. They knew that money not backed by gold, silver or something else of intrinsic value, was not capable of sustaining an economy. They understood that the collapse of Rome was hastened by the reduction of precious metal backing within its money supply. To them, the collapse of the Dutch “tulip economy” in 1637 was not ancient history. They knew that flowers as “money” had no enduring worth. Yet, today’s economists wrongly treat the Constitution’s economic principles as relics of the “Dark Ages,” mostly because they were conceived before “The year of Their Lord,” John Maynard Keynes.

Beginning in 1933 and ending in 1976, the dollar was denuded of its two-century relationship to gold and silver.

Instead, it was backed by what economists called the “full faith and credit of the United States.” Modern “gurus” figured that this had some meaning. After all, the United States had the world’s largest Gross “National” Product (as it was called in those days).

Besides, 1976 was only a quarter century after World War II. As bad as things were for the United States militarily with its embarrassing loss in Viet Nam, the dollar was still the world’s reserve currency. Hence, backing the dollar with “full faith and credit,” rather than another thing of intrinsic value, seemed a worthwhile risk. In spite of the constitutional

mandate that money be backed by something of independent worth, America’s leaders were willing to bet that the dollar could be both devalued and remain a strong medium of exchange. The key was that, in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution, the US government, albeit through the Federal Reserve Bank, fully controlled the “coinage” of the dollar and the dollar was the coin of the world.

But, today, as America’s dominance dissolves, so does the dollar. Its “backing” seems less valuable to a world increasingly dominated by China. Into that vacuum, “cryptocurrency” has risen. This “coinage” and value of this new “money” has fallen outside the control of the U.S. government or any government. That has created both a constitutional and economic crisis of legal tender truly backed by nothing.

In spite of its complex “block chain” technology, cryptocurrency is nothing new. In reality, it is the Dutch tulip of the 1600’s. It is a plate from the Franklin Mint, a baseball card or a Beanie Baby. It is intrinsically worthless but has properties which convince normally sane people that the “thing” has value and can be used as “money.”

In other words, we know that at least the Federalist Founders, such as Alexander Hamilton, devoted their lives to the sound control of well-backed currency. As such, they would have been concerned when America abandoned backing money with precious metal. They would have been appalled when cryptocurrency backed by nothing more than electronic impulses was tolerated as legal tender.

As the Federal Reserve greatly increases the money supply out of proportion to only modest increases in GDP and tax revenue, the worth of the American dollar will fall. Cryptocurrencies will rise. And they will all create a worthless “house of cards” ready to fall into an abyss which no amount of tax cuts, “stimuli” or “quantitative easing” will remedy.

In the 21st Century, the farther America strays from the Founders’ blueprint for a strong currency, the closer the nation will fall into this “economic black hole.” As such, Congress must not be ashamed to closely regulate cryptocurrency. And, the Federal Reserve must stop manufacturing worthless paper it calls “money.”

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

The Trump economic record looks better every day WHEN RUNNING AGAINST Donald Trump for president, Joe Biden often made the now-ironic charge that any president who has allowed so many deaths from COVID-19 should never be in the White House. Today, there are more deaths from COVID under Biden than under Trump — and that is even with the vaccine.

But it isn’t just on health issues that Trump’s presidency is looking so much better and competent in hindsight.

Everywhere I go these days, people come up to me and say something like this: “I didn’t like some of the things Trump said or the way he acted, but I have to admit I like what he did for the economy.”

No one has vindicated Trump’s “Make America Great Again” policies more persuasively than Biden. High gas prices, the highest inflation rate in four decades, a plan to double the national debt in 12 years and falling paychecks for workers are waking Americans up to the real broad-based prosperity under Trump.

Trump’s strategy was to reduce taxes, slash regulation, massively increase domestic energy production and overhaul trade deals to get tough with China.

No one in the progressive movement thought it could possibly work. The Washington Post famously claimed before the 2016 election that “Trump could destroy the world economy.” Did that turn out to be true?

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Here are just the facts, ma’am. Over his first three years in office before COVID hit, the unemployment rate fell below 4%, which was near the lowest in half a century. The inflation rate fell to 1%, which was even below the target level set from the Federal Reserve. This kept the interest rates on mortgages and many other loans down to the lowest level in modern times.

Poverty rates fell to their lowest levels ever recorded. This was true for women, children, blacks, whites, Hispanics and Asians.

Median household income rose to nearly $68,000, and the $5,000 gain in three years was more than over the second term of George W. Bush and the eight years of Barack Obama.

Here was another remarkable feat: Under Trump, the United States became energy independent. The month that Trump left office, one year ago, America was importing zero oil from Saudi Arabia, largely because U.S. oil and gas production had surged. Now we have a president who has to beg the Saudis and Iranians to produce more oil. How humiliating.

The bumper stickers are starting to appear everywhere: “Miss Trump Yet?” Not many Americans miss some of his antics. But every day that inflation surges, the border remains in chaos, COVID runs amok and government spending and debt surge to new multitrillion-dollar highs, Trumponomics sounds like a better idea.

Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at FreedomWorks.

Democrats double down on failure IN NOVEMBER, voters coast-to-coast decisively rejected progressive politicians and their policies in an Election Day that left Joe Biden and the Democratic Party reeling.

Republican Glenn Youngkin’s signature victory in the Virginia governor’s race was a resounding repudiation of Democrat ideological overreach. Republicans pulled off the pivotal upset by focusing on public safety, the cost of living, and education — specifically tapping into suburban parents’ rage over excessive COVID school closings and politicized curriculum.

The Virginia rebuke extended down ballot.

Republicans also picked up the lieutenant governorship (the first black woman to win statewide in Virginia history) and ousted the Democrat attorney general (electing the first Hispanic attorney general in Virginia history), while winning control of the House of Delegates in a state where the GOP hadn’t won a statewide race in more than a decade.

Democrats also got a scare in dark-blue New Jersey, where Republican Jack Ciattarelli nearly defeated incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, despite being outspent two-to-one. The down-ballot carnage for Democrats was shocking. New Jersey truck driver Ed Durr reportedly spent just $153 on his campaign to defeat powerful state Senate President Steve Sweeney, who has controlled New Jersey’s Democratic machine for 30 years. This, in a state Joe Biden carried by 16 points just a year ago.

New York City’s newly elected mayor is an expolice officer who favors gun rights. In upstate New York, record numbers of Republicans were elected to school boards. In heavily Democratic Buffalo, an avowed socialist lost to a write-in candidate for mayor.

In Minneapolis, ground-zero of the “Defund the Police” movement, more than 56% of voters rejected a proposal to abolish the police department. In Seattle, moderate Bruce Harrell trounced progressive M. Lorena González in the race for mayor by promising to restore public order and prosecute property destruction.

Looming over every one of these races was Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency. Biden was set up for success given that he was handed multiple vaccines being administered daily, a robust V-shaped economic recovery and a country itching to spend after being locked down for over a year.

Instead, Americans have endured soaring prices, supply-chain shortages, out-of-control illegal migration, and the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that left thousands of Americans behind enemy lines — to name just a few of the major fiascos the president seems stubbornly determined to ignore.

Run-away inflation is wiping out wage gains for workers. In November, the consumer price index (CPI), climbed to 6.8% year-over-year — the highest in 39 years. Prices for food were up 6.4% and the cost of energy was 33% higher than a year ago. Wholesale prices rose 9.6% in November, the fastest pace ever. A full 45% of Americans are experiencing financial hardship thanks to Bidenflation, according to a Gallup poll.

But surging crime was the last straw for many voters. The U.S. saw its largest-ever single-year murder spike in 2020. At least 12 major U.S. cities, all run by Democrats, set homicide records in 2021, ABC News reports, and countless others are flirting with their previous records. Data from AH Datalytics indicates that the U.S. is on pace for a 50% increase in murders compared to two years ago.

By insisting that the police are a bigger threat to society than criminals, progressive elected officials are having trouble recruiting and retaining cops. Early retirements nationwide jumped 45% in 2021 as attacks on police officers increased. The FBI reports that the number of police officers killed in the line of duty between January and September was up by more than 50% over the same period in 2020. “[I]t’s worse than a war zone around here lately,” Rochester police Capt. Frank Umbrino said after the city set a new all-time homicide high on Nov. 11.

Democrats have time to pull out of their tailspin and avert an even larger electoral disaster in 2022. Instead, they are doubling down on the vastly unpopular policies that led to their shellacking this year. Biden is raising taxes; increasing wasteful spending; expanding the welfare state; firing doctors, nurses, police officers and firefighters who refuse the vaccine; and making America dependent on foreign energy again.

There is a weird political logic to their obstinacy. Knowing they are going to get trounced again in next year’s congressional elections, Democrats see this fleeting moment as their last, best chance to pass major, progressive legislation to “transform” America.

So, why not max out the credit card now, while they still can?

Facing a mountain of failures, growing public resistance and very few triumphs, the Democratic Party is heading for a disastrous midterm blowout. The reckoning has just begun.

Frank Dowd IV, chairman of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, is a registered independent. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry is a 120-year-old U.S. manufacturer of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, with seven plants around the country.

Augustine of Hippo, “City of God,” Book XIX, Chap. 21, 24 and 25, slightly adapted and abridged for the modern ear. Completed work published 426 A.D.

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North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

NATION & WORLD Biden vows US to act decisively if Russia invades Ukraine, declines to provide details The Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden conferred over the weekend with Ukraine’s leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border, promising that the U.S. and allies will act “decisively” if Russia further invades the Eastern European nation.

Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call came as the U.S. and Western allies prepared for a series of diplomatic meetings to try to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow said could rupture ties with Washington.

“President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement following the call.

Psaki added that Biden underscored his commitment to the principle of “nothing about you without you,” the tenet that it won’t negotiate policy that impacts Europe without its allies’ input.

Biden has spoken of hitting Russia with economy-jarring sanctions if it moves on Ukraine’s territory, but he said last month that U.S. military action is not on the table.

The Kremlin has demanded that any further expansion of NATO exclude Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. The Russians have also demanded that the military alliance remove offensive weaponry from countries in the region.

The White House has dismissed Russia’s demands on NATO as a non-starter. A key principle of the NATO alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country. And no outsider has membership veto power. While there’s little prospect that Ukraine would be invited into the alliance anytime soon, the U.S. and its allies won’t rule it out.

Zelenskyy said in a Twitter posting after Sunday’s call that “keeping peace in Europe, preventing further escalation, reforms, deoligarchization were discussed.”

CAROLYN KASTER | AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media as gets into his motorcade after having New Year’s Eve lunch with first lady Jill Biden at Banks’ Seafood Kitchen in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Dec. 31, 2021.

“We appreciate the unwavering support,” Zelenskyy said.

The United States has made little progress in efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions. Senior U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to meet Jan. 9-10 in Geneva to discuss the situation. Those talks are to be followed by meetings at the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Biden spoke with Putin for nearly an hour last Thursday. He told reporters the next day that he warned Putin that his economy would pay a “heavy price” if Russia, which has massed some 100,000 troops near the border, made further moves against Ukraine.

“I’m not going to negotiate here in public, but we made it clear that he cannot — I emphasize cannot

— move on Ukraine,” Biden said a day later.

Biden said he told Putin it was important for the Russians to take steps before those meetings toward easing the crisis. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, in describing the presidents’ conversation this past week, said Biden’s pursuit of sanctions “could lead to a complete rupture of relations between our countries and Russia-West relations will be severely damaged.”

U.S. intelligence findings indicate Russia has made preparations for a potential invasion in early 2022. But White House officials say it remains unclear whether Putin has already made a decision to move forward with military action.

Still, Biden said he remained hopeful for the upcoming talks.

White House officials say they

will consult closely with Western allies.

“I always expect if you negotiate you make progress, but we’ll see. We’ll see.”

Past military incursions by Putin loom large as Biden weighs his next steps.

In 2014, Russian troops marched into the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and seized the territory from Ukraine. Russia’s annexation of Crimea was one of the darker moments for President Barack Obama on the international stage.

The U.S.-Russia relationship was badly damaged near the end of President George W. Bush’s administration after Russia’s 2008 invasion of its neighbor Georgia after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Germany shuts down half of its 6 remaining nuclear plants The Associated Press BERLIN — Germany last week shut down half of the six nuclear plants it still has in operation, a year before the country draws the final curtain on its decades-long use of atomic power.

The decision to phase out nuclear power and shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy was first taken by the center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder in 2002. His successor, Angela Merkel, reversed her decision to extend the lifetime of Germany’s nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the final deadline for shutting them down.

The three reactors now being shuttered were first powered up in the mid-1980s. Together they provided electricity to millions of German households for almost four decades.

One of the plants — Brokdorf, located 25 miles northwest of Hamburg on the Elbe River — became a particular focus of anti-nuclear protests that were fueled by the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe in the Soviet Union.

The other two plants are Grohnde, south of Hannover, and Gundremmingen, 50 miles west of Munich.

Some in Germany have called for the decision on ending the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered because the power plants already in operation produce relatively little carbon dioxide. Advocates of atomic energy argue that it can help Germany meet its climate targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

But the German government said this week that decommissioning all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out the use of coal by 2030 won’t affect

Biden signs $768.2 billion defense spending bill into law Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022.

The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over issues ranging from reforms of the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers.

“The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense,” Biden said in a statement.

The $768.2 billion price tag marks $25 billion more than Biden initially requested from Congress, a prior proposal that was rejected by members of both parties out of concerns it would undermine U.S. efforts to keep pace militarily with China and Russia.

Democrats applauded provisions in the bill overhauling how the military justice system handles sexual assault and other related crimes, effectively taking prosecutorial jurisdiction over such crimes out of the hands of military commanders.

Republicans, meanwhile, touted success in blocking an effort to add women to the draft, as well as the inclusion of a provision that bars dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bill includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan, measures intended to counteract China’s influence in the region.

It also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a show of support in the face of Russian aggression, as well as $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative.

The law also has provisions barring goods produced by forced Uyghur labor in China from entering the U.S., and it begins to lay out plans for the new Global War on Terror Memorial, which would be the latest addition to the National Mall.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Twitter bans Georgia Rep. Greene’s personal account for COVID claims

AP PHOTO

Steam rises from the cooling tower of the nuclear power plant of Gundremmingen, Bavaria, Germany, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. the country’s energy security or its goal of making Europe’s biggest economy “climate neutral” by 2045.

“By massively increasing renewable energy and accelerating the expansion of the electricity grid we can show that this is possible in Germany,” Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said.

Renewable energy sources delivered almost 46% of the electricity generated in Germany in 2021. Coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels accounted for nearly 41%, while nuclear power provided over 13%, according to the Fraunhofer Institute.

Several of Germany’s neighbors have already ended nuclear power or announced plans to do

so, but others are sticking with the technology. This has prompted concerns of a nuclear rift in Europe, with France planning to build new reactors and Germany opting for natural gas as a “bridge” until enough renewable power is available, and both sides arguing their preferred source of energy be classed as sustainable.

Germany’s remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland, Isar and Neckarwestheim — will be powered down by the end of 2022.

While some jobs will be lost, utility company RWE said more than two-thirds of the 600 workers at its Gundremmingen nuclear power station will continue to be involved in post-shutdown operations through to the

2030s. Germany’s nuclear power companies will receive almost $3 billion for the early shutdown of their plants.

Environment Minister Steffi Lemke has dismissed suggestions that a new generation of nuclear power plants might prompt Germany to change course yet again.

“Nuclear power plants remain high-risk facilities that produce highly radioactive atomic waste,” she told the Funke media group this week.

A final decision has yet to be taken about where to store the most potent nuclear waste produced in German power plants.

Experts say some material will remain dangerously radioactive for 35,000 generations.

San Francisco Twitter said Sunday it had banned the personal account of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of the platform’s COVID-19 “misinformation” policy.

The Georgia Republican’s account was permanently suspended under the “strike” system Twitter launched in March. Two or three strikes earn a 12-hour account lock. Four strikes prompt a weeklong suspension.

Five or more strikes can get someone permanently removed from Twitter.

In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, Greene blasted Twitter’s move as un-American. She wrote that her account was suspended after tweeting statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a government database that includes raw data.

“Twitter is an enemy to America and can’t handle the truth,” Greene said. “That’s fine, I’ll show America we don’t need them and it’s time to defeat our enemies.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Women first: ACC hoops’ changing dynamic, B4

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson gets a Gatorade bath after the Demon Deacons defeated Rutgers 38-10 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 31 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Future looks bright for Wake FOOTBALL

The Gator Bowl and ACC Atlantic Division champs remain a good bet in 2022

Holt, Mills among Pro Football HOF finalists Canton, Ohio For the third time, Torry Holt and Sam Mills are among the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mills is under consideration in his 20th and final year of eligibility as a modern-day candidate. He was a three-time All-Pro who joined the expansion Panthers after playing in New Orleans and helped Carolina to the NFC championship game in its second season. Mills died in 2005, less than two years after he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, at age 45.

Holt was born in Greensboro and starred at NC State before winning a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. He has the 16th-most receiving yards (13,382) in NFL history and is 22nd in career receptions (920). The other finalists are DeMarcus Ware, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester, all in their first year of eligibility, along with Tony Boselli, Richard Seymour, LeRoy Butler, Reggie Wayne, Zach Thomas, Jared Allen, Bryant Young, Ronde Barber, Willie Anderson and Patrick Willis.

The selection committee will consider the 15 candidates on Jan. 18.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Baylor, Duke stay 1-2 in latest AP men’s poll Indianapolis Baylor stayed atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll Monday, earning all 61 first-place votes for the third time in four weeks. The Bears (13-0) have won 19 straight games going back to last year’s title run.

The No. 2 Blue Devils (11‑1) remained in place for the fourth straight week behind Baylor. They haven’t played since Dec. 22 after having to postpone last week’s Atlantic Coast Conference games at Clemson and Notre Dame due to COVID-19 protocols. Duke was set to play Georgia Tech on Tuesday night in Durham.

Davidson, last ranked in March 2015, received three votes.

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

BRYNN ANDERSON | AP PHOTO

Alabama and Georgia will meet in the College Football Playoff champioship game in a rematch of the SEC title matchup that the Crimson Tide won 41-24 on Dec. 4.

Repeat or revenge: Bama, Georgia meet again for CFP title The rematch between SEC rivals will determine this year’s national champion

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Alabama has a chance to repeat.

Georgia has a chance for revenge.

The rematch is set, and it will decide the College Football Playoff national championship. After a pair of easy wins in the semifinals on Friday night, the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs — the only two teams to be ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season — will meet again to decide the title on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.

Alabama will be seeking a seventh national championship in the last 13 years under coach Nick Saban. Georgia is playing with hopes of claiming its first national title since Herschel Walker led the Bulldogs to the title in the 1980 season.

“I think we’re good enough,” Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett said in the din of the Orange Bowl postgame celebration. “Obviously, they’re a great team. But we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and start preparing for them tomorrow.”

This matchup comes after Alabama — big underdogs entering that game — had little trouble in what became a 41-24 win over

“We’ve got an opportunity to play a really good football team in Indianapolis.”

Kirby Smart, Georgia coach Georgia in the SEC championship game back on Dec. 4, costing the Bulldogs a chance at an undefeated season and giving the defending national champion Crimson Tide a trip back into the playoff mix.

Alabama needed that win.

Weirdly, Georgia felt it needed that loss.

“For our team, it was a wake-up call,” Georgia offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer said that night.

“I think we needed one. We got a wake-up call from a really good team. If we get a chance in the playoffs, I think that wake-up call will help propel us forward.”

Oh, the Bulldogs were awake on Friday night.

They blew out Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl, taking the field not long after Alabama had little trouble dismissing Cincinnati 27-6 in the other CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

“To have another opportunity to play for a national championship ... it’s like a dream come true,” Alabama running back Brian RobinSee CFP, page B3

WAKE FOREST beat Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Eve to cap an 11-3 record, matching the best season in program history.

The Demon Deacons won the Atlantic Division, advancing to their second-ever ACC Championship Game and first since Wake won the league in 2006.

The Deacs were able to break Clemson’s stranglehold on one of the ACC’s two divisions, becoming the first Atlantic team other than the Tigers to play in the title game in seven years. Wake was also the first Atlantic Division team outside of Clemson or Florida State to play in the game since 2008.

Was Wake’s year a one-time magical season, or can the Deacs expect to again compete for the league title and a major bowl bid?

Sam I am The biggest thing Wake has going for it heading into next season is the return of Sam Hartman.

Hartman emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, completing 58.9% of his passes for 4,228 yards — the fifth-most in ACC history — and 39 touchdowns. He averaged 8.3 yards per attempt and was second in the nation in big plays — passes of more than 30 yards. Hartman also rushed for 11 touchdowns and ran the Wake Forest RPO offense like a master. He joined Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson as the only quarterbacks in ACC history to be responsible for 50 touchdowns in a season.

Hartman could have left for the NFL Draft following his fourth season in Winston-Salem, but he instead announced on Instagram that he’d be back, posting, “One more year.”

Other attrition Hartman will be missing one of his top targets next season.

Wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson announced he was leaving for the NFL and opted out of the Gator

Bowl to prepare.

Roberson finished with 17 receiving touchdowns, seventh-most in Wake Forest history. His 1,078 yards this season were also third-best in school history.

Wake lost another offensive weapon when running back Christian Beal-Smith entered the transfer portal a few days after the Gator Bowl. Beal-Smith led Wake with 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns this year and has 1,871 yards and 14 scores in his career.

Despite those losses, Wake looks loaded at both spots heading into next year. A.T. Perry had a breakout season as a sophomore, setting the school single-season record with 14 touchdowns. He also produced the second-most receiving yards in a season in school history.

Wake should also get back Donavon Greene, who missed 2021 with an injury. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, he had 582 yards on 29 catches, including a two-touchdown, 170-yard day against North Carolina.

The running back cupboard also looks stocked heading into 2022. Justice Ellison rushed for 541 yards this year with seven touchdowns and averaged 5.1 yards per rush. Christian Turner added 506 yards and five touchdowns.

Young and strong The offensive line should return intact. None of the 10 players listed on Wake’s two-deep were seniors, and the group included five true or redshirt freshmen.

The team will add Je’Vionte’ Nash to the mix. Nash, a veteran of 38 games for the Deacs and the team’s starting right tackle in 2020, missed the entire 2021 season due to injury.

Changes at the top on defense While Wake Forest’s offensive machine looks like it will keep right on running, the defense could have a new look next season.

Lyle Hemphill, a member of Clawson’s Wake staff since 2017 and the team’s defensive coordinator since 2018, left the Deacs to take a job at Duke, making the See WAKE, page B4

B2

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

WEDNESDAY

1.5.22

TRENDING

Grant Wells: The Marshall quarterback announced he is transferring. Wells completed 66% of his passes for 3,532 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions this season. Marshall went 7-6, losing to Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl.

He led Marshall to a berth in the Conference USA championship game last season and was first-team All-CUSA that year as a freshman. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound quarterback received a scholarship offer from Charlotte when he was at George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia.

Beyond the box score POTENT QUOTABLES

BASKETBALL

Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, the NC Central alumnus who became the Boston Celtics’ “Mr. Clutch,” died last Thursday at 88. Jones’ sharp shooting fueled the league’s longest dynasty and earned him 10 NBA titles — second only to teammate Bill Russell — in just 12 seasons. The Wilmington-born Jones (24) was the eighth overall pick by Red Auerbach in the 1957 draft and part of the first all‑black starting lineup.

BRIAN WESTERHOLT | AP PHOTO

“Hell yeah, I’m frustrated.”

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson after Carolina’s 18-10 loss Sunday in New Orleans, its sixth straight defeat.

AP PHOTO

MLB

Sam Bennett: The Florida Panthers forward was suspended three games without pay by the NHL on Sunday for an illegal check to the head of Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette during a game Saturday. Bennett injured Paquette with a shoulder to the head 3:09 into the first period. Paquette left with a neck injury and did not return. The 25-year-old Bennett will miss the Panthers’ game Saturday at Carolina.

Billy Turner: The Hall of Fame horse trainer who trained Seattle Slew to a Triple Crown sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont stakes in 1977 has died.

He was 81. Seattle Slew became horse racing’s 10th Triple Crown winner and first to go undefeated during his 3-year-old season.

The colt was named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male in 1977. Turner was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1981.

NFL

ANDREW MILLS | NJ ADVANCE MEDIA VIA AP

“He left the field and that was it.”

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians after Antonio Brown left in the middle of Tampa Bay’s game Sunday, ending his tenure with the team.

JOHN FROSCHAUER | AP PHOTO

Asheville native Cameron Maybin is retiring after 15 major league seasons.

Maybin, 34, had a .254 career batting average with 72 homers and 354 RBIs with 10 teams after being selected 10th overall by Detroit in 2005. He had 187 stolen bases in his career, including 40 in 2011 with the Padres, and he won a World Series title with the 2017 Astros.

DAVID BANKS | AP PHOTO

Robert Quinn broke the Bears’ single‑season sack record with his 18th during Chicago’s 29-3 win Sunday over the Giants. Quinn, a first-round pick

by St. Louis out of UNC in 2011, broke Richard Dent’s record of 17½ set in 1984 when he sacked former NC State adversary and Giants quarterback Mike Glennon in the fourth quarter.

PRIME NUMBER

7 Consecutive goals scored by the Hurricanes in Saturday’s 7-5 win in Columbus. Carolina trailed 4-0 until Steven Lorentz scored his first of two goals at 9:11 of the second period. Brady Skjei then scored twice, with his second goal at 6:53 of the third period starting a run of four Hurricanes goals in 3:57.

NBA

ADAM HUNGER | AP PHOTO

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping Kyrie Irving could make his season debut Wednesday at Indianapolis. Irving has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, making him ineligible to play home games under a New York City vaccine mandate. The Nets initially rejected the prospect of having Irving play only road games before reconsidering when a COVID-19 outbreak depleted the team’s roster.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B3

Wolfpack ‘heartbroken,’ Pirates ‘positive’ after bowl cancellations NC State was hoping to earn its 10th win in the Holiday Bowl, while ECU views the Military Bowl game preparation as critical to the program’s future

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal NC STATE AND East Carolina both had their season-ending football bowl games canceled when their respective opponents pulled out because of COVID protocols.

But that’s where the similarities between their situations end.

As a young, building program looking to end a frustrating seven-year postseason drought, the Pirates were able to accomplish one of their primary goals for 2021 simply by being invited to the Military Bowl — where they were scheduled to play Boston College on Dec. 27.

The Wolfpack, on the other hand, was left with unfinished business a day later when UCLA pulled out of its Holiday Bowl date less than four hours before kickoff.

It was a disappointing turn of events that denied State an opportunity to reach double-digit victories in a season for only the second time in school history and had coach Dave Doeren boiling over with anger because of the timing of the cancellation and the circumstances that led to it.

“Our team has done everything right. We have 100% of our team vaccinated,” Doeren said, adding that he was “heartbroken” for his players, especially the team’s seniors. “Last year we played every game we could play. This year we played every game we could play.

We were prepared to play this game. Our opponent wasn’t, apparently.

“It’s disappointing. A lot went into the finish of the season and a 10th win. We would have won the game. There’s no doubt about it with the way our guys prepared.

It’s tough.”

Doeren said that he and his players “felt lied to” because UCLA did not disclose the severity of its COVID-related issues until it was too late to reschedule the game or find a replacement opponent the way Wake Forest did at the Gator Bowl and Washington State did at the Sun Bowl.

The Bruins, whose men’s and women’s basketball teams also had to have games canceled because of the virus, reportedly knew the game was in jeopardy but continued to participate in pre-bowl activities — including a Christmas Day trip to SeaWorld of which video showed players wearing their masks improperly.

Before leaving San Diego, the Wolfpack was presented with the championship trophy by Holiday Bowl officials, a gesture Doeren interpreted as a forfeit that allowed his team to claim its 10th win of

“Everybody knows we’re not going to play the game, but just the experience of being here for a bowl week is so critical for our program.”

Mike Houston, ECU coach the season.

Even though the NCAA doesn’t recognize it as such.

Official or not, the “win” and the trophy are only a minor salve for the pain that lingers from being denied the opportunity to earn that victory on the field. “(We’re) really hurt,” linebacker Drake Thomas said shortly after the game was called. “That was a milestone for us. That was how we wanted to leave a legacy. That was how we wanted to be remembered, with that 10th win. We can’t overlook the things that we accomplished. Within our team, we knew we were going to go out there and win.”

ECU’s players were just as disappointed over not being able to play one final time this season.

But unlike the Wolfpack, who they’re scheduled to play in their 2022 season opener next September, coach Mike Houston and his team had a silver lining to their dark cloud.

Not only did the Pirates win four of their final five games to finish with a winning record at 7-5 and earn their first postseason bid since the Birmingham Bowl following the 2014 season, but they also got a lot out of the experience even though they weren’t able to take the field and play.

They spent Christmas Day taking in the sights of Washington, D.C., including a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and participated in a community service project in which the players put together care packages to send to deployed military members overseas.

The biggest benefit, however, was the extra three weeks of practice time the team got in preparation for the game.

“That development has been critically missed in this program, so that’s been a big positive of this,” Houston said. “Everybody knows we’re not going to play the game, but just the experience of being here for a bowl week is so critical for our program because the kids in this program have never experienced this.

“You could talk to them about what a bowl is like, but they’ve never experienced anything like this. So just a taste of this is critical for the future of our program, especially with a roster so young.

It’s only going to benefit us moving forward. So I think this season and postseason was a tremendous next step for our program.”

KARL B. DEBLAKER | AP PHOTO

While quarterback Holton Ahlers and ECU didn’t get to play in the canceled Military Bowl, coach Mike Houston believes the pre-bowl experience will help the Pirates take a step forward as a program.

CFP from page B1 son Jr. said after the Cotton Bowl.

Predictably, the Tide didn’t do much talking about Georgia following their win. Most teams would never go down that road, talking about an opponent in tournament play before the next matchup is actually set. But Georgia, playing the later game on Friday, probably could have let Alabama begin entering its thoughts probably somewhere around halftime when the Bulldogs had a 27-3 lead over the Wolverines.

“We’ve got a lot of things to fix,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said

after the Orange Bowl. “We got to fix some of them over the break.

They got about a five-, six-hour head start on us. We’ve got to get back and get to work for what is a really good football team.”

The last seven CFP title games shave featured at least one SEC team — Alabama six times, LSU once and now Georgia twice.

“Well, the team has an opportunity to win the national championship,” Saban said Saturday in an appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “So you expect to play a good team. We’re still probably going to be underdogs in the game, I would assume. Georgia played an

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

UNC coach Mack Brown stands on the sidelines during the Tar Heels’ 38-21 loss to South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte.

Plenty of work ahead for Tar Heels in offseason UNC is moving on from Sam Howell and needs to rebuild its defense

By Shawn Krest North State Journal FOR THE FIRST time since 1997, Mack Brown will need to face the prospect of coaching a North Carolina team without Sam Howell as starting quarterback.

When Brown returned to Chapel Hill following the 2018 season, one of his first moves as head coach was flipping Howell from his commitment to Florida State.

Since then, the pair have been inseparably linked as Howell rewrote the North Carolina record book in his three years as Brown’s starting quarterback.

Brown and Howell both entered the 2021 season with high hopes. The Tar Heels were ranked in the top 10, and Howell was a short-list Heisman contender.

Instead, both player and team underperformed early, losing to Virginia Tech in the opener and never fully recovering. Carolina finished a disappointing 6-7, and Howell’s numbers — while good —were a step down from previous years, and he never took the expected next step toward one of the top players in the nation.

Now, the Hall of Fame coach and the promising passer will see their paths diverge. Howell announced his plans to depart for the NFL Draft, leaving Brown looking to rebuild in Chapel Hill, a job that could be more challenging than three years ago without a Sam Howell to plug in at quarterback.

The biggest question facing Carolina is who replaces Howell?

Jacolby Criswell was usually the first quarterback off the bench over the last two seasons, and he got the start against Wofford in a game Howell missed due to injury this season. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 125 yards and a rushing touchdown in that start.

Drake Maye, however, is expected to be UNC’s quarterback of the future. Brown flipped him from an Alabama commitment, and Maye got into a handful of games as a freshman this season, including throwing a touchdown in a 7-of-9, 89yard effort against Wofford that may have stolen the show from Criswell.

The two will likely battle it out in spring and preseason, with Maye the odds-on favorite to win the job. It’s possible, however, that Brown will hedge his bets and bring in a transfer to help ease the transition from Howell to the next generation.

outstanding game last night. The part that I saw against Michigan, they were dominant.”

Alabama has gone 3-2 in its previous CFP title game appearances, alternating wins and losses every time. Nobody in the CFP era has won back-to-back titles; Alabama is 0-2 in its opportunities to do so, and Clemson also lost when it had a bid for consecutive CFP crowns.

Georgia can only hope that trend continues.

Georgia was quickly established as a 2½-point favorite over Alabama by FanDuel Sportsbook, that line being set before the Bulldogs-Michigan game had even

Whoever is throwing the ball for the Tar Heels will need to do so behind a rebuilt line.

Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan both announced they were leaving early for the NFL Draft, opening a pair of sizable holes on the line. The Tar Heels can fill one of them with Miami transfer Corey Gaynor.

UNC also needs to replace running back Ty Chandler, who produced a 1,000yard season in his one year in Chapel Hill.

Two members of UNC’s top 10-rated signing class from last month will likely get the first shot at replacing him — Clayton’s Omarion Hampton and Virginia’s George Pettaway. Five-star Zach Rice could also help fill the void on the line.

While the offense has plenty of areas of concern, it’s the Tar Heels defense that appears to be the more daunting rebuild by far. Carolina appeared to get worse on that side of the ball as the year went on, giving up 39 points to Virginia, 45 in a loss at Georgia Tech, and a four-week stretch where UNC gave up 35 in a loss to Florida State, 42 to Miami, 44 in a loss at Notre Dame and 55 to Wake Forest.

Carolina closed the season giving up 301 rushing yards to a South Carolina team whose top running back opted out of the bowl game.

All the struggles led to cries for coordinator Jay Bateman’s job, but, as we close in on a week into the offseason, Bateman doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

That’s likely in large part due to his success as a recruiter, particularly in the last two signing classes.

Bateman’s recruiting skills could help improve him as a coordinator next season, with several standouts from the last two classes ready to step in. Defensive lineman Travis Shaw could play as a true freshman.

He’ll join Rara Dillworth, a linebacker who played 12 games as a true freshman this year. Fellow four stars from last year’s class include defensive back Dontavius Nash, who played in four games, and lineman Keeshawn Silver, who played in three.

The defense also added a transfer in Virginia linebacker Noah Taylor. In four years with the Cavaliers, Taylor had 30 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and the longest pick-six by a UVA linebacker in team history.

The Tar Heels have plenty of talent on hand for the 2022 season. Things didn’t jell for the team this past season, but Brown will have plenty of pieces to try to get the team back to the level they expected to reach this year.

gone final.

“We think we play in the greatest conference in the world,” Smart said. “We’ve got an opportunity to play a really good football team in Indianapolis.”

And it makes tons of sense that these are the last two teams standing.

The Tide and the Bulldogs spent six weeks ranked No. 1 and No. 2, in some order, in the AP Top 25 this season. Big things were expected of both teams from the outset: Alabama started No. 1, Georgia began at No. 5.

But even though Saban is 25-1 against his former assistant

9 Number of times UNC gave up 30 or more points this past season, including 40 or more three times

coaches — including 4-0 against Smart, who spent 11 years with him in Tuscaloosa — history says a rematch for the national title is a great sign for the Bulldogs.

In the 2011 season, LSU beat Alabama in the regular season.

Alabama won the rematch for the Bowl Championship Series national title.

In 1996, Florida State topped Florida in the regular season. The Gators rolled past the Seminoles for the national title in what was then called the Bowl Alliance.

Now, it’s Georgia with a shot at turning the tide.

All it must do is beat the Tide.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B4

Women have bypassed men as ACC hoops’ standard-bearer With six ranked teams, including NC State and Louisville in the top five, the women have been the conference’s better half

By Brett Friedlander North State Journal THE ACC HAS heralded itself as the gold standard of college basketball since its inception in 1953.

And it remains that way today.

Only not in the traditional sense.

While the conference has slipped in both stature and the quality of its product on the men’s side over the past few years, its women’s teams have stepped up to carry on the tradition of being the nation’s best, most competitive league.

There are currently six ACC teams ranked in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll, with Louisville and NC State among the top five. Duke, UNC, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech are the others.

Thursday’s sold-out game at Reynolds Coliseum between the fifth-ranked Wolfpack and the No. 24 Tar Heels — one of only four remaining unbeaten teams nationally — will be the first of many matchups between ranked ACC women’s teams this season.

As of today, there won’t be any such showdowns on the men’s side, not even the two highly anticipated clashes between UNC and Duke.

Why? Because other than the second-ranked Blue Devils, not even one of the ACC’s 14 other men’s teams received so much as a vote in this week’s poll, “I kind of joke with people that we are a women’s basketball league,” former Clemson star and ACC Network analyst Kelly Gramlich said.

“Don’t get me wrong, the men can still get back. But the way things are with the women right now, it reminds me of the way the men used to be — with North Carolina-Duke, super-elite, with three or four others capable of making a (deep NCAA Tournament) run. If you look at the conference top to

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

Duke coach Kara Lawson has the Blue Devils off to a 10-2 start that included wins over ranked Iowa and Notre Dame. bottom, there’s just so much talent there.”

That’s not an exaggeration.

Eight of the league’s top 10 scorers in 2020-21 are back, as are 11 of the 15 selections to the three All-ACC teams after many of the top players — including NC State starters Kayla Jones, Raina Perez and Kai Crutchfield — chose to use the extra year of eligibility granted to them because of the COVID pandemic rather than finishing their schooling or turning pro.

And the rich only got richer thanks to the NCAA’s transfer portal and relaxed rules that allow players to suit up for their new schools without having to sit out a year.

The quality and depth of the conference are evidenced by the league’s 120-38 overall record

through Jan. 1, a winning percentage of .759. That includes 10 wins against ranked opponents and five against the top five.

Six different teams have beaten at least one ranked nonconference opponent.

“I don’t sleep on any team,” Wolfpack forward Jones said. “You can think about Louisville and NC State, but every school in the ACC is really tough.”

Louisville coach Jeff Walz takes it a step further.

“As a conference, I think we can have four or five teams as top-four (NCAA) seeds,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see anyone making it through the league regular season unbeaten, let alone with only one or even two losses.

“I’m not talking five or six teams in the NCAA Tournament; I’m talking about five or six as top-four

seeds and there’s only 16 of them.

That just shows how strong our entire league is.”

It used to be that way with the men. And not just during the golden era of ACC basketball before the conference expanded from nine to 15 members in the early 2000s.

As recently as 2019, the league earned three of the four No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds with seven teams receiving bids. One of them, Virginia, went on to win the national championship.

The drop-off since, however, has been dramatic.

Although the 2020 postseason was canceled because of the pandemic, the ACC dropped to No. 4 among conferences nationally in the respected KenPom rankings.

It dipped another notch to No. 5 in 2021.

As was the case two seasons

“The way things are with the women right now, it reminds me of the way the men used to be.”

Kelly Gramlich, ACC Network analyst earlier, seven league teams were included in the NCAA’s field of 68.

The difference in 2021 was that none of them were seeded higher than fourth, and not one made it past the Sweet 16.

It was a performance dismissed by most around the conference as a hiccup caused either directly or indirectly by COVID and the loss of many top players to the NBA. In contrast to the women’s side, only four of the 10 men’s scorers and four of 15 All-ACC selections returned to their teams.

But things haven’t gotten any better this season. In fact — except for a rejuvenated Duke bolstered by an infusion of new talent and inspired by coach Mike Krzyzewski’s swan song — they have been worse.

Not only did the conference lose the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the third straight year — and eighth time since 2009 — but it has gone a combined 18-36 in head-to-head matchups with the other Power 5 leagues and the Atlantic-10.

Already this season, ACC teams have lost to the likes of Albany, The Citadel, Wright State, Navy, Colgate, Monmouth and James Madison.

“The ACC was a bit down last year. I’m not going to sit here and act like it was great,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said at the league’s preseason media event last October. “But let me say that a down year in the ACC is still really good. There was still some quality play in it.

“Maybe there’s some parity that’s coming over college basketball. It’s getting harder to establish dynasties and maybe even dominant conferences because of transfers and early departures. That makes it challenging, but it’s still a basketball league, still a great league.”

He’s right about that. It’s still a great basketball league.

Back when James Brown sang it’s a man’s world, it accurately applied to ACC basketball. But the current league would be nothing without the women.

Defensive struggles continue to hamper Hornets’ playoff chances Charlotte is allowing an NBA-worst 116.7 points per game

By Jesse Deal North State Journal CHARLOTTE — As the NBA season nears its midway point, the Charlotte Hornets now sit directly on the playoff bubble in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings following Monday’s 124-121 loss at Washington.

The team has spent much of its season attempting to overcome an Achilles’ heel that has shown no signs of dissipating: for as elite as the offense has been, the defense has been equally as poor. There is no getting around the raw numbers — the Hornets (19-19) have allowed a league-high 116.7 points per game despite scoring a second-best 114.9, and they currently rank dead last in opponent assists (26.3), rebounds (57) and 3-pointers made (14.4).

No other team has shown to be as unbalanced in their offensive and defensive output as Charlotte, and that type of Jekyll-and-Hyde effort has resulted in the Hornets winning only 11 of their 25 games against opponents with a record above .500.

“We’re still trying to figure it all out,” Miles Bridges said following Sunday’s loss to Phoenix in which Charlotte allowed the Suns to score 73 first-half points. “We have a lot of guys who can put the

WAKE from page B1 rare move to a conference rival, where he won’t have a coordinator position.

When Wake struggled in the first quarter against Rutgers, Clawson joked, “I was going to fire our defensive coordinator, but that

ball in the hole and once we jell it all together, we’ll be tough to beat.

We have to focus on defense more because defense is where we’re struggling. If we get better at that, we can get out on transition offense where nobody can stop us.”

Bridges isn’t the only Hornet to acknowledge a deficiency on that side of the court.

“My defense all year just hasn’t been there as far as effort,” Terry Rozier said, “and I’ll be the first one to say you got to look at yourself in the mirror.”

The bulk of the defensive damage has occurred in the first quarter of games, where the Hornets have given up an NBA-worst 31.4 points. The team has generally improved in stopping opposing teams’ offenses as the games have gone on, with 29.7 points allowed in the second quarter as well as 27.4 points in the third quarter and 26.9 points in the fourth quarter.

Charlotte’s negative point differential this season has a lot to do with the lack of a true interior deterrent and an inability to get

defensive rebounds — both factors have contributed to the Hornets ranking last in the NBA in opponent second-chance points. Starting center Mason Plumlee has seen brief flashes of success in the role, and PJ Washington has brought his athleticism to the table in offensive stretches, but neither player has deterred opposing players from wanting to attack the paint.

The need for another big man to fill a hole in the frontcourt has linked Hornet trade rumors to names such as Indiana’s Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis.

Turner has become one of the league’s best shot-blocking players as of late, and Sabonis has filled up stat sheets this season with an average of 18.4 points and 12 rebounds. Either player would be a welcome addition to Charlotte’s lineup, but both would come at a large cost. As of now, it’s unclear if Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak would want to gamble with losing any of his key playmakers that would inevitably have to be dealt if one of those two Pacers came to town.

While Charlotte’s defense has struggled on both home and road games, the team can take some solace in the fact that more than 60% of its remaining games will be played at home in the Spectrum Center.

“There’s a great opportunity right in front of us,” Hornets coach James Borrego said before admitting that his team will have to do more than just rely on the crowd’s

was me.”

Clawson, an offensive coach for most of his career, will bring in a new coordinator who will inherit a Wake defense that ranked in the top-10 nationally in takeaways this season.

The biggest losses for Wake’s defense on the field look to be

linebacker Luke Masterson and corner Ja’Sir Taylor, both super seniors this year.

The team returns plenty of talent, however, including linebacker Ryan Smenda and safety Nick Anderson. A total of six defensive starters and nine backups were underclassmen this year.

“We have to focus on defense more because defense is where we’re struggling.”

Miles Bridges, Hornets forward

NICK WASS | AP PHOTO

The Hornets struggles to defend in the paint have them rumored to be exploring help for center Mason Plumlee, right, in the frontcourt. energy to right the ship in a more consistent direction.

Charlotte has three home games in the next week — Wednesday (Detroit), Saturday (Milwaukee) and Monday (Milwaukee) — to try and attempt to inch its way up the Eastern Conference standings. A

sixth-place finish would grant the Hornets their first best-of-7 playoff series since 2016 and avoid an all-too-familiar fate like the one they suffered last year when the Pacers’ 144-117 victory in the playin tournament opener quickly ended their season.

Mr. Automatic

ed by last year’s pandemic-impacted season, Sciba is expected to return next year to add to his legacy.

The transfer portal and the prospect of the draft could change the picture of Wake’s roster quickly, but at the moment things appear bright for the Deacs heading into the year after their breakthrough season.

Nick Sciba rewrote the record books as Wake’s kicker for the last four years, becoming the all-time leading scorer in school history and the second most accurate field goal kicker in NCAA history.

Thanks to the extra year afford-

The 3 big questions nob

A7

normal

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home hina lied about the origin of the ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after thisthanks COVID-19 virus cavalierofmanner in which C orders to local ordissipates state governments,The a majority Americans THIS WEEK, virus, according to members ofTHE theand fede ed to tell the world there were only “THIS IS DA around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this covered up its spread tr are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.” and state and local governments, Americans have ldwide panic, economic collapse and in it” (Psalm 118:24). catastrophe one way or another.

3,341 related deaths has led to wo Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. ce or stay-at-home fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of the virus thetoneed the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The e eing thrown out of work.

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by Chinastay-at-home in perspective, zero millions of Americans needlessly orders go into June. 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 at least $2.4 trillion in added working from home worldwide pandemics can trace their source to theCarolina, United States over Gov.The has cost the U.S. taxp Here in North Democratic Roycrisis Cooper stated during normal.” questions about the data, and when things can start getting back to have abided by recommendations and orders.

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1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic also had its origins in China. measures immediate fear justification for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we COVID-19 know yet” if the process of returning back to normalcy.

According to theseasons University of Washington Institu For me, my faith is government There is 100% agreement, outside oftransparency China, thatofCOVID-19 depreciation. must do this out an abundance Easter of caution.” is China’s No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those Metrics and Evaluation model most oft cited by m ant ways and decisions through making.

As I celebra and honesty originated in at Wuhan Province probably from the completely China has to pay for their aberr provide a all levels It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who sked as to the And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over and the unsanitary wet markets. administration, theand expected need for hosp plomacy has obviouslyquestions. not worked Corinthians 1:4, whi Chernobyl. unregulated believe it Trump came of at a home economic financial means.

D fromSome our to are being told remain joblessout and message offor an undetermined become a ue ones like “we country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, peak outbreak was revised down by over 120,000, orld of 21st century health, hygiene affliction, so that we biowarfare lab run by the communist Chinese army. to bring China into the civilized scientific amount of timeexperts why models predicting hundreds of cases w hope that we13,000 willof thousands bad thing? thethe more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about ventilators by nearly and the number of ov unist regimes never take blame affliction, withcomm the co Until China adopts rigorous verifiable policing and regulation of and fair trade.

Totalitarian are reliable.

— we need to once again enjoy of this state who when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand August by nearly 12,000. rse, because that is not what God.” That is what their food safety and health protocols, American business has no other or express sincere regret and rem To know date, what I’ve gone what the state has asked and then they along with ndetermined answers.

Here’s the problem: We still don’t know the answ sporting events, take advantage of every weakness If you are celebrat choice than tofree build redundant manufacturing totalitarian do. They citizens mandated thatplants we do,elsewhere but alongpurely the way I’ve also had governments questions about housands of cases Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they know, what they questions that will allow the economy to reopen. pushing until they win or the reflect on this concerts, family for national security safety reasons as well supply andleaders delivery they find in adversaries andmessa keep the data.

StateasRepublican have, too. living inand a free can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but concerns. answer First, what is the true coronavirus fatality and rate?c God’s example don’t and when reliability adversaries push back. gatherings, Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with society edhappens and then with details that give their statements believability. important because That it determines whether certain nt such asThe the Chernobyl this difficult Th The most direct waywere to make China “pay”hope for this is to offer is, unless an exogenous they to disaster corruption. financial squeeze resulting sometimes a disturbing tendency among people to treat thosetime. ev 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 — S elieve that event, not the Staropportunities Wars confident we will em supposed from COVID-19 offers for a U.S. tax credits to companies whosimply willknow source at least half of their meltdown in 1986.

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Let’sUnion first examine what production back in the States.

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Matthews manyas people are dying home. d to operate as I’m responsible of undertaking to save our own economy, notmany of defeated enemies in the NEW BERNStacey — citizens It is at about timenot they expect way too memories of a painful experience I’d prefer to are repeat. something has gone drastically wrong ed I will.

After and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Even more importantly, we have no clue how ma ation. CarolinaEast Medical Center past. the world like any other modern n But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has in academia, especially within certain 2009 pandemic, actually have coronavirus. Some scientists suggest China has been cheating, stealing, pirating and pillaging American has been named one of fields within the humanities.

They call of this brings up of identified business now for the past 30 years. They have made no secret that theycases could be an order of magnitude these fields “grievance studies,” where America’s 100 Best Hospitals Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill,coronavirus senior opinion efer notscholarship to repeat. is not so much based upon number of people who have had and n intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and for Patient Experience by the st everyone has finding truth but upon attending to replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

Women’s ChoiceGrievance Award®, ascholars social grievances. referral sourceadministrators for the best and other bully students, departments into adhering in healthcare.

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That is why will written seeking a job. measure us I’m how the Fedasmay have to in for help, providing patient dState and Insurrection. hadLegal figured out what they were doing. Veronika Dolar, Professor worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will.

After and is a regular contributor to Re raise interest rates, but it will likely a sense of the share of working-age be watching one number particurecovery information, Some papers accepted for publication population whothe are 2009 making them- larly closely in 2022: median usual also be a major factor in who gains of Economics, SUNY Old suffering from the H1N1 virus (swine flu) during pandemic, explanation about advocated training in academic journals weekly earnings. selves available to all work. most in the midterm elections.

Westbury I’ve been trying to take extra Reprecautions, because of this brings up men like dogs before and punishing In short, this data point tells From the 1970s throughnot theto turn search has found that high inflation medications being white male way too many memories of a painful experience I’ d prefer repeat. college students for historical slavery by us of the century, there was an almost rates – and especially gas prices – Americans, especially those on administered, bathroom But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has how much the typical worker – asking them to sit in silence on the floor in incomes, have felt the pinch are strongly correlated with disap- uninterrupted increase in the labor rather than the average one, which low and room cleanliness, chains during class and to be expectedoftohigher prices in recent months. proval in the president’s job perfor- force participation as more women can be misleading – receives in prepeacefulness of room Other papers learn from the discomfort. joined the workforce. During that tax pay each week, adjusted for inThe price people pay for everything mance. celebrated morbid obesity as a healthyfrom life fish to gasoline has soared, at night, and patient period, it rose from a low of roughly flation. Anyone who manages a choice and advocated treating privatelywith the pace of change the highest Will Americans return to the 60% to an all-time high of 67.3% in budget knows that how much you recommendation rating. conducted masturbation as a form of it’s been in decades. make is only half the story. Prices the first quarter of 2000. workforce?

In addition Patient sexual violenceto against women. Typically,Inflation is a sustained, generalFrom the early 2000s until the matter just as much. “Real” weekExperience, CarolinaEast academic journal editors send submitted pandemic hit, the participation rate ly earnings are adjusted based on ized increase in the prices of many Marlon Williams, Assistant papers to referees for review. In goods and services in an econo- Professor of Economics, rankedout among America’s steadily declined and was about the cost of consumer goods. Highrecommending 63% at the end of 2019. It fell sharp- er prices mean that families can afmy. Inflation erodes consumers’ University of Dayton Best Hospitalsacceptance in Cancer for publication, many reviewers gave these papers glowing ly in April 2020 as the U.S. began a ford to buy less with the same pay, purchasing power and the value of Care, Minimally Invasive praise.

The labor force participation rate period of lockdowns to try to con- so their real earnings would fall. their cash, in effect reducing their Surgery, PoliticalObstetrics, scientist Zach Goldberg ranreal incomes.

The prices of everything from is not one of the “big three” macro- tain the rapid spread of COVID-19, certain grievance studies concepts through Orthopedics, Outpatient A modern economy has mil- economic indicators – gross domes- reaching a nearly 50-year low of used cars to chicken are rising at the Lexis/Nexis the fastest rate in a decade. These lions of goods and services whose tic product, inflation and the unem- 60.2% that month.

Experience anddatabase, Patient to see how often they appeared in our press over the years. increases will cut into families’ buyAlthough the rate has recovered ployment rate – that economists, prices are continually quivering in Safety. The SECU He found huge increases in the usagesthe breezes of supply and demand. financial markets and journalists somewhat, it continues to flounder ing power and threaten to stall an Comprehensive Cancer of “white privilege,” “unconscious bias,”How can all of these shifts be boiled slavishly follow. As a matter of fact, below 62% because of a combina- already slow economic rebound. “critical theory” and “whiteness.” down to a single inflation rate?

Center race at CarolinaEast Before the pandemic, real weekit might not even make the top 10. tion of factors brought on or exacerAll of thisCenter is beingopened taught to As with many problems in eco- But it is one of the variables that I bated by the pandemic, such as fear ly earnings were on the rise as hisMedical itscollege students, many of whom become primary nomic measurement, the concep- will be following especially closely about returning to a physical workdoors in January 2020 and and secondary school teachers who then place and pandemic-related ben- See ECONOMY, page B6 tual answer is reasonably straight- in 2022. the facility ranked in the indoctrinate our young people. top 2% out of the the 4,728 I doubt whether coronaviruscaused financial crunch hospitals considered will give college and university administrators, who are a across the United States. crossbreed between a parrot and jellyfish, capital markets and asset manageSimilarly, CarolinaEast the guts and backbone to restore academic ment. offers Orthopedic services respectability.

Far too often, they get much Frank B. Holding Jr., First Citiof their political support from campus and ranked in the top 4% zens chairman and chief executive grievance are members of the officer, said, “We’re very pleased to out of thepeople same who number of faculty and diversity and multicultural have received regulatory approvals hospitals. administrative offices. as we continue our preparations “These The best service hope lieslines withare boards of for completing this transformatrustees, many serve as yes-men some wethough are extremely tional merger. We look forward to Completion of the proposed Deal will place Raleigh famfor the university a combining the capabilities of both merger is expected to occur as soon proud of and arepresident. grateful I think that ily-run bank among top 20 good start would be to find 1950s or 1960s banks to serve a broader specas this month. The combined com- “We look forward to for the recognition of banks in nation catalogs. Look at the course offerings at trum of businesses and individupany will operate under the First combining the capabilities each.graduates Deliveringknew how aexcellence time whenin college als, while offering even more conCitizens name and establish a top to write andpatient compute, and makeBy Emily Roberson anread, outstanding venience, scale and value.”

20 bank in the United States based of both banks to serve them today’s is curricula.

Another helpful Ellen R. Alemany, CIT chairon assets. The merger will bring to- a broader spectrum of North State Journal experience among the tool would be to give careful consideration woman and chief executive ofgether First Citizens Bank’s retail most important things we to eliminating all classes/majors/minors RALEIGH — First Citi- franchise and full suite of bank- businesses and individuals, ficer, said, “This marks anothdo. It takesthe a team caring such as zens BancShares, Inc., the par- ing products and CIT’s nationwide containing word of “studies,” er key milestone in our journey to while offering even more women, Asian, that blackall orplay queer professionals a studies. ent company of First-Citi- commercial lending franchise and build on the extensive expertise convenience, scale and I’d bet that by restoring the traditionalzens Bank & Trust Company, direct online bank. of CIT and First Citizens and leversignificant role in receiving academic mission to colleges, they would age the best of both companies to Raleigh-headquartered First value.” and CIT Group Inc., the parent these awards and I thank put a serious dent into the COVID-19 company of CIT Bank, N.A., joint- Citizens is one of the largest famdeliver greater opportunities for each and every member budget shortfall. our clients and support the needs ly announced that their previous ily-controlled banks in the United Frank B. Holding, Jr., First Citizens of the CarolinaEast team of our communities.” proposal to merge the two com- States. Founded in 1898, the bank Walter E. Williams is aat professor of panies has received approval from provides a range of financial prod- chairman and CEO for being remarkable Upon completion of the merger, economics at George Mason University. bank officials say there will be no the Board of Governors of the Fed- ucts and operates a network of what they do,” said Ray eral Reserve System. The merger branches in 19 states that include segment includes commercial fi- immediate change to customers’ Leggett, President and CEO, nancing, community association current accounts, and they will be had previously received approvals many high-growth markets.

CarolinaEast Health System.

CIT is a national bank and banking, middle market banking, able to continue to access their acfrom the Federal Deposit Insur-

business & economy

Fixingn.c. college corruption FAST

FACTS

A6

Approved Logos

north STA

VISUAL VOICES

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

Inflation, workforce participation and real wages: 3 key indicators for monitoring the economy in 2022

First Citizens, CIT announce receipt of regulatory approvals for merger

ance Corporation and the Office of the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks.

part of a financial holding company with over a century of experience. CIT’s commercial banking

equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and

counts as they do today—through their current websites, mobile apps and branch locations.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B6

For the week ending 12/30

Total Cash & Bond Proceeds

$2,456,286,389 Add Receipts

$235,903,318 Less Disbursements

$194,545,552 Reserved Cash

$569,261,456 Unreserved Cash Balance Total

$5,646,249,125 Loan Balance:

$440.3M

ECONOMY from page B5 torically low unemployment rates forced companies to pay more to attract workers. In the second quarter of 2020, real earnings suddenly spiked – primarily because millions of low-wage workers lost their jobs because of lockdowns, and so their incomes weren’t being calculated in the figure. Earnings subsequently fell back to pre-pandemic levels as low-wage workers returned to work.

Now there are signs that wages could again be on the rise for some workers. For example, service workers have been quitting their jobs in droves, in part in search of better pay with other employers.

Given the ongoing labor shortage, some companies seem to have had little choice but to raise wages.

One concern economists have about these wage hikes is that employers might react by raising prices further to help pay for them.

This in turn could prompt workers to demand higher wages. Economists call this a “wage-price spiral,” which if allowed to spin out of control could lead to stagflation – slow growth, high inflation – or worse.

The direction that real earnings take in 2022 will have a major impact on families’ spending and the pace of economic growth. Consumer spending makes up nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity each year.

I will be watching this number carefully this year to see how the competing forces of increasing prices and rising wages ultimately shape the fragile pandemic economic recovery.

JOHN LOCHER | AP PHOTO

Crowds enter the convention center on the first day of the CES tech show ,Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas.

CES gadget show stages a wary return amid COVID-19 The Associated Press Is anyone going to CES this year?

A long-simmering question in the tech world will finally get its answer as the influential gadget show returns to the Las Vegas Strip after a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know it will be a smaller show this year, for obvious reasons,” said Jean Foster, senior vice president at the Consumer Technology Association, the event’s organizer. Several huge tech companies have abandoned plans to attend in person.

The latest sign of its dwindling size was Friday’s announcement that CES will run one day shorter than originally planned.

The sprawling exhibition floors open Wednesday as the spread of COVID-19’s omicron variant has heightened concerns about the safety of indoor events and disrupted international travel. The CTA by late December was anticipating between 50,000 and 75,000 attendees for this week’s conference, down from more than 170,000 who came for the last in-person gathering two years ago.

Some CES devotees were considering whether to go or stay home right up until last week.

“An online CES is not a real CES,” said Prince Constantijn of

the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in a December interview. “You’ve got to see the products and meet the people.” But a week later, the royal who regularly serves as a special envoy for Dutch technology startups had opted to stay home after all. His country is sending a barebones crew to CES 2022. So are many big tech companies — if they send anyone at all.

The last physical CES in January 2020 pumped an estimated $300 million into the Las Vegas economy. Few attendees would have known then about the coronavirus outbreak emerging in central China and still months away from being declared a pandemic. The CTA took the conference online in 2021 as COVID-19 hospitalizations were spiking around the world and vaccines weren’t yet widely available.

The trade group announced eight months ago it was ready to come back to Nevada in 2022 but would offer options for remote participants to see some of it virtually. Those who do travel to CES are required to show they are fully vaccinated and will be given a COVID-19 test kit with their conference badges. Masks are required inside.

“CES is maybe the most significant event economically of the year in terms of conventions,” said Alan Feldman, a former ca-

sino executive who is a fellow at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Even a significantly reduced event will be “something to look forward to” for local hotels, restaurants, casinos, retailers and entertainment crews, Feldman said.

With a smaller audience and the same sprawling footprint occupied by some 2,000 exhibitors, and a desire to keep people distanced, the CTA’s Foster said the “main change for people” will be more empty space and wider aisles.

Much about the omicron coronavirus variant remains unknown but scientists say it spreads even more easily than other coronavirus strains. Adding to the complications for CES this week were thousands of U.S. flights canceled because of winter storms in parts of the country and ongoing airline staffing shortages tied to COVID-19 infections. About 5% of scheduled flights into Las Vegas were grounded Monday, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Even without a pandemic to dampen the party, tech industry analyst Carolina Milanesi said “big industry events like this are becoming less important than they used to be” as digital technology has supplied other ways to network and keep up

with trends.

CES used to stand for Consumer Electronics Show, but Milanesi said the decades-old gathering has become less a place to find the next line of consumer gadgetry and more focused on longer-term technology cycles, like self-driving cars or the artificial intelligence applications being fused into smart homes and cities.

“You no longer go to CES to see what’s going to be in the Best Buy near you by summer,” Milanesi said.

New expo categories centered around the digital assets called non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, as well as space technology and food, reflect the latest tech buzzwords on the minds of investors and marketers. Some companies also plan to hype their vision for the next generation of the internet – a collection of virtual worlds known as the metaverse — though explored from the confines of a physical convention floor.

Milanesi has regularly attended CES for a decade to keep an eye on tech companies and trends but public health concerns led her to mull over whether she’d go this time. She made a final decision in mid-December to attend, but plans to do things differently — visiting the exhibition halls but skipping big speaking events she can watch from her hotel room.

“I haven’t decided yet on the cocktail hours,” she said. “That’s a big reason to go to CES and meet people face to face. With a glass in your hand, people get a little more comfortable discussing things.”

New auto sales up in 2021, but long way before full recovery The Associated Press DETROIT — U.S. new vehicle sales rebounded slightly last year from 2020’s dismal numbers, but forecasters expect them to be more than 2 million below the years before the coronavirus pandemic.

The reason? Although there are plenty of customers who want to buy new vehicles at hefty prices, there still aren’t enough computer chips available for the industry to fully crank up its factories. So supplies are short, prices are high, and many customers can’t get what they want.

“Demand is not off at all,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Cox Automotive. “What is off is sales, because the inventory doesn’t exist.”

Cox expects 2021 sales to be 14.9 million vehicles, up 2.5% from 2020, the year the pandemic hit the U.S. and forced the industry to shut down for eight weeks. But over the five years before the pandemic, sales averaged 17.3 million. Most automakers will release December and full-year sales numbers on Tuesday.

Analysts and industry executives expect chip supplies to slowly improve this year, with more available in the second half.

But it’s not certain when they’ll get back to pre-pandemic levels.

The average gas-powered vehicle has about 1,000 chips, and electric vehicles can have more than

“Demand is not off at all.

What is off is sales, because the inventory doesn’t exist.”

Michelle Krebs, Cox Automotive executive analyst double that number.

IHS Markit analyst Phil Amsrud, who follows automotive chips, said supplies won’t improve immediately.

“We’re seeing 2022 as being an improvement over 2021, but it’s not going to start January third or fourth,” he said, adding that the second half should be better than the first.

There are signs that the number of vehicles on dealer lots is growing, though. It rose to more than 1 million last month for the first time since August, Krebs said. But that’s still 1.5 million below 2020 and 2.5 million fewer than in 2019.

Cox is predicting that U.S. new vehicle sales sales will increase by more than 1 million this year, to around 16 million.

Amsrud attributed the vehicle inventory growth more to automakers managing the chip shortage better, rather than any dramatic growth in chip supplies. Many have diverted the chips they get to more expensive models with higher profit mar-

KEITH SRAKOCIC | AP PHOTO

A pair of 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E are displayed for sale at a Ford dealer on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Wexford, Pa. gins.

Because of strong demand and low supplies, J.D. Power says the average new vehicle price rose to $45,743 in December, 20% higher than a year ago and the first time it finished above $45,000.

Sedans definitely aren’t driv-

ing demand for new vehicles.

J.D. Power reports that SUVs and pickup trucks accounted for a record 80.2% of new vehicle sales in December.

Cox is predicting that Toyota outsold General Motors in the U.S. for the first time in history.

That’s largely because GM was hit harder by the chip shortage, especially early in the year.

Krebs, meanwhile, isn’t sure if GM will be able to unseat Toyota this year because Toyota has managed the chip shortage better and has a faster distribution.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B7

2021 Lexus IS 350

Improved, but not quite enough Some perfectly executed elements offset by old design

By Jordan Golson North State Journal SAN DIEGO — I love simple things executed well.

Whether we’re talking the perfect medium-rare steak or a beach sunset, there’s a tremendous amount of joy to be found in the little things.

I’ve driven many Lexus vehicles and, though the cars aren’t perfect, they get a lot of little things right. That includes the Lexus IS 350, a compact sports sedan extensively reworked for 2021.

Take the steering wheel. It’s pleasingly compact but chunky in all the right places. Sliding into the driver’s seat, it’s the first thing you notice, and it makes a great impression. It gives a great feeling when you’re driving, too, reminding you that the IS is a sporty and agile car, ready to go when you are.

And the engine, a wonderfully free-revving 3.5L naturally aspirated V6, makes 311 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Engines are a Lexus specialty, and this one is a peach. My IS 350 was rearwheel-drive, though an AWD version is available. Lexus says the IS 350 runs 0-60 mph in just 5.6 seconds.

From a driving perspective, the IS 350 is excellent. Sure, there are other cars out there with more power or faster 0-60 times,

PHOTOS COURTESY LEXUS

but the IS 350 executes so well on the little things that it makes up for it. Lexus also makes an IS 500 that packs quite a bit more oomph from its 5.0L V8, so if you want more power, it’s out there.

I like the feel of the shifter and the seating position, and the color of my test car was a gorgeous blue that the Lexus marketing team named Grecian Water.

The most significant change for 2021 is the addition of a 10.3-inch touchscreen (up from 8-inches thanks to the upgraded Mark Levinson audio system for $2,750) sitting high above the

center stack. Prior IS models (and nearly every Lexus model from the past half-decade or so) had no touchscreen, instead relying on an awful Lexus trackpad to move a cursor around the screen. The trackpad is still in the IS, but you can thankfully ignore it because of the touchscreen.

The IS supports wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and you should make sure to plug your phone in because the stock infotainment system is old and terrible. Lexus knows it too, and there’s a vastly improved system coming in future models.

Of course, it includes a full safety suite with adaptive cruise and blind-spot monitoring and all the rest. There’s also something called Lane Tracing Assist that helps steer the vehicle on the highway, but it’s a far cry from some of the more advanced driver assist systems on the market.

You can’t take your hands off the wheel for more than a second or two, but it’s there.

The IS 350 RWD starts at $43,925, but mine was chock full of upgrades and totaled $54,765.

I had Intuitive Parking Assist ($1,400) that included rear pe-

destrian detection and automatic braking if you’re about to back into something.

There was the F Sport Dynamic Handling Package ($4,200) with upgraded (and gorgeous) 19-inch matte black BBS wheels, an adaptive variable suspension, a limited-slip diff, and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. Triple-beam LED headlamps ($1,250), a power moonroof ($1,100), and the aforementioned upgraded Mark Levinson audio system ($2,750) also joined the party.

But all is not perfect, by any stretch. Though it has many lovely parts, the interior is still woefully outdated. The center stack hasn’t changed much since the end of the Obama years, with clunky controls for adjusting the temperature and that horrible trackpad, and there’s just a lot of wasted space. In front of the gear shift, for example, is where I wanted to put my phone, but it’s angled up slightly and is made of hard plastic, so my phone just slid off as soon as the car moved at all.

The cruise control is the oldstyle Lexus/Toyota stalk instead of the usual buttons on the wheel, and the dash cluster gets the job done, but it’s not nearly as pretty as it should be for the price.

So the Lexus IS 350 has many perfectly executed elements but is ultimately compromised by some out-of-date tech and design. Lexus has done the best it could with what is basically a significant mid-cycle refresh, and there are improvements to many parts of the car. But the one directly in front of you, the thing you touch and see most of all, is that inadequate center stack.

The giant touchscreen helps a lot, but I feel the next IS (which is a few years away) will be the one I’m excited by.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B8

features

JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

From left, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland and Zendaya arrive at the premiere of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at the Regency Village Theater on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Los Angeles.

2021 box office closes with more fireworks for ‘Spider-Man’ The Associated Press NEW YORK — Hollywood closed out 2021 with more fireworks at the box office for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which topped all films for the third straight week and already charts among the highest grossing films ever. But even with all the champagne popping for “No Way Home,” the film industry heads into 2022 with plenty of reason for both optimism and concern after a year that saw overall ticket revenue double that of 2020, but still well off the pre-pandemic pace.

Movie theaters began the year mostly shuttered but ended it with a monster smash. Sony Pictures’ Marvel sequel “No Way Home” grossed an estimated $52.7 million over the weekend to bring its three-week total to $609.9 million. That ranks 10th all-time in North America. Worldwide, it’s made $1.37 billion, a total that

puts it above “Black Panther” and makes it the 12th highest grossing film globally.

“No Way Home,” Tom Holland’s third standalone film as the webslinger, gave a huge lift to the box-office recovery that started in earnest last spring when U.S. cinemas opened after a year of COVID-19 closures. Marvel films dominated the turbulent year, accounting for the top four movies of 2021: “No Way Home,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Black Widow.”

The North American box office in 2021 amounted to $4.5 billion, according to data firm ComScore.

That’s about 60% down from 2019 — back before the days of masked moviegoers, social distancing and virus variants like the currently surging omicron.

Whether the movies will ever reach those pre-pandemic totals again is uncertain, given that ex-

clusive theatrical windows have since shrunk, studios have experimented with hybrid releases and little besides superhero films are packing theaters. Partly due to COVID-19 disruptions, the 2022 release schedule is unusually packed with potential blockbusters, including “The Batman,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Avatar 2.”

Second place over the weekend went to Universal Picture’s animated sequel “Sing 2.” It took in $19.6 million in its second weekend to bring its two-week total to $89.7 million. That’s a steady result given that family movies and films skewing toward older moviegoers have been the slowest to bounce back during the pandemic.

“Sing 2” added another $54.9 million internationally. It’s trajectory should make it the top animated release of the pandemic.

But after “No Way Home” and “Sing 2,” there was little that appealed to moviegoers over the holiday weekend.

“The King’s Man,” the third installment in Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman” series, grossed a modest $4.5 million in its second week after a lackluster debut. But that was still good enough for third place. The Disney release, produced by 20th Century Studios, has made $47.8 million globally.

Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” sold $2.1 million in tickets in its fourth weekend. While holding well (the film dropped 26% from the week prior), the once-envisioned holiday upswing for the acclaimed musical hasn’t materialized. “West Side Story” has grossed a disappointing $29.6 million domestically.

After flopping on its debut last week, Warner Bros.’ “The Matrix Resurrections” dropped a steep 64% in its second weekend with $3.8 million. The film is simultaneously streaming on HBO Max, a 2021 practice that the studio has pledged to end in 2022.

The long-in-coming “Matrix” reboot was even edged by the second week of the Kurt Warner NFL drama “American Underdog,” which

grossed $4.1 million for Lionsgate.

One of the only new releases of the week was Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria,” with Tilda Swinton. Its distributor, Neon, has laid out a novel strategy for the art-house release, playing the film in only one theater at a time, with no plans for a future streaming or physical release. “Memoria” started its quixotic, cross-country journey with $52,656 since opening Dec. 16 at New York’s IFC Center.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” $52.7 million.

2. “Sing 2,” $19.6 million.

3. “The King’s Man,” $4.5 million.

4. “American Underdog,” $4.1 million.

5. “The Matrix Revolutions,” $3.8 million.

6. “West Side Story,” $2.1 million.

7. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” $1.4 million.

8. “Licorice Pizza,” $1.2 million.

9. “A Journal for Jordan,” $1.2 million.

10. “Encanto,” $1.1 million.

Document Prince Andrew claims prevents lawsuit is released The Associated Press NEW YORK — A woman who says she was sexually trafficked to Britain’s Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein accepted $500,000 in 2009 to settle her lawsuit against the American millionaire and anyone else “who could have been included as a potential defendant,” according to a court record unsealed Monday.

The prince’s lawyers say that language should bar Virginia Giuffre from suing Andrew now, even though he wasn’t a party to the original settlement.

The private 2009 legal deal resolved Giuffre’s allegations that Epstein had hired her as a teenager to be a sexual servant at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Andrew was not named in that lawsuit, but Giuffre had alleged in it that Epstein had flown her around the world for sexual encounters with numerous men “including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and/ or professional and personal acquaintances.”

The settlement unsealed Monday also doesn’t mention Andrew, but contains a single paragraph saying it protects anyone “who could have been included as a potential defendant” from being sued by Giuffre.

Attorney Andrew Brettler, representing the prince, has told a Manhattan federal court judge that the agreement should release Andrew “from any purported liability.”

Attorney David Boies, who represents Giuffre, said in a statement Monday that the language about protecting potential defendants in the settlement between

STEVE PARSONS/POOL PHOTO VIA AP, FILE

In this Sunday, April 11, 2021, file photo, Britain’s Prince Andrew speaks. during a television interview at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, England, Sunday, April 11, 2021. his client and Epstein was “irrelevant” to the prince’s lawsuit in part because the paragraph did not mention the prince and he didn’t know about it.

“He could not have been a ‘potential defendant’ in the settled case against Jeffrey Epstein both because he was not subject to jurisdiction in Florida and because the Florida case involved federal claims to which he was not a part,” Boies said.

Boies said he wanted the Epstein-Giuffre agreement public-

ly released “to refute the claims being made about it by Prince Andrew’s” public relations campaign.

Giuffre sued the prince in August, saying he had sexually assaulted her multiple times in 2001 when she was 17.

The prince’s lawyers say Andrew never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre and that he “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations against him.”

They also wrote that Giuffre sued Andrew “to achieve another

payday at his expense and at the expense of those closest to him.

Epstein’s abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew.”

Arguments over the request to dismiss the lawsuit are scheduled for Tuesday.

Recently, the prince’s lawyers have said Giuffre should be disallowed from suing in the U.S. because she has lived most of the past two decades in Australia and can’t accurately claim to be a resident of Colorado, where her

mother lives.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has rejected an attempt by the lawyers to halt progression of the lawsuit and to subject Giuffre to a deposition over the issue of where she is a resident.

In late 2019, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that he never had sex with Giuffre, saying, “It didn’t happen.”

He said he has “no recollection” of ever meeting her.

The interview was widely panned by critics who said Andrew seemed insensitive to Epstein’s victims. Afterward, the prince stepped back from royal duties.

A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Giuffre’s lawyers and with Brettler.

Epstein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 as he awaited trial in the U.S. on sex trafficking charges that didn’t involve Andrew.

His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, was convicted last week in Manhattan on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges related to several women after a month-long trial. Giuffre was not one of the alleged victims in that case.

Judge Alison J. Nathan, who presided over the trial, asked lawyers on both sides to suggest when a sentencing date should be set and when a trial should be scheduled on perjury charges that were severed from the other charges Maxwell faced.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Giuffre has done.

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B9

Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, dies at 99 The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the loopy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” died on Friday.

She was 99.

She would have turned 100 on Jan. 17.

Her death brought tributes from celebrities and politicians alike.

“We loved Betty White,” first lady Jill Biden said as she left a Delaware restaurant with President Joe Biden, who added: “Ninety-nine years old. As my mother would say, God love her.”

“She was great at defying expectation,” Ryan Reynolds, who starred alongside her in the comedy “The Proposal,” tweeted. “She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We’ll miss you, Betty.”

White launched her TV career in daytime talk shows when the medium was still in its infancy and endured well into the age of cable and streaming. Her combination of sweetness and edginess gave life to a roster of quirky characters in shows from the sitcom “Life With Elizabeth” in the early 1950s to oddball Rose Nylund in “The Golden Girls” in the ‘80s to “Boston Legal,” which ran from 2004 to 2008.

But it was in 2010 that White’s stardom erupted as never before.

In a Snickers commercial that premiered during that year’s Super Bowl telecast, she impersonated an energy-sapped dude getting tackled during a backlot football game.

“Mike, you’re playing like Betty White out there,” jeered one of his chums. White, flat on the ground and covered in mud, fired back, “That’s not what your girlfriend said!”

The instantly-viral video helped spark a successful Facebook campaign to have her host “Saturday Night Live.” The much-watched episode won her a seventh Emmy.

A month later, cable’s TV Land premiered “Hot In Cleveland,” which starred Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as three past-their-prime show-biz veterans who move to Cleveland to escape the youth obsession of Hollywood.

They move into a home being

MATT SAYLES | AP PHOTO

Actress Betty White poses for a portrait on the set of the television show “Hot in Cleveland” in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. looked after by an elderly Polish widow — a character, played by White, who was meant to appear only in the pilot episode.

But White stole the show, and became a key part of the series, an immediate hit. She was voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

“It’s ridiculous,” White said of the honor. “They haven’t caught on to me, and I hope they never do.”

By then, White had not only become the hippest star around, but also a role model for how to grow old joyously.

“Don’t try to be young,” she told the AP. “Just open your mind.

Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them.”

White remained youthful in part through her skill at playing bawdy or naughty while radiating niceness. The horror spoof “Lake Placid” and “The Proposal” were marked by her characters’ surprisingly salty language. And her character Catherine Piper killed a man with a skillet on “Boston Le-

gal.”

Her role as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Anne Nivens in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which was already a huge hit, was planned as a one-off appearance in 1973, but it would last until the show ended in 1977.

“While she’s icky-sweet on her cooking show, Sue is really a piranha type,” White once said. The role brought her two Emmys as supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 1985, White starred on NBC with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty in “The Golden Girls.” Its cast of mature actors, playing single women in Miami retirement, presented a gamble in a youth-conscious industry. But it proved a solid hit and lasted until 1992.

White played Rose, a gentle, dim widow who drove her roommates crazy with off-the-wall tales of childhood in fictional St. Olaf, Minnesota.

The role won her yet another Emmy, and she reprised it in a short-lived spinoff, “The Golden

Palace.”

White began her television career as $50-a-week sidekick to local Los Angeles TV personality Al Jarvis in 1949. White proved to be a natural for the new medium.

“I did that show 5½ hours a day, six days a week, for 4½ years,” she recalled in 1975.

A sketch she had done with Jarvis turned into a syndicated series, “Life With Elizabeth,” which won her first Emmy.

Off-screen, White tirelessly raised money for animal causes, hosting a syndicated TV show and writing three books on her animal love, which she said stemmed from her family taking care of as many as 15 dogs at a time during the Depression.

Are there any critters she doesn’t like?

“No,” White told the AP. “Anything with a leg on each corner.”

Then what about snakes?

“Ohhh, I LOVE snakes!”

She was born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, and the family moved to Los Angeles when she was a toddler.

“I’m an only child, and I had a mother and dad who never drew a straight line: They just thought funny,” she told The Associated Press in 2015. “We’d sit around the breakfast table and then we’d start kicking it around.”

Her early ambition was to be a writer, and she wrote her grammar school graduation play, giving herself the leading role.

At Beverly Hills High School, her ambition turned to acting, and she appeared in several school plays. Her parents hoped she’d go to college, but instead she took roles in a small theater and played bit parts in radio dramas.

After two very brief marriages in the 1940s, White wed her third and final husband, actor and game show host Allen Ludden, in 1963.

They remained married until his death in 1981.

When asked in 2011 how she had managed to be universally beloved during her decades-spanning career, she summed up with a dimpled smile: “I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.”

Concord, NC 28025 Tax Parcel ID: 0000 Present Record Owners: Mack and Cindy I. Mack

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.

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.

NOTICE OF SALE

the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 18, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Larry W. Mack and Cindy L. Mack, dated November 7, 2001 to secure the original principal amount of $128,981.00, and recorded in Book 3504 at Page 113 of the Cabarrus 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

Address of property:

TAKE NOTICE

CABARRUS IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CABARRUS COUNTY 20sp157 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY LARRY W. MACK AND CINDY L. MACK DATED NOVEMBER 7, 2001 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 3504 AT PAGE 113 IN THE CABARRUS COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA

CUMBERLAND 18 SP 555 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 Kevin W. Heath and Anne J. Heath to TRSTE, Inc., Trustee(s), which was dated July 20, 2007 and recorded on July 26, 2007 in Book 7656 at Page 797, 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

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE Publication Dates: December 29, 2021 and January 5, 2022 21 SP 630

Under and by virtue of power of sale granted to Petitioner pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47C3-116 under a Claim of Lien filed on October 8, 2019 in Cumberland County File Number 19 M 841 (the “Lien”) against Carlton Clark, Jr. (“Respondent”), by Karen Lake Condominium Owners Association, Inc. (“Karen Lake”).

As the beneficiary of the Claim of Lien and pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47C-3-116, Karen Lake seeks to foreclose the Lien, which evidences a valid debt. Respondent defaulted on the payment of the debt represented by the Claim of Lien and the undersigned, J. Haydon Ellis, Trustee, having been substituted as Trustee in said Claim of Lien by an instrument filed with the Cumberland County Clerk of Superior Court on September 21, 2021. The undersigned Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 17 SP 1005

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Fern E. Clark (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Fern E. Clark) to Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, Trustee(s), dated May 8, 2015, and recorded in Book No. 09647, at Page 0729 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

5652 97 0214 Larry Walter

And Being more commonly known as: 5751 Claw Ct, Concord, NC 28025 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Larry Walter Mack and Cindy I. Mack.

The date of this Notice is November 18, 2021.

5751 Claw Ct,

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

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 19, 2022 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 No. 17, Block “E”, in a subdivision known as Revision of Eaglewood Forest, Section Two, according to a plat of same duly recorded in Book of Plats 35, Page 46, Cumberland County Registry.

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

Said property is commonly known as 3613 Yorktown Road, Hope Mills, NC 28348.

A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent

(5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 Kevin Heath and wife, Ann Heath.

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.: 18-19659-FC01

customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 10, 2022 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 known and designated as Unit No. TWO (2), Building No. FIVE (5), Phase III, as shown on a plat or plats entitled Karen Lake Condominiums, recorded in Condominium and Unit Ownership File Book 4, at Page(s) 187-190, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Cumberland County, North Carolina, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description.

to the confirmation of the sale and payoff of the lien 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 Respondent 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.

THISISACOMMUNICATIONFROMADEBT COLLECTOR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection.

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY. TRUSTEE

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 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 CORA, Inc. 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 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

door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 10, 2022 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: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the City of Fayetteville, Seventy First Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot No. 117, in a subdivision known as Beaver Run, Section Three, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Plat Book 76, Page 76, Cumberland County, North Carolina Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 933 Flintwood Road, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

P.I.D.#: 9487-27-3533 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: 3781 - 12516

Property Address: 1837 2 Sardonyx Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303 Parcel Identification No.: 0418-58-8791-003

LLG TRUSTEE LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 20-109732

Parkway,

Suite

400

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are

BY:

J. Haydon Ellis

Attorney at Law

Hutchens Law Firm

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B10 TAKE NOTICE

in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 11, 2022 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 Daniel T. Hayes, Sr. and Sharon Hayes, dated June 2, 2009 to secure the original principal amount of $176,248.00, and recorded in Book 8166 at Page 811 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: 2529 John

McMillan Rd, Hope Mills, NC 28348 Tax Parcel ID: 0 4 3 1-2 75809 Present Record Owners: T. Daniel Hayes, Sr. and Sharon Hayes And Being more commonly known as: 2529 John McMillan Rd, Hope Mills, NC 28348 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Daniel T. Hayes, Sr. and Sharon Hayes.

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.

For additional information, please see Auction.com.

The date of this Notice is November 10, 2021.

LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 12-035136

in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 10, 2022 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 more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 28, Property of R.C. Chance and J.D. Dove, the same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 37, Page 32, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5441 Parkton Road, Hope Mills, North Carolina.

Property address: 5441 Parkton Road Hope Mills, NC 28348 Parcel ID# 0413-56-6927Trustee 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: 1274306 - 11332

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY

21 SP 327

Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Cumberland County, North Carolina, at 2:00 P.M. on January 11, 2022, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: BEING all of Lot 638, in a Subdivision known as Devonwood, Section 2, Part 1, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 39, Page 25, Cumberland County Registry.

Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 7040 Kittridge Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28314. Tax ID: 0408-02-3193 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina General Statutes §105-228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part

Statutes §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold.

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

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Charles Martin Terrian, in the original amount of $158,000.00, payable to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for Residential Mortgage Corp., dated April 20, 2009 and recorded on April 24, 2009 in Book 8132, Page 70, Cumberland County Registry.

thereof with a maximum amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). A deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale and must be tendered in the form of certified funds. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts will be immediately due and owing.

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS WHERE IS. There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owners of the property are Jennifer Seidel, Joshua Ember, Lynetter Noykos, Jeffrey Charles Terrian, Amy Michele Antor.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General

courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on January 10, 2022 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: Premises in Carver’s Creek Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina, described as follows: Being all of Lot 11 of Block D of the West Area Heights, Section 2, Subdivision as shown on plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 27, Page 67, Cumberland County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5027 Onslow Street, Fayetteville, 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: 1985 - 4163

The Premises in Rockfish Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina, described as follows: 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. **FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY** The improvements thereon being known as 800 Connaly Drive, Hope Mills, NC 28348.

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 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: 3410 - 8796

in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 20, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Davidson County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Ray Anthony Pressley and Barbara Jean Pressley, dated June 29, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $42,275.00, and recorded in Book 1711 at Page 104 of the Davidson County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 705 Tussey St, Lexington, NC 27292

Tax Parcel ID: 6735-01-288127 Present Record Owners: Barbara Jean Pressley And Being more commonly known as: 705 Tussey St, Lexington, NC 27292 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Barbara Jean Pressley.

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 November 12, 2021.

LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 21-111288

and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 10, 2022 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: BEGINNING at a railroad spike in the centerline of SR 2294 (commonly known as Holloways Church Road), the said railroad spike being located 0.15 mile from the centerline of intersection with Briggs Road, SR 2299, and the said railroad spike being a corner to Roger Hunt, Book 625, page 704; thence, with Hunt, South 00 deg. 50 min. 48 sec.

East 513.88 feet to an iron pin found in the northern line of Clyde Edinger, Book 601, page 276, third tract; thence, with Edinger’s said line, North 86 deg. 15 min. 40 sec. West 95.78 feet to an iron pin found at William Parker’s southeast corner; thence, with Parker’s eastern line, North 03 deg. 51 min. 25 sec. West 532.73 feet to a railroad stake found in the centerline of Holloways Church Road; thence, with the centerline of the said road, South 79 deg. 03 min. 21 sec.

East 126.12 feet to the BEGINNING, containing 1.309 acres, according to a plat of survey prepared 12.4.95 by J. Todd

Everhart, Registered Land Surveyor, L-3558, as his Job no.

951793.

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

Said property is commonly known as 2964 Holloway Church Road, Lexington, NC 27292.

A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 Charlie Vance Winn.

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.

CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 21SP14 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY DANIEL T. HAYES, SR. AND SHARON HAYES DATED JUNE 2, 2009 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 8166 AT PAGE 811 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

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 21 SP 653

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Doris A. Rich (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Doris A. Rich, Heirs of Doris A. Rich: Ronald Rich, Soraya Rich, Jamal A. Rich) to Law Firm of Jamie Faye Newsom, Trustee(s), dated January 5, 2007, and recorded in Book No. 7470, at Page 248 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

Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substitutedasTrusteeinsaidDeedofTrustbyaninstrument 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

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 66

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Danny Thomas and Ermanese Thomas (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Danny Thomas and Ermanese Thomas) to Landscape Title and Escrow, LLC, Trustee(s), dated February 9, 2016, and recorded in Document No. 04630, in Book No. 09806, at Page 0217 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

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 20 SP 522

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Norris F. Bonner and 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 10, 2022 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 more particularly described as follows:

DAVIDSON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION DAVIDSON COUNTY 21SP101 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY RAY ANTHONY PRESSLEY AND BARBARA JEAN PRESSLEY DATED JUNE 29, 2006 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 1711 AT PAGE 104 IN THE DAVIDSON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default

19 SP 627 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 Charlie V. Winn and Wendy Carol Boan Winn to TRSTE, Inc., Trustee(s), which was dated December 11, 1995 and recorded on December 11, 1995 in Book 968 at Page 1276 and rerecorded/ modified/corrected on January 17, 2017 in Book 2253, Page 947, 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

19 SP 543 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 Robin Ann Van Pelt to PBRE Inc., Trustee(s), which was dated January 22, 2013 and recorded on January 24, 2013 in Book 2088 at Page 107, 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

20 SP 118 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 Gail D. Brice to Gary L. Lackey, Trustee(s), which was dated July 17, 2000 and recorded on July 18, 2000 in Book 1191 at Page 0086, 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

Anchor Trustee Services, LLC Substitute Trustee By: ________________________________________ John P. Fetner, Bar #41811 McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC Attorney for Anchor Trustee Services, LLC 3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 260 Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 404-474-7149 (phone) 404-745-8121 (fax) jfetner@mtglaw.com

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.: 19-20481-FC01

courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 10, 2022 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 KNOWN AND DESIGNATED as Lot Number 12, as shown on the Plat of WINTER GARDEN - PHASE 2B, as recorded in Plat Book 58, page 74, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of DAVIDSON County, North Carolina, reference to said plat 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 6718 Planters Drive, High Point, NC 27265-7983.

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

($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 Robin Ann Van Pelt.

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.: 19-17528-FC01

and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 10, 2022 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 Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, of MIDWAY ACRES, Block F, as shown on a map of same recorded in Plat Book 11, page 26, in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Davidson County, North Carolina.

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

Said property is commonly known as 353 Hill Street, Winston Salem, NC 27107.

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

EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 Gail D. Brice.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.: 10-38765-FC06

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

B11

TAKE NOTICE

JOHNSTON IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 18SP518 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY BARRY L. LEWIS AND TAMMY LEWIS DATED MARCH 28, 2001 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 2036 AT PAGE 487 AND MODIFIED BY AGREEMENT RECORDED ON JULY 16, 2013 IN BOOK 4324 AT PAGE 393 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in the payment of the secured indebtedness and failure to perform the stipulation and agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the owner and holder of the secured debt, the undersigned substitute trustee will expose for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the usual place of sale at the county courthouse of said county at 10:00AM on January 18, 2022 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 Barry L. Lewis and Tammy Lewis, dated March 28, 2001 to secure the original principal amount of $131,250.00, and recorded in Book 2036 at Page 487 of the Johnston County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property:

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION JOHNSTON COUNTY 19SP619 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY BARBARA H. BELLO AND XAVIER C. BELLO DATED AUGUST 27, 2002 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 2280 AT PAGE 174 IN THE JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because 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

21 SP 68 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, JOHNSTON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Ralph W. Daniels and Kenneth W. Hicks a/k/a Kenneth Hicks to Jacqueline B. Amato and Philip M. Rudisill, Trustee(s), which was dated September 9, 2016 and recorded on September 9, 2016 in Book 4829 at Page 311, Johnston 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

19 SP 586 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, JOHNSTON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by John M. Guzi, Jr. and Gary Lee Hollar, Jr. to William R. Echols,, Trustee(s), which was dated July 8, 2009 and recorded on July 13, 2009 in Book 3730 at Page 585, Johnston 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

RANDOLPH AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 19 SP 305

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Norma Ramos and Reynaldo B. Rodriguez (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Norma Ramos and Reynaldo Bello Rodriguez) to Teresa Nixon, Trustee(s), dated October 30, 2008, and recorded in Book No. RE 2101, at Page 971 in Randolph County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modified by the following: A Loan Modification recorded on December 23, 2011, in Book No. RE2264, at Page 1503, 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

UNION 19 SP 800 AMENDED 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 Skyler Thomas Jones to Ryan Douglas Shoaf, Trustee(s), which was dated November 1, 2016 and recorded on November 9, 2016 in Book 06815 at Page 0348, 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

WAKE Notice to Creditors

Notice to Creditors Having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of Antonio Rosas Vega a/k/a Antonio Vega Rosas (2021E-4509), late of Wake County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY 19SP719 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY EUGENE CLIFTON HARRIS AND CAROLYN L. ROGERS DATED DECEMBER 29, 2000 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 8771 AT PAGE 932 RERECORDED ON FEBRUARY 12, 2001 IN BOOK 8806, PAGE 1090 IN THE WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default

15 SP 2011 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 Richard C. Kracke, Jr. to Larry McBennett, Trustee(s), which was dated October 13, 2005 and recorded on October 13, 2005 in Book 011632 at Page 02230, 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 courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM, and

NC

19370

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 19, 2022 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 Barbara H. Bello and Xavier C. Bello, dated August 27, 2002 to secure the original principal amount of $87,071.00, and recorded in Book 2280 at Page 174 of the Johnston County Public Registry.

The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record.

Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: Chaparral Dr, Clayton, NC 27527 Tax Parcel ID: Present Record Owners:

2104

High

05J05200X The Heirs of

courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Johnston County, North Carolina, to wit: Lying and being in Johnston County, North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows:

210 Hwy East, Angier, NC 27501 Tax Parcel ID: Present Record Owners: Lewis

13A01014B L. Barry

And Being more commonly known as: 19370 NC 210 Hwy East, Angier, NC 27501 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Barry L. Lewis.

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

Barbara H. Bello And Being more commonly known as: 2104 High Chaparral Dr, Clayton, NC 27527 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Barbara H. Bello.

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.

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 October 20, 2021.

LLG TRUSTEE LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 09-119932

Parkway,

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

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 November 19, 2021.

LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 19-107902

Parkway,

Suite

400

Beginning at a stake in the building line on the east side of Howell Street, northwest corner of Douglas N. Morgan’s lot, said stake being N. 6 deg. 00 min. E. 274.25 feet from Lizzie Street, runs thence along the building line of Howell Street N. 6 deg. 00 min. E. 110 feet to a stake, corner of Curtis Johnson’s lot; thence with the Johnson line S. 84 deg. 00 min. E. 150 feet to a stake; thence S. 6 deg. 00 min. W. 110 feet to a stake, Morgan’s corner; thence with the Morgan line N. 84 deg. 00 min. W. 150 feet to the point of BEGINNING, according to a map and survey made by William Ragsdale, Jr., Registered Engineer.

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

Said property is commonly known as 610 Howell St, Selma, NC 275760000.

A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 Ralph W. Daniels and All Lawful Heirs of Kenneth W. Hicks.

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.: 21-01646-FC01

conducting the sale on January 18, 2022 at 12:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Johnston County, North Carolina, to wit: BEGINNING at a stake in the eastern line of Massey Street, said stake being North 38 degrees 20 minutes East 147.75 feet along the eastern line of Massey Street from the intersection of the eastern line of Massey Street with the northern line of Oak Street, said stake cornering with the property of Willie Hill; thence along the eastern line of Massey Street North 38 degrees 20 minutes East 77.25 feet to a stake cornering with the property of Mr. Wall; thence along the line of Mr. Wall, South 51 degrees 40 minutes East 145 feet to a stake cornering with the lands of C.L. Richardson; thence along Richardson’s line, South 38 degrees 20 minutes West 77.25 feet to a stake cornering with the property of Willie Hill; thence along the line of Willie Hill, North 51 degrees 40 minutes West 145 feet to the point and place of BEGINNING, according to a plat and survey of the property by William Ragsdale, Jr., Registered Land

Engineer, dated December 17, 1959.

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

Said property is commonly known as 310 North Massey Street, Selma, NC 27576-2517.

A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating 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 John M. Guzi, Jr. 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.: 19-06010-FC02

Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Randolph 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 Asheboro, Randolph County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on January 11, 2022 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Asheboro in the County of Randolph, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at an iron pipe in the eastern right of way line of Timberlane at a point 530 feet South along said right of way line from the center line of Sequoia Avenue, Councilman’s southwest corner; thence with Councilman’s line South 89 degrees 14 minutes East 156.81 feet to an iron pipe; thence South 1 degree 11 minutes West 100 feet to an iron pipe; thence North 89 degrees 14 minutes West 157.39 feet to an iron pipe in the eastern right of way line of Timberlane; thence with said right of way line North 1 degree 31 minutes East 100 feet to the Beginning. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1511 Timberlane Road, Asheboro, 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.

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 U.S. Bank, National Association.

the effective date of the termination.

and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 21, 2022 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit: Lying and being in the City of Waxhaw, Union County, North Carolina containing acres, more or less, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain parcel of land situate in the County of Union, State of North Carolina, being known and designated as follows: All that certain property situated in the Township of Sandy Ridge in the county of Union and State of North Carolina and being described in a deed dated 2/1/2001 and recorded 2/14/01 in Book 1503 Page 362 among the Land Records of the County and State set forth above and referenced as follows: Lot 5, Subdivision Ennis Woods Estates, Plat Book Cabinet G, Plat page File 25. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 730 Ennis Road, Waxhaw North Carolina. Being the same property as conveyed from Substitute Trustee Services, Inc., Substitute Trustee to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as described in Book 5480 Page 358, dated 1/19/2011, recorded 1/24/2011 AND All that certain property situated in the Township of Sandy Ridge in the County of Union and

Having qualified as Co-Executors of the Estate of Betty Rowe Penny a/k/a Betty Lou Penny (Wake 21-E-4755), late of Wake County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of March 2022 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All

corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 24th day of March 2022 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

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 11:00AM on January 21, 2022 the following described real estate and any other improvements which may be situated thereon, in Wake County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Eugene Clifton Harris and Carolyn L. Rogers, dated December 29, 2000 to secure the original principal amount of $95,000.00, and recorded in Book 8771 at Page 932 of the Wake County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property:

6

5

1

3

will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Wake County, North Carolina, to wit: The following

property

is

described as follows:

Being all of Unit 323 of Westpark Condominiums as shown on map recorded in Book Of Maps 1985 Page 1141. Wake Registry, and as shown in Condominium File No. 36, Wake Registry; and as designated and described in the Declaration of Condominium for Westpark Condominiums (The “Declaration”) recorded n Book 3504 Page 457 Wake Registry on June 265, 1,1985 pursuant to the provisions of the Unit Ownership Act, Chapter 47A of the North Carolina General. Statutes together with a .0238095% undivided interest in the common areas and facilities declaration and plat reference is hereby made for a more accurate and particular description of same.

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

Said property is commonly known as 323 South West

State of North Carolina and being described as follows: Lot 5A, Ennis Woods Estates, Plat Book Cabinet G, Plat Page File 25, Together with improvements located thereon; said property being the designated drainage field for Lot 5, Ennis Woods Estate, which is located at 730 Ennis Road, Waxhaw, North Carolina.

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

Said property is commonly known as 730 Ennis RD, Waxhaw, NC 28173.

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

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

persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

Co-Executors of the Estate of Betty Rowe Penny a/k/a Betty Lou Penny

This the 5th day of January 2022.

c/o Lisa M. Schreiner

Melanie L. Penny, Melinda P. Canady and Melissa P. Murphy

P.O. Box 446

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

This the 5th day of January 2022.

Linda Vega Administrator of the Estate of Antonio Rosas Vega a/k/a

Bridgemont Ln, Willow Spring, NC 27592 Tax Parcel ID: Present Record Owners: Carolyn L. Harris

0271216 The Heirs of

And Being more commonly known as: 6513 Bridgemont Ln, Willow Spring, NC 27592 The record owner(s) of the property, as reflected on the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Carolyn L. Harris.

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

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.: 19-19357-FC01

114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 (For publication: 12/15, 12/22, 12/29, 2021 and 1/5/2022

Antonio Vega Rosas

114 Raleigh Street

c/o Lisa M. Schreiner

Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

P.O. Box 446

(For publication: 12/22, 12/29/2021, 1/5/2022 and 1/12/2022)

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.

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 December 8, 2021.

LLG Trustee LLC Substitute Trustee 10130 Perimeter Parkway, Suite Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 333-8107 15-073515

400

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS: If you are

Street, Cary, NC 27511.

Richard Charles Kracke, Jr.

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

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.

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

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: 1275465 - 11339

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.: 15-09927-FC01

B12

North State Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

pen & paper pursuits

sudoku

solutions From December 29, 2021

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 45 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022 | RANDOLPHRECORD.COM

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Randolph record

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Snow in downtown Asheboro Snow falls on Sunset Avenue during the first snowfall of the year in downtown Asheboro, on Jan. 3.

COUNTY NEWS Severe weather closes schools Monday, delays Tuesday A cold front that brought high winds and snow just a day after local temperatures hit 70 degrees resulted in school closures across Randolph County. Asheboro City Schools opened Monday for the new year but had to close Guy B. Teachey Elementary around lunchtime due to power outages.

Randolph County Schools were closed countywide due to high winds and power outages.

Randolph Community College was also closed due to power outages. Schools were delayed by three hours on Tuesday due to cold conditions and possible black ice on roadways.

Asheboro man cuts through on reality show

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record ASHEBORO — ­ This is the week for Chris Moss of Asheboro to be on the air as part of a television reality show.

Moss had an appearance slated as part of “Forged in Fire” on the History Channel. The episode was to air Wednesday night.

“It was just an absolute blast,” Moss said.

In each episode, four bladesmiths compete in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons, with the overall win-

ner receiving $10,000 and the show’s championship title “Forged in Fire Champion.”

The episode with Moss, 34, was filmed in the spring in Connecticut.

“It’s going to be a great episode, and I had the pleasure of meeting and competing against some amazing smiths who have become amazing friends,” Moss said.

Moss has been designing and making knives since age 16. He wasn’t familiar with “Forged in Fire” until viewing the program.

“I didn’t actually start watching the show until about two years

COURTESY PHOTO

Chris Moss of Asheboro was on TV this week. ago and immediately got hooked,” Moss said.

In order to be selected to compete, Moss was involved in an extensive interview process. Once he was finally picked, filming production was halted because of the pandemic, so he had to wait before getting his chance.

Moss’ appearance comes in the 200th episode of “Forged in Fire.”

The show premiered in 2015.

He said fans of the show were able to select the challenges for the smiths in his episode. He said it was a difficult combination.

He said it was exciting to be part of “Forged in Fire,” calling his passion “a lost art form and so this allowed me to be able to show my skill.”

Moss, who was part of a military family and spent since age 10 in the Tidewater area of Virginia, moved to Randolph County about five years ago. He’s self-employed as a manufacturer consultant. His company is DauntlessMFP.com.

“I spend all day making knives for the company,” he said. “I really enjoy the work.”

He’s also a motorcycle builder, having won several awards in that capacity. His background also includes NASA technician involved in aerospace manufacturing.

Moss was putting together a watch party for the episode on History Channel. He wasn’t permitted to discuss details of the episode until it airs.

Randolph Electric restores electrical system Randolph EMC crews made significant progress in repairing damage to its electrical system and restoring power to its member/ owners following Monday’s winter storm. The storm brought wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour, heavy rain and ended with snow falling in the Randolph Electric service area. In the wake of the storm, Randolph Electric experienced a peak of 125 separate outages which affected 8,376 members which represented more than one quarter of all customers.

Home invader arrested A man who broke into a home in southwestern Randolph County and held the occupant hostage was arrested Thursday. On November 17, 2021, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Pisgah Covered Bridge Rd after receiving a 911 call. Upon arrival, deputies received information that Kevin Andrew Blue, who was known to the victim, broke into the residence, assaulted and a restrained the victim. On December 30, 2021, Blue was located by Thomasville Police Department and will have his first appearance in Randolph County court on Wednesday.

County audit shows strong economy, good financial controls North State Journal staff ASHEBORO — In its first meeting of the new year, the Randolph County Board of County Commissioners met with a short agenda.

The primary business of the meeting was to receive a report on the county’s annual audit.

Commissioner Maxton McDowell was not present for the meeting. Board chairman Darrell Frye said McDowell told him it was not COVID but that he had a mild temperature and determined that it was best for him to not attend the meeting. Rep. Pat Hurley (R-Randolph) was also in attendance at the regular meeting of the County Commissioners.

One of the first items on the commissioners’ consent agenda was approval of a budget amendment for a low-income household water assistance program. Federal programs established in 2020 and 2021 provided funds for the establishment of a new emergency wa-

ter and wastewater assistance program. The program is temporary and funds must be spent by September 30, 2023. The funds must be paid to owners or operators of public water systems or treatment works to reduce arrearage of and rates charged to eligible households.

Tracy Murphy, social services director, told the commissioner that the low-income water assistance funds were not on pace to be fully spent. Murphy said the response from the community has been “underwhelming” in terms of the county’s spending of the funds. She said one factor was that other resources were available to people facing water cut-offs due to non-payment.

Murphy said her department would increase their promotion of the resource to make sure any person who is facing a water cut-off knows about the available assistance.

Following approval of the consent agenda, the commissioners heard from April Adams, a partner

with Cherry Bekart LLC who presented the annual audit report. Adams said the audit’s purpose was to ensure the county’s financial statements are reasonable free of material misstatements. The scope of the audit included local, federal and state funding.

Adams said her firm audited ten programs during the past year. The firm issued four opinions — characterized as unmodified opinions — which indicates the auditors were satisfied with the statements audited. “That’s the opinion that you want,” said Adams. “It’s the highest level of assurance that we can give you as a firm that your financial statements are free from material misstatements.”

The firm also looked at the county’s internal controls and found no deficiencies.

Adams also presented briefly about the county’s financial situation. She revealed the county’s colSee COMMISSIONERS, page 2

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Randolph Record for Wednesday, July 21, 2021

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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Randolph Record for Wednesday, July 7, 2021

WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY

7.21.21 7.7.21 1.5.22 #3

WEEKLY FORECAST

HERE’S A LOOK AT WHAT’S COMING TO THE BIG AND SMALL SCREENS NEAR YOU

WEEKLY FORECAST

Randolph

#1

WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY

JULY JUNE 30 21

HI HI

THURSDAY

THURSDAY

88° HI 70° 67° LO 91°

JULY 1JULY 22 HI 91° LO 70°

LO LO PRECIP 15% PRECIP15% 13% PRECIPPRECIP

“Join the “Join the “Join the conversation” conversation”

conversation” Stanly County Journal ISSN: 2575-2278 North NorthState State Journal Journal (USPS 20451) (USPS 20451) Publisher (ISSN 2471-1365) (ISSN 2471-1365) Neal Robbins

Editor

Publisher Publisher Xxx

Neal NealRobbins Robbins Sports Editor Cory Lavalette Editor Editor

Matt Mercer Matt Mercer Senior Opinion Editor Frank Hill Sports Editor Sports Editor

Design Editor Cory Lavalette Cory Lavalette Lauren Rose

Senior Opinion Opinion Editor Editor Senior

Published Frank Hill each Wednesday by Frank Hill North State Media LLC

Design Editor 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Design Editor

Lauren Rose Albemarle, Lauren RoseN.C. 28001 Published each Wednesday Published each Wednesday by(704) North State Media, LLC 269-8461

by North State Media, LLC 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 INFO@STANLYJOURNAL.COM 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609 STANLYJOURNAL.COM Raleigh, N.C. 27609 TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 TO SUBSCRIBE: 704-269-8461 orSUBSCRIBE: online at nsjonline.com TO 704-269-8461 or online at nsjonline.com or Annual online at nsjonline.com Subscription Price: $50.00

Annual Subscription Price: $50.00 Periodicals Postage Paid at Raleigh, Annual Subscription Price: $50.00N.C. and at additional mailing Periodicals Postage Paidoffices. at Raleigh, N.C. and at additional mailing Periodicals Postage Paidoffices. at Raleigh, N.C. POSTMASTER: andStanly at additional mailing offices.

County Journal POSTMASTER: 1550 N.C. Hwy 24/27 W, Send address changes POSTMASTER: Albemarle, N.C. 28001. to: North Statechanges Journal Send address 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 to: North State Journal Raleigh, N.C. 27609 3101 Industrial Dr., Suite 105 Raleigh, N.C. 27609

DEATH NOTICES

♦ Christopher Enos Burris, WEEKLY FORECAST

40, of Oakboro,X DEATH NOTICES SPONSORED BY

♦ Georgia Bernice Siler, 89, of Siler City, died July 15, 2021, at her home. ♦ Harold Eugene “Gene” Anderson, 82, died at his home on Monday, July 12, 2021 in a tragic house fire.

CALL OR TEXT 336-629-7588 ♦ Addie Mae Hunt McLeod, age 79, died July 11, 2021, at Autumn Care in Biscoe.

WEDNESDAY JAN 5

♦ Jonathan Edward Ferree, 50, of Black Mountain, formerly of Asheboro, died July 11, 2021.

HI 52

♦ Mildred Mae Cozart Poole, LOW 36 age 85, of Asheboro, died July PRECIP 20% See OBITS, page 7 9, 2021.

THURSDAY JAN 6 See OBITS, page 7

FRIDAY

JULY 2

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

JULY 23 JULY 3

88° HI LO 67°

HI78° 66° LO

HI89° LO68°

PRECIP 5%

57% PRECIP

PRECIP 20%

SATURDAY

81°HI 62°LO

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JULY 24 JULY 4 HI

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JULY 25 5 JULY

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86° 88° 65° 69°

LO 43% PRECIP 32% 17% PRECIPPRECIP 24% 24% PRECIP

Guide MONDAY TUESDAY

JULY JULY 26 6

TUESDAY

JULY 27

The Randolph HI 87° GuideHIis HI 89° a LO quick look at what’s LO 67° 69° LO PRECIP going on in24% Randolph PRECIP 24% PRECIP County.

88° 69° 24%

Jan. 6 RANDOLPH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Davidson GOP Student Night Featuring Clarence Henderson

RCC pushes more MEETfor THE STAFFstudents as numbers lag 7pm

The Davidson County GOP is hosting its first

By Bob Sutton sion, there’s enrollment of 915. before those classes start.

Randolph Record Student Night featuring Williams said there’s an ef- That’s off slightly from the usual Greensboro civilnever rights “There has been a ranges up to 1,000, fort to bolster enrollment. He cit- number that NBC/AMAZON VIA AP ASHEBORO — Enrollment ed the RCC Commitment Grant, Williams said. pioneer and president better opportunityof to attend “This Is Us,” premiering Jan. 4Colon NBC, left, anddesigned “The Tender a film streaming Jan. enrollment 7 on Traditional numa program as aBar,” funding at Randolph Community the Frederick Douglass Amazon. lege isn’t likely to bounce back to mechanism to fill the gap that’s bers have flattened, but it’s the RCC and not have to worry Foundation of NC, pre-pandemic levels right away not covered by federal or state aid number of high school students about how to pay for it.”

Clarence Henderson. in programs designed for dual endespite a school official pointing to students. er generations to behas accounted Dinner will begin at 6pm rollment that dropped, “There has never been a betout unprecedented financial inpresident Dr. Robert for, including As-the level “We’rescene-stealers just not seeing ter opportunity to attend RCC centives for potential students. and RCC the official meeting ante Blackk and Lyric Ross as Chad Williams, vice president and not have to worry about how of engagement that we had seen,” Shackleford Jr. will start at 7pm.

Malik and Deja. The series re-

PJ Ward-Brown Matt Lauren Frank Cory Original stories old Whoand is “Editor?”

favorites coming this week

for student services at RCC, said a to pay for it,” RCC president Dr. Williams said. turns Tuesday (9 p.m. for break RCC held a EST) one-week decline in high school students in Robert Shackleford Jr. said. “We the 18-episode last chapter. dual enrollment has been the big- meet students exactly where they earlier this month amid the sumare and help them go as far as they mer semester, which began May gest reason for a dip. a year that saw overall ticket rev- STREAMING The Associated Press 24 and concludes July 26. Late “Overall, we’re still seeing a de- can possibly go.” enue double that of 2020, but still registration the 1980s fall semester Beginning with the fall semescline in enrollment comparing to Mark Chestnutt in If you need more for of your well off the pre-pandemic pace.

MOVIES runs through Aug. 10, with classter, qualifying full-time students previous years prior to the pan- Universal Picture’s animated favorites with new storylines, Concert esand beginning Aug.you 16. covwill“Sing be 2” eligible for up to $1,000 demic,” Williams said. “I don’tsequel Disney+ Netflix have stars Matthew McBen Affleck has another winStill Kid dealing withCobra adjustments per semester. know if we’ll getTender to numbers we’veConaughey, spin-off Reese Witherspoon, ered. Karate ning turn in “The Bar,” the 7pm madeitsbecause of thewith coronavirus That makes and attending seen inClooney-directed previous fall semesters.

Kai begins fourth season Johanson Taron RCC George adapta- …Scarlett pandemic, not all The 2021Sefall semesthe most enticingU2’s from a finanWe’re reaching out to memoir every stu-Egerton 10 half-hour episodes. and features frontLiberty Showcase tion of J.R. Moehringer’s ter classes will be in person. standpoint in likely the 16 dent growing we can in wayIsland we can.”mancial ries stars the original karate kid, Some Bono.

The film will be years about upevery on Long Theater, 101 S. use as a Daniel hybridLaRusmodel with a Williams hasrelease been since at thetheschool, fall semester at the Ralph will Macchio, animated thatA starts streaming on two-year Ama- the top Fayetteville Street, face-to-faces he said. He previously workedsoinandmixture school in Video Asheboro wouldTye oftenpandemic.

William of Zabka as Johnny sessions zon Prime on Friday.

Liberty. Ticket prices and virtual sessions. Many classRCC’smovies financial office. have 2,600 to the 3,000 students stillaid in their ear- Lawrence.

Sheridan plays author, who en- Other range from $45 to $85. students with options the original Star Wars “There’s neverare a better time toFansesofprovide release Disney’s At the beginning of thisly theatrical inrolled. the absence of his father, starts can finally find out Man,” the he third in- trilogyon toweek, look that to his uncle Charlie how to attend andwhat participate, back to college,” said. number stood at(Afabout“ThegoKing’s happened to mysterious bounfleck) to with fill that void. In his review Williams said.

For in theMatthew current Vaughn’s summer ses1,900 about a month to gostallment for The Associated Press, Mark “Kingsman” series, Steven Spiel- ty hunter Boba Fett in the new WEEKLY CRIME LOG Kennedy wrote that “‘The Ten- berg’s “West Side Story,” Warner streaming series Star Wars: The der Bar’ is a gentle, oddly crafted Bros.’ “The Matrix Resurrections,” Book of Boba Fett which started ♦ Williams, Denishia Lorren but at on men, fueled by a and Lionsgate’s Kurt Warner NFL last week on Disney+. The series Randolph County Board (B loving /F/30)look Arrest chrg of WEEKLY CRIME LOG is itself a spin-off of the new The soundtrack of classics like Paul Si- drama “American Underdog.”

1) Pwimsd Marijuana (F), 2) of Health Meeting Mandalorian. Jon Favreau and mon’s ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Maintain Veh/dwell/place Cs LovDave Filoni helm this fan-favorite TELEVISION er’(f)and Steely Dan’s ‘Do It Again.’

(F), 3) Possess X 176 E. Salisbury St, weekAsheboro, on6pm♦ Whitehead, George Alan (M, 52), Arrest on charge of Resisting series which ♦ Boggs, Matthew Harrison features seven It’s a valentine to guys who (M, step39), ly episodes on Wednesdays.

Arrest on charge of Misdemeanor ThePublic stageOfficer, is set 321 for Kings the sixth 07/13/2021.

Ridge Rd, up.”Arrest The movie premiers on Amaon charge of Misdemeanor County Health Office, Disney+ also has a documentaseason of “This zonLarceny, Januaryat 7. 2587 Wayne White Rd,and final Possession of Schedule IV CS, Randleman, onNBC’s 07/14/2021.

S. Fayetteville St., ♦ Millikan, Bobby (M, 33), 222B Possession The ‘80s: Top Wayne Ten hostHollywood closed out 2021 with Is Us.” Pearson family matriarch ry series, of Stolen motor Pleasant Garden, on 07/14/2021.

Arrest onheartthrob charge of Assault ♦ Hazelwood, Elizabeth Rob on a Asheboro (Mandy Moore) is (F, in 44), the ed by eighties more fireworks at the box office Rebecca vehicle, imporoper use of a dealer National Geographdementia; the of wedding of Lowe. The for “Spider-Man: WayHenry Home,” grip ofArrest Female, at 8300 Curtis Power Rd, on chage Misdemeanor ♦ Bolton McKee,No James tag, failure to deliver title, failure to examinesNC, how inand Madison (Justin which topped allonfilms forofthe KevinLarceny, on1980s 07/14/2021. at Hoover HillHartRd/Slickic series Bennett, (M, 47), Arrest charge appear on felony, at I-85 Exit 111, Thompson) is off; the fluenced pop culture today. The third straight of week andGoods, already Rodk Mtn, on 07/14/2021.

Possession Stolen at ley, Caitlin on 07/13/2021. features an Casey expertLynn, pancharts among highest grossing onmarriage of Kate and Toby (Chris- show ♦ Passmore, Arrest on 6469 Clydethe King Rd, Seagrove, technology, toys, fast Chris Sullivan) is toast, films ever. But even with all the sy Metz, charge of possession of marijuana ♦ Cheek, Helenia Spinks (F, 64), ♦ Lynch, Detrick Lamont (M, 40),el ranking 07/15/2021. in(Sterling Brown), food and champagne popping for “No Way and Randall Ramseur Council upfashion. to 1/2 oz.,Panelists at Randolph Arrest on chargeK. of Misdemeanor ArrestTown on charge of Assault by clude Ridley Scott, Tony Hawk, the most likely Pearson sibling Home,” the film industry heads Courthouse, on 7/13/2021.

Possession of Schedule VI CS, ♦ Pugh, Robert Daniel (M, 39), Meeting pointing a gun, Discharging a Joan Collins, Tiffani Thiessen, to succeed, seems poised to fulintoArrest 2022 on with plenty of reason for Possessiong of Stolen Motor charge of Simple firearm to cause fear, Reckless and Meatloaf. both optimism and concern after fill his destiny. There are young- Kevin Smith ♦ Roark, Justin Steven (M, 30), 6:30pm

Jan. 8

Jan. 10

Jan. 18

Assault (M), at 139 Drum St, Asheboro, on 07/14/2021.

Vehicle, at I-85 Exit 111, on 07/13/2021.

driving to endanger, Seagrove, on Arrest on charge of Possession 07/12/2021. of Meth, Possession with intent Ramseur Municipal to manufacture, sell or distributeBuilding, ♦ McQueen, James Allen Jr (M, 35), ♦ Richardson, Erwin Quint Jr (M, 724 Liberty ♦ Helms, Chad Lee (M, 37), Arrest heroin, Simple possession of Arrest on charge of Possession 31), Arrest on charges of Felony Street,onRamseur.

COMMISSIONERS from page 1 ty has $169 million in long-term charge of Felony Sexual In other new business, the Schedule II, III, IV Maintaining Larceny and Possession of Stolendebts.of Marijuana up to 1/2 oz., Exploitation of a minor in the county voted to close a CS, portion Place, Possession of Drug Possession of drug paraphernalia, Goods, at 5471 Needhams Trail, of Browns Meadow Road which “The economy of Randolph lections exceeded the budgeted second degree (10 counts), 727 Paraphernalia, 1029 High Point Failure to appeal felony, Seagrove, 07/14/2021. crosses the megasite inat Liberty. has been doingon very well,”failure amounts withonsales tax revenues County McDowell Rd, Asheboro, NC, on Rd,and on 7/13/2021. to appear on“We misdemeanor, the N.C. Railroad Frye. underspent at The county at over 11% over the forecasted said Darrell 07/12/2021. ♦ Seibert, Sarah Elizabeth (F, 32), our budget and we over collected Company were the only property amounts while expenditures were owners adjacent to the road.

11% below budgets. The coun- in our revenues.”

HI 52 LOW 26 PRECIP 21%

WWE leavesAmerican virtual reality behind 1st tour since 2020 Kennel Clubinadds 2 dog breeds FRIDAY JAN 7

By Dan Gelston The Associated Press

HI 39 LOW 22 PHILADELPHIA — Triple H walked with his arms crossed PRECIP 2% like

an X — his signature Degeneration X symbol — with his 7-foot tag-team partner, Joel Embiid, to JANlast 8 month ringSATURDAY a ceremonial bell before a Philadelphia 76ers playoff game.

His theme music blared HI 43 through the arena, and near31 from the ly 19,000 fansLOW hanging 2% rafters roaredPRECIP when the wrestler hoisted his bad-guy weapon-ofchoice sledgehammer and struck the bell.

SUNDAY JAN 9 Sure, the setting wasn’t WrestleMania — though Triple H lost a match in the same building when HI 55 the event was held there in 1999 — but for the superstar-turned-exLOW 42 ecutive, the frenzied atmosphere PRECIP 77% was a reminder of what WWE lost during the 16 months it ran without live events and raucous MONDAY JAN 10 crowds.

“It was a fun opportunity to get back into an arena packed full of fans and have them HI 47go nuts,” said Triple H, known these days as LOW 20Levesque.

WWE executive Paul PRECIP 18% “That adrenaline rush, there’s nothing like it.”

WWE hasn’t been the same without its “Yes!” chants or “This TUESDAY JAN 11 is Awe-some!” singsongs once the pandemic relegated the company to running empty arena matchHI with 37 a piped-in es every week soundtrack and virtual LOW 23 fans.

No more. PRECIP 0% With most American sports leagues settled in to their old routines, WWE ditched its stopgap home in Florida and resumed touring last Friday night with “Smackdown” from Houston, a

ple cheering over him, or booing over him or going into different directions over him,” have benefitNEW YORK — An athletic ed, Levesque said. “But that’s the Hungarian farm dog and a tiny pet beauty of what we do, to go be enof bygone Russian aristocrats are the latest breeds in the American tertained, however you want to Kennel Club’s purebred lineup. be entertained. As a performer, The club announced Tuessometimes that’s difficult.” day that it’s recognizing the RusWWE’s July 5 “RAW” on USA sian toy and the mudi. That means Network hit 1.472 million viewers, they’re eligible to compete for best the lowest in the 28-plus year hisin show at many U.S. dog shows, tory of the show. including the AKC’s big annual Levesque, WWE EVP of globchampionship and the prestigious al talent strategy and developWestminster Kennel Club show. ment, said the company would The mudi (pronounced like “take a hard look” at how it can “moody”) descended from long attract more fans to the product lines of Hungarian sheepdogs beeach week. WWE can only hope fore a museum director took an the combination of live crowds interest in the breed and gave it a and the return of box office attracname around 1930. Fans say the tions such as Becky Lynch, Goldmedium-size, shaggy dogs are vigberg, and Cena can ignite interest orous, versatile and hardworkand grow ratings during the build ing, able to herd sheep, hunt boars, to the marquee Aug. 21 Summersnag rats and compete in canine Slam at the home of the Las Vesports such as agility and dock divgas Raiders. ing.

“It never is one thing,” Levesque “They’re very perceptive, and SANDOR UJVARI/MTI VIA AP, FILE they have a subtle quality” and said. “We see this as a moment in are very trainable, but they need A black Mudi, a Hungarian species of shepherd dogs, helps to drive a herd of 120tobuffaloes from its I think time shift everything. things to do, said Kim Seiter, an summer pasture to its winter habitat on the premises of the Kiskunsag National Park, you’ll see it inBudapest, just the layout of evOak Ridge, New Jersey, dog agil- Hungary, Jan. 25, 2017. erything, the set designs, the way PHOTO BY WILLY SANJUAN/INVISION/AP ity trainer who has four of them. it’s presented. There’s a greater “They’re not for the inactive per- Paul “Triple H” Levesque participates in the “WWE Monday Night emphasis on utilizing the spacIn this Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, they we could beand someday breeds, including ette, perky expression and lively ognizes son.” es that have the TVif aspect Raw: 25th Anniversary” panel during the NBCUniversal Television Critics199 Association Winter the Presspossible breeders decide to pursue it. two newcomers, and acts as a govdemeanor, breeders say.

The dogs — the proper plural is of it while still engaging the fans.

Tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Some animal wel“They’re extremely affectionate” erning body for many dog shows. “mudik” — were featured on postA lot of thatrights comesand from the time deplore dog breedRecognition requirements in- fare advocates age stamps in their homeland in with their owners but can be rewe had to experiment inside the the market for purebreds, 2004, as were some other Hungar- served with strangers and need to clude having at least 300 dogs of ing and pay-per-view Sunday in Texas and former,” Reigns said. “As a live WWE then moved to its in-house ThunderDome.” meet plenty of new people as pups, the breed spread around at least 20 saying they spur puppy mills and ian breeds.

The first start is putting fans Dallas on Monday for the flagship performer, that simultaneous re- performance center in Florida on The Russian toy developed from says Nona Dietrich of Minneton- states and promulgating a breed strand adoptable pets in shelters.

— holding their homemade signs March 13, before setting up what sponse keeps you sharp.

We had “Raw” TV show on USA. WWE The AKC says breeding can be small English terriers that gained ka, Minnesota, who breeds and standard that specifies ideal feawearingand their catchphrase it from dubbed The ThunderDome -- and to adjust to funny. the timestures, spruced sets, brought responsibly preserves temperament to toes. done them. and “Andadapt they’re the fancy up of Russian elites back by theold shows T-shirts — back in the seats. where fans registered for spots that were in front of us.” stars and hit the reset button on Many popular hybrid or “designer” somewhat predictable characterisearly 1700s. The diminutive dogs They have quite an attitude.”

“When we have that live crowd, on LED digital videoboards — for With Hulk Hogan in the house, TV programming humbled with The AKC is the United States’ breeds, such as Labradoodles and tics that help people find and com— supposed to weigh no more than almost become stretches Florida at but the it’s Amway WWE held dog their only ItWrestlerecord-low and silhoua strong oldest mit tosometimes the right dogthey for them. aren’tinrecognized, purebred registry. rec- puggles, 6.5 pounds —ratings have a leggy Mania with fans this past April Center, Tropicana Field and the the cameras for a lot of the perneed for new stars. formers,” Reigns said. “But when “I do think if we were doing this 10 and 11 at Raymond James Sta- Yuengling Center.

“People like Roman have been you don’t have that real-time, flesh in front of the live crowd, it would dium. WWE last ran a weeknight have been a situation that would televised event with a paid crowd able to emotionally bring a per- interaction, the red light becomes have made me an even better per- on March 9, 2020, in Washington. formance that, maybe with peo- the focal point for the performer.”

The Associated Press

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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES

COLUMN | BETSY MCCAUGHEY

Dems reject work ethic, embrace freeloaders Manchin saw right through what his party intended: a socialist-style universal basic income.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY used to call itself the party of working people and hail the “dignity of work.” No more. Now Democrats want to guarantee people who choose not to work an income funded by the suckers who do the right thing by showing up for work, caring for their family and paying taxes.

Fortunately, these self-supporting Americans just dodged a bullet.

The failure to pass Build Back Better in Congress, thanks to holdout Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) means that the monthly checks or automatic bank deposits to parents with kids, sometimes dubbed Biden Bucks, come to an end this month.

For working people, the monthly payments were merely an advance on their tax refunds — but parents who choose not to work have been getting no-strings money to support their nonworking lifestyle.

Using the pretext of pandemic relief, Democrats enacting the American Rescue Plan last March changed a feature of the tax code — the child tax credit available to adults who work and pay taxes — into a grant paid unconditionally and monthly to almost all adults with kids, whether they work or not.

Democrats have been pushing to extend the monthly payments through 2022 as part of the Build Back Better Act, with a plan to make them permanent.

Manchin saw right through what his party intended: a socialiststyle universal basic income. Manchin objected to the unconditional monthly cash grants: “There’s no work requirement whatsoever.”

“Don’t you think if we’re going to help the children,” Manchin asked, the parents “should make some effort?”

So what about the Democratic Party that represents working people? President Joe Biden still talks the talk. “My Dad used to say, ‘Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity.

It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community.’”

But Biden’s party is no longer walking that walk. As Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) told the House Ways and Means Committee during a debate over Build Back Better, “the so-called dignity of work — that’s like hearing a fingernail on a chalkboard.” New York Magazine’s Eric Levitz calls Manchin’s work-ethic convictions

“contemptible.”

Sorry, but most Americans don’t want to support the moochers.

Supporters of the monthly payments hail them as “already a huge success” for lifting millions of children out of poverty. Nonsense.

That’s what a working parent does. The national poverty rate fell temporarily, but the payments didn’t solve the problem of parents without the mindset to support their children.

This is deja vu. Before the 1996 welfare reform enacted by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton, Uncle Sam used to send checks to nonworking parents. Welfare reform changed that, requiring parents to work or train for work in order to receive cash benefits. It succeeded, reducing the welfare rolls, ameliorating child poverty and helping single mothers become self-sufficient.

Yet, today’s Democratic Party spurns that model. Democrats tend to blame unemployment on racism or a rigged economy and argue that people deserve dignity, whether they choose to work or not.

Of course, all human beings deserve dignity — but not a seat on the couch in front of the TV funded by people who toil.

Democratic politicians all over the nation are pushing to provide a monthly basic income to the nonworking poor, courtesy of taxpayers.

They’ve formed Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. Los Angeles is sending out monthly $1,000 checks to 2,000 residents.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is using millions in federal pandemic relief funding to distribute $500-a-month cash stipends to randomly chosen low-income recipients. That ought to enrage anyone who works and pays taxes.

Jobs are plentiful. The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported that over half of small business owners cannot fill positions. Small businesses are posting “Help Wanted” signs in windows.

Every time you pass one of those signs, you can thank Manchin for holding the line against making taxpayers into suckers supporting the freeloaders.

Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and author of “The Next Pandemic,” available at Amazon.com.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Plague-year immigrants headed to Trump country You have to go back to 1979 to find a year with fewer births, and you can go back to the 1790 census and you won’t find a year with fewer births as a percentage of the population (1.1%).

I WANT TO ADD a few notes to my Christmas weekend column on the Census Bureau’s July 2021 state population estimates and what stories they tell about growth and decline in the first 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic.

THE IMMIGRATION BUST The big news is about immigration. In the years from 2010 to 2019, the Census Bureau recorded an increase in “international migration” — immigration, in layman’s language — of 873,000.

For the 15 months from April 2020 to July 2021, the corresponding number is only 257,000 — down 71% from the average of the years from 2010 to 2019. Presumably, that does not include most of the additional illegal immigrants who have crossed the border and fanned out across the country due to Biden administration policies.

The cutoff date is July 1, just five months into the administration.

The drop-off from the previous decade is enormous. It’s even greater if you look back to the peak immigration surge that started in the 1980s and ended abruptly with the housing price collapse and sharp recession in 2007.

And there’s also a big difference in immigrant destinations. In earlier decades, half of all immigrants typically headed to three states: California, Texas and New York.

In the plague year, they’ve headed elsewhere. The highest immigration increases as a percentage of the pre-existing population in 2020-21 were in two dissimilar states: Massachusetts and Florida, followed by Washington, D.C. One can see in these numbers the increasing share of legal immigrants who are high-skilled people from East Asia and South Asia heading to university and medical school clusters in metro Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. But it is not so on the West Coast. Massachusetts’s immigrant increase (13,700) was essentially identical to California’s (13,900), even though Massachusetts has about 7 million people and California has about 39 million.

The No. 1 and No. 2 destinations for 2020-21 immigrants were Florida (41,200) and Texas (28,500). Together, these states account for more than a quarter of the nation’s immigration increase. Plagueyear immigrants are evidently attracted by the same factors as plague-year domestic migrants: low taxes, vibrant private sector economics and a relative lack of COVID-19 restrictions.

The pattern has political implications. Latin American and Asian immigrants from the 1982-2007 surge turned out to vote heavily Democratic, and high-skill Asian immigrants since 2007 have done so as well.

But Latino voters, especially but not only in South Texas and South Florida, have trended toward Republicans in the Trump era. Polling shows that Latinos in the Lower Rio Grande Valley resent rather than identify with the illegal immigrants surging across the border.

And Florida may be seeing an influx of high-skill and anti-socialist refugees from new leftist governments in Argentina, Peru and Chile, as it already has from Venezuela and Cuba.

Where immigrants aren’t going is also significant. Only 5% of the 2020-21 immigrant inflow was to California, and only 2% was to Illinois. Los Angeles and Chicago have lost their allure. And immigrants added less than one-tenth of 1% to the populations of the fast-growing Carolinas and Georgia and the slower-growing Midwest.

THE BIRTH DEARTH The number of births in the 12 months up through July 1, 2021, was 3,582,000 — 9% lower than the average in the years from 2010 to 2019.

You have to go back to 1979 to find a year with fewer births, and you can go back to the 1790 census and you won’t find a year with fewer births as a percentage of the population (1.1%).

Birth rates are lowest in the six New England states and Oregon on the West Coast. They are similarly low in Florida and West Virginia, with their elderly populations. In recent years, only a few states, such as Maine and West Virginia, have registered more births than deaths.

In the April 2020-July 2021 period, 25 states did.

What states have the highest birth rates? Not California or New York, whose pre-2007 immigrants were prolific in recent times. In the plague year, their birth rates were below the national average.

The most prolific instead are heavily Mormon Utah, three sparsely populated states with mining and financial sectors (Alaska and the Dakotas) and Texas.

THE POLITICAL IMPACT Politically, the 25 states carried by former President Donald Trump had 43% of the nation’s population in the 2020 census, which ended on April 1. But they produced 44% of the nation’s births and attracted 44% of its immigrants in the following 14 months, ending July 1, 2021. Even as Biden Democrats took over the government, the nation’s demographics shifted marginally toward Republicans in the plague year.

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.

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Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

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SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT BASEBALL

Iowa Cubs outgoing owner, associates give $600K in bonuses Des Moines, Iowa Outgoing Iowa Cubs chairman and owner Michael Gartner bonus checks to 23 full-time employees last week to the tune of $600,000, the Des Moines Register reported.

The money came from profits from the recent sale of the team, and Gartner and his four associates wanted to share those profits with staff members.

Everyone, including the club’s custodian, got a check — $2,000 for every year they had been employed, even as interns. The longest tenured employee received a check for $70,000.

WNBA

Longtime Spurs assistant Hammon to lead WNBA team Las Vegas Becky Hammon, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, will take over as the Las Vegas Aces’ head coach and general manager after the NBA season concludes. Hammon has spent eight seasons as a Spurs assistant and has interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs. But for now, her dream of becoming the first woman to lead an NBA team is on hold.

There are still a half dozen women assistant coaches in the NBA. Hammon’s resume earned her plenty of respect: She will be the WNBA’s highest-paid coach.

Hammon will replace Bill Laimbeer.

TRACK & FIELD

Four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower Logan dead at 62 Ashland, Ohio Jud Logan, a four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower who was also a successful college track coach at Ashland University, has died. He was 62. The school announced his death on Monday. Logan had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Leukemia since 2019 and died from COVID-related pneumonia, according to reports. A Kent State graduate, Logan competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000 Olympics.

He was a captain on the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain. Logan is survived by his wife, Jill, and their three children — Nathan, Jenna and Kirsten.

MARK BAKER | AP PHOTO

Greensboro's John Isner pictured Tuesday at the ATP Cup in Sydney, will compete in the 2022 Australian Open after missing last year's tournament.

Djokovic given medical exemption to play at Australian Open The world’s No. 1 player will attempt to become the alltime leader in men’s Grand Slam titles

By John Pye The Associated Press BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram on Tuesday he has “an exemption permission.”

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria state

tions to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.”

Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said “fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration,” Tiley said.

Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical exemptions were “not a

Hall of Famer Sam Jones, winner of 10 NBA titles, dies at 88

NFL

The NC Central alumnus and Wilmington native won 10 titles in 12 years with the Celtics

Raiders rookie Hobbs arrested on DUI charge

The Associated Press

Las Vegas Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge shortly after the team returned from a road game in Indianapolis.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Monday that dispatch received a call at about 4 a.m. about a driver asleep inside a vehicle parked on an exit ramp of a parking garage. Police made contact and Hobbs failed a field sobriety test and was booked at the Clark County Detention Center for a misdemeanor DUI. The 22-year-old Hobbs was a fifth-round pick out of Illinois.

government has mandated that all players, staff and fans attending the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted.

Australian Open organizers issued a statement later Tuesday to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney.

“Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the statement said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applica-

loophole for privileged tennis players.”

“It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition,” Merlino said at a news conference.

Greensboro’s John Isner will play in this year’s Australian Open after missing it in 2021, but two of the biggest names in tennis won’t be competing.

Roger Federer, tied with Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the most men’s Grand Slam titles with 20, is still recovering from right knee surgery.

Serena Williams’ Grand Slam title drought will officially reach five years after the 23-time major champion announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open last month due to an ongoing hamstring injury. It means she’ll miss another chance to tie Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam record.

Williams’ 23rd major singles title — and most recent — came at the Australian Open in 2017.

And for the first time since 1997, no Williams sister will be in action at Melbourne Park. Venus Williams, 41, hasn’t played since August because of a leg injury.

BOSTON — Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, the Boston Celtics’ “Mr. Clutch” whose sharp shooting fueled the league’s longest dynasty and earned him 10 NBA titles — second only to teammate Bill Russell — has died, the team said. He was 88.

Jones died last Thursday night in Florida, where he had been hospitalized in failing health, Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said.

“Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history,” the team said in a statement.

“His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, ‘The Shooter,’” the Celtics said. “The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in

American sports.”

Often providing the offense while Russell locked things down at the other end, Jones averaged 17.7 points per game over 12 seasons. The number went up in the postseason, when he averaged 18.9 points and was usually the No. 1 option for the game’s final shot for the teams that won 10 titles from 1959-69.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball,” Jones told The Associated Press this fall in an interview for the league’s 75th anniversary. “But we always won NBA championships.”

In 1964, Jones was a member of the NBA’s first starting lineup to include five black players, joining Russell, Tom “Satch” Sanders, K.C. Jones and Willie Naulls.

Although coach Red Auerbach maintained he was thinking only of his best chance to win, the lineup broke with an unwritten rule that pressured teams to have at least on white player on the floor.

Born in Wilmington, Jones attended North Carolina Central, then a Division II, historically black university in Durham. Auerbach first heard of Jones when he went to North Carolina to scout the national champion Tar

HAROLD P. MATOSIAN | AP PHOTO

Boston John Havlicek, left, and Sam Jones celebrate winning the 1969 NBA title in Jones' final game before his retirement. Jones, a Wlimington native who attended NC Central, died Dec. 30.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball. But we always won NBA championships.”

Sam Jones Heels and was told that the best player in the state was actually at Central playing for Hall of Fame coach John McLendon.

Auerbach selected Jones in the first round of the 1957 draft, eighth overall, despite never seeing him play.

“Russell and I are the most successful players in winning championships in the NBA. Yet he never saw us play a game because they had no scouts,” Jones told

the AP. “The coaches called other coaches to see how other players were playing. They took their word for it.”

Jones led the Celtics in scoring five times — including the 1963 champions, when he was one of eight future Hall of Famers on the roster. When he retired in 1969 at the age of 36, Jones held 11 Celtics records and was the only player in franchise history to score more than 50 points in a game.

Jones retired having won his 10 championships in 12 seasons.

A five-time All-Star, he was was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Jones was named to the NBA’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams. His death comes a year after teammate Tommy Heinsohn and 13 months following the death of K.C. Jones.

Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

5 BEST OVERALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

PREP BASKETBALL

Jazmin Palma PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The girls’ all-tournament team at the Providence Grove site was Salem Ward of Central Davidson, Allie Frazier and Edi Austin of Providence Grove, Audra Petty and Hannah Hinshaw and Most Valuable Player Gracyn Hall of Randleman for the Davidson-Randolph County Christmas Classic on Dec. 28.

Randleman girls claim tourney title Randolph Record staff CLIMAX — Randleman’s girls’ basketball team secured the championship of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic at the Providence Grove site last week.

The Tigers used 25 points from Gracyn Hall to produce a 69-53 victory against Providence Grove in the title game of the three-day event.

“We played pretty well for the three days,” Randleman coach Brandon Varner said. “To be able to bring that trophy back to Randleman is pretty special.”

Hall was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Elizabeth York had 14 points and Hannah Hinshaw posted 11 points in the title game for the Tigers, who improved their record to 10-0.

“We just played a little bit better in spurts,” Varner said. “Once we settled in, we were fine.”

For Providence Grove, Allie Frazier’s 17 points, Edi Austin’s 10 points and Asia Steverson’s 10

points topped the scoring chart.

The 53 points were the most allowed by Randleman this season.

Randleman’s Hinshaw and Audra Petty were also on the all-tournament team. Other members of the all-tournament team were Frazier and Austin of Providence Grove and Salem Ward of Central Davidson.

Randleman won a semifinal game by trouncing Central Davidson 54-33 behind Hall’s 18 points and Hinshaw’s 16 points.

Providence Grove reached the final by defeating Asheboro 49-31 as Frazier had 14 points and Austin had 13 points.

Randleman opened the tournament with a 61-23 romp past Lexington as Hall and Petty each had 18 points. Providence Grove won in the first round by defeating West Davidson 50-39 as Frazier had 16 points and Austin provided 12 points. Asheboro was a 61-46 first-round winner against East Davidson as Sion Martin had 14 points.

On the boys’ side, Providence

Grove was the runner-up, falling 54-51 to Central Davidson.

Zane Caudle had 15 points, Sakai McCoy added 12 point and Michael Fee had 11 points for Providence Grove in the final.

Luke Staten of Central Davidson was the MVP after scoring 10 points in the championship game, joining teammates Caden Poole and Keyshawn Breedlove on the all-tournament team. Caudle and Fee from Providence Grove and Jerquarius Stanback of Asheboro also made the all-tournament team.

“We’ll learn from it,” said Providence Grove coach Wes Luther, whose team nearly battled back from a late nine-point deficit against Central Davidson. “This group is resilient. We’ve been battle-tested.”

Asheboro defeated Randleman 66-47 in the third-place game.

Providence Grove nipped Asheboro 49-48 in the semifinals, with Caudle notching 11 points and Luke Thomas with 10 points. Tanner Marsh and Hakeeme Butler both had 10 points for Asheboro.

Providence Grove opened tournament play by defeating West Davidson 64-49 as Caudle had 19 points and Fee chipped in with 12 points. Asheboro won in the first round when Stanback racked up 20 points in an 87-53 stomping of East Davidson.

PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestler Jazmin Palma won a tournament championship last week.

Jazmin Palma, Uwharrie Charter Academy, wrestling Palma secured first place in the girls’ division of the Holy Angels Invitational last week in Charlotte.

It was a rare event set up with several brackets for girls. Palma captured first place at 113 pounds. In the title match, she defeated Martha Dominguez of Purnell Swett with a 50-second pin.

PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jazmin Palma, front, tries to break free against East Davidson’s Jose Escobar during a November match.

PREP WRESTLING

Top, the Providence Grove boys’ basketball team took second place in the DavidsonRandolph Christmas Classic championship game at Providence Grove.

Left, Providence Grove’s Zane Caudle lays the ball up against Central Davidson in the championship game.

Teams make gains at Ledford Randolph Record staff LEDFORD – No Randolph County team won a title in the Ledford bracket of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic.

But there were notable developments for some of the teams and their players.

Many of the good things came for the Southwestern Randolph girls.

They reached the title game, falling by 67-55 to Oak Grove.

Carley Everhart and Alexis Maness of Southwestern Randolph were named to the all-tour-

nament team.

Trinity’s Autumn Gentry also made the all-tournament team.

She scored 32 of her team’s points in a 49-44 victory against South Davidson in the first round. Gentry followed that with 22 points in the 67-49 semifinal loss to Southwestern Randolph and 11 points in a 35-27 defeat to Eastern Randolph.

Oak Grove’s Zaire Jones was named the Most Valuable Player.

On the boys’ side, Thomasville beat Ledford 63-56 for the title, with Janhri Luckey picking up MVP honors.

Trinity finished in third place.

All-tournament selection Dominic Payne had the biggest single-game scoring outburst of the tournament with 34 points in a 77-70 semifinal loss to Thomasville.

Combined with his 23 points in a first-round victory against South Davidson and 15 points in the third-place win against Wheatmore, Payne ended up with 72 points in the tournament.

For seventh-place Eastern Randolph, Davonte Brooks had 21, 15 and 14 points.

Trinity claims team crown, individual successes Randolph Record staff TRINITY WON the team championship in the Leigh Hebbard/Wildcat Invitational during the day on New Year’s Eve at Eastern Guilford in Gibsonville.

The championship was sparked by an individual title won by 128-pounder David Makupson. He won 13-1 against Eden Morehead’s Cole Pritchard in the final.

Second place for Trinity went to Spencer May at 113 pounds, Chris Grubb at 120 pounds, Charles Schaefor at 145 and Gavin Hardister at 170 pounds. May lost by a pin in 5:33 of the final to Southeast Guilford’s Joey Bruscino, Grubb fell in 2:26 to East Rowan’s Luke Heglar and Schaefor dropped a 4-0 decision to Eastern Guilford’s Nasir Grant.

Asheboro had two individual champs, with Luke Lambeth defeating Hardister 13-2 for the crown, while Logan Lambeth finished his run with a 5-0 decision against Southeast Guilford’s Ethan Cox at 182 pounds.

Arhman Tyson of Asheboro was the 285 runner-up after a loss via a 46-second pin by Southeast Guilford’s Alex McCalop. Asheboro’s Diego Gutierrez was also second after dropping the 126 final to Isaac Sheehan of Kernersville Glenn by a 14-5 decision.

Trinity won the team title with 145 points, edging Eden Morehead’s 137 ½. Southeast Guilford had 135 ½ and Asheboro

was fourth with 124 among the 18 teams listed as entered.

It proved to be a busy and successful month for Trinity wrestlers.

• On Dec. 23 in a tournament at Kernersville Glenn, Makupson was the champion at 138 pounds.

Hardister won the title at 182 pounds.

Spencer May of Trinity placed second at 113.

• On Dec. 18 in the Eagle Invitational at Eastern Alamance, Trinity had champions with May at 113 and Makupson at 138. Second place went to Trinity’s Levi Dennis (126) and Schaefor (145) and third place to Brayden Hall (106).

• In last week’s Holy Angels Invitational in Charlotte, Uwharrie Charter Academy placed eighth in the boys’ division in a tournament featuring teams from several states.

The top UCA finisher was 160-pounder Grayson Roberts in fifth place. Sixth place went to Aldo Hernandez (132) and Doug Bowles (170) In the girls’ division, Jazmin Palma of UCA was the titlist at 113 pounds and Kayla Spencer was fifth at 120.

• In a two-day tournament prior to Christmas at Chapel Hill, Asheboro placed fourth in the team standings. Logan Lambeth had a runner-up finish, while Gutierrez and Tyson both placed third. Luke Lambeth and Michael Brady finished fourth.

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New hi-tech photo brings Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’ up close The Associated Press AMSTERDAM — Rembrandt van Rijn’s iconic and huge painting “The Night Watch” is now also a supersized museum photo delivered right to your laptop in unsurpassed detail.

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum on Monday put on its digital portal what it called “the most detailed photograph of any artwork” ready for assessment by scientists and art lovers alike. It is expected to draw widespread interest especially since the museum is closed because of coronavirus measures.

The 717-gigapixel photo allows viewers to zoom in on Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and see how the 17th-century master put the tiniest of white dots in his eyes to give life to the painting’s main character. It also shows the minute cracks in his pupils, brought on by the passage of time.

The real canvas measures 379.5 x 453.5 centimeters (149.4 x178.5 inches) canvas and each pixel rep-

resents 5 micrometers or 0.005 square millimeters.

Apart from simply showing the dazzling detail, it will also help researchers restore the work and assess its aging process over time.

The Night Watch will be removed from its wooden stretcher in two weeks and placed on a new one to remove rippling that was caused when the world famous painting was housed in a temporary gallery while the Rijksmuseum underwent major renovations from 2003-2013.

The oil-on-canvas painting depicts a group of Amsterdam civil militia and shows off Rembrandt’s renowned use of light and composition to create a dynamic scene filled with characters.

The painting has undergone many restorations over its existence. It was placed on its present wooden stretcher in 1975.

Once the painting has been restretched, the museum will decide whether further restoration work is needed.

AP PHOTO

A microscopic image enlarging a 4x6 millimeter part of the painting on Rembrandt’s Night Watch, which will be restored next year in the public eye, is seen on a screen next to the painting at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018.

For celebrations, English fizz is on the rise The Associated Press LONDON — English sparkling wine has been gaining prestige in recent years, with some experts comparing it to Champagne in taste and quality.

Globally, the sector is still relatively small: IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reports that sparkling wine produced in the U.K. represents about 0.2% of total global sparkling wine volume. But sales are growing: U.K.-produced sparkling wine volume rose by almost 11% from 20152020, the report said. ”Maybe 10 years ago, there were only two or three wines which might have been known outside of the U.K. or certainly recognized by wine critics as well,” says Jonathan White, spokesman for British wine producer Gusbourne. Today, “there’s a collective of maybe 10 to 20 producers that are making really excellent wines.”

Gusbourne planted their first vines in Appledore, Kent, in 2004.

They released their debut Brut and Blanc de Blanc sparkling wines in 2010, and say demand has been growing ever since.

“There’s been a splurge of interest from overseas in recent years as wine media and critics have started to talk more fondly and more positively about the wines from England,” White says.

Known as the “Garden of England,” Kent has long been home to fruit-growing in the U.K., so it’s natural the area has become one of the country’s most successful wine-growing regions.

GUSBOURNE VIA AP

This image provided by Gusbourne wines shows guests on a tour of their vineyard in 2019, in Kent, England.

The pandemic gave local producers a boost in 2020 because travelers who couldn’t visit wineries abroad “started to realize that they could actually visit a winery at home,” says Anne McHale, a certified master of wine in London.

Talking from The Bloomsbury Hotel, where she has curated one of the largest English sparkling wine menus in the U.K., McHale says English sparkling made its name in 1998 when Nyetimber won best sparkling wine in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.

“It was judged blind against a whole load of Champagnes and other sparkling wines by top industry judges, so people began to become aware that in this country we can actually make good quality wine,” she says.

Part of English sparkling wine’s attraction, she says, is its close resemblance to Champagne. It uses the same three grapes — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier — and the same production method, the “traditional method.”

“This means the wine undergoes a second fermentation in bottle. The

bubbles get trapped, and then the wine has the opportunity to spend some time aging on the yeast, which gives it that lovely, biscuity brioche character,” McHale says.

She adds that the soils where English vines are planted around the South Downs in South-eastern England contain a lot of chalk that is nearly identical to France’s Champagne region.

For all their similarities, there are also factors that give English sparkling wine a unique flavor.

“We’re quite a bit further north than Champagne. It’s cooler. And as a result, you get a higher level of acidity in the grapes, which then translates into more of a sort of mouth-watering bite of crispness and freshness in the wine,” says McHale.

White agrees. “Champagnes tend to have that sort of lovely, toasty richness that comes from maybe a slightly warmer climate, and wines which are maybe slightly more generous in that fruit kind of offering.

English wines have a much more sort of steely, citrus backbone to them.”

Jon Pollard, chief vineyard manager at Gusbourne, says Britain’s longer growing season also affects the flavor.

“We’ve got this ability to have a slow ripening season, partly because of the slightly lower temperatures in this country and the lower sunlight levels. But that really allows the flavor profiles within the fruit to build up,” he says.

Pollard adds that Kent is perfectly located high off the coastline, pro-

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viding a free-flowing breeze to keep the crop clean and fresh. “The enemy of fruit really is moisture and humidity and warm temperatures, which proliferate fungal diseases,” he says.

At the same time, England’s temperamental climate can prove a challenge.

Pollard says it’s taken years of trial and error to create the perfect growing conditions.

“You do start to know where the problems will occur,” he says. “So we know where we might start to see a little bit of disease creep in and we know where we will have issues with frost and things like that.

So every year that goes on, we just get to learn more and more about the science and what we can expect from it.”

Some Champagne houses are now investing in English vineyards.

“We always sort of had the impression that the French think they make the best wine in the world and that the English can’t make wine, so it is quite satisfying in a way to see the French coming over and planting vines,” McHale says.

The temperate British climate was a draw for French champagne house Tattinger, which bought farmland in Kent in collaboration with U.K. winemaker Hatch Mansfield to create Domaine Evremond.

Having planted their first vines in 2017, their wines will be released onto the market in the 2020s.

“During the growing season of the wine, the average temperatures in the south of England are approximately the same as what they would have been several decades ago in Champagne,” McHale says. “So, you know, the Champagne producers are seeing the potential of the land in the south of England.”

Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

7

obituaries

Lonnie Angus Furr, Amelia “Amy” Page Earl Lee Gallimore 1955 - 2021 Jr. Williams 1951 - 2021

1933 - 2021

Lonnie Angus Furr, Jr., age 70, of Randleman passed away on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at his home.

Mr. Furr was born in Moore County on April 7, 1951 to Lonnie Angus and Mary McCrimmon Furr. Lonnie served his country in the U.S. Army and was employed as a construction worker. In addition to his parents, Lonnie was preceded in death by his siblings, Ruby Campbell, Hank Williams Furr, David Lee Furr, Barbara Higgins, and Steven Daniel Furr. Lonnie enjoyed collecting baseball memorabilia and watching NASCAR. He is survived by his sisters, Mary Jane Furr of Randleman and Dorothy Luck of Asheboro; brother, Arthur Furr of Randleman; step children, Darren Johnson (Regina) of Randleman and Lisa Beck (Jeff) of Asheboro; step grandchildren, Caleb Hudspeth (Kelly), Matthew Johnson, Derek Hudspeth, and Emily Johnson; and 7 step great grandchildren.

No services are planned at this time. Inurnment will be held at Salisbury National Cemetery on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:00 am.

Memorials may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.

Amelia “Amy” P. Williams, 88, died after a life well lived on December 28, 2021 at High Point Regional Hospital. She left the world a better place than she found it and in her last few days she talked a lot about seeing her husband and daughter in Heaven.

She was born on December 26, 1933 in Fort Mill, SC to Eugene and Helen Page. Mrs. Williams was a member of First Presbyterian Church since 1966.

She was extremely accomplished in her professional life and won a number of prizes for her good work with Shaklee. Amy will be remembered for her sense of humor, the tenor of her voice, her pretty hair, and her distinctive clothes. She was a joy to be around-such a congenial person.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Williams was preceded in death by her husband, John T. Williams and daughter, Amelia Page Williams Parris.

She is survived by her son, John “Tad” Williams, Jr. and wife Brenda of Concord; daughter, Troyann Williams of Asheboro; grandchildren, John Thomas Williams III and wife Jamie, Carson Parris and wife Beth, Taylor Parris and wife Amy; great grandchildren, Candace and Grayson Williams, and Amelia Ann, Tristan and Anthony Parris.

Earl Lee Gallimore, 66, of Asheboro, passed away on December 25, 2021.

He was born on March 22, 1955 in Randolph County. He was a loving husband and grandpa.

He was funny and always love to make people laugh. He was a one of a kind dad, grandpaw and great grand grandpaw. Earl is survived by his wife, Joyce Gallimore; sons, Daniel Gallimore of FL, Tim Gallimore of WA, Brian Gallimore of FL; daughters, Amanda Gallimore of FL, Jennifer Skwura of FL, Victoria Burns of SC; stepdaughters, Cyrstal Hunt, Tabitah Hooper; step-brother, Harvey Freeman of NC.

Patsy Bingham Canter

Howard Mitchel “Mitch” Breedlove 1941 - 2021

1940 - 2021

Patsy Lorraine Bingham Canter, age 81, of Asheboro passed away on December 24, 2021 at North Pointe Assisted Living.

Mrs. Canter was born in Forsyth County on July 5, 1940 to Hal and Edna Walker Bingham. She was retired from Bingham Lumber Company and was a member of First United Methodist Church in Asheboro.

She is survived by her daughter, Lori Trotter and husband Todd of Asheboro; sons, Jeff Canter of Greensboro and Mark Canter of Denton; grandchildren, Rebekah Canter, Patrick Canter, Cathleen Canter, Emma Trotter, Annabeth Trotter, and Shea Davidson; great grandchildren, Collin, Jack, and Luke; sister, Diane McGee and husband W.C. of Advance; and brothers, Steve Bingham, Stan Bingham, and Jim Bingham all of Denton.

Howard Mitchel “Mitch” Breedlove, age 80, of Pleasant Garden passed away on December 24, 2021 at Wesley Long Hospital . Mr. Breedlove was born in Randolph County on October 18, 1941 to Walter and Juanita Breedlove. He was a proud Marine serving during the Vietnam Era and was a member of Randolph County Honor Guard, serving as commander.

Mitch was a supervisor with UPS for 29 years and also owned Car Quest and NAPA Stores in Randolph County. He was a member of Providence Friends Meeting. Mitch is survived by his wife Sheilda Dunham Breedlove; sons, Mitchell Heath Breedlove and wife Jenni, Carlton Craig Breedlove and wife Tammy; granddaughter, Lauran Breedlove; grandsons, Tanner Breedlove and wife Madelyn, Brett Breedlove; great granddaughter, Charlie Harkey; sister, Janice B. Spoon.

Robert Anthony Morris, Sr. 2021

Troy Lee Parrish, III 1976 - 2021

Troy Lee Parrish, III age 45 of Randleman, passed away on Friday, December 31, 2021 at Moses Cone Hospital, Greensboro.

Troy was born February 1, 1976 to Troy Lee and Judy Whitt Parrish, Jr. Troy was a long distance truck driver for 20 years. During this time he received multiple awards for safe driving. He was a huge NASCAR fan and loved racing in general. When he wasn’t driving a truck, he enjoyed going camping and fishing. Troy had a huge heart and a very giving spirit and was the type of person who never met a stranger. Troy is preceded in death by his grandparents, Winfred and Reba Whitt and Troy Lee and Rilla Parrish, Sr. He is survived by his parents, Troy and Judy Parrish, Jr.; sister, Angie Richardson and husband James of McLeansville; longtime companion, Lisa Campbell and her daughters, Krista and Denisha Campbell; and the son he never had, Bentley Baldwin.

Colvin Prior Craven 1943 - 2021

Colvin Prior Craven, age 78 of Randleman, passed away on Thursday, December 30, 2021 at the Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro.

Colvin was born on October 26, 1943 in Randolph County to Lawrence and Eddie Mae York Craven. Colvin worked as a manager for Food Line and later for Lowe’s Food for 43 years before retiring. He was a veteran of the United States Army and was of the Baptist faith. He enjoyed fishing and loved to play golf. Colvin participated in a number of civic organizations in the Randleman community. In addition to his parents, Colvin was preceded in death by his sister, Jackie Flournoy.

He is survived by his sister, Patricia Byrd (Thomas Goodale) of Chesterfield, SC; nieces, Connie Cooper and Holly Copeland (Chad); nephews, Richard and Tim Flournoy; numerous great nieces and nephews; and his best friend, Jimmy Hodge.

Robert Anthony Morris, Sr. age 84, passed away December 28, 2021 at his home in Randleman.

Robert served in the US Navy and was a maintenance engineer. He was adventurous person who loved to hunt, fish, camp, ride his four wheeler and go canoeing. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Ruth Morris and his brother, Charles Morris.

Robert is survived by his wife, Jacquelin Jessup Morris; son, Robert “Robbie” Morris, Jr. (Tina) of Randleman and Richard “Rick” Morris (Kelly) of Randleman; brother, Ralph Morris of Greenville, SC; grandchildren: Tony Morris, III, Austin Morris, Kacey Cassidy, Dexter Bennett, Aaron Bennett; great grandchildren: Cardell Hill, Lillie Guzman, Collyn Morris, Riley Bennett, Henley Morris, and Silas Cassidy.

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Celebrate “Join the thelife conversation” of your loved ones. conversation” Submit obituaries and death notices to County be published Stanly Journal in Randolph ISSN: 2575-2278 Record at

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Paul David “P.D” Fields 1940 – 2022

Betty Eleanor Moody 1936 - 2021

Paul David “PD” Fields 81, Betty Denkins Moody, age of Siler City passed away on 85, of Siler City passed away on Saturday, January 1, 2022 at December 29, 2021 surrounded Chatham Hospital, Siler City. by her loved ones, at SECU Jim P.D. was born in Chatham & Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of County on August 26, 1940, the UNC Health Care. son of the late Jesse Paul and Mrs. Moody was born in Mildred Ray Fields. He attended Sanford, NC on February 24, Silk Hope School and Guilford 1936, the daughter of the late College. He was a member of Mt Jessie Carl Denkins and Eleanor Vernon UMC where he was an Mae Phillips Denkins. active member all his life. P.D. Mrs. Moody attended Siler was an involved member of the City First Wesleyan Church. She community serving in the Siler worked for Selig Manufacturing City Masonic Lodge 403 A.F. for many years until the Plant & A.M, coaching Little League, closed. Afterwards, she worked Randolph Record for Wednesd collecting Toys for Tots and for Hickory Mountain Farms volunteered as a reading buddy at until her retirement.

Silk Hope School.

She was a loving neighbor who Record for Wednesday, July 7, P.D. had an exceptional work Randolph dearly loved her neighbors. Betty’s ethic. He was a salesman for favorite times were working in Chatham Grocery, owner and her yard growing beautiful trees, WEEKLY FORECAST operator of Sportsman’s Lanes shrubs, and flowers. as well as a real estate broker.

She is preceded in death by WEEKLY FORECAST P.D excelled in many areas, but an infant daughter, husband what meant most to him was his Clarence Moody, her parents, family. His love of others was her brothers, Bobby and Billy obvious to anyone who knew and Denkins of Lee County, NC and met him. great-grandson Christopher He is survived by his wife of Fowler, all of Lee County, NC. FRIDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 63 years, Linda Kennedy Fields: FRIDAY Surviving Mrs. Moody are SATURDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 23 JULY 21Fields Jolly 22 daughters, Lecia JULYBetty 2 JULY her daughters, Jean HaireJULY 3 JUNE 30 JULY 1JULY and husband Robert “Buddy” of Carter of Sanford, NC and Phyllis Marietta, GA; Teague HI78° of Siler 88°Fields HI 91° Haire 88° HI HI89° 81°H HI HI 91° Kim HI Bayles (David) and husband Linney of Hickory, LO She is grandmother 66° LO68° 62°LO NC. LO LO 70° 67° LO LO LO 70° City,67° NC; and Paula Fields Hargrove PRECIPFowler 57%Walker,PRECIP 43% PRECIP 15% 13% PRECIPPRECIP 15% to Christine PRECIP 20% P 5% and PRECIP husband Lynn of Greensboro, Michael Berry, Donna Berry NC: brother, Kenneth Ray Fields Harris, Michelle Coleman of Supply, NC: grandchildren, Johnson, and Lori Bayles. GreatRom and Atalie Teague, Lauren grandchildren are Tiffany Fowler J. Stewart and Grace Jolly, Robles, Charles (Chuck) Harris Morgan and Graem Hargrove; RANDOLPH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Jr., Taylor Harris, Christian great grandchildren, Annabelle Brown, Tyler Brown, Casey Lane Stewart, Merritt Teague, and Fields, and Landon Fields, and Collins Teague. siblings Barbara, Broadus, Bruce,

RCC pushes more MEETfor THE STAFF

and Benny Earl Denkins all of Lee County. Mrs. Moody also had five generations from both daughters having great-great granddaughters, Kristiana and Josie (Betty Jean)those and Sawyer before classes start.

(Phyllis). Williams said there’s an

PJ Ward-Brown Mattfort to bolster enrollment. H ed the RCC Commitment G ASHEBORO — Enrollment Lauren at Randolph Community Col- a program designed as a fun lege isn’t likely to bounce back to mechanism to fill the gap t Frank pre-pandemic levels right away not covered by federal or stat Coryto students. despite a school official pointing “There has never been a out unprecedented financial inter to attend centives for potential students.

Who isopportunity “Editor?”

Chad Williams, vice president and not have to worry about

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

for student services at RCC, said a

to pay for it,” RCC presiden

Randolph Record for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

8

STATE & NATION

Top NC senator backing bill requiring appeals court votes

By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — North Carolina Republican lawmakers could advance legislation soon that would require state appellate judges to disclose publicly how they voted privately on orders issued by their courts, the state Senate’s top leader said Thursday.

The proposal follows a rapid-fire series of rulings this month involving redistricting litigation that ultimately delayed the March primary until May. Those rulings didn’t detail how court members sided.

Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that colleagues are considering legislation that would mandate orders issued by the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals to include how each jurist hearing a case came down on the decision.

Usually routine orders or those on quick-moving motions issued by the two appeals courts do not

GARY D. ROBERTSON | AP PHOTO

North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, speaks to reporters in the Legislative Building in Raleigh. disclose how individual judges voted privately. Such Supreme Court decisions are signed “for the court” by the court’s most junior justice. The clerk for the Court of Appeals usually signs similar orders from that court.

That’s how it happened three weeks ago when a three-judge Court of Appeals panel blocked candidate filing for U.S. House and legislative seats minutes before the filing period was to begin. Later the same day, the clerk’s

signature was affixed to an order canceling that delay, backed by “a vote of the majority of judges” on the 15-member court.

Two days later, the Supreme Court suspended candidate filing and delayed the March 8 primary until May 17 so a panel of trial judges could hear arguments alleging partisan and racial gerrymandering in maps approved by the GOP-controlled General Assembly in November. The Supreme Court order was signed only by Associate Justice Tamara Barringer.

Berger, a Rockingham County Republican, said a decision like this “just cries out for transparency” and without disclosure creates “suspicion” among the public. Registered Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the Supreme Court. Republicans hold 10 of the 15 Court of Appeals seats.

Berger said he’s interested in legislation to make sure that going forward whenever an order is issued, “whoever was in favor of the order we know and who was opposed to the order we know.”

Justices and judges already put their names to the longer, formal court opinions they write.

GOP U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who is seeking reelection in 2022, filed a lawsuit in feder-

al court against all Court of Appeals and Supreme Court members and other officials. He said he’s been unable to obtain the judges’ votes on the orders.

Berger said he hopes legislation could be considered if and when the General Assembly next returns to work, which currently would be no earlier than Jan. 10. Approved legislation would be subject to Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature or veto stamp.

Democratic state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri of Wake County said Thursday that while the justices were following precedent in how the Dec. 8 order was presented, revisiting that standard is “a discussion that I think that we’re willing to have.”

But Chaudhuri said it’s likely the impetus for such action comes from the GOP’s unhappiness with the Supreme Court’s order directing that the trial judges rule on the redistricting lawsuits

by Jan. 11. That trial begins Monday, with a likely Supreme Court appeal on the outcome.

“I think one could say that (Republicans are) also injecting politics into the process,” said Chaudhuri, the minority whip.

The 2021 session began in January and by one measure marked the second longest uninterrupted annual session since at least 1965.

Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts

By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — In the tiny town of Lawrenceville, Virginia, a van owned by Poplar Mount Baptist Church was knocked out of commission for weeks after thieves cut the catalytic converter out of its exhaust system.

Several months later, across town, a catalytic converter was ripped from a van owned by First Baptist Church.

Similar crimes followed, targeting a total of 15 church vans and 13 other vehicles in town, part of a nationwide surge in thefts of catalytic converters.

Thefts of the exhaust emission control devices have jumped over the past two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed. Thieves can expect to get anywhere from $50 to $300 if they sell the converters to scrap yards, which then sell them to recycling facilities to reclaim the precious metals inside, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

For victims, the costs of replacing a stolen catalytic converter can easily top $1,000 and make their vehicle undrivable for days or weeks as the part is ordered and installed. It can also leave owners feeling vulnerable.

“Just to feel that the church property was invaded by thieves was disheartening,” said John Robinson, a member of Poplar Mount Baptist Church.

Robinson said replacing the stolen converter cost about $1,000.

The theft was covered by insurance, but the church had to pay its $250 deductible and was unable to use the van for six weeks as it sat in a mechanic’s yard waiting for a new part.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau said the number of catalytic converter thefts reported in claims to insurance companies jumped from 3,389 in 2019 to 14,433 in 2020. NICB President

Used catalytic converter that was removed from cars at a salvage yard are piled up in a carton Friday Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va.

STEVE HELBER | AP PHOTO

David Glawe said there has been a significant increase in thefts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s an opportunistic crime,” Glawe said in a statement. “As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.”

The increase in thefts has prompted states across the country to toughen penalties and impose new requirements for scrap metal dealers who buy the converters.

Ten states enacted new legislation in 2021, including laws in Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas that require scrap metal buyers of used

converters to maintain records of purchases, including proof of ownership, vehicle identification numbers, the seller’s home address and driver’s license numbers, according to the insurance crime bureau.

In North Carolina, a law that went into effect Dec. 1 makes catalytic converter thefts a Class I felony and requires businesses that buy used catalytic converters to get documentation and maintain detailed records on people who sell the devices to them.

A bill modeled after the North Carolina law will be introduced in Virginia when the legislature reconvenes in January. The measure would make the theft of a catalytic converter a felony and presume that anyone in possession of one that’s been removed from a vehicle has obtained it illegally unless the person is an authorized scrap seller

or has a bill of sale, receipt or other documentation.

David Overby, owner of Auto Repairs Plus, said he spent more than $5,000 on lighting and a security system with cameras after thieves repeatedly stole catalytic converters off his customers’ cars in his parking lot. Overby said police arrested two people caught on his cameras stealing converters, but he said under the current law, they were only charged with a misdemeanor.

“These people have got to be held accountable in some way, not given a slap on their wrist,” Overby said.

At Chesterfield Auto Parts, where customers can pull parts from junked cars, owner Troy Webber said his workers remove catalytic converters before the vehicles are made available to the public, then lock the devices in steel con-

tainers before selling them to auto recyclers. That doesn’t stop thieves from trying to break in, he said.

“People cut through our fence constantly to try to steal the catalytic converters,” he said.

Henrico police Chief Eric English said catalytic converters have been cut from vehicles parked in homeowners’ driveways. Police have advised people about theft prevention measures, including protective shields and covers for the converters. They’ve also offered to stencil a mark on catalytic converters to allow scrap yard dealers and recyclers to more easily identity a stolen converter.

“It’s definitely something we have to get a hold of because it’s causing a lot of families and a lot of people some heartburn,” English said. “It’s not something people deserve to have happen to them.”

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Stanly County Journal Bye Bye Blackberry The original Blackberry mobile phone operating system stopped working on Tuesday Jan. 4, 2022

AP PHOTO

WHAT’S HAPPENING Schools return from Christmas break Stanly County After a long Christmas and holiday break from Dec. 20 to Dec. 31, students in Stanly County schools returned to school on Jan. 3. Some schools had teacher workdays early in the week, extending the holiday by a couple days for some students. The district’s early colleges have professional days until Wednesday, with class starting for students on Thursday, Jan. 6.

SCJ

Police: Teen shoots NC officer investigating car break-in Mecklenburg County A 14-year-old shot and wounded a police officer investigating a car breakin. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said officers were called to Winged Elm Court in east Charlotte for a report of a car break-in. During a chase, the teen fired at police, striking one officer, Deputy Chief Coerte Voorhees said.

That officer returned fire but didn’t hit the suspect or anyone else, he said. Another officer took the teen into custody. The officer was taken to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. The 14-year-old will be charged with attempted murder of a police officer and robbery.

AP

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Hooper Hardison named new CEO of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry

By David Larson Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — On Dec. 15, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry’s board of directors elected Hooper Hardison, the current president of the company, as the new chief executive officer.

“I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that values hard work, cares about its associates, and gives back to the communities in which we live and work,” Hardison said in a company press release.

Hardison received a Bachelor of Arts in History from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. He then went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration in 1988.

That same year, in 1988, Hardison returned home to

North Carolina and started working at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, where he has worked ever since. During this time, Hardison has worked in “a variety of sales and management positions.”

Eventually, in 2012, Hardison rose to the position of president of the company, which he has held ever since.

“It has been an honor to be a part of this great company, and I am excited about our future,” Hardison said.

Hardison will succeed Roddey Dowd Jr., who has held the position for nine years. Roddey Dowd Jr. succeeded Frank Dowd IV as CEO of the family company in 2012. He will continue with the company now as vice chairman.

Frank Dowd IV will continue in his role of chairman of the board. Also, the company announced that fifth-generation family members Roddey Dowd

“It has been an honor to be a part of this great company, and I am excited about our future.”

Hooper Hardison, new CEO of Charlotte Pipe III and Jenner Wood were elected as vice presidents, as was Joseph Pantone.

In May of 2021, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, “the nation’s leading maker of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings for plumbing applications,” announced they were moving their headquarters from Charlotte to Oakboro and began work on a massive manufacturing plant.

The Department of Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and

Stanly health director recommends cutting quarantines to 5 days Guidance based on new CDC directives

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — David Jenkins, director of the Stanly County Health Department, presented the county’s COVID-19 data at the Stanly County Board of Commissioners meeting on Jan. 3, detailing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cut its quarantine guidance in half, from 10 days post-symptoms down to five.

“The big news is the updated isolation guidance,” Jenkins said, adding that the CDC still urges

people to wear masks for another five days after that to avoid infecting others. “If you have symptoms — regardless of vaccination status — we want you to get tested and isolate while you wait for results.”

Jenkins said the CDC’s new recommendations released on Dec. 27 were constructed in an attempt to limit the economic ramifications stemming from the virus: “The idea is to get people back in the workforce and back in schools because schools will be following this guidance as well.”

During the presentation, Chairman Tommy Jordan confirmed that he had experienced COVID-19 with mild symptoms within the last 15 days and didn’t even know he had the virus until his wife en-

couraged him to take a rapid test.

“I just did the math here, and I’m good on the CDC guidelines because she made me quarantine for nine days total. When we get home, we’re going to talk about that because I spent nine days in the garage,” Jordan said. “I just want folks to know I probably had the Omicron variant and I was very blessed that it was very mild.

But because it can be so mild, it can easily spread.”

Jenkins’ presentation included the CDC’s current estimate that Omicron is two to three times as contagious as the Delta variant, making it four to six times as contagious as the original COVID-19 virus. The good news is that the evidence suggests that the new vari-

his chief fire marshal, along with local officials, attended a tour of the site, now under construction, in October. SCJ was also present for the tour as the officials voiced their approval of and excitement over Charlotte Pipe’s plans for the 450-acre property located off of Silver Road.

“This is a big deal, and it will put Oakboro on the map,” Causey told SCJ. “I am very impressed with the size and scope of this.

Usually when you pour concrete in a textile finishing plant, you might have footings that are three feet deep, but these might be 25-feet deep.”

Former CEO, now vice chairman of the board, Roddey Dowd Jr was also present and said, “This is one of the biggest plants in the United States — a $425 million plant with 530 high-paying jobs. This is the largest project built in North Carolina in probably 30 years.”

ant produces less severe illness than earlier waves.

As of Jan. 3, the county health department is reporting a 12.1% positivity rate with 20 current hospitalizations and 274 new cases; there have been 13,341 reported cases and 224 deaths in total based on figures provided by the state DHHS. In addition, there have been 708 breakthrough cases and nine breakthrough deaths in Stanly County.

The county vaccination rate is at 45% for the first dose and 42% for the second dose while the state averages are at 63% and 59%, respectively. In a recent development, due to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Stanly Health Department is now offering booster shots to children who are at least 12 years old.

The Stanly County Board of Commissioners will meet again at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m., where it will receive an updated public data presentation from the health department.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

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For celebrations, English fizz is on the rise

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The Associated Press LONDON — English sparkling wine has been gaining prestige in recent years, with some experts comparing it to Champagne in taste and quality.

Globally, the sector is still relatively small: IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reports that sparkling wine produced in the U.K. represents about 0.2% of total global sparkling wine volume. But sales are growing: U.K.-produced sparkling wine volume rose by almost 11% from 2015-2020, the report said. ”Maybe 10 years ago, there were only two or three wines which might have been known outside of the U.K. or certainly recognized by wine critics as well,” says Jonathan White, spokesman for British wine producer Gusbourne. Today, “there’s a collective of maybe 10 to 20 producers that are making really excellent wines.”

Gusbourne planted their first vines in Appledore, Kent, in 2004.

They released their debut Brut and Blanc de Blanc sparkling wines in 2010, and say demand has been growing ever since.

“There’s been a splurge of interest from overseas in recent years as wine media and critics have started to talk more fondly and more positively about the wines from England,” White says.

Known as the “Garden of England,” Kent has long been home to fruit-growing in the U.K., so it’s natural the area has become one of the country’s most successful wine-growing regions.

The pandemic gave local producers a boost in 2020 because travelers who couldn’t visit wineries abroad “started to realize that they could actually visit a winery at home,” says Anne McHale, a certified master of wine in London.

Talking from The Bloomsbury Hotel, where she has curated one of the largest English sparkling wine menus in the U.K., McHale says English sparkling made its name

DEATH NOTICES

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ Cassie Gail Smith, 35, of Stanfield, died Dec. 13.

♦ Mccorkle, Aeriel Keshaun (B M, 33) Arrest on chrg of Second Degree Trespass (M),at 2000 Woodhaven Dr, Albemarle, on 12/26/202

♦ Donna Hatley Swaringen, 59, of Norwood, died Dec. 24. ♦ Paula Rogers Shedd, 78, of Norwood, died Dec. 27. ♦ William David McCollum, 80, of Locust, died Dec. 27. ♦ Everett Lester Hudson, 89, of Albemarle, died Dec. 28. ♦ Edward Paul Farris, 83, of Locust, died Dec. 28. ♦ Bruce Ray Nance 66, of Stanfield, died Dec. 29. ♦ Thu Van Thi Le, 55, of Albemarle, died Dec. 29. ♦ Steve Lewis Honeycutt, 62, of Albemarle, died Dec. 29. ♦ Mickey C. Arey, 82, of Albemarle, died Dec. 30. ♦ Mary Efird, 77, of Locust, died Dec. 31. ♦ Lewis Jackson Hartsell, 94, of Locust, died January 2. ♦ Ronnie Allen Lowder, 69, of Albemarle, died January 2. ♦ Donald Blaine Huneycutt, 17, of Locust, died January 2.

♦ Horne, Rodrick Bernard (B M, 32) Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired (M), at1212 W Main St, Albemarle, on 12/26/2021 ♦ Weaver, Timothy Allen (W M, 31) Arrest on chrg of Second Degree Trespass (M), at301 Yadkin St, Albemarle, on 12/27/2021. ♦ Woodring, Jace Michael (W M, 33) Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired (M), at412 E Main St, Albemarle, on 12/27/2021. ♦ Loeb, Robert Burris (W M, 73) Arrest on chrg of Assault Inflict Serious Inj (m) (M),at 800 Lauras Ln, Albemarle, on 12/27/2021. ♦ West, Heath Alexander (W /M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Felony Possession Of Marijuana (F) and 2) Possess Marij Paraphernalia (M), at 13039 U.s 52 South, Norwood, NC, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Love, Mark Alan (W /M/51) Arrest on chrg of 1) Indecent Liberties With A Child (F), 2) Indecent Liberties With A Child (F), 3) Indecent Liberties With A Child (F), 4) Indecent Liberties With A Child (F), 5) First Degree Statutory Sex Off (F), 6) First Degree Statutory Sex Off (F), 7) First Degree Statutory Sex Off (F), and 8) First Degree Statutory Sex Off (F), at 34270 Finger Rd, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Phillips, Charles Andrew (W M, 34) Arrest on chrg of Communicate Threats (M), at135 Church St/lowder St, Albemarle, on 12/28/2021 ♦ Whitaker, Erik D`shane (W M, 23)

GUSBOURNE VIA AP

This image provided by Gusbourne wines shows guests on a tour of their vineyard in 2019, in Kent, England. in 1998 when Nyetimber won best sparkling wine in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.

“It was judged blind against a whole load of Champagnes and other sparkling wines by top industry judges, so people began to become aware that in this country we can actually make good quality wine,” she says.

Part of English sparkling wine’s attraction, she says, is its close resemblance to Champagne. It uses the same three grapes — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier — and the same production method, the “traditional method.”

“This means the wine undergoes a second fermentation in bottle. The bubbles get trapped, and then the wine has the opportunity to spend some time aging on the yeast, which gives it that lovely, biscuity brioche character,” McHale says.

She adds that the soils where English vines are planted around the South Downs in South-east-

Arrest on chrg of First Deg Tresp Enter/remain, M(M), at 1143 Pee Dee Av/ridge St, Albemarle, on 12/28/2021 ♦ Gainey, Stacy Leah (W F, 44) Arrest on chrg of Breaking And Or Entering (f) (F), at1143 Pee Dee Av/ridge St, Albemarle, on 12/28/2021 ♦ Cole, Cameron Taylor (W /M/28) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 20467 St Martin Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Nicholes, Stephanie Lynn (W F, 44) Arrest on chrg of Breaking And Or Entering (f)(F), at 126 S Third St, Albemarle, on 12/29/2021 ♦ Little, Nicholas La`shawn (B M, 18) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Larceny, M (M),at 781 Leonard Av, Albemarle, on 12/29/2021 ♦ Williams, Robert Lee (B M, 48) Arrest on chrg of Resisting Public Officer (M), at 309Arey Av/gibson St, Albemarle, on 12/30/2021 Sellers, Mary Ellen (B F, 70) ♦ Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired, M (M), at1120 Us 52 North, Albemarle, on 12/30/2021. ♦ Smith, Suzanna Danielle (W F, 25) Arrest on chrg of Driving While Impaired, M (M),at 430 Fairview St, Albemarle, on 01/01/2022 ♦ Whitaker, Michael Paul (W M, 25) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Probation Viol(M), at 1973 E Main St, Albemarle, on 01/02/2022 ♦ Cabrera, Sinthia Llamileth (W F, 29) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Larceny, M (M),at 907 Honeysuckle Ln, Albemarle, on 01/02/2022

ern England contain a lot of chalk that is nearly identical to France’s Champagne region.

For all their similarities, there are also factors that give English sparkling wine a unique flavor.

“We’re quite a bit further north than Champagne. It’s cooler. And as a result, you get a higher level of acidity in the grapes, which then translates into more of a sort of mouth-watering bite of crispness and freshness in the wine,” says McHale.

White agrees. “Champagnes tend to have that sort of lovely, toasty richness that comes from maybe a slightly warmer climate, and wines which are maybe slightly more generous in that fruit kind of offering. English wines have a much more sort of steely, citrus backbone to them.”

Jon Pollard, chief vineyard manager at Gusbourne, says Britain’s longer growing season also affects the flavor.

“We’ve got this ability to have a slow ripening season, partly be-

♦ Fowler, Shannon Leann (W F, 41) Arrest on chrg of Misdemeanor Larceny, M (M), at2025 Woodhurst Ln, Albemarle, on 01/02/2022 ♦ Harris, Cameron Terrell (B /M/26) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault Wdw Government Official (F), 2) Resisting Public Officer (M), 3) Possess Stolen Motor Vehicle (F), 4) Pwimsd Methamphetamine (F), 5) Possession Of Firearm By Felon (F), 6) Flee/elude Arrest W/ mv (M), 7) Reckless Driving To Endanger (M), 8) Speeding (M), and 9) Fail To Heed Light Or Siren (M), at 126 S Third St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/2/2022 ♦ Parker, Maliq Raekwon (B /M/18) Arrest on chrg of 1) Larceny Of Motor Vehicle (f) (F), 2) Poss Stolen Goods/prop (f) (F), and 3) Felony Conspiracy (F), at 126 South 3rd St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/2/2022 ♦ Kessel, Cody James (W /M/21) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possess Methamphetamine (F) and 2) Traffic Offense - Free Text (M), at Us 52, Albemarle, NC, on 1/2/2022 ♦ Wheeler, Dennis Wayne (W /M/43) Arrest on chrg of Possess Methamphetamine (F), at 20007 St Martin Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 1/2/2022 ♦ Robinson, Darrin Christian (B /M/27) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 102 Clearview Court, Norwood, NC, on 1/1/2022 ♦ Robinson, Darrin Christian (B /M/27) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 100 Clearview Ct., Norwood, NC, on 1/1/2022 ♦ Starkes, Octavia Dimandimani Cya (B /F/28) Arrest on chrg

cause of the slightly lower temperatures in this country and the lower sunlight levels. But that really allows the flavor profiles within the fruit to build up,” he says.

Pollard adds that Kent is perfectly located high off the coastline, providing a free-flowing breeze to keep the crop clean and fresh. “The enemy of fruit really is moisture and humidity and warm temperatures, which proliferate fungal diseases,” he says.

At the same time, England’s temperamental climate can prove a challenge.

Pollard says it’s taken years of trial and error to create the perfect growing conditions.

“You do start to know where the problems will occur,” he says. “So we know where we might start to see a little bit of disease creep in and we know where we will have issues with frost and things like that.

So every year that goes on, we just get to learn more and more about the science and what we can expect from it.”

Some Champagne houses are now investing in English vineyards.

“We always sort of had the impression that the French think they make the best wine in the world and that the English can’t make wine, so it is quite satisfying in a way to see the French coming over and planting vines,” McHale says.

The temperate British climate was a draw for French champagne house Tattinger, which bought farmland in Kent in collaboration with U.K. winemaker Hatch Mansfield to create Domaine Evremond.

Having planted their first vines in 2017, their wines will be released onto the market in the 2020s.

“During the growing season of the wine, the average temperatures in the south of England are approximately the same as what they would have been several decades ago in Champagne,” McHale says.

“So, you know, the Champagne producers are seeing the potential of the land in the south of England.”

of Simple Assault (M), at 100 Clearview Ct., Norwood, NC, on 1/1/2022 ♦ Christy, Shunda Doan (W /F/50) Arrest on chrg of 1) Resisting Public Officer (M) and 2) Second Degree Trespass (M), at 301 Yadkin St, Albemarle, NC, on 1/1/2022 ♦ Overcash, Clyde Nevin J (W /M/61) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 45000 Byrd Rd, Albemarle, NC, on 12/31/2021 ♦ Burris, Jamie Lynn (W /M/37) Arrest on chrg of 1) Surrender

By Surety (F), 2) Surrender By Surety (F), 3) Surrender By Surety (F), 4) Surrender By Surety (F), and 5) Surrender

By Surety (M), at 126 South Third Street, Albemarle, NC, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Tucker, Jaime Dwayne (W /M/43) Arrest on chrg of 1) Pwimsd Sch Ii Cs (F), 2) Pwimsd Marijuana (F), and 3) Possess Drug Paraphernalia (M), at 52 S/ Northwoods, Norwood, NC, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Brown, Darrin George (W /M/50) Arrest on chrg of 1) Resisting Public Officer (M), 2) Pwimsd Sch Ii Cs (F), 3) Pwimsd Marijuana (F), 4) Possess Methamphetamine (F), 5) Possess Drug Paraphernalia (M), 6) Possess Drug Paraphernalia (M), 7) Flee/elude Arrest W/mv (M), 8) Drive Left Of Center (i) (M), and 9) Fail To Heed Light Or Siren (M), at 5261 Northwoods, on 12/30/2021 ♦ Locklear, Julie Morris (W /F/50) Arrest on chrg of Larceny By Employee (F), at 542 Fork Rd, Norwood, NC, on 12/30/2021

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES

COLUMN | BETSY MCCAUGHEY

Dems reject work ethic, embrace freeloaders Manchin saw right through what his party intended: a socialist-style universal basic income.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY used to call itself the party of working people and hail the “dignity of work.” No more. Now Democrats want to guarantee people who choose not to work an income funded by the suckers who do the right thing by showing up for work, caring for their family and paying taxes.

Fortunately, these self-supporting Americans just dodged a bullet.

The failure to pass Build Back Better in Congress, thanks to holdout Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) means that the monthly checks or automatic bank deposits to parents with kids, sometimes dubbed Biden Bucks, come to an end this month.

For working people, the monthly payments were merely an advance on their tax refunds — but parents who choose not to work have been getting no-strings money to support their nonworking lifestyle.

Using the pretext of pandemic relief, Democrats enacting the American Rescue Plan last March changed a feature of the tax code — the child tax credit available to adults who work and pay taxes — into a grant paid unconditionally and monthly to almost all adults with kids, whether they work or not.

Democrats have been pushing to extend the monthly payments through 2022 as part of the Build Back Better Act, with a plan to make them permanent.

Manchin saw right through what his party intended: a socialiststyle universal basic income. Manchin objected to the unconditional monthly cash grants: “There’s no work requirement whatsoever.”

“Don’t you think if we’re going to help the children,” Manchin asked, the parents “should make some effort?”

So what about the Democratic Party that represents working people? President Joe Biden still talks the talk. “My Dad used to say, ‘Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity.

It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community.’”

But Biden’s party is no longer walking that walk. As Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) told the House Ways and Means Committee during a debate over Build Back Better, “the so-called dignity of work — that’s like hearing a fingernail on a chalkboard.” New York Magazine’s Eric Levitz calls Manchin’s work-ethic convictions

“contemptible.”

Sorry, but most Americans don’t want to support the moochers.

Supporters of the monthly payments hail them as “already a huge success” for lifting millions of children out of poverty. Nonsense.

That’s what a working parent does. The national poverty rate fell temporarily, but the payments didn’t solve the problem of parents without the mindset to support their children.

This is deja vu. Before the 1996 welfare reform enacted by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton, Uncle Sam used to send checks to nonworking parents. Welfare reform changed that, requiring parents to work or train for work in order to receive cash benefits. It succeeded, reducing the welfare rolls, ameliorating child poverty and helping single mothers become self-sufficient.

Yet, today’s Democratic Party spurns that model. Democrats tend to blame unemployment on racism or a rigged economy and argue that people deserve dignity, whether they choose to work or not.

Of course, all human beings deserve dignity — but not a seat on the couch in front of the TV funded by people who toil.

Democratic politicians all over the nation are pushing to provide a monthly basic income to the nonworking poor, courtesy of taxpayers.

They’ve formed Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. Los Angeles is sending out monthly $1,000 checks to 2,000 residents.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is using millions in federal pandemic relief funding to distribute $500-a-month cash stipends to randomly chosen low-income recipients. That ought to enrage anyone who works and pays taxes.

Jobs are plentiful. The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported that over half of small business owners cannot fill positions. Small businesses are posting “Help Wanted” signs in windows.

Every time you pass one of those signs, you can thank Manchin for holding the line against making taxpayers into suckers supporting the freeloaders.

Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and author of “The Next Pandemic,” available at Amazon.com.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Plague-year immigrants headed to Trump country You have to go back to 1979 to find a year with fewer births, and you can go back to the 1790 census and you won’t find a year with fewer births as a percentage of the population (1.1%).

I WANT TO ADD a few notes to my Christmas weekend column on the Census Bureau’s July 2021 state population estimates and what stories they tell about growth and decline in the first 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic.

THE IMMIGRATION BUST The big news is about immigration. In the years from 2010 to 2019, the Census Bureau recorded an increase in “international migration” — immigration, in layman’s language — of 873,000.

For the 15 months from April 2020 to July 2021, the corresponding number is only 257,000 — down 71% from the average of the years from 2010 to 2019. Presumably, that does not include most of the additional illegal immigrants who have crossed the border and fanned out across the country due to Biden administration policies.

The cutoff date is July 1, just five months into the administration.

The drop-off from the previous decade is enormous. It’s even greater if you look back to the peak immigration surge that started in the 1980s and ended abruptly with the housing price collapse and sharp recession in 2007.

And there’s also a big difference in immigrant destinations. In earlier decades, half of all immigrants typically headed to three states: California, Texas and New York.

In the plague year, they’ve headed elsewhere. The highest immigration increases as a percentage of the pre-existing population in 2020-21 were in two dissimilar states: Massachusetts and Florida, followed by Washington, D.C. One can see in these numbers the increasing share of legal immigrants who are high-skilled people from East Asia and South Asia heading to university and medical school clusters in metro Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. But it is not so on the West Coast. Massachusetts’s immigrant increase (13,700) was essentially identical to California’s (13,900), even though Massachusetts has about 7 million people and California has about 39 million.

The No. 1 and No. 2 destinations for 2020-21 immigrants were Florida (41,200) and Texas (28,500). Together, these states account for more than a quarter of the nation’s immigration increase. Plagueyear immigrants are evidently attracted by the same factors as plague-year domestic migrants: low taxes, vibrant private sector economics and a relative lack of COVID-19 restrictions.

The pattern has political implications. Latin American and Asian immigrants from the 1982-2007 surge turned out to vote heavily Democratic, and high-skill Asian immigrants since 2007 have done so as well.

But Latino voters, especially but not only in South Texas and South

Florida, have trended toward Republicans in the Trump era. Polling shows that Latinos in the Lower Rio Grande Valley resent rather than identify with the illegal immigrants surging across the border.

And Florida may be seeing an influx of high-skill and anti-socialist refugees from new leftist governments in Argentina, Peru and Chile, as it already has from Venezuela and Cuba.

Where immigrants aren’t going is also significant. Only 5% of the 2020-21 immigrant inflow was to California, and only 2% was to Illinois. Los Angeles and Chicago have lost their allure. And immigrants added less than one-tenth of 1% to the populations of the fast-growing Carolinas and Georgia and the slower-growing Midwest.

THE BIRTH DEARTH The number of births in the 12 months up through July 1, 2021, was 3,582,000 — 9% lower than the average in the years from 2010 to 2019.

You have to go back to 1979 to find a year with fewer births, and you can go back to the 1790 census and you won’t find a year with fewer births as a percentage of the population (1.1%).

Birth rates are lowest in the six New England states and Oregon on the West Coast. They are similarly low in Florida and West Virginia, with their elderly populations. In recent years, only a few states, such as Maine and West Virginia, have registered more births than deaths.

In the April 2020-July 2021 period, 25 states did.

What states have the highest birth rates? Not California or New York, whose pre-2007 immigrants were prolific in recent times. In the plague year, their birth rates were below the national average.

The most prolific instead are heavily Mormon Utah, three sparsely populated states with mining and financial sectors (Alaska and the Dakotas) and Texas.

THE POLITICAL IMPACT Politically, the 25 states carried by former President Donald Trump had 43% of the nation’s population in the 2020 census, which ended on April 1. But they produced 44% of the nation’s births and attracted 44% of its immigrants in the following 14 months, ending July 1, 2021. Even as Biden Democrats took over the government, the nation’s demographics shifted marginally toward Republicans in the plague year.

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.

3

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

4

SPORTS SIDELINE REPORT BASEBALL

Iowa Cubs outgoing owner, associates give $600K in bonuses Des Moines, Iowa Outgoing Iowa Cubs chairman and owner Michael Gartner bonus checks to 23 full-time employees last week to the tune of $600,000, the Des Moines Register reported.

The money came from profits from the recent sale of the team, and Gartner and his four associates wanted to share those profits with staff members.

Everyone, including the club’s custodian, got a check — $2,000 for every year they had been employed, even as interns. The longest tenured employee received a check for $70,000.

WNBA

Longtime Spurs assistant Hammon to lead WNBA team Las Vegas Becky Hammon, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, will take over as the Las Vegas Aces’ head coach and general manager after the NBA season concludes. Hammon has spent eight seasons as a Spurs assistant and has interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs. But for now, her dream of becoming the first woman to lead an NBA team is on hold.

There are still a half dozen women assistant coaches in the NBA. Hammon’s resume earned her plenty of respect: She will be the WNBA’s highest-paid coach.

Hammon will replace Bill Laimbeer.

TRACK & FIELD

Four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower Logan dead at 62 Ashland, Ohio Jud Logan, a four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower who was also a successful college track coach at Ashland University, has died. He was 62. The school announced his death on Monday. Logan had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Leukemia since 2019 and died from COVID-related pneumonia, according to reports. A Kent State graduate, Logan competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000 Olympics.

He was a captain on the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain. Logan is survived by his wife, Jill, and their three children — Nathan, Jenna and Kirsten.

MARK BAKER | AP PHOTO

Greensboro's John Isner pictured Tuesday at the ATP Cup in Sydney, will compete in the 2022 Australian Open after missing last year's tournament.

Djokovic given medical exemption to play at Australian Open The world’s No. 1 player will attempt to become the alltime leader in men’s Grand Slam titles

By John Pye The Associated Press BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram on Tuesday he has “an exemption permission.”

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria state

tions to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.”

Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said “fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration,” Tiley said.

Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical exemptions were “not a

Hall of Famer Sam Jones, winner of 10 NBA titles, dies at 88

NFL

The NC Central alumnus and Wilmington native won 10 titles in 12 years with the Celtics

Raiders rookie Hobbs arrested on DUI charge

The Associated Press

Las Vegas Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge shortly after the team returned from a road game in Indianapolis.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Monday that dispatch received a call at about 4 a.m. about a driver asleep inside a vehicle parked on an exit ramp of a parking garage. Police made contact and Hobbs failed a field sobriety test and was booked at the Clark County Detention Center for a misdemeanor DUI. The 22-year-old Hobbs was a fifth-round pick out of Illinois.

government has mandated that all players, staff and fans attending the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted.

Australian Open organizers issued a statement later Tuesday to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney.

“Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the statement said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applica-

loophole for privileged tennis players.”

“It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition,” Merlino said at a news conference.

Greensboro’s John Isner will play in this year’s Australian Open after missing it in 2021, but two of the biggest names in tennis won’t be competing.

Roger Federer, tied with Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the most men’s Grand Slam titles with 20, is still recovering from right knee surgery.

Serena Williams’ Grand Slam title drought will officially reach five years after the 23-time major champion announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open last month due to an ongoing hamstring injury. It means she’ll miss another chance to tie Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam record.

Williams’ 23rd major singles title — and most recent — came at the Australian Open in 2017.

And for the first time since 1997, no Williams sister will be in action at Melbourne Park. Venus Williams, 41, hasn’t played since August because of a leg injury.

BOSTON — Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, the Boston Celtics’ “Mr. Clutch” whose sharp shooting fueled the league’s longest dynasty and earned him 10 NBA titles — second only to teammate Bill Russell — has died, the team said. He was 88.

Jones died last Thursday night in Florida, where he had been hospitalized in failing health, Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said.

“Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history,” the team said in a statement.

“His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, ‘The Shooter,’” the Celtics said. “The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in

American sports.”

Often providing the offense while Russell locked things down at the other end, Jones averaged 17.7 points per game over 12 seasons. The number went up in the postseason, when he averaged 18.9 points and was usually the No. 1 option for the game’s final shot for the teams that won 10 titles from 1959-69.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball,” Jones told The Associated Press this fall in an interview for the league’s 75th anniversary. “But we always won NBA championships.”

In 1964, Jones was a member of the NBA’s first starting lineup to include five black players, joining Russell, Tom “Satch” Sanders, K.C. Jones and Willie Naulls.

Although coach Red Auerbach maintained he was thinking only of his best chance to win, the lineup broke with an unwritten rule that pressured teams to have at least on white player on the floor.

Born in Wilmington, Jones attended North Carolina Central, then a Division II, historically black university in Durham. Auerbach first heard of Jones when he went to North Carolina to scout the national champion Tar

HAROLD P. MATOSIAN | AP PHOTO

Boston John Havlicek, left, and Sam Jones celebrate winning the 1969 NBA title in Jones' final game before his retirement. Jones, a Wlimington native who attended NC Central, died Dec. 30.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball. But we always won NBA championships.”

Sam Jones Heels and was told that the best player in the state was actually at Central playing for Hall of Fame coach John McLendon.

Auerbach selected Jones in the first round of the 1957 draft, eighth overall, despite never seeing him play.

“Russell and I are the most successful players in winning championships in the NBA. Yet he never saw us play a game because they had no scouts,” Jones told

the AP. “The coaches called other coaches to see how other players were playing. They took their word for it.”

Jones led the Celtics in scoring five times — including the 1963 champions, when he was one of eight future Hall of Famers on the roster. When he retired in 1969 at the age of 36, Jones held 11 Celtics records and was the only player in franchise history to score more than 50 points in a game.

Jones retired having won his 10 championships in 12 seasons.

A five-time All-Star, he was was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Jones was named to the NBA’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams. His death comes a year after teammate Tommy Heinsohn and 13 months following the death of K.C. Jones.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

5

NBA reschedules postponed games, makes other adjustments

The North Stanly girls’ basketball team poses after winning the West Stanly Christmas Classic on Dec. 29.

The league didn’t play 11 games in December due to COVID-19

JESSE DEAL | STANLY COUNTY JOURNAL

North Stanly girls claim Christmas basketball tournament title

The Associated Press The NBA has rescheduled all 11 games that were postponed in December for virus-related reasons and either shifted the times or dates of 10 other games to help accommodate those changes.

Toronto had six games affected, Chicago had five and Brooklyn had four. In all, 18 of the league’s 30 teams had at least one game date changed by the postponements or future adjustments, all of which were revealed Monday.

There are now seven teams that have at least one stint of playing four games in five nights: Chicago, Toronto, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans and Denver. The original NBA schedule didn’t call for any such stretches, though it was unavoidable with the changes.

“The objective and priority here was to avoid teams playing three games in three nights and look for a middle-ground approach,” said Evan Wasch, an NBA executive vice president who helps oversee the league’s scheduling.

The Nets — who couldn’t play at Portland last month because they were missing nearly a dozen players with virus-related issues — have a most unusual schedule coming next week.

Brooklyn plays Sunday against San Antonio at home — then will fly across the country to play the rescheduled game at Portland the next day, Jan. 10. The Nets then come back East and visit Chicago on Jan. 12.

To help with the demands of that Portland trip, the NBA moved Sunday’s Spurs-Nets game to noon Eastern. The teams had been scheduled to play a night game, but now the Nets should be in Portland by late Sunday night.

There were a couple other options for that Nets-Blazers game, Wasch said, but having it played

Comet boys finish second in their championship appearance

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

JESSIE ALCHEH | AP PHOTO

Nets forward Kevin Durant shoots against the Clippers on Saturday in New York. Brooklyn had four game postponed due to COVID-19.

Jan. 10 was the best for everyone involved.

“The main reason to release these now is because we wanted to make sure that teams had at least one week’s notice on any postponements, from a travel perspective, basketball planning, business, ticket sales, all those things,” Wasch said. “It made sense to do it now.”

Simply plugging the postponed games back into the calendar could have been done, Wasch said, but moving other games opened more possibilities and avoided the dreaded three-game, three-night stints. And the league started working on potential changes as soon as the first postponements occurred, Wasch said.

“We also didn’t want to massively disrupt the existing schedule,” Wasch said.

The NBA was down to 80 players known to be in the health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus Monday night, a significant drop from the middle of last week when the list peaked around 125 players. Many teams also have staff in the protocols, including some coaches.

“We think we’re sort of over the hump in terms of the meat of the postponements,” Wasch said “Hopefully, knock on wood, we won’t have any. But we certainly don’t expect another rash of them like we had, and so we thought it made sense to now put those 11 games back on the schedule.”

ALBEMARLE — Despite losing its first game of the 2021-22 season back in November, the North Stanly Comets girls’ basketball team has turned its campaign around by pairing a nine-game winning streak with a holiday tournament championship.

The Comets (9-1, 2-0 Yadkin Valley) defeated the Porter Ridge Pirates (6-6, 0-0 Southern Carolina) 57-41 on Dec. 29 to win the West Stanly Christmas Classic basketball tournament title.

That championship victory for North Stanly was preceded by wins in the first two rounds of the event — the Comets defeated tournament host West Stanly (1-11, 0-0 Rocky River) 56-35 on Dec. 27 in the first round and used a 61-22 finish to take down Gray Stone (3-5, 1-2 Yadkin Valley) on Dec. 28 in the second round.

In the tournament finale, freshman Shalyn Bell led the Comets with 20 points while junior Paris Bennett had 15 points and junior Nyleiah White added 10 points.

Following the tournament, first-year coach Regan Allen and the Comets were set to face Mount Pleasant (5-7, 1-1 Yadkin Valley) on Tuesday for their first game of 2022. The team will then have a road rematch with West Stanly on Wednesday.

The North Stanly girls’ team wasn’t the only group of Comets participating in a holiday tournament, as the school’s boys’ team finished as the runner-up in the Comet Christmas Classic hosted at Pfeiffer University’s Merner Gym. The Comets (7-5, 2-1 Yadkin Valley) defeated Montgomery Central (2-7, 0-0 Mid-Piedmont) 78-52 in the first round on Dec. 28 before moving past Piedmont (56, 0-0 Southern Carolina) in the following day’s second round with a 40-32 win.

In the championship matchup of the tournament Dec. 30, the Concord Spiders (9-2, 1-1 South Piedmont) took home the title with a 69-66 victory over the Comets.

After the game, the official North Stanly basketball social media account acknowledged the awards given to five players in the tournament: “Congrats to the following for making the All-Tournament team of the Comet Christmas Classic: North Stanly’s Clay Hatley and Dyson Bell as well as Concord’s Brayden Blue, James Smith and Johnakin Franklin (MVP).”

The Comets were set to open the 2022 portion of their schedule Tuesday with a visit from Mount Pleasant (9-4, 3-0 Yadkin Valley) and will face Albemarle (4-5, 1-1 Yadkin Valley) on the road Friday.

Although the Comets lost two of their first three games of the season, they now sit at third place in the conference standings after winning four of their last six.

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

Panthers owner David Tepper has had little to be happy about in the four seasons since he bought the franchise.

Tepper, Panthers a long way off from ‘sustained success’ Carolina will finish with a fourth straight losing season since its change in ownership

By Steve Reed The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has repeatedly said that “long-term mediocrity” is not acceptable for his NFL franchise.

But right now mediocrity doesn’t sound all that bad for the

Panthers.

Since Tepper purchased the franchise from founder Jerry Richardson for a record $2.3 billion in the summer of 2018, the Panthers are 22-42 with four straight losing seasons. Carolina is sitting at 5-11 for the third straight year with one game remaining, so Tepper’s goal of “sustained success” has thus far eluded him.

Tepper once told reporters that every time the Panthers lose he’s in a “(crappy) mood.”

Can you imagine what he’s feel-

ing right now?

More importantly, you must wonder how much patience the hedge fund billionaire — who is used to winning in the business world — has left with coach Matt Rhule and his staff. Rhule is 1022 as the team’s coach but still has five years remaining on a seven-year, $62 million contract.

Tepper has not responded to interview requests about Rhule’s future, but it’s expected some changes are coming — whether it is the head coach, some of his staff or personnel.

Carolina has a strong talented defense to build around, but its offense has been a complete mess — a reflection on the team’s horrendous offensive line and poor quarterback play.

Rhule made the understatement of the year Monday when he said the team needs to make a “true investment” in the offensive line after giving up seven sacks for the second straight week in a 1810 loss to New Orleans.

The Panthers haven’t selected an offensive lineman in the first round since taking Jeff Otah 19th overall in 2008, and it’s been nearly two decades since they invested a top-10 draft pick at that position, taking Jordan Gross eighth overall in 2003.

The Panthers currently own the sixth pick in the 2022 draft heading into Week 18 with a chance to move up.

The quarterback situation is a little more tricky.

Sam Darnold is under contract for more than $18 million next season, while Cam Newton will be a free agent. Neither has done much to inspire any faith that they can be the quarterback of the future here.

It’s expected Tepper will make a major play for a veteran quarterback this offseason.

“I think the bottom line is that everyone is not playing good enough,” Darnold said Sunday. “We’re just not playing good enough to win games, simple as it is. We just have to continue to make adjustments and get ready to go down to Tampa and go get a win.”

In any event, it should be an interesting offseason as Tepper looks to change to the direction of the franchise.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

6

Juror: Kim Potter made mistake but was still responsible The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — A member of the jury that convicted Minnesota police officer Kim Potter of manslaughter in the killing of Daunte Wright says jurors felt she made an honest mistake when she drew her firearm instead of her stun gun, but that she was still responsible for his death.

The juror spoke with KARE-TV on the condition of anonymity due to what the station described as the “public animosity” surrounding the case.

The juror said no one felt Potter was a racist or meant to kill Wright, but that doesn’t mean she was above the law.

“I don’t want to speak for all the jurors, but I think we believed she was a good person and even believed she was a good cop,” the juror said. “No one felt she was intentional in this. It’s ludicrous that some people are assuming we thought she was a racist. That never came up or anything like that.

We felt like she was a good person, we felt she made a mistake, and that a mistake does not absolve you from the fact she did commit a crime.

“Being a good person doesn’t mean you’re above the law. I don’t think anyone felt she wanted to kill anybody that day. ... This was just a tragedy all the way around.”

Potter shot and killed the 20-year-old Wright in April as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb.

COURT TV VIA AP, POOL

In this screen grab from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter stands with defense attorney Earl Gray, as the verdict is read Thursday, Dec.,23, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn.

Potter, a 26-year veteran on the city’s police department, said she meant to use her stun gun on Wright but didn’t realize she had actually drawn and fired her pistol.

Wright was black and the shooting happened as another white officer, Derek Chauvin, was standing trial in nearby Minneapolis for the killing of George Floyd. It set off waves

of angry protests in Brooklyn Center.

Potter, 49, resigned from the police department two days after the shooting. Prosecutors charged her with first- and second-degree manslaughter. Potter took the stand at her trial, saying she was sorry the incident happened and the traffic stop “just went chaotic.”

The jury deliberated for 27 hours over four days before convicting her of both counts on Dec. 23. She faces close to seven years in prison under Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines, though prosecutors have said they would seek a longer term.

The juror told KARE-TV that jurors didn’t feel Potter lied on

the stand and instead felt she was fighting for her life. But the jury generally thought that Potter should have known she was holding a pistol and not a stun gun given her years of police experience.

The juror said a turning point in deliberations came when jurors handled Potter’s stun gun and pistol and felt the differences.

“The gun was about twice as heavy, and the two weapons had several differences in how they are un-holstered and fired,” the juror said. “The Taser kind of feels like a mouse click whereas the (pistol’s) trigger has some trigger draw weight.”

The juror said Potter’s attorneys seemed disorganized. The juror rejected their argument that Wright caused his own death by resisting.

“We did talk about Daunte’s actions, but we as a jury did a really good job of separating his actions from Kim Potter’s actions,” the juror said. “Daunte’s actions clearly had consequences. So did Kim Potter’s.”

The juror said that at times deliberations grew heated and discussions went in circles. Almost every juror cried at some point.

“Once we came to final verdict . . . we still had to wait an hour and a half until it was read,” the juror said. “So that last hour and a half, I was finally allowing myself to think of the consequences of this tragedy. Obviously we had been thinking about what this meant for Daunte Wright’s family, but now I started to think about what this meant for Kim Potter’s family.”

Children coming from border get attention in Pa governor’s race

By Marc Levy The Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lou Barletta, an illegal-immigration hawk and former congressman running for governor, said he would take a harder line against the federal government’s yearslong practice of bringing unaccompanied minors found by the Border Patrol to various facilities in Pennsylvania and other states.

Some Republican governors have protested the practice this year and are looking for ways to block it in their states.

In the past decade, the number of unaccompanied children found at the border has jumped dramatically, expanding the need for the federal government to place the children throughout the United States while they pursue their cases in backlogged immigration courts.

Barletta, a Republican vying for the party’s nomination in a big primary field, said he would stop the practice in cases where the state doesn’t know the medical and criminal backgrounds of the minors, who must be 17 or under to be in the resettlement program.

“It would stop when I’m governor of Pennsylvania because I also recognize the danger and the risks of putting people into our schools without having any idea what the background of that person is,” Barletta said in an interview.

Barletta pointed to a newly unveiled platform by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as something he supports.

One aspect is legislation to prohibit state and local agencies from

doing business with “any private entities that facilitate the resettlement of illegal aliens” from the southern border. Another is a regulation that prohibits the licensing of agencies that provide services to unaccompanied migrant children unless the state consents to it.

Weeks earlier, DeSantis highlighted reports that the 24-yearold suspect in a stabbing death posed as a teenager at the border in order to cross as an unaccompanied minor.

Barletta also said he would refuse to allow the migrant children into Pennsylvania schools, unless they met vaccine requirements that apply to all students.

In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services flew migrant children into Wilkes-Barre-Scranton International Airport, the agency said late last week.

The department has released little other information about the minors, prompting protests from Barletta about the department’s lack of disclosure and silence about it from Gov. Tom Wolf.

More flights were scheduled to arrive this week, Barletta said.

Wolf, a Democrat who’s constitutionally barred from running for another term, hasn’t objected to the flights or the department’s practices. In a statement, Wolf’s office said immigration questions should be directed to the federal government and suggested that Barletta and others are pulling a “political PR stunt.”

The department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement has housed more than 350,000 of the migrant children across the country and in

GENE J. PUSKAR | AP PHOTO

This Oct. 26, 2018, file photo shows Lou Barletta in the studio of KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. every state in the past seven years, according to its figures.

More than 5,800 of them came to Pennsylvania, spanning the presidential administrations of Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Donald Trump and now Democrat Joe Biden.

In South Carolina, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster banned foster care and group homes there from taking in migrant children.

One of Barletta’s complaints — that states don’t know enough about the migrant children being brought there — echo those of DeSantis and Republican officeholders in Tennessee. There, Republi-

can Gov. Bill Lee refused a request by the Biden administration to house migrant children in Tennessee National Guard facilities.

Children are typically released to sponsors, usually parents or close relatives, and aided by local charitable organizations.

While in the department’s custody, the children receive vaccinations under a “catch-up” schedule for those who are behind and sponsors are given a copy of the child’s medical and immunization records compiled during their time in custody, the department said.

They are tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, it said.

As mayor of Hazleton for more than a decade, Barletta gained national prominence for accusing the federal government of failing to enforce immigration laws.

Barletta said his experience on the House Homeland Security Committee taught him that U.S. border authorities don’t have the time or resources to thoroughly investigate migrant children’s backgrounds.

“You literally do not know who that person is or what their background is, or their age, so if they say they’re a minor, we don’t really know if they’re a minor,” Barletta said.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

7

obituaries

Diane Cook July 2, 1942 – December 26, 2021

Dianne Cook, 74, of Norwood, passed away Sunday, December 26, 2021 at her home.

Mrs. Cook was born July 2, 1947, to the late William Gilbert and Margaret Lowder Pearce. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her brothers, Danny Eugene Pearce and William David Pearce.

Dianne was the co-owner of Cook’s Marine Service for over 35 years. She was a loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Dianne will be remembered as a faithful servant to the Lord and a caregiver to her entire family. She was a dear friend to many.

Dianne is survived by her husband of 54 years, William C. “Butch” Cook; daughters, Crystal Page and husband, Jeff; Tiffany Cook and fiancé, Tim Franklin; grandchildren, Nic Page, Drake Page, Tanner Franklin; brother, Donald Earl Pearce; fur babies, Tahoe and Teal.

William David McCollum March 23, 1941 – December 27, 2021

William David (Bill) McCollum of Locust, N.C., loving and beloved husband and father, died the morning of Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, succumbing to complications from progressive supranuclear palsy. He was 80.

McCollum was a United States Army veteran, a longtime sales representative with Nabisco and above all a devoted family man.

He and his wife, Joan McCollum, lived for several decades in Charlotte, raising a family of three children before moving to Oakboro, N.C., in 1998 and to Locust in 2016. The couple celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Aug. 20.

He is survived by his wife, Joan McCollum of Locust; a son, Brian McCollum of Detroit; daughter Kathaleen (K.C.) McCollum Levings and her husband, Rob Levings, of Milton, Fla; daughter Megan McCollum of Washington, D.C.; a grandson, Liam Levings; a sister, Myrtis Rainwater of Union, S.C.; and many muchloved nephews, nieces, in-laws and cousins.

Robert Lee Jackson

Mickey C. Arey

January 2, 1954 – December 24, 2021

May 1, 1939 – December 30, 2021

Mr. Robert (Bobby) Lee Jackson, 67, of Stanfield, passed away Friday, December 24, 2021 at Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center.

Bobby was born January 2, 1954.

He grew up in Charlotte on Milton Rd. He attended Cochrane Junior High school and Independence Senior High School. There, he acquired many life long friends who were more like family then friends. He served in the military (Army) spending most of that time in Germany. He was a motor transport operator for 2 years and 8 months and left with an honorable discharge.

He spoke of those days often. He had a long career of drywall finishing.

He was a very talented artist, loved working with wood, and creating things with his hands.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Sandy Floyd of Stanfield, brother, George Jackson of Charlotte, and sister, Maleia J. Smith of Stanfield. Survivors are siblings, Joni J. Love and Michael J. Floyd of Stanfield.

Bobby’s famous last words... “I’m outta here man.”

Mickey C. Arey, 82, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully into the arms of our Lord on Thursday, December 30, 2021 at Abernethy Laurels Nursing Home in Newton.

Mr. Arey was born May 1, 1939 in North Carolina to the late William Cardell Arey and the late Vivian Arey of Albemarle.

He was also preceded in death by his first wife Margaret Arey, a son, Jeffery Arey and a sister, Norma Jean Clemons of Texas.

Mickey loved Braves baseball and anything to do with flying as he was a licensed pilot.

Survivors include wife, Mary Arey of Albemarle, daughters; Laura Arey of Statesville and Peggy (Michael) Furr of Statesville, grandson, J.D. (Suzanne) Arey of Aquadale, granddaughters; Kimber Eury (Wesley Mounts) of Statesville, and Angela Arey of Alabama, six greatgrand children; Addison, Bailey, Aaron, Aiden, Jeremy, and William, brother-in-law, Sam Clemons of Texas, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Donald Blaine Honeycutt September 9, 2004 – January 2, 2022

Donald Blaine Huneycutt, 17, of Locust passed away Sunday, January 2, 2022. His funeral service will be held on at 3:30 on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 in the Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care Chapel of Locust. The family will receive friends at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Locust on Tuesday evening from 6 until 8 PM. Born September 9, 2004 in Cabarrus County, NC he was the son of Donald Odell Huneycutt Jr. and Heather Joann Huneycutt of Locust. He was a sophomore at West Stanly High School. He loved cars and hunting and video games. He also enjoyed spending time with his friends.

In addition to his parents he is survived by three sisters, Elizabeth Huneycutt of Albemarle, Brittany Huneycutt of Wilmington, NC, and Madelyn Huneycutt of Wilmington, grandmother Brenda Huneycutt of Stanfield, and many other family members.

Edward Paul Farris

Dannie Louis Burris Sr.

July 23, 1938 – December 28, 2021

June 3, 1946 – December 21, 2021

Edward Paul Farris, 83, of Locust passed away on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at Atrium Health Cabarrus.

Mr. Farris was born July 23, 1938 in Yukon, West Virginia to the late Willie Russell Farris and Lydia Keen Farris. He was a graduate of Benjamin Franklin University receiving his associates degree and George Washington University receiving a bachelor’s degree. With over 44 years of experience in the financial field, Edward retired from Wells Fargo and worked afterward for Andrews Credit Union as a bank auditor. Edward served as a volunteer for AARP, giving tax aid in Florida for 15 years. He was a member at First Baptist Church in San Mateo, FL, and also a member of Berea Baptist Church in Stanfield, NC where he served as a choir member and deacon of the church. Mr. Farris was the last surviving member of his immediate family.

Edward is survived by his wife Helen Sue Van Dyke Farris of the home; son: Edward Paul Farris, Jr. (April) of Alpharetta, GA; daughters: Paula Farris Gardner (John) of Palatka, FL, and Patricia Farris Saldana of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren: Michael, Kyle, and Cayley Farris of Alpharetta, Ga, Morgan and Connor Saldana of Charlotte, NC; and step granddaughter: Taty Johnson of Maryland.

Dannie Louis Burris, Sr., 75, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, December 21, 2021 in his home.

His memorial service will be at 3PM on January 9, 2022 at Greater Life Church officiated by Rev. Daniel Haskett.

Mr. Burris was born June 3, 1946 in Stanly County, NC to the late Chestley Lee Burris and Sena Burris Burris. He retired after 32 years and 10 months from Bell South, AT&T, Windstream and the Concord Telephone Company. He attended Greater Life Church of Locust. Dannie collected glass dishes and bottles and he had an eye for stain glass.

He had a collection of railroad memorabilia.

Dannie is survived by his wife, Janis King Burris of the home.

He is also survived by a son, Dannie Burris, Jr. of Charlotte, NC; a daughter, Amy Elizabeth Thornton (Chris) of Locust, NC; a stepson, Brian Morgan (Kim) of Monroe, NC; a stepdaughter, Shelley Kerns (Jamie) of Albemarle. NC; a brother, J.C. Burris (Brenda) of Locust, NC; two sisters, Judy Hatley (Ervin) of Locust, NC and Jackie Jones (Randy) of Salisbury; sister in law Carol Burris of Bennettsville, SC; nine grandchildren and three great children.

He is preceded in death by his brother Frank Burris.

Paula Rogers Shedd September 14, 1943 – December 27, 2021

Paula Rogers Shedd, 78, of Norwood passed away on Monday, December 27, 2021 at her home.

Born September 14, 1943 in Burlington, NC, she was the daughter of the late Paul Spurgeon Rogers and Cornell Furr Rogers.

Earlier in her life, she was very involved with her church where she enjoyed playing music. She loved spending time with her family especially on the lake.

Mrs. Shedd is survived by her sons: Brent Daniel Shedd and wife Shelly of Darlington, SC, and Michael Lee Shedd and wife Shelley of Norwood, NC; grandchildren: Jackson and Thomas Shedd of Norwood, NC, Kari Lind and husband Wade of Florence, SC, and Haleigh Shedd of Charlotte, NC; great-grandchildren: James and Emma Lind; sister: Cheryl Efird of Norwood, NC; brother-in-law: Kenneth Shedd of Foxfire, NC. She was preceded in death by her husband Jon Daniel Shedd and her sister Barbara Padgette.

Howard James Whittington December 28, 2021

Howard James Whittington aged 76 passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on December 28, 2021.

Graveside service will be held at 11 am Saturday, January 8, 2022 at Stanly Gardens of Memory in Albemarle, NC followed by Memorial service at 3 pm at First Lutheran Church in Greensboro, NC with Rev. Jay Hilbinger presiding.

Steve Lewis Honeycutt March 13, 1959 – December 29, 2021

Steve Lewis Honeycutt, 62, of Albemarle, passed away Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at Atrium HealthCare Hospice of Union County.

Mr. Honeycutt was born March 13, 1959 to the late Robert Lewis and Elaine Hathcock Honeycutt.

Steven will be laid to rest, at the Stanly Gardens of Memory at 2001 East Main St., Albemarle.

Mr. Honeycutt was survived by his numerous cousins.

Stanly County Journal for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

8

STATE & NATION

Top NC senator backing bill requiring appeals court votes

By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — North Carolina Republican lawmakers could advance legislation soon that would require state appellate judges to disclose publicly how they voted privately on orders issued by their courts, the state Senate’s top leader said Thursday.

The proposal follows a rapid-fire series of rulings this month involving redistricting litigation that ultimately delayed the March primary until May. Those rulings didn’t detail how court members sided.

Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that colleagues are considering legislation that would mandate orders issued by the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals to include how each jurist hearing a case came down on the decision.

Usually routine orders or those on quick-moving motions issued by the two appeals courts do not

GARY D. ROBERTSON | AP PHOTO

North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, speaks to reporters in the Legislative Building in Raleigh. disclose how individual judges voted privately. Such Supreme Court decisions are signed “for the court” by the court’s most junior justice. The clerk for the Court of Appeals usually signs similar orders from that court.

That’s how it happened three weeks ago when a three-judge Court of Appeals panel blocked candidate filing for U.S. House and legislative seats minutes before the filing period was to begin. Later the same day, the clerk’s

signature was affixed to an order canceling that delay, backed by “a vote of the majority of judges” on the 15-member court.

Two days later, the Supreme Court suspended candidate filing and delayed the March 8 primary until May 17 so a panel of trial judges could hear arguments alleging partisan and racial gerrymandering in maps approved by the GOP-controlled General Assembly in November. The Supreme Court order was signed only by Associate Justice Tamara Barringer.

Berger, a Rockingham County Republican, said a decision like this “just cries out for transparency” and without disclosure creates “suspicion” among the public. Registered Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the Supreme Court. Republicans hold 10 of the 15 Court of Appeals seats.

Berger said he’s interested in legislation to make sure that going forward whenever an order is issued, “whoever was in favor of the order we know and who was opposed to the order we know.”

Justices and judges already put their names to the longer, formal court opinions they write.

GOP U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who is seeking reelection in 2022, filed a lawsuit in feder-

al court against all Court of Appeals and Supreme Court members and other officials. He said he’s been unable to obtain the judges’ votes on the orders.

Berger said he hopes legislation could be considered if and when the General Assembly next returns to work, which currently would be no earlier than Jan. 10. Approved legislation would be subject to Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature or veto stamp.

Democratic state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri of Wake County said Thursday that while the justices were following precedent in how the Dec. 8 order was presented, revisiting that standard is “a discussion that I think that we’re willing to have.”

But Chaudhuri said it’s likely the impetus for such action comes from the GOP’s unhappiness with the Supreme Court’s order directing that the trial judges rule on the redistricting lawsuits

by Jan. 11. That trial begins Monday, with a likely Supreme Court appeal on the outcome.

“I think one could say that (Republicans are) also injecting politics into the process,” said Chaudhuri, the minority whip.

The 2021 session began in January and by one measure marked the second longest uninterrupted annual session since at least 1965.

Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts

By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — In the tiny town of Lawrenceville, Virginia, a van owned by Poplar Mount Baptist Church was knocked out of commission for weeks after thieves cut the catalytic converter out of its exhaust system.

Several months later, across town, a catalytic converter was ripped from a van owned by First Baptist Church.

Similar crimes followed, targeting a total of 15 church vans and 13 other vehicles in town, part of a nationwide surge in thefts of catalytic converters.

Thefts of the exhaust emission control devices have jumped over the past two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed. Thieves can expect to get anywhere from $50 to $300 if they sell the converters to scrap yards, which then sell them to recycling facilities to reclaim the precious metals inside, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

For victims, the costs of replacing a stolen catalytic converter can easily top $1,000 and make their vehicle undrivable for days or weeks as the part is ordered and installed. It can also leave owners feeling vulnerable.

“Just to feel that the church property was invaded by thieves was disheartening,” said John Robinson, a member of Poplar Mount Baptist Church.

Robinson said replacing the stolen converter cost about $1,000.

The theft was covered by insurance, but the church had to pay its $250 deductible and was unable to use the van for six weeks as it sat in a mechanic’s yard waiting for a new part.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau said the number of catalytic converter thefts reported in claims to insurance companies jumped from 3,389 in 2019 to 14,433 in 2020. NICB President

Used catalytic converter that was removed from cars at a salvage yard are piled up in a carton Friday Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va.

STEVE HELBER | AP PHOTO

David Glawe said there has been a significant increase in thefts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s an opportunistic crime,” Glawe said in a statement. “As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.”

The increase in thefts has prompted states across the country to toughen penalties and impose new requirements for scrap metal dealers who buy the converters.

Ten states enacted new legislation in 2021, including laws in Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas that require scrap metal buyers of used

converters to maintain records of purchases, including proof of ownership, vehicle identification numbers, the seller’s home address and driver’s license numbers, according to the insurance crime bureau.

In North Carolina, a law that went into effect Dec. 1 makes catalytic converter thefts a Class I felony and requires businesses that buy used catalytic converters to get documentation and maintain detailed records on people who sell the devices to them.

A bill modeled after the North Carolina law will be introduced in Virginia when the legislature reconvenes in January. The measure would make the theft of a catalytic converter a felony and presume that anyone in possession of one that’s been removed from a vehicle has obtained it illegally unless the person is an authorized scrap seller

or has a bill of sale, receipt or other documentation.

David Overby, owner of Auto Repairs Plus, said he spent more than $5,000 on lighting and a security system with cameras after thieves repeatedly stole catalytic converters off his customers’ cars in his parking lot. Overby said police arrested two people caught on his cameras stealing converters, but he said under the current law, they were only charged with a misdemeanor.

“These people have got to be held accountable in some way, not given a slap on their wrist,” Overby said.

At Chesterfield Auto Parts, where customers can pull parts from junked cars, owner Troy Webber said his workers remove catalytic converters before the vehicles are made available to the public, then lock the devices in steel con-

tainers before selling them to auto recyclers. That doesn’t stop thieves from trying to break in, he said.

“People cut through our fence constantly to try to steal the catalytic converters,” he said.

Henrico police Chief Eric English said catalytic converters have been cut from vehicles parked in homeowners’ driveways. Police have advised people about theft prevention measures, including protective shields and covers for the converters. They’ve also offered to stencil a mark on catalytic converters to allow scrap yard dealers and recyclers to more easily identity a stolen converter.

“It’s definitely something we have to get a hold of because it’s causing a lot of families and a lot of people some heartburn,” English said. “It’s not something people deserve to have happen to them.”

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 15 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

Twin City Herald

COURTESY PHOTO

Let the celebration begin

Wake Forest players celebrate their Gator Bowl win with the traditional Gatorade shower for their coach, Dave Clawson

WHAT’S HAPPENING

NC voter ID trial delayed as US Supreme Court examines case

Someone is yet to claim a $1 million lottery ticket

The Associated Press

Forsyth County North Carolina lottery officials say that someone is yet to claim a $1 million ticket that was bought in Forsyth County. The Mega Millions ticket was bought on New Year’s Eve. The North Carolina Education Lottery said in a news release that the $2 ticket was bought at a Circle K in Lewisville. The ticket matched numbers on five white balls. The odds of winning were one in 12.6 million. People who have a winning ticket must claim their prize within 180 days.

AP

Police: Pedestrian struck by patrol car Forsyth County Police say a person has suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a patrol vehicle. The marked patrol car struck the pedestrian as the vehicle entered an exit ramp. The person was wearing dark clothing and had stood “directly in the middle of the travel lane and was not visible to the motorist on the highway until a collision was imminent.” The person received immediate medical treatment and was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Police have not released the identities of the officer involved or the person who was struck.

AP

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20177 52016 $0.50

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WINSTON-SALEM — A federal trial set for January on litigation challenging North Carolina’s voter photo identification law has been delayed while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether legislative leaders should be permitted to help defend the law in court.

The Supreme Court said last month it would consider the request of House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger to formally step in to the case and defend the 2018 law along with state government attorneys.

The lawsuit was previously scheduled to go to trial in Winston-Salem on Jan. 24. In an order issued Thursday, presiding U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs said it makes sense to delay the start to avoid further confusion over voter

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE | AP PHOTO

The Supreme Court is seen as a winter storm delivers heavy snow to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

ID. Otherwise, a Supreme Court ruling favoring GOP legislators could require a repeal trial.

0+ Stage Schedules Readers Theater Acting Classes for seniors to begin January at May Alice Warren Community Theater, Lewisville Twin City Herald staff WINSTON-SALEM — 40+ Stage Company has scheduled Readers Theater Classes for seniors, age 55 and up, with an orientation class at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center, 440 Lewisville-Clemmons Rd, Lewisville, NC. The course consists of six two-hour classes beginning at 3:00 pm on successive Tuesdays.

The first class is free for all attending. It will provide an overview of the course and introduce some of the basic skills to be taught. Participants wishing to enroll in the remaining five classes will be charged a $20.00 tuition fee upon registering. Memorizations will not be required. The course is designed to give participants greater confidence when

speaking in public, insight into the creative process and group collaboration, exercise in practicing empathy, and enhanced critical skills in evaluating video and stage performances. Research substantiates that seniors who participate in the performing arts enjoy better mental and emotional health, engage more frequently with others, avoid depression and loneliness, and experience better mental acuity in the later years, thus postponing the onset of dementia-like symptoms.

The classes will be held every Tuesday, January 11, 2021 through February 15, 2021 The initial orientation class is free.

Thereafter, a one-time tuition of $20 is dues for the entire course.

Hardship assistance is available.

“While the court is mindful that parties have been preparing for trial, there is no reason that such

preparation must go to waste,” Biggs wrote. No new starting date was set.

Berger and Moore have argued that state attorneys led by Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, have not adequately represented the state to defend the law.

Biggs and the full U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals have rejected the GOP leaders’ requests.

The trial will focus on the underlying voter ID law, the topic of the race-bias lawsuit filed by the state NAACP and several local chapters. Other lawsuits are pending over the state’s voter ID mandate, which was approved by voters in November 2018 as a constitutional amendment and then formally written into law by the legislature. It’s currently not being enforced.

In September, a state judicial panel ruled that the law was unconstitutional. The North Carolina Supreme Court is hearing a third case challenging how legislators put the constitutional amendment on the ballot — a case that›s been slowed as recusal motions were filed against two state justices.

Detention center resident dies from natural causes Twin City Herald staff WINSTON-SALEM — A “Again, we extend our Detention Center resident died condolences and our prayers from natural causes in the Forsyth County Law Enforcement to the family of Mr. Crisp.”

Detention Center (FCLEDC) on the morning of New Year’s Eve. Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr. ”Firstly, we extend our condolences and prayers to the family and loved ones of the de- dure, we immediately noticeased individual. Any loss of fied the Forsyth County Public life is a loss to our communi- Health Department Director ty,” said sheriff Bobby F. Kim- and the Forsyth County Disbrough Jr. in a statement re- trict Attorney’s Office,” Kimbrough’s statement read. “We leased by the department.

Christopher Wiley Crisp, a invited the State Bureau of In52-year-old white male from vestigation to perform an inWalkertown, died on December dependent investigation into 31st, 2021 at the FCLEDC. The the death, and our Professionpreliminary reports by Naph- al Standards Division will siCare’s Dr. Box, the medical pro- multaneously investigate to envider for the FCLEDC, suggest sure there were no policy and the cause of death to be natu- procedure violations. Each of ral causes from a Gastrointesti- these measures is our standard nal Bleed due to a pre-existing response to a death within the health condition. Mr. Crisp had FCLEDC. “Again, we extend our conbeen in the FCLEDC since December 6th, 2021 for Assault on dolences and our prayers to the family of Mr. Crisp.” Said Kima Female.

“As is our standard proce- brough, Jr.

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

2 WEDNESDAY

WEEKLY FORECAST

1.5.22 #171

WEDNESDAY

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“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

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♦ ADAMS, LAWRENCE JUSTIN was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 136 FRAIZER CREEK RD on 1/1/2022

♦ June Hooker Grogan, 74, of Mount Airy, died December 29, 2021. ♦ Joyce Elinor Grote, 95, of Winston Salem, died December 31, 2021. ♦ Kate Gwyn Hagenah, 92, of Forsyth County, died Jan. 1, 2022. ♦ Vernon G. Hoots, 88, of Davie County, died December 29, 2021. ♦ Treva Elizabeth Jackson, 63, of Winston-Salem, died Jan. 1, 2022. ♦ Carolyn Smitherman Lawhon, 84, of Forsyth County, died December 29, 2021. ♦ James Lavern Matthews 70, of Winston-Salem, died December 29, 2021. ♦ Frederic William Mitchell, 73 of Sunset Beach, died December 29, 2021. ♦ Stanley “Stan” Mock, 76, of Forsyth County, died December 31, 2021. ♦ Alphonso (Fonz) Cortez Parker, 83, of Winston-Salem, died December 31, 2021. ♦ Karen Lynn Shumate, 64, of Forsyth County, died Jan. 1, 2022. ♦ Larry R. Smith, 75, of Kernersville, died December 30, 2021. ♦ Charles Edward “Ed” Swaim, 84, of Thomasville, died December 31, 2021. ♦ Tiffany Nicole Tanner, 40, died Jan. 2, 2022. ♦ LaJean C. Peery Von Dane, 96, of Winston-Salem, died Jan. 2, 2022. ♦ Dennis Grant Warren, 73, of Kernersville, died December 30, 2021. ♦ Bobby Greene Winters, 85 of Mocksville, died Jan. 1, 2022. ♦ Faye Carolyn Larimore Woods, 88, of Forsyth County, died Jan. 1, 2022. ♦ Roland Willis Woods, 92, of Burlington, died December 31, 2021.

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I HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS was blessed and that you were able to spend time with family and friends. As I write, I’m tunneling out from under all the wrapping paper and storing up the leftover food.

As we look back on this past year, we see that we have gone through many challenges. Some are still alive and well.

One year ago, we were preparing for a new president to take office.

Many had high hopes of a better, less hostile environment. We had hopes that somehow we might come together and be able to disagree without being disagreeable. After all, that was one of President Biden’s’ campaign promises. But the president is closing out his first year in office just as he opened it, divisive.

Last January, in his inauguration speech, he said, “On this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, and I ask every American to join me in this cause… With unity, we can do great things, important things.” He also said, “Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now. It’s time to put away harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again.”

We all stood and cheered and said, “Amen.” We knew that’s what this country needed and we were so tired of the rhetoric and name calling and petty school yard antics. We were ready to move on.

Then President Biden went on to talk about, “A rise of political extremism, White Supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.” This is good. Most Americans are disgusted by White Supremacy and Domestic Terrorism. We’re all in when it comes to defeating this monster. But what does this mean?

Does anyone have a real definition?

Well, now we know that the President and his administration identified parents as “domestic terrorists” when they showed up to protest at school board meetings. I’m still trying to figure out the definition of White Supremacy. It certainly appears to have morphed into different forms than most of us thought.

Bloomberg News claims that having a Border Wall is a monument to White Supremacy. Most Americans favor a border wall. Does that make us all white supremacists?

We also now learn that the U.S. Army’s, Equity and Inclusion Agency, has an entire manual on white supremacy. A handout distributed to personnel identifies the slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’ a form

♦ Aaron Lewis Booe, 87, of Davie County, died December 30, 2021.

♦ Ray Franklin Funderburk, 84 of Winston-Salem, died December 29, 2021.

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Straight talk: Biden Promised Unity. Did we get it?

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ Rebecca Jewel Davenport, 94, of Kernersville, died December 30, 2021.

JAN 7

COLUMN | JOYCE KRAWIEC

DEATH NOTICES

♦ Boyd Adams Byrd, Jr., 88, of Forsyth County, died December 30, 2021.

FRIDAY

JAN 6

♦ BROOKS, DONNA DILLINGHAM was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 718 ASHVIEW DR on 12/31/2021 ♦ CARRILLOREYES, JOSE ANTONIO was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 2251 PLEASANT ST on 1/1/2022 ♦ CROCKETT, LARUIN FREDRICK was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 875 FOXWOOD PL on 1/1/2022

of REC/POSS STOLE MV at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/2/2022 ♦ GLOVER, RAYMOND KENDALL was arrested on a charge of INDECENT EXPOSURE at 430 E HANES MILL RD on 12/31/2021 ♦ GRAY, ANTONIO DEMARCO was arrested on a charge of P/W/I/S/D MARIJUANA at 3200 EDELWEISS DR on 12/31/2021 ♦ Hairston, Terrell Lamar (M/39) Arrest on chrg of Communicate Threats, M (M), at 4741 Plata Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 1/1/2022 23:09. ♦ HAMPTON, JASHON TYRELL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 190 MATTHEWS ST on 1/1/2022

of white supremacy. Other forms of white supremacy include, “Denial of white privilege, All Lives Matter, There is only One Human Race, Anti-immigration policies, celebration of Columbus Day, talking about American Exceptionalism, English only initiatives” etc. It’s impossible to make this stuff up.

It appears that many of us can be branded with this broad brush. If you’re white and very poor, as my family certainly was, you have a hard time believing that you were born with some kind of advantage. That hardly makes one a “white supremacist”.

I have always celebrated the discovery of this wonderful country. I constantly talk about how exceptional America is and how blessed we are to be born here. Uh Oh. I think I might be in trouble.

So much for the era of unity from the Biden Administration. Now, to end the year, the White House is waging war on the unvaccinated.

The administration recently praised those folks who have received the vaccine, but then went after those who have not taken the jab. While talking about the new Omicron variant, the President said, “We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated, for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm.”

The administration is doing all that they can to demonize those who are refusing to receive the vaccine. This is scapegoating at its worst and will certainly do nothing to encourage those who have chosen to not receive the vaccine. There are lots of reasons that some have made this decision. I have heard many of these reasons and they are very compelling and it’s a decision for these people to make.

In New York, a really frightening pattern is developing. A bill is awaiting action by the Legislature that grants permission to the Governor, or his or her delegates, including but not limited to heads of local health departments. This allows officials to remove and detain cases, contacts, carriers, or anyone suspected of presenting a ‘significant threat to public health’ and remove them from public life for a period of time. The language is so vague, it appears that it can be indefinite.

Scary.

At least the White House hasn’t gone that far. Not yet at least.

Happy New Year. Hope you’re Blessed with all life has to offer.

Joyce Krawiec has served in the North Carolina Senate from the 31st district since 2014.

ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER at 3022 WALSH ST on 1/3/2022 ♦ Lasley, Jim Thomas (M/29) Arrest on chrg of Vio. Protective Order By Courts Another State/ Indian Tribe (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 12/30/2021 15:00. ♦ MASSAS, MANUEL was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED II at 4072 PARKSIDE MEADOW CT on 1/1/2022 ♦ MCDUFFIE, SHANIYA LOVE was arrested on a charge of AWIK/NO INJURY at 635 AMANDA PL on 1/2/2022

♦ Robinson, Chanell Monique (F/30) Arrest on chrg of 1) Fail To Appear/compl (M) and 2) Ofa-fta-misdemeanor Probation Viol (M), at 2300 Lewisville-clemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 12/30/2021 09:40. ♦ Ross, Hamilton (M/27) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault - Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury (F) and 2) Assault On Female (M), at 5798 Woodside Forest Tl, Lewi, NC, on 1/1/2022 03:55. ♦ RUIZFLORES, RAMSES EDZON was arrested on a charge of POSSESSION CONTROL SUBSTANCE JAIL at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/1/2022

♦ Hargette, Michael David (M/43) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at 1415 Lewisville-clemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 12/30/2021 19:47.

♦ MCNALLIE, NATHAN EDWARD was arrested ♦ SALGADOMORALES, on a charge of IMPAIRED BIMUEL was arrested on DRIVING DWI at 2800 a charge of RESISTING REYNOLDA RD on 1/1/2022 ARREST at 2040 CANNON AV on 12/31/2021 ♦ MCNALLIE, NATHAN EDWARD was arrested ♦ Shumate, Tracy Cecil (F/56) on a charge of IMPAIRED Arrest on chrg of Adw-other DRIVING DWI at 2799 Weapon (M), at 2641 ViennaREYNOLDA RD/FAIRLAWN dozier Rd, Pfafftown, NC, on DR on 1/1/2022 1/2/2022 17:30.

♦ FALSION, TAYLOR ANDREW was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 3816 SPRING BRANCH DR on 1/1/2022

♦ HOWELL, JAIDEN MARKEL ANTWAN was arrested on a charge of POSS COCAINE FEL at 1100 NANCY LN on 1/1/2022

♦ MOORE, ISAIAH E was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 100 HANES MALL CR on 12/31/2021

♦ FOSTER, DTONDJA MOINETTE was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at 5062 SCENIC DR on 12/31/2021

♦ HYMAN, DAVID MAURICE was arrested on a charge of STALKING at 5017 HEIDELBURY CT on 1/1/2022

♦ MOSBY, NICOLE GARDENIA was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT-SIMPLE at 801 N MLK JR DR on 1/2/2022

♦ FOSTER, DTONDJA MOINETTE was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 5039 SCENIC DR/SHOUSE BV on 12/31/2021

♦ JOHNSON, JARVIS HENRY was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 2009 BIG HOUSE GAINES BV/NEW WALKERTOWN RD on 12/31/2021

♦ FRANKLIN, TRAMAYNE ADDARRYL was arrested on a charge of DISCHARGING FIREARMS at 100 OAK SUMMIT RD/UNIVERSITY PW on 1/1/2022

♦ JOHNSON, QUARTEZ LEE was arrested on a charge of 90-95H3 TRAFF COCAINE at 7900 NORTH POINT BV on 1/1/2022

♦ DAWKINS, DEON ELISHA was arrested on a charge of POSS COCAINE FEL at 585 W NORTHWEST BV on 1/1/2022 ♦ DAWSON, NICHOLAS GEORGE was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/2/2022

♦ FULTON, MARCUS DEVON was arrested on a charge

♦ ORDAN, STEPHON BERNARD was arrested on a charge of VIO. PROTECTIVE

♦ MYERS, ANTHONY LOWELL was arrested on a charge of LARCENY-FELONY at 907 WAUGHTOWN ST on 12/31/2021 ♦ ORR, HANNAH MCKAYLA was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 201 N CHURCH ST on 1/1/2022 ♦ QUICK, JEFFERY MAURICE was arrested on a charge of ASSLT ON OFF/ST EMP at 715 W FIFTH ST on 1/2/2022

♦ SIMPSON, AVION DAMONTE was arrested on a charge of P/W/I/S/D MARIJUANA at 3200 EDELWEISS DR on 1/2/2022 ♦ SIMPSON, TREJON TYMIL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 1499 NEW WALKERTOWN RD on 12/31/2021 ♦ STEVENSON, DAVID KINNARD was arrested on a charge of ASSLT ON OFF/ST EMP at 3601 INDIANA AV on 1/2/2022 ♦ THOMAS, RYAN CHARLES was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 3600 S MAIN ST on 1/1/2022

Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

SPORTS

3 SPONSORED BY

SIDELINE REPORT BASEBALL

Iowa Cubs outgoing owner, associates give $600K in bonuses Des Moines, Iowa Outgoing Iowa Cubs chairman and owner Michael Gartner bonus checks to 23 full-time employees last week to the tune of $600,000, the Des Moines Register reported.

The money came from profits from the recent sale of the team, and Gartner and his four associates wanted to share those profits with staff members.

Everyone, including the club’s custodian, got a check — $2,000 for every year they had been employed, even as interns. The longest tenured employee received a check for $70,000.

WNBA

Longtime Spurs assistant Hammon to lead WNBA team Las Vegas Becky Hammon, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, will take over as the Las Vegas Aces’ head coach and general manager after the NBA season concludes. Hammon has spent eight seasons as a Spurs assistant and has interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs. But for now, her dream of becoming the first woman to lead an NBA team is on hold.

There are still a half dozen women assistant coaches in the NBA. Hammon’s resume earned her plenty of respect: She will be the WNBA’s highest-paid coach.

Hammon will replace Bill Laimbeer.

TRACK & FIELD

Four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower Logan dead at 62 Ashland, Ohio Jud Logan, a four-time U.S. Olympic hammer thrower who was also a successful college track coach at Ashland University, has died. He was 62. The school announced his death on Monday. Logan had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Leukemia since 2019 and died from COVID-related pneumonia, according to reports. A Kent State graduate, Logan competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000 Olympics.

He was a captain on the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain. Logan is survived by his wife, Jill, and their three children — Nathan, Jenna and Kirsten.

NFL

Raiders rookie Hobbs arrested on DUI charge Las Vegas Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge shortly after the team returned from a road game in Indianapolis.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Monday that dispatch received a call at about 4 a.m. about a driver asleep inside a vehicle parked on an exit ramp of a parking garage. Police made contact and Hobbs failed a field sobriety test and was booked at the Clark County Detention Center for a misdemeanor DUI. The 22-year-old Hobbs was a fifth-round pick out of Illinois.

MARK BAKER | AP PHOTO

Greensboro's John Isner pictured Tuesday at the ATP Cup in Sydney, will compete in the 2022 Australian Open after missing last year's tournament.

Djokovic given medical exemption to play at Australian Open The world’s No. 1 player will attempt to become the alltime leader in men’s Grand Slam titles

By John Pye The Associated Press BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram on Tuesday he has “an exemption permission.”

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria state

government has mandated that all players, staff and fans attending the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted.

Australian Open organizers issued a statement later Tuesday to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia’s team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney.

“Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the statement said. “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applica-

tions to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines.”

Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said “fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration,” Tiley said.

Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical exemptions were “not a

loophole for privileged tennis players.”

“It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition,” Merlino said at a news conference.

Greensboro’s John Isner will play in this year’s Australian Open after missing it in 2021, but two of the biggest names in tennis won’t be competing.

Roger Federer, tied with Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the most men’s Grand Slam titles with 20, is still recovering from right knee surgery.

Serena Williams’ Grand Slam title drought will officially reach five years after the 23-time major champion announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open last month due to an ongoing hamstring injury. It means she’ll miss another chance to tie Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam record.

Williams’ 23rd major singles title — and most recent — came at the Australian Open in 2017.

And for the first time since 1997, no Williams sister will be in action at Melbourne Park. Venus Williams, 41, hasn’t played since August because of a leg injury.

Hall of Famer Sam Jones, winner of 10 NBA titles, dies at 88 The NC Central alumnus and Wilmington native won 10 titles in 12 years with the Celtics The Associated Press BOSTON — Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, the Boston Celtics’ “Mr. Clutch” whose sharp shooting fueled the league’s longest dynasty and earned him 10 NBA titles — second only to teammate Bill Russell — has died, the team said. He was 88.

Jones died last Thursday night in Florida, where he had been hospitalized in failing health, Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said.

“Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history,” the team said in a statement.

“His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, ‘The Shooter,’” the Celtics said. “The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in

American sports.”

Often providing the offense while Russell locked things down at the other end, Jones averaged 17.7 points per game over 12 seasons. The number went up in the postseason, when he averaged 18.9 points and was usually the No. 1 option for the game’s final shot for the teams that won 10 titles from 1959-69.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball,” Jones told The Associated Press this fall in an interview for the league’s 75th anniversary. “But we always won NBA championships.”

In 1964, Jones was a member of the NBA’s first starting lineup to include five black players, joining Russell, Tom “Satch” Sanders, K.C. Jones and Willie Naulls.

Although coach Red Auerbach maintained he was thinking only of his best chance to win, the lineup broke with an unwritten rule that pressured teams to have at least on white player on the floor.

Born in Wilmington, Jones attended North Carolina Central, then a Division II, historically black university in Durham. Auerbach first heard of Jones when he went to North Carolina to scout the national champion Tar

HAROLD P. MATOSIAN | AP PHOTO

Boston John Havlicek, left, and Sam Jones celebrate winning the 1969 NBA title in Jones' final game before his retirement. Jones, a Wlimington native who attended NC Central, died Dec. 30.

“We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball. But we always won NBA championships.”

Sam Jones Heels and was told that the best player in the state was actually at Central playing for Hall of Fame coach John McLendon.

Auerbach selected Jones in the first round of the 1957 draft, eighth overall, despite never seeing him play.

“Russell and I are the most successful players in winning championships in the NBA. Yet he never saw us play a game because they had no scouts,” Jones told

the AP. “The coaches called other coaches to see how other players were playing. They took their word for it.”

Jones led the Celtics in scoring five times — including the 1963 champions, when he was one of eight future Hall of Famers on the roster. When he retired in 1969 at the age of 36, Jones held 11 Celtics records and was the only player in franchise history to score more than 50 points in a game.

Jones retired having won his 10 championships in 12 seasons.

A five-time All-Star, he was was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Jones was named to the NBA’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams. His death comes a year after teammate Tommy Heinsohn and 13 months following the death of K.C. Jones.

the bett ing to e stitution don’t kn now.”

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Twin City Herald for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

4

STATE & NATION

Top NC senator backing bill requiring appeals court votes

By Gary D. Roberton The Associated Press RALEIGH — North Carolina Republican lawmakers could advance legislation soon that would require state appellate judges to disclose publicly how they voted privately on orders issued by their courts, the state Senate’s top leader said Thursday.

The proposal follows a rapid-fire series of rulings this month involving redistricting litigation that ultimately delayed the March primary until May. Those rulings didn’t detail how court members sided.

Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that colleagues are considering legislation that would mandate orders issued by the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals to include how each jurist hearing a case came down on the decision.

Usually routine orders or those on quick-moving motions issued by the two appeals courts do not

GARY D. ROBERTSON | AP PHOTO

North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, speaks to reporters in the Legislative Building in Raleigh. disclose how individual judges voted privately. Such Supreme Court decisions are signed “for the court” by the court’s most junior justice. The clerk for the Court of Appeals usually signs similar orders from that court.

That’s how it happened three weeks ago when a three-judge Court of Appeals panel blocked candidate filing for U.S. House and legislative seats minutes before the filing period was to begin. Later the same day, the clerk’s

signature was affixed to an order canceling that delay, backed by “a vote of the majority of judges” on the 15-member court.

Two days later, the Supreme Court suspended candidate filing and delayed the March 8 primary until May 17 so a panel of trial judges could hear arguments alleging partisan and racial gerrymandering in maps approved by the GOP-controlled General Assembly in November. The Supreme Court order was signed only by Associate Justice Tamara Barringer.

Berger, a Rockingham County Republican, said a decision like this “just cries out for transparency” and without disclosure creates “suspicion” among the public. Registered Democrats hold a 4-3 seat advantage on the Supreme Court. Republicans hold 10 of the 15 Court of Appeals seats.

Berger said he’s interested in legislation to make sure that going forward whenever an order is issued, “whoever was in favor of the order we know and who was opposed to the order we know.”

Justices and judges already put their names to the longer, formal court opinions they write.

GOP U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who is seeking reelection in 2022, filed a lawsuit in feder-

al court against all Court of Appeals and Supreme Court members and other officials. He said he’s been unable to obtain the judges’ votes on the orders.

Berger said he hopes legislation could be considered if and when the General Assembly next returns to work, which currently would be no earlier than Jan. 10. Approved legislation would be subject to Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature or veto stamp.

Democratic state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri of Wake County said Thursday that while the justices were following precedent in how the Dec. 8 order was presented, revisiting that standard is “a discussion that I think that we’re willing to have.”

But Chaudhuri said it’s likely the impetus for such action comes from the GOP’s unhappiness with the Supreme Court’s order directing that the trial judges rule on the redistricting lawsuits

by Jan. 11. That trial begins Monday, with a likely Supreme Court appeal on the outcome.

“I think one could say that (Republicans are) also injecting politics into the process,” said Chaudhuri, the minority whip.

The 2021 session began in January and by one measure marked the second longest uninterrupted annual session since at least 1965.

Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts

By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — In the tiny town of Lawrenceville, Virginia, a van owned by Poplar Mount Baptist Church was knocked out of commission for weeks after thieves cut the catalytic converter out of its exhaust system.

Several months later, across town, a catalytic converter was ripped from a van owned by First Baptist Church.

Similar crimes followed, targeting a total of 15 church vans and 13 other vehicles in town, part of a nationwide surge in thefts of catalytic converters.

Thefts of the exhaust emission control devices have jumped over the past two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed. Thieves can expect to get anywhere from $50 to $300 if they sell the converters to scrap yards, which then sell them to recycling facilities to reclaim the precious metals inside, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

For victims, the costs of replacing a stolen catalytic converter can easily top $1,000 and make their vehicle undrivable for days or weeks as the part is ordered and installed. It can also leave owners feeling vulnerable.

“Just to feel that the church property was invaded by thieves was disheartening,” said John Robinson, a member of Poplar Mount Baptist Church.

Robinson said replacing the stolen converter cost about $1,000.

The theft was covered by insurance, but the church had to pay its $250 deductible and was unable to use the van for six weeks as it sat in a mechanic’s yard waiting for a new part.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau said the number of catalytic converter thefts reported in claims to insurance companies jumped from 3,389 in 2019 to 14,433 in 2020. NICB President

Used catalytic converter that was removed from cars at a salvage yard are piled up in a carton Friday Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va.

STEVE HELBER | AP PHOTO

David Glawe said there has been a significant increase in thefts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s an opportunistic crime,” Glawe said in a statement. “As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.”

The increase in thefts has prompted states across the country to toughen penalties and impose new requirements for scrap metal dealers who buy the converters.

Ten states enacted new legislation in 2021, including laws in Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas that require scrap metal buyers of used

converters to maintain records of purchases, including proof of ownership, vehicle identification numbers, the seller’s home address and driver’s license numbers, according to the insurance crime bureau.

In North Carolina, a law that went into effect Dec. 1 makes catalytic converter thefts a Class I felony and requires businesses that buy used catalytic converters to get documentation and maintain detailed records on people who sell the devices to them.

A bill modeled after the North Carolina law will be introduced in Virginia when the legislature reconvenes in January. The measure would make the theft of a catalytic converter a felony and presume that anyone in possession of one that’s been removed from a vehicle has obtained it illegally unless the person is an authorized scrap seller

or has a bill of sale, receipt or other documentation.

David Overby, owner of Auto Repairs Plus, said he spent more than $5,000 on lighting and a security system with cameras after thieves repeatedly stole catalytic converters off his customers’ cars in his parking lot. Overby said police arrested two people caught on his cameras stealing converters, but he said under the current law, they were only charged with a misdemeanor.

“These people have got to be held accountable in some way, not given a slap on their wrist,” Overby said.

At Chesterfield Auto Parts, where customers can pull parts from junked cars, owner Troy Webber said his workers remove catalytic converters before the vehicles are made available to the public, then lock the devices in steel con-

tainers before selling them to auto recyclers. That doesn’t stop thieves from trying to break in, he said.

“People cut through our fence constantly to try to steal the catalytic converters,” he said.

Henrico police Chief Eric English said catalytic converters have been cut from vehicles parked in homeowners’ driveways. Police have advised people about theft prevention measures, including protective shields and covers for the converters. They’ve also offered to stencil a mark on catalytic converters to allow scrap yard dealers and recyclers to more easily identity a stolen converter.

“It’s definitely something we have to get a hold of because it’s causing a lot of families and a lot of people some heartburn,” English said. “It’s not something people deserve to have happen to them.”

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