North State Journal Vol. 7, Issue 50

Burr joins DC law firm to lead health policy

Washington, D.C.

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr is joining national law firm DLA Piper to head up their health policy strategic consulting practice. The firm also engages in federal lobbying.

Burr said he’s joining the firm because he didn’t want to be on the sidelines during one of the “most exciting” times to be in health care and life sciences. He’s bringing former aides to the firm as well to help clients navigate regulatory and legislative channels related to issues such as healthcare and drug development, he told Bloomberg News.

NSJ STAFF

Key Republican wants

Ga. as early primary state — in 2028

Atlanta Georgia Secretary of State

Brad Raffensperger wants his state to become an early presidential primary host — just not in 2024, as President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are pushing.

The Republican election chief said he’d back an early primary in 2028.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former US Rep. Walker considering bid for governor

Raleigh Former three-term U.S. representative and failed U.S. Senate candidate Mark Walker is considering a run for governor, according to news reports.

A Greensboro resident, Walker said he was taking meetings with the Republican Governor’s Association due to his concerns that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is expected to make an announcement in the spring of his run for the job, can’t win a general election for the top spot.

Winning the Republican primary would be a tall order for Walker: a poll by Differentiator Data in December 2022 showed Robinson a prospective matchup between the two by 50 points.

NSJ STAFf

Intruder breaches base of Air Force One, shot fired

Washington, D.C.

Another intruder has breached the home of Air Force One, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases, and this time a resident opened fire on the trespasser, Joint Base Andrews said in a statement late Monday.

During the incident, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, “a man gained unauthorized access to a JBA housing area,” Joint Base Andrews said in a statement posted to Twitter. “A resident discharged a firearm, security forces arrived on scene to apprehend the intruder and law enforcement is investigating the incident.”

Joint Base Andrews is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control centers if needed.

Pistol Purchase Permit repeal bills revisited by House and Senate

Two other bills filed address firearm storage safety and allowing armed security guards on certain educational properties

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Legislators in both houses of the General As-

sembly had filed identical bills for the repeal of the state’s Pistol Permit Purchase laws.

Senate Bill 40, titled Pistol Permit Purchase repeal, was filed by Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson), along with Senators Warren Daniel (R-Burke) and Jim Perry (R-Lenoir).

The bill would repeal various statutes surrounding the issuance or denial of a permit for buy-

ing a pistol or similar firearm. It would also repeal statutes dealing with the confidentiality and record-keeping requirements related to such permits and related statutes for buying blank cartridge pistols. Additionally, if passed and signed, the bill would repeal GS 122C-54(d2), which allows a

See GUNS , page A2

Chinese balloon recovered from the Atlantic near SC coast

U.S. NAVY VIA AP

This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a highaltitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 5, 2023. The downing of the suspected Chinese spy balloon by a missile from an F-22 fighter jet created a spectacle over one of the state’s tourism hubs and drew crowds reacting with a mixture of bewildered gazing, distress and cheering.

Troxler: State of NC Agriculture is strong; announces 2023 priorities

Steve Troxler’s State of Agriculture address highlights need to preserve farm and forest lands

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

Vaccine litigation lingers after lifting of military mandate

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Federal appeals court judges closely questioned a Biden administration attorney Monday on the consequences military personnel might face for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, even though Biden’s vaccine mandate for military personnel has been rescinded.

Lawyers for a group of Navy SEALS and other Navy personnel who refuse to be vaccinated for religious reasons told a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that federal court injunctions against the mandate are still needed, in part because decisions on deployments and assignments can still be made based on vaccination status.

“Is there any assurance on the record, that there will be no deployment decisions based on vaccination?” Judge James Ho, one of three judges hearing the case asked Department of Justice lawyer Casen Ross.

Ross said such questions were speculative and not at issue in

the case before the court. Ho and Judge Kyle Duncan noted that the administration had only reluctantly ended the military mandate after December congressional action, but Ross assured the panel that there are no plans to bring back the requirement.

“Given the prevailing public health guidelines and the state of the virus, there is currently no intention to require universal vaccination of all service members,” Ross said.

The Pentagon formally dropped the requirement in January following a December vote in Congress to end the mandate. However, vaccine opponents note that commanders can still make decisions on how and whether to deploy unvaccinated troops, under a memo signed last month by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Military leaders have long argued that to maintain unit health and troop readiness, troops have for decades been re -

See VACCINE , page A2

RALEIGH — In remarks delivered at the 2023 North Carolina Agriculture Forum, Commissioner Steve Troxler said it was a good year for the state in terms of crop yields, commodity prices and overall trends. The forum was held on Feb. 2 in the Holshouser Building located at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

“I remain optimistic about the future of N.C. Agriculture and agribusiness, but I worry about people being able to afford it,” Troxler said, highlighting rising inflation and increasing input costs. He also said commodity prices are remaining strong.

“If commodity prices dive before input costs, that is another thing that is difficult to deal with,” Troxler said, adding that high input costs represent financial risks for farmers.

Troxler also warned that population dynamics is becoming a challenge that needs to be addressed with fewer people farming coupled with the loss of viable farmland amid a rapidly growing state population.

Citing the American Farmland Trust, Troxler said North Carolina is predicted to be 2nd in the nation for potential farmland loss by 2040. He also noted that 135,000 moved to North Carolina in the last year, ranking the state at number 3 in the nation for population migration. Urban areas like Raleigh and Charlotte were

ranked number two and number six respectively for population growth.

Energy resources will also be strained by the state’s increasing population growth, Troxler said while also mentioning the recent rolling blackouts that hit portions of the state last December. He also mentioned the possible political

See NC AG , page A2

8

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in this 2021 file photo.

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quired to get as many as 17 vaccines, particularly those who are deploying overseas.

Attorneys for the unvaccinated Navy personnel argued in briefs to the 5th Circuit that Austin’s memo and other Defense Department actions show that the Navy still intends to treat unvaccinated personnel “like second-class citizens because of their religious beliefs.”

Government lawyers argue the

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that we are not defined by what we do, what family we are born into, or how much money we have. We are heirs of Christ, bought by your blood. Through salvation, we are cleansed from sin and made anew through your death and resurrection. Lord, we praise you that we are children of God. Amen.

Most of us have times in our life that we are not proud of, moments that we feel define us. It is easy to lose sight of who we are. But who does God say that we are?

When turning to scripture, the Lord says that we are his masterpiece, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT, Ephesians 2:10). We often try to define ourselves based on what others think or say. But God has a different opinion, “We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his people” (NLT, 1 Thessalonians 1:4). We can be at rest knowing the Lord isn’t holding anything over our heads for those in Christ. His word says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT, Romans 8:1). Who does God say I am? Despite my failures, shortcomings, and mistakes, I am a Child of the Most-High God. That is who I am. That is who you are, “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir” (NLT, Galatians 4:7).

policy is in line with “well-established principles of judicial noninterference with core military decision making,” in their briefs.

The Navy SEALS filed their lawsuit in November of 2021, describing what they saw as a cumbersome 50-step process to obtain religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine. Their lawyers have called a “sham” with applications being “categorically denied.”

The Defense Department denied the process was onerous and said the Navy has a compelling

sheriff access to a record of involuntary commitment for mental health treatment or for substance abuse treatment.

Critics have pointed out that GS 122C-54(d2) is duplicative since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System already requires that information. In the past few years, several lawsuits have been filed against the Mecklenburg County Sheriff for allegedly abusing the mental health statute and delaying Concealed Carry Permits.

An identical bill, House Bill 50, was filed in the House on Feb. 2 by Rep. Allen Chesser

(R-Nash). Other co-sponsors of the House bill include Reps. Dustin Hall (R-Caldwell), Kyle Hall (R-Stokes), and Jason Saine (R-Lincoln).

The bills will likely be consolidated as the session moves forward. If a permit repeal bill is passed, it is likely Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will veto it has he did with House Bill 398, the repeal attempt made in 2021. Cooper vetoed House Bill 398 despite it having the backing of the N.C. Sheriff’s Association.

The association’s General Counsel Eddie Caldwell told North State Journal that the association still supports the repeal of the pistol purchase permit.

interest in requiring vaccinations for personnel who often operate for long periods in “confined spaces that are ripe breeding grounds for respiratory illnesses.”

On Monday, Heather Hacker, an attorney for the Navy personnel, said the situation could be seen as worse now for them now that the older mandate policy has been rescinded, because current policy does not provide for a sailor’s religious objections to the vaccine to be considered when deployment or assignment decisions

The state’s largest firearms advocacy group, Grassroots North Carolina (GRNC) issued a statement on the repeal bills.

“The right to self-defense is a fundamental civil right. Under the pistol purchase permit system, a sheriff may deny an application by invoking a subjective “good moral character” requirement which has been used even in recent years to deny minorities their rights,” said GRNC President Paul Valone.

“GRNC has had to file three lawsuits over unlawful attempts by certain urban sheriffs to obstruct the issuance of permits,” Valone said. “We have seen examples of how the current system can be abused by those in posi-

are made.

“We’re going from a 50-step process to a zero-step process?”

Duncan asked.

“Exactly, your honor,” Hacker replied.

In January of last year, a federal judge in Texas barred the Navy from taking any action against the Navy plaintiffs for being unvaccinated. A 5th Circuit panel rejected the Biden administration’s request to block the judge’s order.

But the administration won at least a temporary, partial victo -

tions of authority and it’s time we repeal the mechanisms that have allowed some to infringe upon the rights of North Carolinians.”

Two other bills dealing with firearms were filed last week; one in the House and one in the Senate.

Senate Bill 67, titled the Firearm Safe Storage Awareness Initiative, was filed by Rep. Bobby Hanig (R- Currituck) and Sens. Danny Britt and Jim Perry.

The bill seeks to raise firearm storage safety awareness through a two-year, statewide public service campaign to be conducted in a collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Wildlife

ry last March when the Supreme Court approved a “partial stay.” The order allowed the Navy to consider the sailors’ vaccination status in making decisions on deployment, assignment and other operational issues while the case plays out. There was no indication when the judges would rule. Monday’s arguments were heard by Duncan and Ho, both nominated to the 5th Circuit by President Donald Trump, and James Graves, a nominee of President Barack Obama.

Resources Commission. The campaign will educate the public on the importance of safely storing firearms, will facilitate the distribution of gun locks, and will include development of a website and creation of a toolkit for outreach use by July 2024.

Money to pay for the campaign, website and toolkit will be provided by the General Assembly in the House Bill 47, titled School Protection Act, was filed by House Deputy Majority Whip Rep. Jake Jackson (R- Polk) and was joined by Reps. Neal Jackson (R-Randolph), Brian Biggs (R-Randolph), and Bill Ward (R-Pasquotank). The bill alters the definition of security guard to allow for them

ramifications for agriculture due to new residents coming in from out of state who have no grasp of the importance of farming in the state.

The topic of farmland preservation was stressed by Troxler in his remarks and has been a key issue for him over the course of his 18year tenure as the state’s agriculture commissioner.

“I don’t ever see farmland preservation coming off the priority list because of the development taking place across this state and because of the interest in our state as a business destination,” said Troxler, later adding that “We need to decide as a state this is a priority.”

“We continue to rally support for farmland preservation so we can secure the resources future generations need,” Troxler said, adding that his agency has been able to protect 30,000 acres through the Agriculture Development and Farm Preservation Trust Fund since its inception.

During his remarks on the loss of farmland, Troxler mentioned Wake County now accepting applications for a new Farmlands Preservation program. Wake County

has lost almost 20% of farm and forest land over the course of the last nine years. As the county’s growth rate continues to explode, current lands that are not preserved could disappear in the next quarter century due to development.

Troxler laid out his 2023 legislative priorities in one word: Investment.

The commissioner said there needs to be investment in the people in his department, particularly when it comes to salaries. He cited large vacancies of 17 to 19 percent and that existing employee salaries were too low.

The other priorities for Troxler included investing in natural resources through farmland preservation and more investment in agricultural research.

“Instead of resting on our laurels with agricultural research, we’ve got to speed it up,” said Troxler.

Prior to giving his State of Agriculture remarks, Troxler named Flowers Timber Company of Seven Springs in Wayne County as the NC 2022 Exporter of the Year. The company, which exports to such countries as China, Cambodia, India, Pakistan and Spain, recorded $15 million in export revenue in

2022. The 2023 Agriculture Forum opened up with an economic outlook presentation given by Dr. Blake Brown, the Hugh C. Kiger Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics at N.C. State University.

Immigration and labor issues related to H2a visas were among the topics covered by Brown, who noted “making H2a difficult and expensive makes it not only hard on farmers but hard on the workers.”

Brown also discussed the topic of “cultured meat,” which is meat grown in a lab, and characterized it as a possible “paradigm shift” should it gain acceptance with consumers. Brown questioned of

how a shift like that would impact the North Carolina livestock industry and agreed it was an area that needed to be monitored.

Farm cash receipts in 2021 topped $13.28 billion; crops made up 30% and livestock, dairy, and poultry made up nearly 70% of the total.

Troxler presented Brown with the N.C. Ambassador of Agriculture award for his long and notable history service in the field.

A panel following Brown’s remarks discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and the war’s impact on North Carolina over the past year.

The panel was moderated by Dr. Sandy Stevens and included Owen Wagner, vice president of North American Grains and Oilseeds Analysis for Rabotank; Mike Quinn, vice president of Cotton Operations for Gildan, Mike Ready, the sales manager of the Agriculture Division Government for James River Equipment; and Peter Thornton, director of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Marketing Division.

The impact on commodity prices due to rising cost of fuel, fertilizer, and equipment mentioned

earlier by Brown was discussed, as were the implications of China’s proxy war over control of Taiwan and the “cozy” relationship developing between Brazil, China and Russia.

Substantial discussion also centered on shifting markets related to the Black Sea Grain Deal; an agreement brokered by the United Nations between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey for safe passage of food and grain shipping out of Ukrainian ports.

The forum also included remarks by National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO Ted McKinney, who focused on paying attention to possible impacts to trade activity in the South China Sea, but also not to count out opportunities with India. He also discussed increasing regulatory burdens in the European Union that could impact American exports.

McKinney remarked on the geopolitical alliance evolving between China and Russia as “not pleasant” while also noting price transparency with regard to grain enterprises was becoming an issue as those enterprises in Russia were increasingly becoming stateowned.

VACCINE from page A1

GUNS from page A1

NC AG from page A1

“We continue to rally support for farmland preservation so we can secure the resources future generations need.”

Agriculture

Commissioner Steve Troxler

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo” by Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1503) is a painting in the collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris.

UNC Chapel Hill hit with multiple civil rights complaints

One complaint forced UNC Chapel Hill to change program discriminating against whites

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — In January, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNCCH) was hit with multiple complaints alleging certain programs were violating parts of the U.S. Civil Rights Act such as Title IV.

The complaints were filed by the watchdog group Do No Harm (DNH).

DNH describes itself as a “diverse group of physicians, healthcare professionals, medical students, patients, and policymakers united by a moral mission: Protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology” and that they believe in “making healthcare better for all – not undermining it in pursuit of a political agenda.”

One complaint against the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN) program was dropped after UNCCH altered the applicant criteria.

DNH’s Senior Fellow Mark Perry filed the federal civil rights complaint against UNCCH over the FERN program limiting applicant eligibility to “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)” students, which is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In an interview with North State Journal, Perry said that within 24 hours of sharing a courtesy copy of his complaint with UNC’s office of general counsel, the FERN program changed its Person of Color [POC] only applicant criteria.

“So within 24 hours, they [UNC] had scrubbed the original website and, or they scrubbed

“A webpage for the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN) provided eligibility criteria which did not accurately reflect Carolina’s commitment to inclusion.”

UNC’s communications department

that part of it and replaced the by POC Only eligibility requirement with some new eligibility requirement that it doesn’t restrict students on the basis of race color or national origin,” Perry said.

Once FERN changed its website, Perry said he had agreed to withdraw that complaint.

In an email, UNC Chapel Hill Media relations responded to North State Journal’s request for comment on the FERN complaint.

A webpage for the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN) provided eligibility criteria which did not accurately reflect Carolina’s commitment to inclusion,” UNC’s communications department wrote. “The eligibility criteria on the webpage have been corrected. Carolina remains committed to an inclusive and equitable community for all.

A diverse student body is vital to fostering academic excellence, helping to broaden understanding among people of all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, spurring innovation and preparing engaged citizens and future leaders.”

The FERN program was not the only area Perry found other violations at UNCCH.

“I was on their website for a while and I found six additional

programs that I alleged violate title six and one violated Title 9 and 6 that was for women of color some pharmacy program,” said Perry, adding he filed a second complaint with multiple violations alleged. Perry also filed a third complaint on another program related to “artists of color” that he said discriminates on the basis of race color or national origin.

“It’s for some artists of color. That’s like a student group but it’s restricted - it’s basically no White’s allowed in our Collective,” Perry said.

Perry has filed six additional complaints alleging UNCCH has engaged in multiple violations of Title VI, as well as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, according to the DNH website.

The Light on the Hill Society Scholarship Program is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI.

The Joseph Cooley and Kathleen Cullins High Endowed Scholarship Fund is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI.

The Julius Peppers Endowed Scholarship Fund is a single-race, Black-only scholarship that illegally excludes non-Black students in violation of Title VI.

The Well-Being Initiative for Women Faculty of Color to Promote Professional Advancement in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research discriminates on the basis of both race and sex.

The Well-Being Initiative for Women Faculty of Color to Promote Professional Advancement in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research discriminates on the basis of both race and sex.

Perry said he has shared courtesy copies of the additional complaints with UNCCH’s general counsel in hopes the school will correct the issues before an official Office of Civil Rights investigation is launched.

Last fall, North State Journal reported on records obtained by DNH identifying four public entities engaging in “radical and divisive” antiracist training. The entities included Pitts County Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Principal Fellows Program.

Council of State January news roundup

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — During January, North Carolina Council of State (COS) members conducted a variety of business, including one member running afoul of the law over a traffic incident.

State Auditor Beth Wood continued to face questions surrounding her hit-and-run accident that took place after a Christmas party last December. Wood has expressed regret for leaving the scene and had a related court date near the end of January.

The Office of the State Auditor continued its regular work including publishing findings from an audit of the North Carolina Medical Board Investigations of Medical Providers. More details on that audit will likely be highlighted in the office’s quarterly newsletter, The Monitor.

Gov. Roy Cooper met with Duke Energy officials following the blackout issues experienced during the Christmas holiday. He proclaimed January to be Blood Donation Month and a $110 million federal grant would help pay for the replacement of the 60-year-old Alligator Bridge on U.S. 64 between Tyrrell and Dare Counties.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson appointed Stephen Gay, the executive director of Bradford Preparatory School, as his designee on the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board.

Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall and Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson appeared together in a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning the public and North Carolina businesses about deceptive language in mailings that are seeking hefty fees for Labor Law posters and Secretary of State filings. The PSA “Misleading Mailings” can be viewed on the Secretary of State’s YouTube channel.

This month, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler appointed Kelly Nilsson to replace John Howard director of the Emergency Programs Division

Charlotte FBI office offering $25K rewards in 2 NC substation attack cases

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) field office in Charlotte is now offering two $25,000 rewards for the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for attacks on energy substations in Moore and Randolph counties.

“Agents are continuing to work with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office on the cases,” a press release from the Charlotte FBI field office says. “At this time, investigators do not believe the shootings in Moore and Randolph counties are connected.”

According to the release, a joint investigation in Moore County began on Dec. 3, 2022, and the investigation in Randolph County began on Jan. 17, 2023.

In Moore County, two Duke Energy substations were hit by

gunfire with damage to the West End and Carthage Substations. The damage led to widespread power outages and approximately 45,000 customers lost power, with some losing power for as long as five days.

The EnergyUnited substation located in Thomasville in Randolph County also was hit by gunfire.

Anyone with information should call the Moore County Sheriff’s Office at 910-947-4444, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office at 336-318-6685, or contact the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

The latest reward offers follow a combined reward of $75,000 announced in early December by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. In a press release, Cooper said the state, Moore County and Duke Energy were each offering monetary awards of $25,000 each in the substation attack cases.

The COS is an administrative body of ten elected officials who are heads of their departments. The COS meets on the first Tuesday of each month and the meetings are open to the public.

at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Howard retired Dec. 31, 2022. Additionally, Joseph Hudyncia was named as the new Section Chief of Field Services for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agronomic Services Division.

Troxler’s department also announced its Consumer Services’ Standards Division collected fines from 52 stores in 33 counties related to excessive price-scanner errors. The full list of stores committing the errors and the fines levied on them can be found on the department’s website, ncagr.gov, under news releases.

This month, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey issued a press statement citing his agency saved or recovered over $105 million for North Carolinians in 2022. The figure includes recovery of $7.7 million in fraudulent expenditures and assisting citizens with $52.5 million in claims from life insurance policies that had been lost.

Causey also negotiated a settlement with NC Rate Bureau over a proposed 42.6 % dwelling rate hike. He was able to negotiate a statewide average increase of just 9.9 %; 32.7% lower than requested.

N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein announced he will be running for governor in 2024. His likely opponent will be the state’s first black Lieutenant governor, Republican Mark Robinson. Stein also shared the N.C. De -

partment of Justice’s report of the top 10 consumer complaints in 2022. The list, in order from most complaints to fewest, includes Telemarketing/Robocalls, utilities/internet, motor vehicles, credit, landlord/tenant, home improvement, price gouging, professional services, insurance and elder fraud.

Under Superintendent Catherine Truitt, the Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) announced $3 million allotted by the General Assembly for two Career and Technical Education grant programs.

Truitt outlined updates to her signature policy Operation Polaris at the January state board of education meeting. NCDPI also announced the names of nine regional teachers of the year were announced. The nine will vie for N.C. Teacher of the Year to be announced in April.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced Aetna as the new third-party administrator for the State Health Plan. Blue Cross Blue Shield NC and UMR, which both bid for the contract, filed formal protests that were later rejected by the State Health Plan’s board of trustees. Folwell also issued a statement praising the Department of Transportation for the early repayment of over $1 billion in Highway Trust Fund loans. The debt was repaid two years early as of late last December.

The COS is an administrative body of ten elected officials who are heads of their departments. The COS meets on the first Tuesday of each month and the meetings are open to the public.

Council members include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, attorney general, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of labor and commissioner of insurance.

The governor serves as chair of the COS, which convenes to discuss state matters typically of a fiscal nature or dealing with property issues. The COS has few detailed duties ascribed to it in the state constitution.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Bills with the intent of protecting energy facilities in the state were filed in both chambers of the General Assembly last week.

The bills follow multiple attacks on energy substations in North Carolina in Carteret, Moore, and Randolph Counties.

House Bill 21, titled the Energy Security Act 2023, was filed by Rep. Ben Moss (R-Moore). The bill would create a new statute that requires use of security systems by public utilities at substation locations in order to combat security threats and vandalism.

“We must send a message that the would-be actors of these attacks will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be held responsible for the chaos and the damage they create,” McInnis said during a legislative press conference. The House bill also requires the security systems be operational 24 hours a day. If passed and signed by the governor, the law would be effective July 1, 2024.

Senate Bill 58, titled Protect Critical Infrastructure, was filed by Sens. Tom McInnis (R-Moore), Danny Britt (R-Robeson), and Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus). The bill would add new statutory language and penalties making it “unlawful to knowingly and willfully destroy, injure, or otherwise damage, or attempt to destroy, injure, or otherwise damage an energy facility.”

“We must send a message that the would-be actors of these attacks will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be held responsible for the chaos and the damage they create,” Sen. Tom McInnis (R-Moore) said during a press conference discussing the bill.

Violators would be guilty of a Class C felony and could be or-

dered to pay a fine of $250,000. Each violation constitutes a separate punishable offense and the injured party can seek to recover “treble damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees” from the violator and anyone acting as an accessory to the crime. Treble damages mean that a court is allowed to award up to three times the damages in certain cases.

Newton, referring to recent attacks on state power facilities, said current laws on the books were “ineffective” and “They did not deter this crime.”

“If you are contemplating destroying electrical infrastructure or other critical infrastructure in North Carolina, don’t do it,” Newton said. “You are going to go to jail and you are going to pay an extraordinary amount of money as a result of your activities.”

Penalties for trespassing on energy facility property or any kind of public water facility are increased in the bill from a Class A1 misdemeanor to a Class I felony. Injuring wires and other fixtures of telephone and broadband companies will go from a Class I Felon to a Class C felony.

Britt noted during the press conference that a Class C felony carries a possible sentence of 123 months, or over 10 years, in prison.

The new penalties would go into effect on Dec. 1, 2023, if the bill passes and is signed by the governor.

“Protecting our infrastructure is a top priority, so we can deliver the essential service our customers and communities rely on,” Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said in a related statement. “Our partnership with the government is a critical element of that commitment. We look forward to participating in the conversation around how to deter attacks on the electric grid as we work to continually enhance protections for our infrastructure.”

The FBI field office in Charlotte is pictured.

Bills to protect energy facilities filed in both chambers

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Fresh flowers grow local NC businesses

The traditional flowers of Valentine’s Day – long-stem red roses – aren’t commercially grown here in North Carolina, but even in the so-called “dead” of winter, you can find fresh, beautiful locally grown flowers.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State says locally grown flowers are usually fresher since they aren’t shipped from long distances and last longer. Another advantage is the colors are more vivid as they’re harvested closer to full bloom and keep your money in North Carolina.

To read about how local N.C. businesses are preparing for Valentine’s Day, check out this week’s Features.

NC Democrats to choose party chair

North State Journal

RALEIGH — North Carolina

Democrats will meet on Saturday, Feb. 11 to choose the party’s leadership for the next two years.

Current chair Bobbie Richardson, a former state representative from Franklin County, is running for a second term and is supported by most of the state’s elected officials including Gov. Roy Cooper. Richardson is the first African American woman to serve as chair of the party. Two additional candidates have also been campaigning for the job. They are Person County Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton and Brunswick County Democratic Party chair Eric Terashima. Clayton, 25, says she is an “organizer by trade” and is running on a grassroots-first platform. Among her accomplishments she touts are flipping

the Roxboro City Council and the defeat of former state Rep. Larry Yarborough, whose district became significantly more Democratic following the 2021 redistricting session. Terashima became the Brunswick County chair in 2021 and made headlines with his efforts to rescue refugees from Afghanistan following the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from the country. The NC Democratic Party is coming off a 2022 cycle in which they lost the state’s U.S. Senate race, lost every statewide judicial race and came within one state House seat of giving Republicans a supermajority in the General Assembly. That performance led to the resignation of the party’s executive director, Meredith Cuomo. Both Clayton and Terashima cite the party’s failed efforts in 2022 as a reason for new leadership.

Missing Florida Lyft driver’s car found with slaying suspect

Rutherford County

The car owned by a missing 74-yearold Florida Lyft driver has been found in Ellenboro, and the man who was driving it is wanted in connection with a homicide last week in southwest Florida. Gary Levin has been missing since last Monday, when his family believes he picked up a customer in Palm Beach County, Florida. His car was spotted in Miami that day and later in north Florida. The vehicle was then seen and driver Matthew Flores arrested following a police chase. Flores is a suspect in a slaying that occurred nearly a week before Levin went missing.

AP Congressional candidate accused of campaign violation

Haywood County

A candidate for a congressional seat in 2020 has been accused of a campaign finance violation and signed a plea agreement.

Federal attorneys charged Lynda Bennett with willingly and knowingly accepting for her campaign $25,000 in contributions from a relative that were provided in another person’s name. Bennett’s attorney called the case on Monday a technical violation and that Bennett looked forward to “putting it behind her.” She ran for the 11th Congressional District seat that was held by Mark Meadows, who didn’t seek reelection. She ultimately lost in a GOP runoff to Madison Cawthorn.

Community College gets grant to expand welding lab

Wilkes County

Wilkes Community College received a Golden LEAF open grant. The organization made a total of six awards, totaling $1.5 million to organizations in North Carolina to support job creation and economic investment, agriculture, and workforce preparedness. WCC will receive $200,000 for equipment to expand the welding lab space to double its current capacity to help meet local/regional demand for welders. The expansion will allow the college to increase students trained annually to 166 over three years.

GOLDEN LEAF

App State receives grant to support students with substance abuse issues

Watauga County

The NC Department of Health and Human Services awarded $3.2 million to nine colleges and universities to increase access to recovery services and support on campus for students with substance use disorders.

The money will fund Collegiate Recovery Programs. Campuses will the grants to develop and implement comprehensive collegiate recovery programs that provide access to drug- and alcohol-free places and locations for students to live, study and socialize, provide peer mentorship and receive other recovery supports, as well as to provide alcohol-free and drug-free social activities for students. Appalachian State received a grant of $262,549.

Grant will fund new primary care clinic in Spencer

Rowan County

The Golden LEAF awards approved six grants, totaling $1,549,997 to organizations throughout North Carolina to help support job creation and economic investment in agricultural and workforce preparedness in the area. Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Centers, Inc. will receive $200,000 to support construction costs to expand a primary care clinic in Spencer, resulting in the creation of seven new jobs. CRCHC is seeking $1 million from UDSA and plans to contribute $180,458 of its own revenues to fund the project.

GOLDEN LEAF

Police investigating principal’s involvement in breaking up fight

Anson County

The Wadesville Police Department is investigating an incident at Anson County High School. A video surfaced last week showing school employees putting their hands on students. The district said that Principal Chris Stinson and a school resource officer were trying to break up a fight between two students. Stinson pulled the two students apart in what the school said was “reasonable force” and was hit in the jaw while trying to stop the fight.

2nd ex-NC State athlete sues school in sexual abuse case

Wake County

A second former NC State athlete has sued the school alleging that he’d been sexually abused by the Wolfpack’s former director of sports medicine under the guise of treatment. The lawsuit accuses Robert Murphy Jr. of improperly touching the athlete’s genitals and elsewhere between two separate occasions in 2016. The plaintiff’s name is listed as “John Doe” to protect anonymity and doesn’t specify which sport he played. A former men’s soccer player was the first to sue the school in August. The lawsuit states the second athlete came forward after learning of that complaint.

Four inmates OD after newly arrested suspect brings drugs into jail

Montgomery County Jiovanny Munoz, 23, of Biscoe, is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance after he allegedly brought drugs into Montgomery County Detention Center when he was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Four inmates overdosed on fentanyl brought into the facility by Munoz. Three are believed to have taken the drugs, while a fourth was exposed while doing CPR. All four needed lifesaving measures and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Community college receives million-dollar grant

Brunswick County

Brunswick Community College was awarded a $1 million Golden LEAF Award community-based initiative grant. The awards support workforce preparedness and job creation and economic investment. The organization made 13 awards totaling $10.2 million. The college will use the grant money to purchase training equipment in support of a new public safety training facility and burn village, where the college will train an additional 153 new emergency responders within three years.

GOLDEN LEAF

Local teacher gets research grant

Cumberland County

Five teachers across the state were awarded the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award, a stipend of up to $1,000 awarded to PreK12 public and charter school teachers for professional development. Julia Little, a science teacher at Westover High School, received a grant to travel to Iowa State University for the Research Experience for Teachers program this summer. The program provides teachers with research experiences and allow them to create ongoing relationships with career scientists. Through this program, teachers engage in research in a variety of STEM topics and develop a lesson to convey their learning to their students.

NC.ORG

McHenry launches working group to combat ESG

North State Journal

AP

Reporter and spokesperson

Dick Ellis dies at 78 Wilson County A former television news reporter and spokesperson for political campaigns and the state courts system has died. A daughter of Dick Ellis says he died last week at age 78 from cancer. The Wilson native had stints with WITN-TV and WRAL-TV. He served in the Army in Vietnam, working for the American Forces Vietnam Network. His state government career included working within Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser’s administration and for the state courts when they were led by Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. Ellis served as the state Court of Appeals marshal before retiring in 2020.

WCNC

FOX 8

Elizabethan Gardens receives grant for children’s educational project

Dare County

The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has awarded $1.3 million in grant funding to 97 environmental organizations across eight states, including $120,000 to seven organizations in North Carolina. The competitive grants support projects that educate about environmental stewardship, protect and preserve habitat, and enhance or make nature more accessible.

Elizabethan Gardens will receive $20,000 for its Plant Ed project, which aims to provide outdoor experiential learning for children.

AP

NCDHHS

AP

RALEIGH — Republican leaders on the House Financial Services Committee are creating a first-of-itskind task force to coordinate their response to various proposals related to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement, Fox News reported.

Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, (NC-10) said the ESG working group would lead the Republican effort to combat the threat ESG policies pose to U.S. capital markets. He added that Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., would lead the initiative and appointed another eight GOP committee members to serve on the working group.

“Progressives are trying to do with American businesses what they already did to our public education system—using our institutions to

DOMINION ENERGY

force their far-left ideology on the American people,” McHenry said in a statement. “Their latest tool in these efforts is environmental, social, and governance proposals. This group will develop a comprehensive approach to ESG that protects the financial interests of everyday investors and ensures our capital markets remain the envy of the world.”

According to McHenry, the working group will be focused on reining in regulatory overreach from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), reinforce the materiality standard — which requires corporations to disclose key information to investors — “as a pillar” of the financial disclosure regime and hold those who misuse the proxy process that gives shareholders a saying in company decisions accountable. The task force will additionally organize efforts to push back on the ESG movement and develop detailed policy proposals.

north STATEment

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The notch-baby federal budget

WHAT WE HAVE TODAY in federal budget

parlance is a “notch baby” scenario.

Anyone on Capitol Hill who suffered through the so-called “notch-baby” fiasco for Social Security recipients born between 1917 and 1921 will know what it means. There was a temporary spike in Social Security payments to seniors born in this “notch” period of time due to a math formula calculation error which meant they received more money than they should have in retirement in the 1980s and 90s.

Social Security recipients born in 1922 and several years after saw the older “notch baby” brothers and sisters getting more money than they did each month and pitched a fit on Capitol Hill to try to get more for themselves, even though it was due to an error in calculating benefits.

They never got it. At least on this one Social Security issue, Republicans and Democrats held firm against trying to remedy a mistake by making another major mistake.

We have a “notch baby” scenario in our spending today due solely to the COVID crisis.

Nothing fundamental has changed in America between March 2020 and February 2023. We did not lose one-third of our population as most of Europe did during the Black Plague in the mid14th century. America is still a sovereign country which was not invaded by a foreign adversary such as China ― except for the errant Chinese “weather balloon” President Biden let float over the nation last weekend. The basic building blocks of the American democratic capitalist system are still in place, thankfully.

COVID should be treated as if America was in a short-term war. It had a definite beginning which commanded spending resources to combat the disease and its impact on the economy. Now that the bulk of its impact is behind us, the federal budget should return to spending levels predicted in baseline budgets pre-COVID.

All of the supplemental funding allocated for

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

COVID relief from health care; hospital support; PPP and extended unemployment benefits should be considered as one-time hits to the budget, like supplemental appropriations bills, not as any permanently installed spending programs.

In essence, 2020-2021 spending should be considered as “notch” years.

Republicans who now control Congress should be aggressive and present a budget for 2024 going forward based on what spending levels were expected to be as of March 2022 ― and be done with it.

In March of 2020, before the massive effects of COVID hit, CBO expected revenues to be an even $4 trillion two years later in 2022. Tax revenues unexpectedly and serendipitously came in at $4.836 trillion for 2022, almost 21% higher ($836 billion) than expected, despite the fact the economy had

Congress needs more spirited debates and less reliance on ‘decorum’

A MONTH AGO when the House was deciding on who would be its next Speaker, Republicans who are now in the majority were having spirited debates that revolved around what their priorities should be. The idea was that whoever was elected House Speaker would fight for them instead of maintaining what some in the GOP including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), a Freedom Caucus member, called the “status quo.”

During the discussions, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) riled up Democrats by accusing them of imbibing alcohol on the House floor and enjoying the infighting going on in the GOP a little too much.

“Diversity of thought is a good thing,” Cammack stated. “It’s one of the things that sets us apart from our friends on the other side of the aisle.”

Decorum has gotten Republicans absolutely nowhere in Congress.

“But they want us divided,” she continued. “They want us to fight each other. That much has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that has come in over there.”

Her comments caused a chorus of eruptions on the Democratic side of the aisle. There were demands to have Cammack reprimanded for supposedly violating decorum, but it was not to be because at that point the rules for the current Congress had not been set.

Just last week, more eruptions occurred among House Democrats when the House got set to vote on removing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over repeated instances of her making anti-Semitic remarks.

Predictably, members of the so-called “Squad” including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) melted down, with OcasioCortez wildly gesturing and sounding like an angry southern pastor lecturing her (Congressional) congregation over their alleged “racism” and supposed double standards in voting for the resolution to remove Omar from the committee.

“There is nothing consistent with the Republican Party’s continued attacks, except for the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body,” she proclaimed without evidence as her far-left colleagues behind her acted in the role of a church choir in nodding their heads and clapping in solidarity. She ended her theatrical speech by hitting her notebook on the podium before walking off.

Tlaib, who along with Omar and Rep. André Carson (D-IN) is a Muslim-

been darn near shut down for over eighteen months.

In the same CBO March 2020 projection, expenditure outlays were projected to be $5.118 trillion two years in the future in 2022 based on then-current population and economic estimates. This is what the baseline expectations of the budget were expected to be had COVID not disrupted everything.

Had Congress been able to hold expenditures in 2022 to $5.118 trillion, and $4.836 trillion of tax revenues came in instead of $4 trillion, the budget deficit today would be “only” $282 billion ― not the $1.3 trillion+ annual deficits now projected for as far as the eye can see. CBO issues forecasts based on current law at the time. So much of the wasteful spending President Biden and the Democrats have crammed through in his first two years in the White House is now in law and presumed to stay in force ― forever. Unless Congress specifically sunsets all of these emergency appropriations and rescinds them, they will stay in force forever.

Ronald Reagan said “the closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program”. Republicans are the only ones who can end them once and for all in this session of Congress.

There is nothing to prohibit Republicans proposing a budget based on March 2020 projected levels for FY 2024 and beyond. The vast bulk of the COVID emergency spending has passed. The economy will continue to recover unless Democrats keep passing more laws, regulations and taxes to kill economic growth.

The time to balance the budget is now. Not “after the next election.” Let the notch babies teach us a valuable lesson about returning to normal and not succumb to political expediency.

American member of Congress, broke down in tears during her defense of Omar, also wildly gesturing while declaring that this had nothing to do with Omar’s anti-Semitic statements from the past but instead the alleged desire to discriminate “against a black, beautiful, Muslim woman.”

As deliberately dramatic as all of these moments were, the keyword being deliberate, it’s my opinion that more of this is needed for reasons I’ll explain below.

Firstly, “decorum” has gotten Republicans absolutely nowhere in Congress. So why not switch things up a bit by doing, as Roy noted during the Speaker debates, “sort of breaking the glass in order to get us to the table”? What’s happened so far in this Congress has shown that the initial Republican stalemate over who would be Speaker was worth the effort put into it.

Further, such instances where members of Congress get feisty and emotional on the House floor tell us perhaps more so than anything else what kind of people are representing us in Congress. Are they drama queens? Or passionate defenders of their beliefs? The viewer gets to decide and then later can vote accordingly at the ballot box.

Also, not many people watch the goings on in Congress. Having such lively discussions even though they may get heated might get more people to tune in. I know I certainly would.

We need more British Parliament-style debates in the House and Senate going forward. For the good of America. And for the sheer entertainment value of it all.

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

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

COVID should be treated as if America was in a short-term war.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

A “notch baby” pin is pictured.

Science of reading is the answer to North Carolina’s literacy crisis

An evaluation of our state’s public schools of education found that just one out of 15 is rated “strong” in its approach to literacy instruction.

LITERACY is the foundation of learning. If students can’t read well, there’s almost no chance they’re going to succeed in school. That’s why state leaders have been rightly focused on early grade literacy, and rightly alarmed that 68% of North Carolina fourth graders are not proficient in reading.

The state’s public universities bear some of the responsibility for that failure. Schools of education across the University of North Carolina System are the single largest source of teachers in our public schools, and there’s ample evidence that they have not been preparing early grade teachers for the vital work of reading instruction. Despite a 2021 law requiring teacher preparation programs to offer instruction in the well-established science of reading — a law passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper — many of our universities continue to follow an outdated, discredited approach to literacy.

An evaluation of our state’s public schools of education found that just one out of 15 is rated “strong” in its approach to literacy instruction. Five are rated good, and nine either need significant improvement or are inadequate in the way they teach reading instruction. Given all we know about the difference that proper reading instruction can make in a student’s life, that’s unacceptable.

This isn’t the first time the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the UNC System’s education schools, or North Carolina’s families have been faced with urgent news about declining literacy. In fact, this problem has only worsened since 2019, when 64% of our fourth graders were not proficient in reading.

These numbers should elicit outrage from us all. Imagine how we would react if 68% of players on our favorite basketball team couldn’t make a free throw? Or if the surgeon in charge of a family member’s care had just a 32% success rate?

We would be outraged. More than that, we would be looking for immediate solutions.

The good news is, we have those solutions. We know how to achieve literacy in North Carolina.

For decades, rigorous research conducted by cognitive scientists and specialists in early literacy have shown that “decoding” — teaching students how to match sounds and letters phonetically — is critical for proficient reading. It’s the way many older North Carolinians were taught, sounding out words and learning to connect the text on the page to spoken language. We now have a name for this combination of learning strategies: the science of reading.

Yet many schools of education across the country, including here in North Carolina, continue to teach “balanced literacy” or the “three-cueing method” that rigorous research has shown to be ineffective, especially for struggling readers.

A generation of teachers came out of education schools believing that reading, like spoken language, comes naturally to children if they’re simply exposed to books and words regularly enough.

It’s easy to see why this idea would be appealing to educators who love books and want children to feel the same. Unfortunately, it’s wrong. And it has led to the kind of dismal statistics above, with fewer than one-third of our elementary students learning to read proficiently.

The UNC Board of Governors is not going to tolerate this kind of dereliction in one of our most important areas of responsibility. Many of our public universities began as teacher training academies. Preparing educators to teach the young people of our state has always been among our core duties and highest public trusts. We must approach it with the same rigor, the same respect for scientific findings and advancement, that we take for granted in our training of doctors, nurses, and engineers.

Teaching young children is a vital, challenging profession. The men and women we send into our state’s classrooms deserve to know that they’ve benefited from the highest quality preparation available. States like Mississippi have tackled this problem aggressively, using statewide reading mandates, millions in funding and materials support, and clear standards for student advancement. In 2013, Mississippi fourth graders ranked 49th in the nation for reading proficiency. In just six years, that state rose to claim the nation’s 29th spot. This type of marked improvement isn’t based on luck or miracles. It requires hard work, passion, and commitment to learning strategies that will help our children become successful adults. Those tools are already in place here in North Carolina. Back in April of 2020, amid a global pandemic and rising concern about learning and literacy, the Board of Governors established a common framework for literacy. This was a team effort guided by the UNC System Office and top educators from our state’s public and private universities.

Today, a handful of our System’s universities have adopted this literacy framework. Others still have a lot of work to do.

The UNC Board of Governors has set literacy education as a top priority in 2023, bringing all teacher preparation programs into alignment with the System’s literacy framework and state law. I can think of no other task more important for our universities than to produce effective teachers, who in turn produce the future leaders of this great state. We will step up to this challenge. The children of North Carolina deserve nothing less.

Wendy Murphy, Vice Chair of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors

ALMOST EVERY DECISION that has been made in Washington and in the states that deals with COVID-19 has been about politics and money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and not about public health.

COVID-19 is a deadly virus that has killed over a million Americans — almost all over the age of 65. But from day one, the overreaction and misinformation from politicians and the public health industrial complex was a campaign to embarrass and discredit then-President Donald Trump. It became an excuse to get Trump out of office.

For the record, I was in the Oval Office many times with Trump, and he always wanted to get the economy reopened as quickly as possible. But Democrats and the public health industrial complex, with the help of supposed experts such as Anthony Fauci, the now-retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the time wanted lockdowns as long as possible. And they wanted to spend trillions of dollars to redistribute income.

We now know, of course, that lockdowns had a minimal impact as a public health measure. But they capsized the best economy (in an election year) in 40 years. Just in time to get President Joe Biden elected.

How convenient.

Here we are, three years into COVID-19, and politics is still the driving force in government policy. It became an excuse for Biden to spend trillions of dollars — paid for with debt. COVID-19 has been over for at least a year and a half. (The recent strains are no more deadly than the flu.) And yet we still have Biden’s “emergency” COVID-19 powers. The Senate voted three times last year on immediately terminating the COVID-19 emergency. And it passed all three times, with growing Democratic support on each attempt, reaching 62 votes in November.

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) never once even allowed a House vote.

Now the Republicans control the House, Biden says he will end the emergency. But not until May! Three months from now.

This is dangerous and, to borrow a term from Biden, a “threat to democracy” to have the president act as a dictator. Emergency powers allow the president to suspend the normal constitutional process and make laws by decree.

One of those inconvenient truths is that the group of Americans with the top 1% or 2% of cognitive abilities doesn’t much “look like America.”

THE ORDINARILY FLUENT and unperturbed Justice Elena Kagan seemed, judging from the transcript, to be sputtering a bit in the oral argument of the Supreme Court’s case challenging the racial quotas and preferences used in admissions by the University of North Carolina.

Questioning the counsel for those suing the university, she said -- and I’m eliminating the interjections she, like other smart people, used in extemporaneous discourse — “That gets us back to the question of what universities can do to achieve racial diversity, even without being explicit about racial classifications. Your brief is (saying) it just doesn’t matter if our institutions look like America.”

Though she doesn’t say so, Justice Kagan — and everyone else desperate to uphold racially discriminatory admissions to colleges and universities — has something specific in mind when she says, “look like America.”

That’s partly because, as the justice went on to explain, selective colleges and universities are “the pipelines to leadership in our society. It might be military leadership.” (As dean of the Harvard Law School, Justice Kagan barred military recruiters from campus in the days of don’t-ask-don’t-tell but also took special care to welcome military veterans as students.) “It might be business leadership. It might be leadership in the law.”

It certainly has been the pipeline to the Supreme Court. Eight of the nine current justices are graduates of Harvard and Yale, two law schools whose students have the highest test scores; the exception is Notre Dame law graduate Amy Coney Barrett.

Backers of the racial quotas regime want the percentage of those identifying as black or Hispanic to come close to matching the percentage of those in the national population that identify themselves with these labels in the largely self-administered decennial census.

The problem they face is that students at those schools almost entirely come from the top 1% or 2% on the scale of cognitive ability, as measured by IQ tests or by the SAT, ACT or LSAT tests long required for applicants to have a chance at admittance to selective colleges or law schools. Those who rank lower typically struggle with the level of instruction. And no, those tests are not culturally-biased, and yes, they are highly correlated with college and law school grades and with professional performance. For details, check out my American Enterprise Institute colleague Charles Murray’s 2021 book “Facing Reality,” which was almost entirely ignored by book reviewers unwilling to face its inconvenient truths.

One of those inconvenient truths is that the group of Americans with the top 1% or 2%

of cognitive abilities doesn’t much “look like America.”

That small slice of the population includes much larger percentages of those classified as Jews and Asians than the total population. I suspect that if scholars looked more closely at these individuals, they would find especially disproportionate numbers of those with Ashkenazi Jewish, Guangdong or Fujian Chinese, Brahmin Indian and Coptic Egyptian ancestry. Their superior aptitude undoubtedly reflects some combination of genetic and cultural factors.

The top 1% or 2% also, inconveniently, contain significantly lower percentages of some white ethnic groups and of those commonly classified as black and Hispanic than the American population generally. But by no means none, as evidenced in the work of Justices (in order of seniority) Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Or President Barack Obama.

America’s selective colleges and universities have long discriminated against applicants who are members of the ethnic groups heavily represented in the top 1% or 2%. From the 1920s through the 1960s, they admitted only small quotas of Jews each year — a history Justice Kagan is surely familiar with.

More recently, they have been discriminating heavily and systematically against those classified as Asians, whose high test scores are outweighed by conveniently low personality ratings by alumni or admissions office interviewers.

It’s not clear whether the likely Supreme Court ruling against such discrimination will be successful. University administrators have shown themselves willing to systematically lie and deceive to perpetuate it. But it is clear that such a decision will not block black people and Hispanics from high achievements in academic fields and otherwise.

For the fact is that the top 1% or 2% of Americans in any field of endeavor — the National Basketball League or Nobel Prizewinning scientists, Grammy Award-winning musicians or Olympic athletes — don’t “look like America.” Taken together, they’re people of diverse backgrounds producing diverse forms of excellence.

Racially discriminatory quotas and preferences in higher education and elsewhere violate our historic civil rights laws, reduce the prospects of the deserving and cast doubt on the genuine achievements of the intended beneficiaries. They’re the enemy, not the friend, of true American diversity.

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

Why the never-ending crisis? It’s all about the money. Biden doesn’t want to end the emergency that he himself stated was over many months ago because it allows him to continue dishing out billions of dollars of health and welfare benefits to his voters — automatically and unilaterally.

Don’t forget that Biden even used the COVID-19 crisis to “forgive” hundreds of billions of dollars of student loan debt. What do student loans have to do with COVID-19?

Now, Biden says that COVID-19 will end when the Supreme Court declares the emergency over. The Supreme Court should take these dictatorial powers away from Biden tomorrow. This isn’t about public health. As always, it’s about the money.

Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an economist with FreedomWorks. His latest book is “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government is Devouring our Economy.”

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline. com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

We don’t need racial quotas to showcase America’s diversity

NATION & WORLD

DeSantis eyes 2024 from afar as GOP rivals move toward runs

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be months away from publicly declaring his presidential intentions, but his potential rivals aren’t holding back.

No fewer than a half dozen Republicans eyeing the White House have begun actively courting top political operatives in states like New Hampshire and Iowa, which traditionally host the opening presidential primary contests. At the same time, former President Donald Trump, the only announced candidate in the race, is launching regular attacks against DeSantis — and others — while locking down key staff and endorsements in early voting South Carolina.

For now, DeSantis is plowing forward with a fiery “anti-woke” agenda in the legislature before a presidential announcement in late spring or early summer. His team is beginning to hold informal conversations with a handful of prospective campaign staff in key states, according to those involved in the discussions. But compared with would-be rivals, the Florida governor, famous for crafting his own political strategy, appears to be stepping into the 2024 presidential primary season much more deliberately.

“They understand they are in kind of a sweet spot now. They can feel the demand building and they don’t really have to show any leg yet,” said David Kochel, a veteran Republican operative who has been in touch with DeSantis’ team to relay interest from activists. “I just don’t think there’s any urgency yet to start putting things in place.”

For voters, it may seem early in the 2024 presidential election season. But by historical standards, it is not. The GOP’s opening presidential primary debates are just six months away, expected in late July or early August when the Republican National Committee holds its summer meeting in Milwaukee.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is among a half dozen Republican prospects in various levels of conversations with political operatives in New Hampshire and Iowa about job openings, according to people involved with the discussions who requested anonymity to discuss internal planning. Beyond Haley, contenders include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Maryland Gov. Lar-

ry Hogan and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Hogan, a term-limited governor who left office only two weeks ago, talked up his executive experience in multiple New Hampshire radio interviews. He told The Associated Press he was launching a multiday fundraising tour beginning this weekend in DeSantis’ Florida.

“There’s plenty of room for Trump and DeSantis and me in the same state,” Hogan said. “Everybody says it’s Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. But I think it might be somebody that nobody’s talking about right now, which is what usually happens. ... My argument is the frontrunners almost never win.”

Veteran Republican strategist

Ari Fleischer recalled the 2000 presidential campaign when his then-boss, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, successfully waited until mid-June to enter the Republican presidential primary. In the months before the announcement, Bush aggressively worked behind the scenes to line up donors, staff and endorsements.

For DeSantis to adopt a similar winning playbook, Fleischer said, it’s critical to work now to assemble a strong campaign apparatus in private. He likened a successful strategy at this phase to a duck, who appears calm but is paddling hard just below the water’s surface.

“So long as (DeSantis) is paddling furiously underwater like a duck, he can afford to wait,” Fleischer said. “The amount of work it takes to build a presidential campaign is phenomenal. I

don’t think people understand what’s involved unless they’ve done it. It’s brutal. ... And if you don’t put the labor into it quietly, privately, it falls apart.”

DeSantis’ team declined to comment on his 2024 plans publicly, but the Florida governor’s allies expect him to enter the race in late June or early July.

In the short-term, he’s preparing to promote his upcoming book, “The Courage to be Free,” set for release on Feb. 28. And he’ll spend much of the coming months stacking up legislative victories in the Florida statehouse, where the Republican supermajority stands ready to deliver a bevy of measures sure to entice the most conservative voters in a GOP presidential primary.

In recent days, DeSantis said he’s backing new laws that would ban abortions after 6 weeks of conception, ease restrictions for those wishing to carry concealed firearms and end the state’s unanimous jury requirement for death penalty cases. He released a plan to end sales taxes on gas stoves, picking up on a false claim circulating on the right that the Biden administration plans to ban the appliance.

DeSantis is also asking the state legislature for another $12 million to relocate illegal immigrants, signaling a continued focus on illegal immigration after spending millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last year. And he’s zeroing in on issues related to race and education. He installed a conservative majority on

NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE INTERSECTION OF N.C. 55

STIP Project No. HL-0007

Apex - The public is invited to attend an in-person public meeting to view mapping and other materials on the proposal to make improvements to the intersection of N.C. 55 with Technology Drive/East Williams Street in Apex. A Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI) is proposed at this location. The project will maximize the efficiency of the intersection and traffic carrying capacity of the project area. The RCI concept eliminates left turns from side streets and subsequently improves safety.

The public is invited to attend the open-house meeting on February 16 between 5 and 7 p.m. at Hope Community Church Apex, located at 2080 East Williams Street, to view the project materials and speak with staff of NCDOT and the consulting team.

In conjunction with the in-person public meeting for the project, the department has developed a webpage to provide an overview of the project, graphics, project mapping and other information. The project webpage is located at: https://publicinput.com/NC55-Technology-Williams

Comments may be submitted at the public meeting, on the webpage, by email (NC55-Technology-Williams@pubicinput.com) or phone to (984)205-6615 and entering code 7595. Comments may also be submitted by USPS mail using the pre-addressed comment form attached to the meeting handout or to the project manager by March 2, 2023.

NCDOT Division Highway 5 Senior Project Manager Zahid Baloch 1573 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1573 336-487-0165

Contact NCDOT as soon as possible if you require any accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Anyone requiring special services should contact Diane Wilson, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1598, 919-707-6073 or pdwilson1@ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.

Those who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior by calling 1-800-481-6494.

Aquellas personas no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

the board of trustees at a small liberal arts school and has debuted a proposal to block programs on diversity, education and inclusion from state colleges. At the same institutions, he would also ban programs on critical race theory, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions, which function to maintain the dominance of white people in society.

In the coming days, DeSantis is expected to declare victory in his battle against Disney, the state’s largest employer, which drew the governor’s ire after opposing the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. State lawmakers are expected to meet for a special session as soon as next week to complete a takeover of a self-governing district Disney controls over its properties in Florida, all at DeSantis’ request.

As DeSantis focuses on Florida’s statehouse, Trump has dramatically escalated his attacks on the man he and his aides see as, by far, his most concerning rival. But as other Republicans prepare to enter the race, Trump is also attacking them.

For example, in a recent interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump described Haley in sexist terms as “overly ambitious,” noting that she once vowed not to seek the presidency in 2024 if Trump was also running.

“She’s a very ambitious person. She just couldn’t stay in her seat,” Trump said.

In the same interview, he also criticized DeSantis, claiming he cried while asking for Trump’s endorsement during the 2018 governor’s race.

“DeSantis got elected because of me. You remember he had nothing. He was dead. He was leaving the race. He came over and he begged me, begged me for an endorsement,” Trump said. “He said, ‘If you endorse me, I’ll win.’ And there were tears coming down from his eyes.”

DeSantis has largely avoided responding to Trump’s digs. And without a campaign apparatus, he doesn’t have a rapid response team or surrogate operation designed to engage with 2024-related fire.

But earlier this week, he seemed to be knocking Trump — at least, indirectly — when asked about the former governor’s repeated attacks.

“The good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that whether they re-elect you or not,” DeSantis said when asked about Trump, who lost his 2020 reelection.

US opens embassy in Solomon Islands to counter China

Wellington, New Zealand

The United States opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific.

The embassy in the capital, Honiara, is starting small, with a chargé d’affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees. The U.S. previously operated an embassy in the Solomon Islands for five years before closing it in 1993 as part of a global reduction in diplomatic posts after the end of the Cold War.

“The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts not only to place more diplomatic personnel throughout the region, but also to engage further with our Pacific neighbors, connect United States programs and resources with needs on the ground, and build people-to-people ties,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

The Solomon Islands switched allegiance from the self-ruled island of Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, threatening the close ties with the U.S. that date to World War II.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

China, Hong Kong scrap cross-border travel quota, COVID test

Hong Kong

Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require COVID-19 PCR tests nor be held to a daily limit, authorities announced Friday, as both places seek to drive economic growth.

Hong Kong’s tourism industry has suffered since 2019 after months of political strife that at times turned into violent clashes between protesters and police, as well as harsh entry restrictions implemented during the pandemic.

The announcement came a day after Lee unveiled a tourism campaign aimed at attracting travelers to Hong Kong that includes 500,000 free air tickets for tourists to visit the city.

China had already eased travel restrictions with Hong Kong on Jan. 8, dropping a mandatory quarantine period required for travelers entering the mainland. However, the number of travelers entering the mainland from Hong Kong via land checkpoints was limited to 50,000 a day.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NCDOT to Hold Public Meeting Regarding Improvements to Clanton Road from Donald Ross Road to Wilkinson Boulevard in Mecklenburg County

STIP Project P-5730

Charlotte – The public is invited to a meeting with the N.C. Department of Transportation this month to discuss the proposed extension of Clanton Road from Donald Ross Road to Wilkinson Boulevard in Charlotte.

The proposed project, State Transportation Improvement Program

Project No. P-5730, would construct a grade separation over the Norfolk Southern rail line, and close the existing at-grade crossing on Donald Ross Road. It’s intended to address traffic and safety concerns and improve road and multimodal connections throughout the area

Project details, including maps of the proposal, can be found on the NCDOT project web page at https://publicinput.com/clantonrd-ext.

The meeting will be held 5-7 p.m. February 16th at the American Legion at 1940 Donald Ross Road, Charlotte, NC 28208. Interested residents can drop in any time to learn more about the proposal, have questions answered and talk with NCDOT representatives. There will not be a formal presentation.

People may also submit comments by phone, email or mail by March 3rd

For more information, contact NCDOT Rail Division Project Engineer Greg Blakeney at 919-707-4717; gmblakeney@ncdot.gov; or 1553 Mail Service Center in Raleigh

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Simone Robinson, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center in Raleigh; 919-707-6062; or strobinson1@ncdot.gov as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.

Those who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior by calling 1-800-4816494.

Aquellas personas no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

AP PHOTO

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla.

Matson chosen to lead UNC field hockey, B3

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NC State back in men’s AP poll at No. 22

Indianapolis

While UNC and Duke were going head to head this past weekend, NC State got a win of its own. The Wolfpack earned their first top 25 ranking in four years, checking in at No. 22 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Sunday. The Wolfpack (19-5 9- 4 ACC) spent six weeks in the poll during the 2018-19 season in coach Kevin Keatts’ second season. It’s the first time NC State has been ranked higher than both UNC and Duke since November 2012, and also the first time the Wolfpack are ranked and the other two aren’t since December 1982. The Blue Devils received 87 votes, the 27th most.

Duke women jump into top 10

Indianapolis

A win Sunday over Notre Dame gave Duke its highest ranking in nearly six years. The Blue Devils moved up seven places to No. 9, one ahead of the Fighting Irish, in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll thanks to their 57-52 win in South Bend. It’s Duke’s best ranking since the team finished the 2017 season ranked ninth. UNC slid three spots to No. 14 after losing Sunday at Louisville, and NC State dropped seven places to 22nd after a loss last Thursday at Georgia Tech.

SOCCER

Wrexham part of 7-on-7 soccer coming to Cary

Cary Wrexham, the fifth-tier Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will compete in the 32-team, seven-on-seven soccer tournament in Cary with a $1 million, winner-take-all purse. The tournament, scheduled for June 1-3, also includes Mexico’s Necaxa and teams organized by former U.S captain Clint Dempsey, U.S. women’s team midfielder Heather O’Reilly and Hashtag United.

Frank Reich starts to build Panthers’ staff

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE CAROLINA Panthers

introduced Frank Reich as their new head coach last Tuesday. Deciding who would fill that position didn’t mean that the coaching drama was over for the team, however. Matt Rhule, who was the reason for the head coaching vacancy in the first place, stepped back on stage last Wednesday. Rhule coached the Panthers from 2020 through Week 5 of this past season before he was fired with the team at 1-4 and fan apathy obvious at home games. Three years into a seven-year, $62 million contract with the Panthers, Rhule was let go with about $34 million left on his deal. He later was hired to coach the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Loss to Duke underscores offensive woes for Tar Heels

UNC has leaned heavily on 3s and free throws

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

DUKE’S 63-57 victory over UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the weekend gave the Blue Devils bragging rights in the sport’s biggest rivalry, at least for a few weeks. It also gave Duke a leg up as the two teams jockey for position in the middle of the ACC.

am learning. ... With all humility, I could have done better, OK? I’m not saying that Rhule wasn’t a good coach. I’m not saying that. Please don’t interpret it that way. I’m saying I could have run a better process last time. I do believe that.”

Perhaps Rhule took offense to the comments or maybe it was just coincidence, but the following day he filed a lawsuit against the team seeking $5 million in offset severance compensation. Neither Rhule nor the team commented on the situation.

4th

Ranking for the Panthers’ special teams last season, leading to the retention of assistant Chris Tabor by new coach Frank Reich.

At Reich’s introductory press conference, Carolina owner David Tepper admitted that he made a “mistake” with Rhule, his first major hire since buying the team.

“Listen, I’ll self-admit — we could have run a better process last time,” Tepper said. “And I

Rhule’s early-season firing led to Steve Wilks, who started the season as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, taking over as interim coach. Wilks was a candidate for the permanent job and was one of two finalists, along with Reich. Wilks was hired by the 49ers to be their defensive coordinator, according to reports on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Reich has begun assembling his staff of assistants and has already made several hires. Among his first moves was retaining the team’s special teams coach, Chris Tabor. In his first year with the team, Tabor improved Carolina’s special teams from 28th in the

See PANTHERS, page B3

In the other locker room, the game continued an uneven season for a Tar Heels squad that could be on a trajectory that puts it on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The loss also called attention, perhaps unintentionally, to issues with UNC’s offense this season.

On paper, the Carolina offense has plenty of bright spots. UNC is No. 44 in the nation in offensive efficiency. The Tar Heels don’t turn the ball over, ranking 14th in lowest turnover rate.

“I don’t think just because we shot 27 means that we turned into a 3-point shooting team,” Davis said. “The stat that I’m looking at is that going into the game we had shot 150 more free throws than any other opponent in our conference. We shot three; zero in the second half. That is what I’m looking at.”

317

UNC’s national rank in 3-point shooting, having made just 30.8% of their long-range shots.

The Tar Heels are struggling with their outside shot, however. UNC’s .308 3-point accuracy is ranked 317th in the country. Despite that, more than a third of UNC’s shots have been from 3, giving the Heels an effective field goal percentage outside of the top 200 teams in the country.

The outside shooting problems seemed to hit a low point last week as the Heels took 27 3-point attempts in each of their losses, to Pitt and at Duke, accounting for 40% of all shot attempts. The Heels hit just 12 of those 54 3-point attempts for a .222 rate.

The overreliance on a shot that isn’t falling also exacerbates another area of the UNC offense that has been a weak spot: Carolina is relying heavily on getting to the free-throw line.

That was also evident in the Duke loss, as UNC coach Hubert Davis pointed out in his postgame press conference.

The second-year UNC coach stopped short of criticizing the officiating, saying he was “just stating facts” as he repeated the “150 more but just three in the game” fact multiple times in his press conference. The message, however, was unmistakable. Davis seemed to ignore the connection between the 3-point attempts and the lack of free throws. If the Tar Heels are launching two out of every five shots from deep, they aren’t driving the lane or getting the ball inside, where they’re more likely to draw fouls and put pressure on opposing defenses. The numbers this season bear this out. UNC has shot 24 or more 3-point attempts in 10 games, and the Tar Heels averaged 20 free throws in those games. In the 10 games with the fewest 3-point attempts, UNC has gone to the line an average of 27.9 times.

UNC has made no secret of the fact that getting to the line is a key component of its offense this season. That makes sense. The Tar Heels have a roster of good freethrow shooters, a pair of guards who can drive and draw fouls in RJ Davis and Caleb Love, and a big man who also draws his share of contact in Armando Bacot.

In general, teams loaded with offensive talent draw more fouls than their opponents, since it’s harder to defend them without grabbing and hitting. Nine of the last 10 NCAA Tournament champions drew more fouls than their foes, averaging 21% more free throws than the opposition.

See DUKE/UNC, page B4

Ex-coach Matt Rhule filed a suit against the team as his replacement got to work

JACOB KUPFERMAN | AP PHOTO

UNC forward Pete Nance shoots the ball while guarded by Duke center Kyle Filipowski during their game Saturday in Durham. Nance was 0 for 5 on 3-point attempts in the game, a team-wide issue that has plagued the Tar Heels this season.

STEVE LUCIANO | AP PHOTO

Ejiro Evero, pictured last season with the Broncos, was hired to be the Panthers’ defensive coordinator under new coach Frank Reich.

TRENDING

Kyrie Irving:

The former Duke guard is now a member of the Mavericks with the trade from Brooklyn becoming official. Irving will be paired with fellow All‑Star Luka Doncic, and the tandem could make their debut together Wednesday at the Clippers if Doncic is able to play through his heel injury. Doncic is among the league’s top scorers at more than 33 points per game, while Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

Kevin Harvick:

The 2014 Cup Series champion will move into the Fox booth as a NASCAR analyst in 2024. Harvick has said this 23rd season will be his last as a full‑time driver. He has been a guest analyst for Fox for more than 25 races since 2015. He’ll join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer as the regular analyst starting next season. Harvick has made the playoffs in 13 straight seasons and is tied for ninth on the Cup Series’ all‑time wins list with 60 career victories.

Max Fried:

The Braves pitcher lost his arbitration case with the team and will make $13.5 million this upcoming season instead of his $15 million request.

The 29‑year‑old left‑hander won a $6.85 million salary last year in arbitration instead of the team’s $6.6 million proposal. Fried followed former Atlanta teammate Dansby Swanson in going to a hearing in consecutive years. Fried was 14‑7 for the second straight season and lowered his ERA to 2.48. He was a first‑time All‑Star last season and second in Cy Young Award voting.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov seemed like a curious choice to compete in the fastest skater competition at All‑Star Weekend in South Florida, but that didn’t stop him from winning the event with a lap of 13.69 seconds on Friday. A Hurricanes player has won an individual event in three straight All‑Star Skills Competitions, with Sebastian Aho (2022) and Jaccob Slavin (2020) both winning Accuracy Shooting. All‑Star Weekend was not held in 2021 due to COVID‑19.

Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson after alleging last week that the Blue Devils played the first half of their Jan. 29 game against Florida State with a larger men’s basketball.

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball after he was ejected for arguing with the referees in last Thursday’s loss in Chicago, the first ejection of his career.

PRIME NUMBER

20,000

Liters of water (roughly 5,300 gallons) that the NHL’s Derek King estimates it will take to create the outdoor rink at NC State’s Carter‑Finley Stadium for the Stadium Series game between the Hurricanes and Capitals on Feb. 18.

Golden State guard Stephen Curry w ill likely be out beyond the Feb. 19 NBA All‑Star Game after leaving Saturday’s game against the Mavericks with a left leg injury. Curry, who is averaging 29.4 points per game for the Warriors, initially suffered the injury last Thursday against the Nuggets.

Tom Brady, who retired last week after a 23‑year career with the Patriots and Buccaneers and seven Super Bowl titles, says he will not start his broadcasting career with Fox until the 2024 season. He signed a 10‑year deal with Fox last May to become the network’s top analyst when he decided to retire for good.

The Dodgers will retire the No. 34 jersey of pitcher Fernando Valenzuela during a three‑day celebration this summer. Valenzuela was part of two World Series champion teams, winning the 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. He was a six‑time All‑Star during his 11 seasons in Los Angeles from 1980‑90. He will be honored from Aug. 11‑13.

MLB

NHL

MARTA LAVANDIER | AP PHOTO

NFL

HAKIM WRIGHT SR. | AP PHOTO

NBA JEFF CHIU | AP PHOTO

“I just lost my composure pretty much.”

“This would never happen in a men’s game.”

GERRY BROOME | AP PHOTO

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP PHOTO

LENNOX MCLENDON | AP PHOTO

Fayetteville State’s Williams highlight of NC’s Super Bowl ties

The rookie cornerback helped the Chiefs clinch a spot in Sunday’s game

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

clinched a berth in Super Bowl LVII thanks in no small part to Joshua Williams.

The rookie cornerback grabbed a tipped Joe Burrow pass late in the fourth quarter for a game-clinching interception in the AFC Championship Game. If the fourth-round pick in last spring’s NFL Draft had any doubt about the significance of his play, it came a day later when the chancellor of his alma mater, Fayetteville State, released a statement.

“It’s an exceptionally great day to be an FSU Bronco!” wrote Darrell T. Allison in a statement titled “A message from the chancellor.”

Allison wrote that he was “thrilled and honored” to congratulate Williams, a Fayetteville native, on his “incredible play.”

“Even more remarkable is the poise, motivation and intelligence Joshua has displayed throughout his college career and now into his rookie season in the NFL playing for a marquee team — not just for his family, his hometown and FSU but for all 102 HBCUs.”

Williams is one of several North Carolina products who will be representing the Old North State in Sunday’s big game. Several other Chiefs teammates had their road

to the Super Bowl come through North Carolina.

Tight end Noah Gray was a fifth-round pick in 2021 after playing his college ball for Duke. He set several tight end receiving records for the Blue Devils and provided the Chiefs with 28 catches for 299 yards and a score this season. Like Williams, Gray found out just how big a deal making the Super Bowl was when his neighbors in Kansas City threw an impromptu parade to help him head to the airport to leave for Arizona, the site of the game.

Guard Joe Thuney, a thirdround pick out of NC State in 2016, is looking for his third Super Bowl title. Thuney started 15 games for the Chiefs this season and previously won rings with the Patriots, where he spent the first five years of his career.

Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a teammate of Thuney at NC State before transferring to South Florida following his sophomore year in 2014. After playing his first four NFL seasons in Green Bay, he had 42 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Chiefs.

Before North Carolinians commit to being Chiefs fans for Sunday’s title game, there are plenty of in-state products on the Eagles as well.

Hickory’s Landon Dickerson started every game for Philadelphia at guard this season and has started 30 of his 31 games over his two NFL seasons after being drafted in the second round out

of Alabama. He suffered an elbow injury during the playoffs but is expected to be ready to go on Sunday.

On the other side of the ball is Salisbury’s Javon Hargrave, who made the Pro Bowl this year, in his sixth NFL season. He had 11 sacks this season, bringing his career total to 37.5.

Rookie first-round pick Jordan Davis, who started three of his 13 games played this season at defensive tackle, gives the Eagles a third product of N.C. high schools.

Born in Charlotte, Davis played for Mallard Creek before leaving the state to play collegiately at Georgia.

The Eagles also have several former N.C. college standouts on the roster. East Carolina’s Linval Joseph was signed by Philadelphia in mid-November and started the last eight regular season games and both playoff wins in what became his 13th NFL season. He’ll

From star to in charge: UNC picks Matson as next field hockey coach

The recently graduated Tar Heels star, was chosen as Karen Shelton’s successor despite being just age 22

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

JUST TWO MONTHS removed from winning her fourth national championship title and only one month after graduating, Tar Heels field hockey star Erin Matson is adding another major milestone to her resume: head coach.

UNC announced Jan. 31 that the 22-year-old Matson would be taking over the reins of the Tar Heels field hockey program following the retirement of legendary coach Karen Shelton in December.

Shelton, who headed the program for 42 years, led UNC to 25 ACC championships and 10 NCAA titles, leaving some pretty big shoes to fill.

“She was the reason it was so successful,” Matson said of her former coach. “So there’s going to be things that I adopt and keep. We’re not coming in with a ton of change and bossing people around. It’s not necessary.

“We have a winning way and I’m planning on keeping it that way, but it’s exciting to look at areas I can impact, things we can tweak, modernizing some things, making them more relatable especially to the younger recruits and generations and everything while, of course, respecting the boundaries of this new normal.”

Perhaps the biggest reason UNC

league to fourth. Reich also retained offensive line coach James Campen, who joined the team last season as well. The line, a perennial problem for the Panthers, also improved last season, particularly in the running game, which Reich said will be a priority going forward.

Reich brought in former Eagles running back Duce Staley, who served as Philadelphia’s running backs coach while Reich was offensive coordinator for the Eagles. Staley left a similar position with the Lions to join the Panthers, although his role has not yet

is willing to roll the dice on someone so young is the similarities between Shelton and Matson.

A former player herself, Shelton won three NCAA championships with West Chester State compared to Matson’s four with UNC, and she was a three-time recipient of the Honda Award as the nation’s top player, an honor she also shares with Matson, before being named the Tar Heels coach at the age of 23.

“I don’t think there’s anybody else that can be a better mentor,” Matson said. “Obviously over 42 years, her entire resume and what she’s done. She built this program from the ground up, and it’s more so just exciting to see what more we

been announced with Carolina.

It’s possible he is a candidate to serve as Reich’s offensive coordinator. Reich has already gotten permission from the Jaguars to interview quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter for that role, however. Cooter worked with Trevor Lawrence this past season and has also worked with Reich in Indianapolis.

Currently, there are no reports of Reich seeking any other candidates for the coordinator role, although there may be some candidates on the Eagles’ staff who will enter the fray following the Super Bowl. In the meantime, Staley is under contract and waiting

“I’m the kind of person where if I’m getting myself into something, it’s all in, all my energy. Whatever it takes.”

can do. We have a very good relationship and it’s been so amazing to know her for so much of my life. It’s funny to see all the similarities between us, like the competitiveness,

for his ultimate role to be determined. One of the running backs he coached last year, Jamaal Williams, led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns and will be a free agent this offseason. The big splash came on the other side of the ball, however, when Reich hired Ejiro Evero as defensive coordinator. Evero has worked for the Bucs, 49ers, Packers and Rams as an assistant, winning a Super Bowl as Rams secondary coach and passing game coordinator last season when his unit contributed 19 interceptions. This year, he was defensive coordinator of the Broncos and, despite a disappointing win-loss record, the

be looking to add a bookend to the Super Bowl ring he won with the Giants in 2012.

Former UNC first-round draft pick Robert Quinn also joined the Eagles at midseason following a late October trade from the Bears. He’s seeking his first Super Bowl championship in his 12th NFL season.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew played two seasons at ECU before moving on to play for Mike Leach at Washington State. In his second year as the Eagles’ backup, following two seasons with Jacksonville, Minshew started two games and appeared in three others.

Both teams also have a player from the state who won’t appear in the game. Greenville’s Cornell Powell, who played for JH Rose High School before going to Clemson, is on the Chiefs’ injured list. Greensboro native and N.C. A&T alum Mac McCain is on the Eagles’ practice squad.

the hired at a young age, even the Honda Award, minor details and broadscale stuff.”

Matson’s transition is one of the most unique in all of college sports. To be the head coach of a team you were playing on just a couple of months prior is almost unheard of and surely puts additional pressure on the newly named coach.

“It’s a very different and unique situation,” she said. “I’ve told the girls that I’m not here to make it weird. I think laying down a transparent, stable, safe, inclusive environment with an open-door policy is best. We have glass doors throughout this building, and there’s a reason they’re there.

“A hurdle is just figuring out those boundaries, though, both for me with the staff and me with the girls. Going through this transition … any transition has change and a wide range of emotions. So understanding all of the different players — which I have an upper hand on since I’ve known them for a pretty long time and probably know some things about them that I probably shouldn’t — but just learning how to manage that and setting those boundaries and respecting them both ways.”

The decision wasn’t one that Matson made lightly, as she stated she had been approached about the choice well before Shelton even announced her retirement.

“The season was interesting,” she said. “I am very good at compartmentalizing. I’ve had to do it my whole life. There were definitely more pressing matters at the time, but it definitely wasn’t something that the application opened and I was like, ‘Oh this would be fun,’ because that would definitely be a red flag.

“There were conversations that, plain and simple, couldn’t be had, and I couldn’t act on things. But it was more so just talking to who

defense was one of the best in the NFL, finishing in the top 10 in total defense and rushing defense.

Evero interviewed for the Panthers’ head coaching job this offseason. He has worked with Dom Capers — the first head coach in Panthers history — and Vic Fangio, the team’s first defensive coordinator.

The Panthers’ defense performed well last season, but Reich said in his introductory press conference that he was looking for it to take another step.

“Our defense has been a real strong suit,” he said. “But we’re always looking to get better. A top10 defense gives you a chance in

The Eagles and Chiefs both have players whose NFL careers came through Carolina as well.

Former Panthers draft pick Harrison Butker was cut in training camp as a rookie, then went on to start as kicker for the Chiefs. The Eagles’ defense will feature corner James Bradberry, who was a 2016 second-round pick of the Panthers and played for Carolina for four seasons. Veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick spent last season with the Panthers before moving on to the Eagles. Each player will be representing North Carolina, as well as the high schools, colleges and other teams they’ve stopped at throughout their football journeys.

Or, as Fayetteville State’s chancellor put it: “Like the proud Bronco he is, Joshua represented remarkably well for himself and for so many other student-athletes who dream of following in his footsteps.”

I needed to talk to to know that if this was something that we wanted to pursue, this was how my life was going to change and this is what needed to happen and stuff. So when the interview process started and the application opened, we didn’t have to waste time.”

Despite all the challenges, Matson is taking on the role with confidence, and a big part of that belief comes from the support systems around her from the field hockey staff to the broader UNC system.

“I’m the kind of person where if I’m getting myself into something, it’s all in, all my energy,” she said. “Whatever it takes. Leaning on the support system around me which Carolina provides insanely well along with my family. I know I’m the best person for this role. I know the ins and outs of the program, I’ve had experience and I know how to coach and win, I know the girls, the staff. I also understand what it means to be Carolina. What it means to be UNC field hockey and how to honor that and appreciate it and never forgetting where we came from.”

And while things may seem different for Matson, some things will remain the same.

The love she has for her teammates — who are now her players — the logo on the field and the color Carolina Blue.

“I know that I could never put on orange or red or any other color and preach, ‘Come here because it’s the best school in the country!’” she said. “I couldn’t because it’d be a lie. And I’m biased, but that’s fine. There was never a thought of, ‘Let’s do this somewhere else.’ It was kind of like, ‘This is it, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be OK and figure it out. We all adapt as humans.’

“But I’m glad that’s not the case and I’m super excited for this. I’m happy it’s Carolina and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

every game, but a top-five defense can elevate you as a team.”

It appears that Evero will be changing the scheme, as he used a 3-4 defensive front at Denver (three linemen and four linebackers) instead of the 4-3 the Panthers have used in recent years. That likely means that Brian Burns, a defensive end for much of his career, will instead be an edge-rushing linebacker in Evero’s scheme.

There’s still plenty of work to be done, but with two of the Panthers’ head coaching candidates now in Carolina working together, the team appears to be putting pieces into place quickly.

JEFFREY A. CAMARATI | PHOTO COURTESY OF UNC

After leading the Tar Heels to four national championships as a player, Erin Matson was named the successor to coach Karen Shelton at age 22.

BRYNN ANDERSON | AP PHOTO Kansas City cornerback Joshua Williams, a rookie out of Fayetteville State, helped clinch the Chiefs’ Super Bowl berth with his second half interception against the Bengals.

Erin Matson, new UNC field hockey coach

PANTHERS from page B1

Truex wins NASCAR’s Clash at Los Angeles Coliseum

The season-opening exhibition race returned to the temporary quarter-mile track

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Martin

Truex Jr. won NASCAR’s return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Cup Series’ season-opening exhibition race — a sloppy Sunday night extravaganza in which the Wiz Khalifa halftime show might have been the most entertaining part of the event.

Truex took the lead with 25 laps to go in the Busch Light Clash, a 150-lap race that was moved from Daytona International Speedway last year to the Coliseum. NASCAR built a temporary quarter-mile track inside the iconic venue in a bold attempt to try something radically different.

Truex, who contemplated retirement during last year’s winless season, won for the first time since Sept. 11, 2021.

“Last year was a pretty rough season for us with no wins, and to come out here and kick it off this way, really proud of all these guys,” Truex said.

Last year’s race was considered a smashing success based on the new fans drawn to the event and excitement over the progressive approach to creating a new type of racing.

NASCAR knew it was going to be difficult to duplicate the success in its return, and the racing Sunday wasn’t great — there were 25 cautions, and laps under yellow didn’t count. There were only five cautions in last year’s race.

“Last year’s show I felt like was relatively clean and good racing, some bumping, some banging, but we could run long stretches of green flag action,” said Kyle Busch. “Today was, I would call it, a disaster with the disrespect from everybody of just driving through each other.

“But it’s a quarter-mile. It’s tight-quarters racing. Actually this is probably how it should have gone last year, so we got spoiled with a good show the first year.

Maybe this was just normal.”

Truex put Joe Gibbs Racing in Victory Lane to start 2023 after a horrible close to last year. Coy Gibbs, who essentially ran his father’s race team, passed away in his sleep the night before the November season finale. Coy Gibbs’ death came just hours after his son, Ty, won NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series championship.

Austin Dillon and Busch, in his debut for Richard Childress Racing, finished second and third for RCR. They joined Truex on a podium for a NASCAR-first medal ceremony held below the Coliseum’s famed peristyle.

Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson finished fourth and fifth for Hendrick Motorsports, and Tyler Reddick was sixth in his debut

other.”

took him out of contention. Before Sunday night, Preece had led a total of 25 laps in 115 Cup races over five seasons. Preece finished seventh.

Bubba Wallace was dominant early for 23XI but was spun late by Dillon and then banged into Dillon after to show his displeasure. He finished 22nd after leading 40 laps.

The format of the exhibition Clash included heat races and a pair of 50-lap “last chance qualifiers” to help drivers make the 27car field. Three drivers from each of the LCQ’s advanced: Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell and Todd Gilliland advanced from the first race, and Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger advanced from the second.

for 23XI.

“It’s tough when it takes 45 minutes to make like six laps,” Bowman said of the messy race. “That was pretty bad when we were just crashing and crashing and crashing.”

Ryan Preece, in his debut race for Stewart-Haas Racing, led 43 laps until a late electrical issue

“I hate it for Bubba, he had a good car and a good run,” Dillon said. “But you can’t tell who’s either pushing him or getting pushed. I just know he sent me through the corner and I saved it three times through there, released the brake and all kinds of stuff, and then when I got down, I was going to give the same. Probably was a little too hard.”

Those who did not advance to compete in the main event were Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton of The Wood Brothers, Corey LaJoie and Ty Dillon of Spire Motorsports, and Cody Ware and J.J. Yeley for Rick Ware Racing, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of JTG Racing and B.J. McLeod of Live Fast Motorsports.

Mahomes, Hurts latest Texas prep QBs on Super Bowl stage

The Lone Star State, once known for its running backs, boasts the title game’s two starting quarterbacks for the first time

By Schuyler Dixon

The Associated Press

DALLAS — Texas high school quarterbacks guru Todd Dodge got what he wanted when Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia won their conference championship games.

“I really like Joe Burrow,” Dodge said with a chuckle in reference to Cincinnati’s star quarterback, “but I’m not going to root for Joe Burrow over Patrick Mahomes, that Texas quarterback.”

The Mahomes-Hurts matchup is the first showdown between a pair of Texas high school quarterbacks and the latest milestone for a football-crazy state once known much more for Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson than whoever was handing off to those future Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs.

Dodge, a recently retired high school coach who won seven state championships, played a big role in the start of the transformation around 1980. He was the quarterback for what he considered the father of the passing game in Texas.

Ronnie Thompson, a high school coach in Port Arthur about 100 miles from Houston, was throwing before it was cool in the Lone Star State, which made Dodge a high-profile recruit for the Texas Longhorns.

DUKE/UNC from page B1

The problem arises when the team leans too heavily on that one method of scoring. During tournament season, when teams may draw an officiating crew unfamiliar with its style, an overreliance on free throws could mean an early trip home. The Duke game, where officials seemed to

While Dodge’s career in Austin was disappointing, his legacy of training quarterbacks in his home state is unmistakable. One of the keys was identifying quarterbacks — plenty of them — as early as seventh grade, with the goal of always having two capable of flourishing on the varsity.

Before the likes of Dodge, Art Briles and the late Sonny Detmer came along, the focus was usually on finding the best running back and building from there.

“Jalen Hurts 40 years ago would have been the next great tailback in the Southwest Conference,” said Dodge, who still runs a quarterback training program in retirement. “Somewhere along the way, his dad put the ball in his hands and he started throwing it.”

Indeed, coach Averion Hurts at

allow more contact than usual on both ends, shows what can happen when officials don’t buy into the game plan.

UNC this season has gone to the line 64% more than its opponents. That’s a huge increase over last year when the Tar Heels went to the line 38% more often than opponents. It’s also far more than any team that won the title in the

Channelview just outside Houston put his son at quarterback. Jalen Hurts went from college star at Alabama and Oklahoma to Philadelphia backup behind Carson Wentz to NFL MVP candidate in a matter of six years.

Mahomes had the throwing pedigree as the son of former major league pitcher Pat Mahomes, and his strong arm was evident long before he became the starter at Whitehouse in East Texas.

The Chiefs traded up to get Mahomes 10th overall in 2017, declared him the starter in the offseason a year later and watched him become MVP that year and a Super Bowl winner the next.

“I think in Texas it’s been a program of building football players up for a long time,” said Mahomes, whose Super Bowl matchup

last 10 tourneys. The 2015 Duke team had the highest rate, getting 59% more free throws than its opponents. Kentucky in 2012 went to the line 53% more often. Both teams also had dominant big men in Jahlil Okafor and Anthony Davis, respectively.

UNC also gets 23.1% of its points from free throws. That’s 5% more than the Tar Heels got

against Hurts will be the first between two black quarterbacks. “There’s still the great running backs, there’s still the great receivers, the great tight ends, whatever you want to say.”

The most recent Super Bowl-winning quarterback from Texas is Matthew Stafford, who played in the Dallas enclave of Highland Park before going to Georgia and getting drafted No. 1 overall by Detroit in 2009.

His prolific career with the Lions mostly went nowhere before a trade to the Rams immediately led to a title last season. His high school coach, four-time state title winner Randy Allen, has a quarterback training program he believes he started after seeing Dodge conduct a coaching clinic.

Once Texas became fertile ground for quarterbacks, it was only natural for growth in the college game and, subsequently, the pros.

“College coaches want to win, number one,” said Allen, the winningest active coach in Texas. “And number two, they know if they’ve got a Texas high school quarterback, that he’s probably played in front of big crowds. He’s probably played against great competition. He’s probably had great high school coaching and he’s probably ready to play as a freshman.”

One of Allen’s Highland Park teams was a round away from facing Mahomes in the Texas playoffs a decade ago, but Mahomes’ team lost.

Mahomes never made a deep playoff run before thriving at Texas Tech under Kliff Kingsbury, a prolific Texas high school quarter-

from the line last year, and it’s also more than teams that historically have cut down the nets. The last 10 champions got 18.9% of their points from free throws.

UConn (22.4%) in 2014 came the closest to UNC’s rate.

As basketball moves away from reliance on a big man and more toward positionless players, reliance on the free throw has fad-

back himself in the 1990s. Allen, Dodge and Mahomes all mentioned the expansion of offseason 7-on-7 football as a significant part of the development of Texas quarterbacks. Dozens of tournaments around the state culminate in a state championship event every summer in College Station, home of Texas A&M. Dodge also believes it helped when pass-happy teams started winning state championships. In one five-year stretch at Southlake Carroll, where son Riley is now coach, the elder Dodge had a 79-1 record with four state titles in the state’s largest classification.

The other three titles for Dodge came at Austin Westlake. Before his arrival, that school produced the first two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks from Texas in Drew Brees (New Orleans, 2009 season) and Nick Foles (Philadelphia, 2017).

Western Pennsylvania is famous for quarterbacks, too, with Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly and Johnny Unitas among the products. Mahomes is aware of this — because he has teammates from a state that also takes its high school football just as seriously.

“I brag to all my PA guys because they brag they have the best state for football because of the history,” Mahomes said. “But I’m like, we’re talking about the present, and Texas is pretty good right now.”

Mahomes has a point. Texas is already guaranteed to be the high school home of four of the past six Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

ed even more. While the last 10 champions shot 21% more free throws than opponents and got 18.9% of their points last way, the last five champions were at 13% and 16.8%, respectively. In other words, what Hubert Davis saw as a problem in the Duke game may actually be a sneak preview of how Carolina’s season might end.

“Today was, I would call it, a disaster with the disrespect from everybody of just driving through each

Kyle Busch

MARK J. TERRILL | AP PHOTO

Cars race during qualifying for the Busch Light Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.

MATT YORK | AP PHOTO

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts — both natives of Texas — speak to the media on Monday in Phoenix.

Total Cash & Bond Proceeds

$2,724,932,026

Add Receipts $164,920,628

Less Disbursements

$119,256,307

Reserved Cash $125,000,000

Unreserved Cash Balance Total

$6,788,963,985

Disaster reimbursements: $0

LINKEDIN from page B5

style without the fear of failing financially.

Starting a blog is often mentioned as the most popular choice among aspiring entrepreneurs and influencers for a couple of reasons. First, there is no need to reveal your identity at the inception of your blogging business, which allows people that need the income from their current occupation to sleep at night knowing their boss won’t discover their exit strategy.

Second, the initial upfront investment is minimal. There aren’t many other businesses with the upside blogging offers that require almost no startup capital.

Consultant

A consultant is essentially a glorified freelancer. Simply package up your skill set and offer your services to companies for a set fee on a monthly basis. This requires more attention to the relationship but is worth it for the increased stability.

Consulting relationships are mutually beneficial for the most part because they allow companies to contract services based on their needs without hiring a full-time employee, paying the benefits, contributions, and more. Working with a consultant gives these corporations added flexibility while the consultants themselves remain self-employed and bring in a steady paycheck.

Where To Go From Here

There is no doubt that younger generations are unhappy with their current employment situation. If you are a part of this majority, it is important to understand that times have changed. Corporations no longer hold all the bargaining power in the labor market, and there are more opportunities than ever to advance your career. Plus, job seekers now have increased access to jobs through the rise of employment platforms and recruiting organizations, so be sure to know what is out there.

As for those of you who place a high priority on being able to work on your own terms, don’t be afraid to start that side hustle you’ve been thinking about. Real businesses aren’t built in a day or even a year, so start small and make progress daily, advises Morris.

New rules would limit sugar in school meals for first time

The Associated Press U.S. agriculture officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries.

The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible.

The goal is to improve nutrition and align with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million children and lunch to nearly 30 million children every day, Vilsack said.

“School meals happen to be the meals with the highest nutritional value of any meal that children can get outside the home,” Vilsack said in an interview.

The first limits on added sugars would be required in the 20252026 school year, starting with high-sugar foods such as sweetened cereals, yogurts and flavored milks.

Under the plan, for instance, an 8-ounce container of chocolate milk could contain no more than 10 grams of sugar. Some popular flavored milks now contain twice that amount. The plan also limits sugary grain desserts, such as muffins or doughnuts, to no more than twice a week at breakfast.

By the fall of 2027, added sug-

ars in school meals would be limited to less than 10% of the total calories per week for breakfasts and lunches.

The proposal also would reduce sodium in school meals by 30% by the fall of 2029. They would gradually be reduced to align with federal guidelines, which recommend Americans aged 14 and older limit sodium to about 2,300 milligrams a day, with less for younger children.

Levels would drop, for instance, from an average of about 1,280 milligrams of sodium allowed now per lunch for kids in grades 9 to 12 to about 935 milligrams. For comparison, a typical turkey sandwich with mustard and cheese might contain 1,500 milligrams of sodium.

Health experts say cutting back on sugar and salt can help decrease the risk of disease in kids, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems that often continue into adulthood.

The plan, detailed in a 280-page document, drew mixed reactions.

Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance, said the changes are “necessary to help America’s children lead healthier lives.”

But Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Association, a trade group, said school meals are already healthier than they were a decade ago and that increased regulations are a burden, especially for small and rural

school districts.

“School meal programs are at a breaking point,” she said. “These programs are simply not equipped to meet additional rules.”

Vilsack emphasized that the plan phases changes in over the next six years to allow schools and food manufacturers time to adjust to the new standards. He said in a press conference Friday that the USDA will also fund grants of up to $150,000 to help small and rural schools make the changes.

“Our hope is that many school districts and food providers accelerate the timeline on their own,” he said.

Courtney Gaine, president of the Sugar Association, said the proposal ignores the “many functional roles” sugar plays in food beyond sweetness and encourages the use of sugar substitutes, which have not been fully studied in children. Sugar substitutes are allowed under the new standards, Vilsack said.

As part of the plan, agriculture officials are seeking feedback about a proposal that would continue to require that 80% of all grains offered in a week must be whole grains. But it would allow schools to serve nonwhole grain foods, such as whiteflour tortillas, one day a week to vary their menus.

Another option suggests serving unflavored nonfat and lowfat milk to the youngest children and reserving chocolate and other flavored milks for high school kids.

A 60-day public comment period on the plan opens Feb. 7.

Shiriki Kumanyika, a community health expert at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health said if they’re done right some of the changes will be hard for kids to notice: “They’ll see things that they like to eat, but those foods will be healthier,” she said.

Super Bowl betting projected to reach $16 billion this year

The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A record 50.4 million American adults plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl, wagering a total of $16 billion, the gambling industry’s national trade group predicted Tuesday.

The American Gaming Association forecasts that 1 in 5 American adults will place a bet on Sunday’s NFL championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The estimate includes legal bets, and those placed with illegal bookies or casually among friends or relatives.

The total amount expected to be wagered this year is more than double the amount from last year as the legal U.S. sports betting market continues to grow.

There are three additional states offering legal sports betting this year — Kansas, Ohio and Massachusetts — compared with a year earlier, for a total of 33 states plus Washington, D.C. Maryland also added mobile sports betting in the past year, but it had in-person wagering for last year’s Super Bowl.

More than half of all American adults live in a market where sports betting is legal.

“Every year, the Super Bowl serves to highlight the benefits of legal sports betting: Bettors are transitioning to the protections of the regulated market, leagues and sports media are seeing increased engagement, and legal operators are driving needed tax revenue to states across the country,” said Bill Miller, the association’s president and CEO.

Hard data is backing up pre -

dictions of a record-setting betting market for this year’s game. GeoComply, which handles nearly all the online betting traffic for the U.S. sports betting market to verify a customer is in a particular location where such bets are legal, says it has recorded over 550 million geolocation checks during the NFL playoffs from Jan. 14 to 29.

That’s up 50% from the same period last year, and the group is predicting record-setting volume for this year’s Super Bowl.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Research, an independent analytics firm in California, looked solely at legal bets. It predicted a total of just over $1 billion this year, led by Nevada ($155 million); New York

($111 million); Pennsylvania ($91 million); Ohio ($85 million) and New Jersey ($84 million.) Their research was not involved in the AGA predictions.

The company estimated 10 to 15% of that total would be wagered live after the game begins, and that 15 to 20% would come in the form of same-game parlays, or a combination of bets involving the same game, such as betting on the winner, the total points scored and how many passing yards Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will accumulate.

The AGA survey found bettors evenly split, with 44% backing the Chiefs and an identical percentage betting on the Eagles.

The Eagles were 1.5-point favorites as of Monday night on FanDuel, the official odds provider to The Associated Press.

There is a vast array of bets offered on the big game, from the most basic predictions of which team will win and by how many points, to wagering on the total amount of points scored in the game.

Also popular are so-called proposition or prop bets on individual player performances, like whether Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will throw two or fewer touchdown passes or how many rushing yards Eagles running back Miles Sanders will accumulate.

For the Super Bowl, these bets encompass outcomes as unusual as whether the opening coin toss will come up heads or tails; whether the final score of the game has ever happened before as the score of a past Super Bowl, and even what color of Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach.

AP PHOTO, Frank Caltagirone, a sports book employee at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., counts money from his drawer Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

AP PHOTO,

Second-grade students select their meals during lunch break in the cafeteria at an elementary school.

features

Business is blooming for florists | North Carolina

By Emmie Brooks North State Journal

GREENVILLE — Red roses are typically what come to mind when thinking of Valentine’s florals, but North Carolina florists have begun noticing expansion to other types of flowers for cupid’s arrow to land on this February 14th.

Jef Glenn, a Greenville native and uptown pioneer, began her floral journey in 1976, taking after her parents who opened Jefferson’s Florist in 1948. Jefferson’s has since become one of the state’s most distinguished floral design stores.

Working with beautiful, fresh products from across the world is very exciting,” Glenn said. “I think it’s just the variety of flowers that are so beautiful, they sort of dictate themselves how they want to be shown, so we have to listen to them.”

For Valentine’s arrangements at Jefferson’s Florist the menu consists of roses, all varieties of colorful hydrangea, gerbera daisies, orchids, hellebores, and a variety of greenery including eucalyptus, and Bells of Ireland. Jefferson’s Florist prioritizes taking their limited holiday menu and creating unique designs, providing diverse arrangements for every customer.

“Valentines Day everyone seems to want their arrangements in by noon, and we usually have around 600 orders,” Glenn said. “We try

desperately to get people to think about the day before, although most won’t think about the day after. The one’s that forgot are always in big trouble because they have to send two dozen roses instead of one.”

A romantic way Jefferson’s offers to show your love during Valentine’s season is by adding a silk rose to an arrangement with a note saying, “I’ll love you ‘till the last rose dies”.

We focus on the best quality we can get, and we have to really search the globe for that,” Glenn said. “We have some flower suppliers who will go to the ends to try to find us roses, we have to have a premium product.”

Fallon’s Flowers in Raleigh has been creating and delivering exquisite arrangements for nearly 100 years. The florists deliver their arrangements across the City of Oaks and many surrounding areas.

Fallon’s Flowers Valentine’s Day menu options include tra-

ditional rose arrangements, although customers can choose from red, pink, yellow, and lavender colored rose bouquets. They also offer a mix of lilies, hydrangea, sunflowers, solidago, wax flower, eucalyptus and other premium seasonal greens; a mix of florals that are meant to make your loved ones feel special.

B ouquet Boutique (formerly Send Your Love Florists & Gifts) in Greensboro has been providing flower arrangements for Greensboro and surrounding areas since 1988. Local owner Leah Gillis and her award-winning team have strived to design bouquets to impress customers’ loved ones for 35 years.

Gillis explained that most customers can accept delivery any day of the week leading up to a holiday such as Mother’s Day, another one of her busiest seasons. But when it comes to Valentine’s Day, orders seem to be on a much tighter timeline.

“Valentine’s Day… They always want it on Valentine’s Day,” Gillis said. “We have so much compressed into one day which makes it a bit challenging, but we’re happy to have it.”

Bouquet Boutique also offers DoorDash deliveries of their arrangements, providing customers with easy access to speedy delivery, even if their in-house delivery service is booked.

“I love you ‘til the last rose dies” rose arrangement (pictured above) featuring a silk rose mixed into the florals that will live forever.

Jefferson’s Florist staff working on floral arrangements and beginning preparation for upcoming Valentine’s Day.

“We focus on the best quality we can get, and we have to really search the globe for that.”

Jef Glenn, Jefferson’s Florist

Jef Glenn, Uptown Greenville pioneer and owner of Jefferson’s Florist adding final touches to a Valentine’s Day rose bouquet.

Choosing safe Valentine’s flowers, plants for pet parents

The Associated Press

IF YOU’RE sending your sweetheart cut flowers or a potted plant for Valentine’s Day, choose ones that are safe for their pets.

One lick of a pollen-covered lily stamen can be life-threatening to cats, as my daughter Julia learned when her cat, Nyah, found her way to a beautiful and well-intentioned gift bouquet displayed in a vase on the table. It was a momentary encounter, but the damage was done. Three days of dialysis and $2,500 later, Nyah returned home.

“Each year, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) sees a rise in calls around Feb. 14th,” according to Dr. Tina Wismer, veterinarian and senior director of the APCC. She said many

of those involve chocolate, xylitol and indoor plants, adding that plant poisonings are a concern for pets year-round. In 2021 alone, she said, “the APCC received more than 31,500 calls about pets ingesting potentially toxic indoor and outdoor plants and flowers.”

ONES TO WATCH FOR

Lilies, Wismer agreed, are among the worst offenders. “Even a small exposure to Lilium (lily) and Hemerocallis (daylily) causes kidney issues in cats, as they are extremely toxic.” But they aren’t considered toxic to dogs, she said.

Tulips, on the other hand, are problematic to both cats and dogs.

“While ingestion of the leaves typ-

ically just causes stomach upset, the bulb contains toxins that can cause intense stomach upset, low blood pressure, convulsions, and cardiac abnormalities,” Wismer said.

Carnations, calla lilies, chrysanthemums, daisies and gladiolas, all popular bouquet additions, also are toxic and should be kept away from dogs and cats.

Non-flowering plants aren’t necessarily safer, Wismer says. Sago palm “is toxic to all pets and can cause symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, liver failure, and potentially death.”

Other trendy houseplants, like dumb cane (Dieffenbachia,) Swiss cheese plant (Monstera), peace lily (Spathiphyllum), golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) and snake

plant (Sansevieria) are toxic to both species. “The most common outward signs of any toxicity in pets will be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and drooling,” Wismer said. “In more severe cases, lethargy, depression and seizures can suggest your pet may have ingested something poisonous.”

If your pet has eaten any part of a toxic plant or flower, or shows any of these signs or symptoms, Wismer recommends contacting your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 as soon as possible.

SAFER FLOWERS

Pets and plants can safely coexist, of course, but some diligence is required.

Roses, gerbera daisies and orchids are among the popular gift flowers considered safe for cats and dogs, Wismer said. But she cautioned that thorns can pose a risk; you can buy thorn-stripped roses, or clip thorns off yourself once you get the flowers home.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), rattlesnake plant (Calathea lancifola) and parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) are three of the safest houseplants to grow around cats and dogs. However, Wismer warned, ingesting even non-toxic flowers or plants can lead to gastrointestinal upset and other non-life-threatening symptoms. Some pet owners forego flowers and plants altogether, while others place plants out of reach. Finding an out-of-reach spot can be difficult, however, for a cat with superhero agility, who can balance on the top of a door and leap tall refrigerators in a single bound. To play it safe, do some research before buying plants or flowers for a pet parent. The ASPCA website’s ( https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ animal-poison-control/toxic-andnon-toxic-plants ) comprehensive, searchable and species-sortable guide to toxic and nontoxic plants and flowers will make easy work of it, so that your Valentine – and their furry friends – can fully enjoy the holiday.

AP PHOTO,

This December, 2022, photo provided by Jessica Damiano shows a cat perched on top of an entrance door. Because cats have exceptional agility and climbing skills, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to place plants and other items out of their reach.

pen & paper pursuits

sudoku solutions

from February 1, 2023

Stanly County Regional Airport bill filed

M.W. Mullinix Terminal at the Stanly County Regional Airport at 43222 Lowder Aviation Pkwy in New London, on Feb. 6, 2023. A bill to add members to the Stanly County Airport Authority and increasing the length of time contracts can be signed was filed by state Sen. Carl Ford.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Sponsors needed to help provide NC summer meals

Over 900,000 North Carolina students rely on the meals and snacks served during the school year through the breakfast, lunch, and afterschool meals programs provided at their schools. When school is out of session, North Carolina’s Summer Nutrition Programs help by providing meals and snacks to children ages 18 and younger who might otherwise go hungry. Schools and community organizations are currently needed to serve as sponsors for Summer Nutrition Programs this year to help ensure that children with limited access to food at home get the nutritious meals they need for optimal growth, development, and overall well-being. These programs are typically located in economically distressed areas to serve the most food-insecure, vulnerable students. Meal sites may be located at schools, public housing centers, playgrounds, camps, parks, medical centers, faithbased facilities, libraries, and various other locations. To learn more about the NC Summer Nutrition Programs and how your organization may become involved in providing summer meals to children in your community, please visit the NCDPI Summer Nutrition website https:// www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/ district-operations/school-nutrition/ school-nutrition-programs/summernutrition-programs.

Stanfield fourth grader wins

Stanly County Spelling Bee

Stella Brown, a Stanfield fourthgrade student, came in first place in last Thursday’s 2023 Stanly County Schools Spelling Bee. Brown, who was last year’s spelling bee runner-up, claimed her spot at the top by correctly spelling the word “intubated.” In total, 15 of the 16 individual school winners of spelling bees at the elementary and middle schools in Stanly County took part in the event. Other Stanly spelling bee winners included: Kemari Thomas (Albemarle Middle), Tate Whitley (Aquadale), Hank Nelson (Badin), Skylar Johnson (Central), Graci Lewis (East Albemarle), Corbin Sikes (Endy), Willow McCorrister Chastain (Locust), Cooper Bost (Millingport), Emily Thompson (Norwood), Brennan Yow (Oakboro Choice STEM Elementary), Mama Guisse (Oakboro Choice STEM Middle), Bailey Tucker (Richfield), Iyanna Ballard (South Stanly Middle), and Bryson Beechy (West Stanly Middle).

Stanly EMS presents results on new CPR-assisting device

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE —

With the assistance of grant funding, local first responders and the majority of the volunteer fire departments in Stanly County now have a new tool to help save lives.

At the Stanly County Commissioners meeting on Feb. 6, Emergency Medical Services Chief Dale Chandler gave a presentation on the trial usage of the Stryker LUCAS 3 Chest Compression System, a device that functions as an automatic CPR machine, provides quality chest compressions, and enhances firefighter efficiency during cardiac arrest emergencies.

The results of a trial demonstrated that the device provided an 8% jump in CPR effectiveness based on a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).

“It’s a machine to do what a person typically does, or in a typical EMS situation, what sometimes 20 people have to do,” Chandler said. “We had an ini-

tiative that started from our field training officers as we saw that there were some limited resources here in Stanly County. We don’t have exponential amounts of first responders or EMS providers, for that matter. Our administrative and training staff set out to find the solution to that gap to provide the most appro

priate care to our citizens here in the county without taxing our resources.”

After being able to demo a LUCAS device on a supervisor’s vehicle for 60 days, Stanly EMS came to the conclusion it “was the most user-friendly option that there was” and subsequently approached the Stanly County Fire Chiefs Association about funding options.

The Cannon Foundation — a statewide charitable organization that accepts grant requests prioritizing healthcare, higher education, community, and human services — awarded Stanly EMS a total of $279,072, leaving a remaining cost of $42,000 to be shared across the following

“It’s a machine to do what a person typically does, or in a typical EMS situation, what sometimes 20 people have to do.”

Dale Chandler

Stanly fire departments: Richfield, New London, Millingport, Endy, Ridgecrest, Oakboro, West Stanly, Aquadale, Center Rural, and Southside. During the second half of his slideshow to the board, Chandler revealed the before-and-after data held by Stanly EMS pertaining to LUCAS implementation. From Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, before the new device was used, 19 patients suffering cardiac arrests were treated and 42% of that sample size experienced a ROSC. Additionally, none of the 13 patients having a systole or a

Education nonprofit unveils top five priorities for 2023

Topics included higher teacher pay, added mental health services, more “culturally responsive teaching,” gun control, and a full implementation of the Leandro case remedial plan.

By A.P. Dillon North

State Journal

RALEIGH — Education policymakers, members of think tanks, elected officials and other stakeholders gathered for the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s (PSFNC) 2023 Eggs and Issue forum held at N.C. State’s McKimmon Center in Raleigh on Jan. 31.

The top five priorities presented by PSFNC included:

Ensure fair and competitive compensation for educators

Address the root causes of mental health and school safety crises

Grow, retain and diversify the teacher pipeline

Prepare students for the world they live in

Implement, monitor, and evaluate the Leandro

Comprehensive Remedial Plan

Opening remarks unveiling the priorities were given by PSFNC’s senior director of policy and research Dr. Lauren Fox, and PSFNC’s president and executive director, Dr. Mary Ann Wolf.

Both Fox urged lawmakers in the room to fully fund all aspects of education while claiming the $100m appropriated in the last budget for educator pay increas-

es was “not enough.” She also said the principal pay plan needs to increase. She said these increases are “not extravagant,” and we need to pay teachers a “living wage.”

Wolf referred to today’s students as the “gun violence generation” and said ease of access to guns by kids is a big issue, and lawmakers need to make laws for the safe storage of firearms and adopt federal gun bans. North Carolina already has a safe storage law on the books to protect minors, and recently proposed legislation would create a public education campaign on firearm safety.

Wolf also said youth suicides have doubled in recent years and that “Kids have the right to feel

flatline arrest were revived with manual CPR.

From Nov. 1 until now, after the new device was implemented, 50% of the 26 patients treated for cardiac arrest experienced a ROSC, while seven of the 13 patients having a systole or flatline arrest were revived and hospitalized.

“Our opinion on this is that if it saves one life, it’s been well worth the cost to implement,” Chandler said. “So far, we’ve had an 8% increase in our cardiac arrest statistics, and we’re really looking forward to what the data will show after a full year. At this point, I just want to come before you and would like to formally thank the Cannon Foundation for their generous funding to help people implement this project in our county. Without them, this would not have been possible as soon as it was or it may have never been possible.”

Following the presentation, multiple commissioners thanked Chandler for his presentation and unanimously agreed that the implementation of the LUCAS device was a positive step forward for the county’s EMS workers and fire departments.

The Stanly County Board of Commissioners is set to hold its next meeting inside the Gene McIntyre Room at Stanly Commons. It will take place on Feb. 20.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ LANEY, FREDERICK EUGEN (B /M/44), HABITUAL FELON, 2/6/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ BURNS, CLARENCE RECO (B /M/50), FELONY POSSESSION OF COCAINE, 02/03/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s

Office

♦ SANDERS, JAMES DALE (W /M/31), CONTEMPT OF COURT, 02/03/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s

Office

♦ CROWDER, DEMAUREE JASUN (B /M/19), FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE, 02/02/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s

Office

♦ GARCIA, HERNAN OROZCO (W /M/44), INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A CHILD, 02/02/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ LEE, NICHOLAS TRUMOND (B /M/26), ASSAULT LEO/PO W/

FIREARM, 02/02/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ HARWARD, ELRIC RYAN (W /M/35), INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A CHILD, 02/01/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ GRADY, TRACEY TERELL (B /M/53), SECOND DEGREE KIDNAPPING, 01/31/2023,

North State Journal

ALBEMARLE — Dr. Kara Finch, Stanly Community College’s (SCC)Dean of Public Services and Head of the College’s Human Services Program, has received the 2022-23 Excellence in Teaching Award by the North Carolina Community College System and the State Board of Community Colleges.

Every year this award recognizes the top-performing individuals and partners who best represent the NC Community College System and its mission to provide accessible, high-quality education and service. Though Finch faced a rigorous application process while juggling a full-time workload, being wife and mother to four children, and recently earn-

ing a doctoral degree from Wingate University, she was met with an abundance of support and recommendations from her SCC family. It was clear to Dr. Finch’s colleagues why she was a front-runner for this title.

“Kara continuously seeks ways to build relationships with students to better understand their situations and teach equitably and reduce any barriers from learning.

In addition, she shares best practices and training she receives with others at the College so that everyone remains committed to both student and employee success,” said SCC President Dr. John Enamait.

Dr. Finch’s SCC career began in 2016 when she was named Program Head of Human Services. Since then, she has participated

in the inaugural President’s Leadership Academy at SCC where she developed a mental health module for New Student Orientation, Vice Chaired the SCC Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Acceptance (IDEA) Team, and received advanced credentials in Effective College Instruction training on how to craft student-centered online learning.

Finch has also served as Chair of the Faculty Senate for two separate terms and was named SCC Faculty of the Year in both 2019 and 2022.

As a community college graduate herself and an active Mental Health First Aid instructor, Dr. Finch is able to empathize with the various challenges and barriers many of our students face. When asked “what motivates her” Dr. Finch’s response is simple: “Our students, faculty, staff, and com-

munity -encouraging and helping them with both educational and personal goals and witnessing their success.”

Aside from her endless dedication to her students, Kara also plays an active role in community organizations, such as Stanly Adult Care Center, the Local Interagency Coordinating Council, and Stanly County’s Project Lazarus Coalition. She has served on the executive board of the NC Organization for Human Services since 2016 and is currently the organization President.

Dr. Finch is only the second SCC affiliate to win the state-wide recognized award, following Dan Hazlett’s Excellence in Instruction Award (1986). Interim President of NC Community College System, Dr. Bill Carver, highlighted the “very strong nominations this year, which are indicative of the incredible work and success at [NC’s] 58 community colleges.” SCC students, staff and faculty could not be prouder of Dr. Finch for her recognition of her continual efforts to make Stanly Community College the best it can be.

By Liam Gibson Wealth of Geeks

CHOCOLATES, ROSES, fine jewelry, candlelit dinners - it all adds up. Yet these pricey indulgences aren’t the only way to show that special someone you care, and when it comes to Valentine’s Day, empty pockets shouldn’t spell a lonely heart.

Valentine’s Day is the fifth biggest consumer spending event of the year. Yet last time we had a recession in 2009, spending on the festival of love dipped by almost 5% - what could 2023 hold?

Bank of America economists warn the recession may be upon us as soon as the first quarter. Last month, Fitch Ratings forecasted that rising unemployment, dwindling savings, and pressure on housing prices are likely to stimy U.S. consumer spending growth next year. That means tightening purse strings, especially on discretionary items like flowers. Yet a slowing economy doesn’t have to drag February 14 down with it. Here we’ll cover a variety of practical tips to cut back on your Valentine’s Day budget while still kindling the romance.

Cheap n’ Cheerful

One of the best ways to save is by simply staying put. Whenever you head out the door for some fun, be it catching an Uber, dining out, or enjoying some entertainment, there are always tips, surcharges, and other unexpected costs that can add up fast and blow your budget.

So instead of going out to a pricey restaurant, surprise your partner with a low-cost homemade meal. Besides, restaurants get overrun by couples on Valentine’s Day. This can have the two of you feel like you are following a crowd rather than spending qual-

EDUCATION from page 1

safe and supported at school.” She said the state falls below the recommended ratios for school psychologists and social workers.

Teacher vacancies are due to “attrition,” according to Wolf, but the most recent state of the teaching profession report shows last year’s attrition rates are in line with previous years. Wolf also said there are “barriers” to becoming a teacher and suggested removing the PRAXIS Core licensure assessment, along with raising compensation and expanding teacher satisfaction surveys.

A bulletpoint included in PSFNC’s priorities calls for increasing state-funded base pay for teachers by 24.5% to reach the national average and eliminate the teacher pay penalty. Additionally, teachers should be paid for additional duties.

ity time together. By staying at home, you can make the experience more intimate and memorable for the two of you. Make it extra unique by changing up the decor of the room. Try draping fairy lights over some furniture, setting the table with candles, or adding another twist by drawing on whatever other aesthetic inspires you.

For those who typically head to the cinema for a date, try a movie night at home. Take in a rom-com or even binge-watch a favorite TV show together. Make it even more special by popping popcorn and whipping up a hot chocolate. Haven’t got a Netflix or HBO subscription? Don’t fret - several platforms stream movies for free, including Hoopla and Crackle. Just be sure to check whatever title you want to watch is available beforehand.

To really save on the symbolism, try avoiding flowers and in-

North Carolina’s average salary last school year was just over $53,450, and the beginning teacher salary stands at $37,000, which PSFNC says is below the state’s “minimum living wage” of around $48,346.

The proposed increase of 24.5% for pay could be drawn from district unspent pandemic relief funds as some lawmakers have noted, including Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), who stated in his remarks on the opening day of the current session that “We must disabuse ourselves of the notion that more money alone buys positive outcomes for our students.”

PSFNC claims the national average salary for teachers increased by 3% during the time periods of 1999-2000 to 2020-2021 and that the average North Carolina teacher salary dropped 11.5% for the same periods. Notably missing from PSFNC’s

stead go for a beautiful pot plant. Not only do they last much longer, but they will continue to grow over time, embodying the staying power of your love.

If you feel flowers are a must, though, there are still several hacks to trimming back on costs. Roughly 250 million roses are grown for Valentine’s Day each year, according to the Society of American Florists. Despite that enormous supply, they’re often sold at double their usual price for the big day.

Avoid the sting of premium rose prices by opting for an alternative bloom. Tulips, orchids, or even daffodils, are just as nice on the eyes (and are much easier on the wallet). Also, consider where you buy them. Boutique florists aren’t your only option.

When it comes to other gifts, steer clear of top-end jewelry, handbags, or other branded

claim is that the General Assembly has raised the average teacher pay by roughly 20% since 2014, the third-highest set of pay increases in the country. Just prior to the start of the pandemic in January 2020, Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a budget that would have included the sixth and seventh consecutive pay raises for teachers in the state.

“Climate change,” “systemic racism,” and “deep political divides” are all things in the world we live in that schools need to prepare students for, according to Fox.

“Kids will need to develop empathy,” said Fox, who went on to refer to character trait development in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) “Portrait of a Graduate.” Priority items to increase student empathy included more Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Relevant Teaching.

items and instead show your creative side by making a gift from scratch. This could be a knitted scarf, a handmade soap, or a calendar filled with your couple’s photos. If money is a bit tight this year, invest a little time instead and make it meaningful.

If short on cash, another approach is to buy your lover a subscription or membership. This way, you can spread the cost over many months throughout the year rather than in a lump sum.

High Hopes?

However you choose to spend your Valentine’s Day, it’s essential to check in with your partner first and ensure they are on board with your date’s direction. Psychologists warn that unmet expectations can sometimes do more harm than good.

“Valentine’s Day, with its commercialistic to-do list, can boomerang on lovers,” psychologist Dr. Diana Kirschner told the American Psychological Association.

“The advertising industry holds up an image of the perfect Valentine’s Day experience, with flowery cards, fancy chocolates, uber-romantic dinners, and, of course, a dozen red roses. All of which can be very difficult to create in real life… As a result, expectations are raised and often not met. Unmet expectations can have a negative impact on a love relationship.” Recessions and romancing may not sound like natural partners, but with some savvy budgeting and creative activities, next year’s Valentine’s Day can be as memorable as any other. Who knows, finding the fun in frugality and making the most of the tougher economic times now may result in a more resilient relationship over the long run.

Replacing the A-F school grading system was brought up, but neither Fox nor Wolf mentioned the current efforts by NCDPI to revamp the system. Altering entry-level and current teacher compensation through licensure changes is also being worked on by an NCDPI committee, however, that work was not brought up in the opening remarks.

The Leandro Comprehensive Remedial plan was addressed by Fox, who cited last fall’s N.C. Supreme Court order to requiring the transfer funds for years two and three of the plan. Right now, that funding total sits at $677.8 million.

“The ruling is a big win for students,” said Fox. “They should be benefitting from funding they are constitutionally owed.” She also said there is a need to monitor that investment, something that is not built into the remedial plan or the transfer order.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Umwelt

Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population but it is actually 1%.

LAST WEEK, tape emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, of five black police officers engaging in the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man. Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, according to the officers; they ordered him to get on the ground and to give them his hands; he did not comply and instead began to run. When the officers caught up with him, they pummeled him, complete with strikes to the head, while his hands were being held behind his back. Nichols died in the hospital.

The five officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were fired from the police department.

The national media coverage was swift — and confused. For some in the media, the narrative was clear: the police are generally brutal, and thus must be dramatically curbed. “The issue here, as plenty of people have pointed out, is not black versus white, it’s blue versus the rest of us,” said MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. “You can’t reform this stuff with body cameras or diversifying the police, as we just saw in Memphis.” Instead, Hasan suggested, abolition of the police might be a possible solution.

This solution, of course, is no solution at all: Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of violent or property crime in the city are one in 12. And we know with statistical near-certainty that highprofile cases of police misconduct generally result in police stand-downs — which in turn result in more crime. As professors Tanaya Devi and Roland Freyer found in 2020, “all investigations that were preceded by ‘viral’ incidents of deadly force have led to a large and statistically significant increase in homicides and total crime.”

A second media narrative quickly emerged from the Nichols killing: despite the fact that all involved were black, that the Memphis Police Department is majority black, that the chief of police is black — the killing

was a result of “white supremacy.” The Washington Post headlined, “Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.” Van Jones opined at CNN.com, “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of intersectionality, explained, “One cannot imagine this happening in a well-heeled white community. That is a racial problem that the law has consistently said is a non-problem.”

This narrative, like the first, is designed to avoid solutions. If all policing is the result of structures of white supremacy, the only answer is to abolish policing. If each individual instance of police brutality, no matter the race of the officers, is an example of racism, then the only way to alleviate police brutality is by completely restructuring American society — which is just what those like Crenshaw propose. The result won’t be a safer America, but a much less safe and more fractious one.

In reality, instances of police brutality cross races. Whether it’s Daniel Shaver being shot to death in a hotel while attempting to comply with police demands in 2016 or whether it’s two Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies beating Randal Worcester in August 2022, white victims of police brutality aren’t hard to find. Some police brutality can undoubtedly be curbed by better recruitment and training. But if we wish to actually lower the number of encounters between a given population and the police, thus reducing the number of possible violent interactions, the most obvious method would be to reduce criminal activity — which requires more policing and more law-abiding behavior.

None of this should be controversial. But solutions aren’t what advocates of police abolition or critical race theory are looking for. They’re looking for revolution. And all revolutions have casualties.

Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

IN 1909, ZOOLOGIST Jakob von Uexkull coined the term “Umwelt” to identify the sensory bubble that surrounds and informs an animal. It is our perceptual world, “a functional circle,” inseparable because it is the brain that interprets what our bodies experience. Ed Yong, a staff writer for The Atlantic, has written a fascinating book entitled “An Immense World,” which discusses thousands of animal varieties and their unique ability to survive based on the Unweltan theory. The relationship between instinct, perception, and adaptation is the sensory bubble Umwelt.

Applying this theory to humans might help us understand why we are becoming a nation of tribes. With only slight variations, all humans are equipped with the same machinery to survive and procreate. Two eyes to see the world dimensionally, two ears to detect danger in stereo, skin, and hair to identify subtle changes in our environment. We gather information, filter it through perception and adapt accordingly. But what was once an interdenominational culture is devolving into non-denominational anarchy. We are closing ranks and choosing sides. Ten-year-old Fiona said, “choose your vibe and pick your tribe.” Her instincts are working.

But what about our perception? Perception is defined as the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information.

Circulating on the internet is a YouGovAmerica survey dated January 14, 2022, demonstrating the perceived size of minority groups versus the actual number. Perception was based on the respondents’ guesses; the actual numbers were sourced by the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and certain polls and surveys.

The poll shows a wide discrepancy in perception versus reality. As an example, Hispanics are perceived to be 39% of our population, in fact, it is 17%. Respondents believe 29% of our population is Asian, yet the number is actually 6%. Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population, but it is actually 1%. Generally, Americans tend to overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of most majority groups.

Why? What instincts tell us is filtered through our ability to

perceive and process reality, and reality is tough to determine. Information delivered to us through unreliable, biased legacy and cable media streams, internet propaganda, White House press briefings, and Hollywood entertainment venues are all pedaling influence to fit their agenda. Given this unreliable narrative, we can understand why most Americans believe they are in the minority, out of the mainstream of American culture. Our perception is penetrated with false information, and our instincts are on fire.

A recent viewing of the classic movie, “Wag the Dog,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, is a timely reminder of the power media has to influence an unquestioning, gullible audience. In this movie, the American public is subjected to a false narrative contrived to distract from the indiscretions of an American president in the eleven days before the national election. A crisis is created and adjusted, as necessary, to get the incumbent president over the finish line and maintain his office.

He succeeds. This cautionary tale has obvious current applications.

Most would agree that we now live in a constant state of crisis. Get through a pandemic, and war in Ukraine comes along. Inflation bounds out of control, and Mar-A- Lago gets raided. Immigration, crime, drug overdose, assaults on the power grid, and disruption in air travel, to name a few. Our natural world is being defiled, and it is messing with our instincts and perception, our Umwelt.

Instinctively we know something ominous is going on because applying the law could stop this downward spiral. Our B*S* detectors are signaling alert. Are we being distracted? Consider our national debt is $31.4 trillion, and there was a white balloon made in China flying over your house. Maybe there really is something there, there.

This is not going to end well. Seattle is out of body bags; Chicago is a killing field, and Atlanta is burning. We are allowing a very small, well-trained group of anarchists to Wag the Dog. Trust your instincts. Connie Lovell lives in Moore County.

Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

COLUMN | CONNIE LOVELL

When black police officers kill a black man, that’s white supremacy

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Orioles CEO, brother agree to dismiss legal dispute

Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos and his brother Lou have agreed to end their fight over a lawsuit in which Lou accused John of seizing control of the team in defiance of their father Peter’s wishes. Lou Angelos sued John last year, claiming John took control of the Orioles at his expense. Georgia Angelos, their mother, also was named as a defendant.

John, Lou, Georgia and Peter Angelos called on “all claims, including all counterclaims and defenses” to be dismissed in a court filing in the case Friday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Minnesota-Illinois postponed for COVID-19 in Gophers program

Minneapolis Minnesota’s game at Illinois has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Gophers’ program. The teams had been scheduled to play Tuesday and will meet on Feb. 20 instead. Minnesota’s announcement did not specify how many players would have been unable to play. The Gophers had only eight available scholarship players for their last game when they lost 81-46 to Maryland. The game will be rescheduled by the Big Ten with input from both schools. Minnesota is next scheduled to host Iowa this Sunday. Illinois will host No. 24 Rutgers this Saturday.

NFL Vikings hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator

Minneapolis

The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator. The Vikings are trying to revive a once-dominant unit that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh. He spent three years as head coach in Miami prior to that. Flores, who is black, was fired by the Dolphins. He then filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL. Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense before he went to Miami.

NBA Suns president, CEO Jason Rowley leaves team

Phoenix Phoenix Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley has decided to leave the team as the franchise moves forward with ownership changes, according to The Associated Press. A source said Rowley’s departure was “shared internally” within the Suns organization on Monday. Rowley’s resignation comes in the midst of big changes in Phoenix. Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia is expected to be the team’s new majority owner in the coming weeks if the NBA’s board of governors approves his plan to purchase the controlling stake of the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver.

Kyrie Irving traded to Mavericks

The

The Associated Press DALLAS — Luka Doncic has his co-star, and the Dallas Mavericks are set for their season essentially to start over after trading for Kyrie Irving.

The blockbuster deal with Brooklyn sending the former Duke star to the Mavericks became official Monday, two days before what figures to be his Dallas debut at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dallas also gets Markieff Morris in a trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round choices to the Nets.

It’s unknown if Doncic will be available against the Clippers. He wasn’t with the Mavs at the start of a five-game trip out West after bruising his right heel in the final home game before the trip. He was

ruled out of the second game on the trip at Utah on Monday night.

Whenever the All-Stars do get on the court together, Doncic and Irving instantly become one of the NBA’s top duos in a tightly packed Western Conference.

Doncic is in a dead heat for the scoring lead with fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and is the only one of the seven current 30-point scorers also averaging at least eight rebounds and eight assists per game. Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds. The West has several title-contending teams beyond defending champion Golden State, which eliminated the Mavs in the conference finals last season.

Dallas is in a group of nine teams that started Monday within one loss of each other. It covers teams currently fourth, the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round, through 12th, two positions out of the postseason play-in tournament.

The 13th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were just another two losses behind those bunchedup playoff hopefuls.

Dallas made the bold move to pair Doncic with Irving after the Nets’ attempt to do the same with Irving and Kevin Durant never had much chance to click in threeplus seasons.

The trade came two days after Irving told the Nets he wanted out by Thursday’s league deadline, af-

ter talks about a contract beyond this season didn’t go to his liking. For now, Irving is set to become a free agent after the season. But future negotiations will involve Dallas general manager, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021.

Irving had a relationship with Nike for the entirety of his NBA career until earlier this season, when the sneaker giant dropped him and canceled the planned release of his next signature shoe just before it dropped. It was part of the massive fallout from Irving posting a link to an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.

That was one of many drama-filled sagas that marked Irving’s time with the Nets. He wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, because of New York City workplace rules, had to miss most of Brooklyn’s home games last season. He also took two leaves of absence during the 2020-21 season. He has also expressed no shortage of controversial opinions during his career — including repeated questioning whether the Earth was round before eventually apologizing to science teachers.

Sean Payton wants to bring old-school style to Broncos

The new coach says quarterback Russell Wilson’s personal coach will not be welcome

The Associated Press ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton is bringing an old-school style sown by his mentor Bill Parcells and steeped in discipline and accountability as he takes over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach.

One thing that means is that Russell Wilson will no longer have his own entourage at the team’s headquarters as he did this past season.

Payton was introduced as the franchise’s 20th head coach Monday and he was asked in an informal gathering with reporters afterward about Wilson’s personal QB coach being on the premises in 2022, when Wilson suffered through the worst statistical season of his career.

“Yeah, that’s foreign to me,” Payton said. “That’s not going to take place here. I mean, I’m unfamiliar with it. But our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be that.”

Members of Wilson’s support team having access to the building was one of many perks allowed the

quarterback last season by general manager George Payton and rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired Dec. 26.

Given Payton’s stance on that matter, Wilson might also have to surrender his extra parking spaces and private upstairs office. We also could see less of his globetrotting jaunts on social media and maybe his teammates will have to make do without the air

hockey and gaming chairs that were part of Hackett’s conversion of the reporters’ workroom into a splashy players arcade a year ago.

The new head coach is all business, concerned not with creature comforts but about changing a losing culture that has permeated the franchise.

The Broncos surrendered their first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in the upcoming draft to the New

Orleans Saints to sign Payton to a five-year deal worth around $18 million a year.

Payton made a point of not piling on the former regime, but he did have this to say when asked about his game management skills: “I don’t anticipate the crowd having to count down the 30-second clock” as it did in Hackett’s home debut.

Fans mocking counting down the seconds led Paton to lure longtime assistant Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to handle those duties for Hackett, who also gave up play-calling duties later in the season. Rosburg coached the final two games after Hackett’s dismissal when Wilson finally played like the nine-time Pro Bowler he is, something Payton mentioned Monday when asked about helping Wilson bounce back in 2023.

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s a starting point, and I think it’s important to highlight their strengths and minimize any weaknesses,” Payton said.

Payton went 161-97, including playoffs, in 15 seasons in New Orleans before stepping down last year when Drew Brees retired.

former Duke point guard’s three-plus seasons in Brooklyn came to an end

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks on Monday.

AP PHOTO

Sean Payton is introduced Monday as the new coach of the Denver Broncos.

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions.”

Sean Payton, new Broncos coach

Justin Rose reacts after making a par putt on the 18th green to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monday in Pebble Beach, California.

Albemarle introduces wood-bat Uwharrie Wampus Cats

The summer collegiate baseball team will play at Don Montgomery Park

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

Justin Rose wins at Pebble Beach to end 4-year drought

The victory gives the Englishman a spot in the Masters

The Associated Press

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Justin Rose had a different set of goals at the start of the year.

His back was starting to become bothersome. His world ranking sank to its lowest point in 13 years. And he had reason to wonder if he would spend the first full week in April somewhere other than Augusta National.

All that changed Monday morning when Rose capped off a long week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with three quick birdies and four steady pars that gave him a three-shot victory, his first in four years.

Along with the crystal trophy — his 11th on the PGA Tour, 23rd worldwide — and the $1.62 million prize comes an invitation to the Masters. Rose has been eligible for every major dating to St. Andrews in 2010, a streak he did not want to end.

“Augusta’s definitely been a big part of being on my mind,” Rose said after closing with a 6-under 66 in cool but pristine condi-

tions at Pebble Beach. “I thought the simple way to approach it was try to play my way into the top 50 in the world ... claw my way up the world rankings and make it that way.

“Obviously this,” he said, tapping the crystal on a table next to him, “is a better way to make it by winning a tournament. So yeah, big relief from that point of view.”

The wind-delayed tournament forced a Monday finish, and Rose had staked himself to a two-shot lead Sunday night with an eagle-birdie-par stretch along the ocean.

And then he delivered a knockout punch early to as many as a dozen players who were within three shots of the lead at various points on the course.

After a good two-putt par on the 10th to resume his round, Rose holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 11th, a 20-foot birdie putt on the 13th and then hit a wedge to the back shelf on the par-5 14th to 8 feet for a third birdie.

From there, it was about playing it safe and soaking up the views.

For all the weather this week — and it was everything, all the time — the final three hours featured a stunning blue sky and big surf, waves crashing into the rocks and

adding to a scenery that already is among the best in golf.

Rose finished three shots clear of Brendon Todd (65) and Brandon Wu (66).

“An incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor,” Rose said.

The 42-year-old from England had not won since Torrey Pines in 2019, when he was No. 1 in the world. He finished last year at No. 76, his lowest point since early in 2010.

“Amazing how long it’s been,” said Rose, whose victory moved him to No. 35.

This week of weather was more about wind than rain, although Pebble offered a little of everything. At one point on Sunday, there was rain, wind, hail and sunshine, all within a one-hour window.

That was all a distant memory when Rose finished with a smile as bright as the sun.

“Just that walk up 18, to be able to build a bit of a lead, to kind of enjoy it, was a very special moment,” he said. “Think when you’re a bit starved for a win as well, the fact that it came today on a weather day like we had and at a venue that we had today was just worth waiting for.”

ALBEMARLE — The Uwharrie Wampus Cats, a new woodbat collegiate baseball team coming to Albemarle, have been officially introduced as the team prepares for its inaugural 2023 season.

Just one week after a multiyear lease between Albemarle Parks & Recreation and Sullimak Entertainment was approved by the Albemarle City Council, the name and colors of the upcoming team were unveiled by company president Greg Sullivan at a Jan. 31 press conference.

Branded in yellow, brown and orange, the team’s mascot — a wampus cat — is a mythological creature in American folklore that has shared some historic associations with the Uwharrie Forest.

Led by Catawba Valley Community College assistant coach and now Uwharrie head coach Houston Wright, the Wampus Cats are slated to play around 40 games independently of a league during the summer, including home matchups at the newly upgraded Don Montgomery Park.

More than 20 collegiate players have already agreed to play for the club with more to come.

L ast fall, Wright joined the coaching staff for the nationally ranked JUCO powerhouse Catawba Valley Red Hawks, working primarily with infielders and hitters. His time in Albemarle will be his first experience as a head coach.

“This opportunity for me to be a head coach is something that at one time I would never have dreamed of,” Wright said in a team press release. “As a player, I enjoyed my time playing during the summer and I’m excited to be the head coach in Albemar-

le. It’s like my hometown of Gaffney, SC, in that I know the fans will be passionate and I can’t wait to show the community all the baseball talent we have coming this summer. And I can’t wait to see the fans at Don Montgomery Park.”

Prior to the start of the season, Albemarle Parks & Recreation will be renovating and adding upgrades to Don Montgomery Park, including tabletop and picnic seating additions, a new sound system, updates to the bathroom and concession areas, and additional fencing. The fan experience will also include in-game entertainment, a wampus cat mascot, concessions and beer. “ We want to really bring something that we all feel will be an asset for the city and the region and give one more thing to bring people to this area,” Sullivan said. “We really feel that Albemarle is a regional hub and capital for the Uwharrie region and a place where people from counties bordering Stanly County can come spend their summer time. We want to be something that the community rallies behind in Albemarle and Stanly County, but we also want to draw people from as far as Monroe, Denton, Mount Pleasant, and all these communities around the county.”

Sullivan’s company, Sullimak Entertainment, also owns the Winston-Salem-based Carolina Disco Turkeys — a team that will appear on the Wampus Cats’ schedule — along with exhibition opponents such as Wilmington Sharks and Boone Bigfoots of the Coastal Plain League.

Per the team’s official website, tickets for Uwharrie Wampus Cats games will start at $7 and are set to go on sale soon. The City of Albemarle will receive a portion of ticket revenue from the team’s games this summer. As of current plans, the schedule will run from late May through early August with most of the games during June and July.

Ryland, Haener lead National team’s 27-10 Senior Bowl win

Virginia’s Anthony Johnson

Jr. wore No. 15 to honor Devin Chandler, one of the three Cavaliers players killed in a November shooting

The Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. — Maryland’s Chris Ryland kicked four field goals and Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 139 yards and a touchdown to lead the National team to a 27-10 victory over the American team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Haener, named the game’s MVP, delivered a 44-yard touchdown pass to Stanford receiver Michael Wilson in the fourth quarter. He thrived on a short-handed quarterback situation for the team, completing 12 of 19 passes after setting a Fresno State career record with a 68.1% completion rate.

“I just wanted to come out here and get a win with the guys and cap off a really good week,” Haener told NFL Network. “Just have a really good week and get the win.

“We found a way to get the win and that was fun.”

Haener missed four games with an ankle injury this season but returned to help finish off a ninegame winning streak for the Bulldogs. Like the other quarterbacks in the game, he’s trying to improve on mid- to- late-round draft projections.

“I love proving the doubters wrong,” Haener said. “I love the motivation. I love the passion that it brings me. Keep coming with it, man.”

The American team’s biggest play came early in the fourth when Virginia’s Anthony Johnson Jr. returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Johnson was wearing the No. 15 jersey in honor of wide receiver Devin Chandler, who was among three Cavaliers players shot and killed in November, along with Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.

Louisville’s Malik Cunningham was hit as he threw and appeared

to land on his right arm, briefly heading toward the locker room with a strained shoulder. He returned to the sidelines but not the game.

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall didn’t play in the game for the National team. It wasn’t immediately known why, but Hall missed the New Mexico Bowl with an ankle injury. He did participate in practices when quarterbacks were off-limits for contact.

The American team did get another big defensive play to stay alive with a fourth-down, fourth-quarter sack by Florida A&M’s Isaiah Land, the 2021

Jake Haener, Fresno State quarterback

Buck Buchanan winner as the top player in FCS after leading the nation with 19 sacks.

Cunningham hit Purdue tight end Payne Durham just short of the left pylon late in the first half. Then he dropped the snap, picked up the ball and rushed for a 1-yard

touchdown. Cunningham passed for 70 touchdowns and ran for 47 at Louisville following in the footsteps of friend and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

But he attempted only five passes in the Senior Bowl, completing three for 49 yards. Northwestern’s Evan Hull ran 10 times for a game-high 74 yards.

Ryland’s four field goals included a 41-yarder on the final play of the first half for a 17-3 lead. He did miss a 52-yard attempt early in the third quarter.

TCU’s Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, completed 4 of 9 passes for 26 yards for

the American team. Duggan overthrew Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas in the end zone on a fourth-down play that was his best chance for a touchdown.

Shepherd College quarterback Tyson Bagent, whose 159 career touchdown passes is an NCAA all-division record, completed 17 of 22 passes for 138 yards before throwing a last-minute interception near the goal line. Bagent is trying to become the first Division II quarterback drafted since the Rams picked Keith Null in the sixth round in 2009 after passing for more than 17,000 yards.

“I love proving the doubters wrong.”

AP PHOTO

National quarterback Jake Haener of Fresno State throws a pass during the Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

Biden 2024? Most Democrats say no thank you: AP-NORC poll

The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024.

That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that shows just 37% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, down from 52% in the weeks before last year’s midterm elections.

While Biden has trumpeted his legislative victories and ability to govern, the poll suggests relatively few U.S. adults give him high marks on either. Follow-up interviews with poll respondents suggest that many believe the 80-year-old’s age is a liability, with people focused on his coughing, his gait, his gaffes and the possibility that the world’s most stressful job would be better suited for someone younger.

“I, honestly, think that he would be too old,” said Sarah Overman, 37, a Democrat who works in education in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We could use someone younger in the office.”

Overall, 41% approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, the poll shows, similar to ratings at the end of last year. A majority of Democrats still approve of the job Biden is doing as president, yet their appetite for a reelection campaign has slipped despite his electoral track record. Only 22% of U.S.

adults overall say he should run again, down from 29% who said so before last year’s midterm elections.

The decline among Democrats saying Biden should run again for president appears concentrated among younger people. Among Democrats age 45 and over, 49% say Biden should run for reelection, nearly as many as the 58% who said that in October. But among

those under age 45, 23% now say he should run for reelection, after 45% said that before the midterms.

Already the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden has been dogged by questions about his age as he would be 86 if he serves a full eight years as president. He often works long days, standing for hours, remembering the names of strangers he meets while traveling who want

to share a story about their lives with him.

Yet he’s been a national political figure for a half-century, having first been elected to the Senate from Delaware in 1972, and the moments when he appears lost on stage or stumbles through speeches can garner more attention than his policies.

On CNN on Sunday, Transpor-

tation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, acknowledged that “generational arguments can be powerful.”

“The most powerful argument of all is results,” said Buttigieg, 41. “And you can’t argue — at least, I would say you can’t argue with a straight face that it isn’t a good thing that we have had 12 million jobs created under this president.”

Biden has repeatedly emphasized in speeches that it’s essential for the public to know the totality of what his administration is doing.

It’s notched four big legislative victories with coronavirus relief, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and tax and spending measures that help to address climate change and improve the IRS’ ability to enforce the tax code and help taxpayers.

Yet just 13% have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to accomplish major policy goals, a possible reflection of the fact that he must now work with a Republican majority in the House that wants to cut spending in return for lifting the government’s legal borrowing authority.

The poll also shows only 23% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” of confidence in Biden to effectively manage the White House. That has ticked down from 28% a year ago and remains significantly lower than 44% two years ago, just as Biden took office.

Just 21% have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to handle a crisis, down slightly from 26% last March.

On working with congressional Republicans and managing government spending, roughly half of U.S. adults say they have hardly any confidence in the president, and only around 1 in 10 say they have high confidence.

North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s newly seated Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether people convicted of felonies — tens of thousands statewide — should be permitted to vote if they aren’t in prison but still are serving probation or parole or have yet to pay fines.

The justices listened to their first high-profile case since the court flipped to Republican control in January, after a Democratic majority for the past six years. They didn’t immediately rule.

The court’s two new Republican justices featured prominently in an hour of questioning over 2019 litigation from civil rights groups and ex-offenders who challenged a 1973 state law automatically restoring voting rights only after the “unconditional discharge of an inmate, of a probationer, or of a parolee.” The law is in place because the state constitution says one is needed to overcome the state’s blanket voting prohibition for felony offenders.

Last year, a majority of trial judges agreed with the plaintiffs that keeping felony offenders who aren’t behind bars but are still under state supervision from registering to vote disproportionately harmed Black offenders and violated the constitution’s equal protection and free election clauses. Their rulings told election officials they can’t deny voter registration to any convicted felon who is on probation, parole or post-release supervision.

At the time of the 2021 trial, over 56,000 people on probation, parole or supervision were estimated to be affected by the law -- compared to the state’s 7.2 million registered voters. The ruling gave these types of offenders the option to register to

vote and cast ballots, with most of them getting that chance this past November. Some people who had only fines yet to pay also have been able to register to vote since 2020.

New Associate Justices Richard Dietz and Trey Allen — among the five Republicans now on the seven-member court — questioned whether the trial judges were wrong to pick and choose which portions of the law they believed were biased and strike them out.

“The courts can’t grant the restoration of voting rights to felons,” Allen told plaintiffs’ attorney Stanton Jones. “The constitution expressly provided that those rights can only

be restored in a manner prescribed by law, and the authority to adopt such a law rests with the General Assembly, not with any court.”

But Jones told Dietz, “The trial court properly enjoined only the racially discriminatory aspect of the law here, which was the denial of the franchise to people who are living in the community.”

The trial judges accepted arguments of trial witnesses that the 1973 law remained rooted in Reconstruction-era efforts by white politicians to intentionally prevent Black residents from voting.

Republican legislative leaders defending the law acknowledged

the state’s voter suppression history but argued the changes made in the early 1970s — when the General Assembly was overwhelmingly Democratic — were hardly racist. Their attorneys told the court in briefs that the changes championed by the General Assembly’s few Black lawmakers at the time actually made it easier for felony offenders to vote by doing away with the requirement that they ask a judge to restore those rights, making it automatic after all penalties are complete.

“Something has gone awry when a signature achievement of the civil rights movement is invalidated on

the basis of racial discrimination,” argued Peter Patterson, the GOP legislators’ attorney.

The plaintiffs presented evidence at trial that showed African Americans are denied the right to vote due to the felony supervision limits at nearly three times the rate of white felony offenders. But that has nothing to do with the law itself, Patterson said. The law treats all convicted felons the same regardless of race, he added.

But Jones said under that type of logic a poll tax or literacy test — both used during the Jim Crow era to prevent Black residents from voting — would be lawful simply because a law’s text was racially neutral.

Daryl Atkinson, another attorney for the plaintiffs, told the justices that court fees, fines and other costs that a felony offender must pay in order to obtain their unconditional discharge equates to a property qualification to obtain a political right that the state constitution prohibits.

The median amount that North Carolina probationers owe is over $2,400, Atkinson said, and failing to pay “results in a multiyear extension of their disenfranchisement.”

Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican, questioned the broadness of Atkinson’s definition of property given the history of the state’s constitution. But Atkinson argued the constitution’s framers “envisioned that wealth would not be an exclusionary factor to being able to be a participant in the body politic.”

Opinions by the 4-3 Democratic majority on the court during the past two years blocked several laws or actions backed by the GOP-controlled General Assembly. They struck down redistricting plans drawn by legislators and the state’s latest photo voter identification law.

AP PHOTO

resident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia.

AP PHOTO, FILE

Dennis Gaddy, the co-founder of Community Success Initiative is shown at the Raleigh office in Dec. 2019.

(Taylor) Drye

Lydia Ann Morris

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

August 14, 1956 - February 3, 2023

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

Lydia Morris, 66, of Albemarle, passed away Friday, February 3, 2023 at her Mother’s home with her family by her side. The family will receive friends on Monday, February 6, 2023 from 6pm until 8pm at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle. A private burial will be held at a later date.

Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Garfield.

Ms. Morris was born in Stanly County on August 14, 1956, to Nancy Farmer Almond and the late Julius Gaskin Almond.

In her free time, Lydia enjoyed gardening and especially liked sunflowers. She was an avid reader and loved all things Charlie Brown. She loved her grandbabies and never missed an opportunity to spoil them.She will be dearly missed by all that knew her.

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

Lydia is preceded in death by her husband, Alfred David Morris and father, Julius Gaskin Almond. Left to cherish her memories are her mother, Nancy Farmer Almond; son, Christopher Morris and wife, Megan of Oakboro; three grandchildren, Noah, Silas and Hadlee Jay; as well as a dear cousin, Carol Mauldin and husband Lloyd of Albemarle.

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

Teresa Beatty Pence

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran.

Teresa Diane Beatty Pence, 72, of Midland passed away on January 31, 2023 in the Hock Family Pavilion in Durham. Born June 13, 1950 in Mecklenburg County, NC she was the daughter of the late Elvie Lee Beatty Jr. and Agnes Louise Wilson Beatty. She was owner of Automobile Recovery Bureau of North Carolina. She was a member of Mill Grove United Methodist Church.

He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

Mrs. Pence is survived by her sons Bernie L. Pence Jr. and wife Karen of Creedmoor and Lesley Coleman Pence and wife Angela of Chesnee, SC, 2 siblings Tommy Gene Beatty of Matthews and wife Carolyn Brenda Beatty Shipman and husband Robert of Midland, 3 grandchildren Taylor, Lukas and Riley, and multiple great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Bernie L. Pence Sr. and a brother, Tony Richard Beatty.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.

Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

Cathy Laske

August 19, 1982 ~ January 29, 2023

Kathy Rush Thompson

November 29, 1957 ~ January 28, 2023

Kathy Elaine Rush Thompson, 65 of Charlotte, formerly of Norwood, passed away on January 28, 2023.

Mrs. Thompson was born on November 29, 1957 to the late Sidney Thomas Rush Jr and Daisy Mae Sturdivant Rush.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her siblings: Henry Watkins, Donnell Sturdivant, Danny Rush, and Joyce Ann Hansley.

Kathy is survived by her husband, Mannie Thompson of the home; step-children: Anthony (DT) Thompson and Evans Thompson; grandchildren: Deontae Thompson, Brayden Thompson, and Ja’Kayla Martin; siblings: Roger Sturdivant, Frederick Rush (James), Gregory Rush (Bernita), and Dale Davis; brother-in-law, Michael Thompson (Myetta), James Thompson, and Lizzie T. Simpson; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Cathy Sue Laske, 40, of Carthage, passed away Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Moore Regional Hospital.

Cathy was born August 19th, 1982 to the late Michael Joseph Laske and Susan Lynn Lambert, who survives. She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Norwood.

Those that knew Cathy, knew a kind heart who brought light and laughter with her wherever she went. They knew a fierce fighter who stared cancer in the face, steadfast, without fear or doubt and beat all odds. She wanted everyone in the world to know that Jesus loved them and so did she. She spread the word of God across the globe, from India and Africa to South America, touching thousands of lives through her bracelet ministry. While Cathy loved all people without reservation, she loved her family beyond measure.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by her brother and sisters, Mindy Schiermyer (Matthew), Robert Laske (Tiffany), and Kelly Plummer (Bradley); her aunts, Patti Schultz and Anne Reynolds; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

Jackie "Jake" Winslow Hinson

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

December 19, 1953 - January 31, 2023

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

Abbie Lookabill

Coleman

Helen Carpenter Galliher

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

December 12, 1963 - January 29, 2023

Jackie “Jake” Winslow Hinson, 69, of Locust passed away on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at his home surrounded by family.

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

Mr. Hinson was born December 19, 1953 in Union County to the late Beverly James Hinson and Lucy Hinson Hinson. Jake was very musically talented and could play many instruments and sing.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

Mr. Hinson loved his grandsons dearly. Jake had a way of being the strongest and most compassionate person at the same time. He was a member at Mission Baptist Church and formerly served as a deacon.

Jake is survived by his wife of 49 years Debra Hinson of the home; daughter: Stacy Krehel (Kevin); grandchildren: Jackson and Aidan Krehel; sister: Gail Stroupe (Terry) ; aunts: Wilma Baucom, Lela Mae Williams, Blanche Harvel, Arwelda Williams; several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a brother: Wayne Hinson; and sister: Dolly Hinson.

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

Darrick Baldwin

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Larry Anderson Sides

November 14, 1935 ~ February 2, 2023

Larry Anderson Sides, 87, of Stanfield, passed away Thursday, February 2, 2023 at in Stanfield.

Larry was born November 14, 1935 in North Carolina to the late Fred Anderson Sides and the late Margaret Pauline Sides.

He was also preceded in death by wife, Mary Wilson Sides, and son, Barry Anderson Sides.

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

Larry was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He joined the Air Force and was first stationed at Shaw Air Force Base. As he was about to be deployed to Iceland, he went ahead and married his loving wife Mary, prior to deployment. Larry graduated from Catawba College with a Bachelor's in Education and then graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Master's in Education in 1974. He was a teacher and a band director, and eventually became a principal in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System.

Survivors include son, Jeffrey Edward (Ann) Sides of Cary, NC, grandchildren, Noah Anderson Sides and Jordan Elizabeth Sides.

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

Abbie Lookabill, 59, went home to the Lord, Sunday, January 29th, 2023.

She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, Nene, aunt, and friend. She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Richard Lookabill Sr., her son Richard Lookabill Jr. (S. Courtney), and her granddaughter Raya, as well as her nieces and nephews.

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

Abbie loved to travel and was never afraid to try something new. An avid discount shopper, her favorite holiday was Black Friday, followed closely by Christmas.

She was a proud Breast Cancer Survivor, who never lost her smile during her battle. Abbie was one of the most generous, kind, and genuine people that has blessed this world. She loved nothing more than her family and friends.

She will be missed beyond measure to all who knew her!

When John purchased his first Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

At age 50, after years as a Detroit

Cornelius, NC until their retirement set up shop in his back yard garage

John also began a lifelong love with restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

Donna Lucas

March 12, 1955 ~ January 31, 2023

John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.

Donna Sue Dorsey Lucas, 67, of Wadesboro, passed away on Tuesday afternoon, January 31, 2023 at Atrium Health in Albemarle.

This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men.

A celebration of life will be held at Loafers and Legends, 24 Falls Rd. Badin, NC on Saturday, February 11th from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Donna was born March 12, 1955 to the late Coy Daniel and Leila Gilbert Dorsey. She was a 1973 graduate of North Stanly High School. Donna was a member at Badin Methodist Church. Donna loved the outdoors, especially hiking and canoeing.

John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother, Aaron Ronald Dorsey Sr. She is survived by her brothers, Bruce Dorsey of Oakboro and Curt Dorsey of Palmerville; son Clint McIntyre of Wadesboro; five grandchildren, Jesse McIntyre of Wadesboro, Coy McIntyre of Albemarle, Brandon McIntyre of Albemarle, Lydia Thomas and Layla Thomas of Norwood; nieces and nephews; Kipp Fields of Oakboro, Wendy Rachels of Badin, Ron Dorsey of Badin, Jaime Avery of Charlotte, Blair Dorsey of Jacksonville, FL, and Jodi Mauldin of Palmerville.

Donna is also survived by numerous great nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

June 13, 1944 ~ February 4, 2023

Helen Carpenter Galliher left for her Eternal Home on Saturday, February 4th 2023. Born June 13th, 1944 in the “Olive Church” section of rural Anson County near Lilesville, NC Helen was the eldest of four children born to Henry and Myrtle Carpenter. She is survived by her children, Dennis Galliher of Wadesboro, and Lisa Galliher Anastas of Albemarle, brother Curtis Carpenter (Teresa) of Lilesville, two grandchildren, Kensey Carpenter and Nathan Galliher and – great grandchildren, two special nieces Dana Chandler (Wright) of Southern Pines, NC and Tammy Gathings (Jamie) of Wadesboro NC, and her precious fur baby named “Opie” whom she adored.

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU.

Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966. Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.

In addition to her parents, Helen was preceded by a brother and sister-in-law Tommy and Geraldine Carpenter of Lilesville, NC and a sister Kathy Phillips Gathings of Wadesboro, NC.

Lorraine McRae

April 11, 1922 ~ January 30, 2023

Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the worked for Pediatrician Dr. William years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was selfless, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley.

Lorraine Alberta Hamilton McRae passed away in her home from on January 30, 2023. Lorraine was born on April 11, 1922, in Wilmington, NC to William “Shorty” Hamilton and Mable Lee Williams Hamilton. Lorraine is preceded in death by her husband, Branson Jackson McRae; parents William and Mable Lee Hamilton and six siblings: Harold Hamilton, Mary Elizabeth Hamilton, Viola Gertrude Hamilton, Mable Ruth Smith, Albert Sylvester Hamilton, and Mary Catherine Hamilton. Lorraine is survived by her four children: Gail and husband Ronny Hutchinson; Sandra and husband Dennis Harris; Gary McRae and wife Kat; and Jim McRae and wife Kathy. She is survived by seven grandchildren: Beth Tilley and husband Brian, Jay McRae and wife Jessica, Will McRae and wife Susan, Courtney Zeiss and husband Bryan, Branson McRae and wife Michelle, Andrew Harris and wife Emily, and Stephanie Greenfield and husband Zack. Seven greatgrandchildren survive Lorraine. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

STATE & NATION

Republican-led committee targets COVID relief aid for review

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans last week began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as “indications of widespread fraud” in federal coronavirus aid programs.

More than 1,000 people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted on federal charges of defrauding the myriad COVID-19 relief programs that Congress established in the early days of the pandemic. More than 600 other people and entities face federal fraud charges.

But that’s just the start, according to investigators who testified as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held its first hearing in the new Congress on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Congress approved about $4.6 trillion in spending from six coronavirus relief laws, beginning in March 2020, when Donald Trump was in the White House and including the $1.9 trillion package that Democrats passed in the first months of the Biden presidency.

“We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman.

Gene L. Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Of-

fice, told lawmakers that it will be some time before the full extent of fraud is known. The inspector general for the Small Business Administration has more than 500 ongoing investigations involving loan programs designed to help businesses meet operating expenses during the pandemic. The Labor Department’s internal watchdog continues to open at least 100 unemployment in-

surance fraud investigations each week.

The GAO said the more than 1,000 convictions related to COVID-19 relief fraud are one measure of how extensive it was. “There are definitely indications of widespread fraud, but it’s impossible to estimate right now what the full extent will be,” Dodaro said.

Michael Horowitz, the Jus-

tice Department inspector general who chairs the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told lawmakers that the amount of fraud and misspent funds is “clearly in the tens of billions of dollars.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it exceeds ultimately more than $100 billion, but we have so much work to do,” Horowitz said. “So we’re going to be counting and figuring this out for years to come. We’re going to go after every penny we can.”

Some 20 inspectors general work collaboratively to investigate pandemic relief spending. Horowitz said data analysis is critical to their work.

For example, this week the committee issued a fraud alert regarding the use of questionable Social Security numbers to obtain $5.4 billion in pandemic-related loans and grants. He said a team of data scientist compared tens of millions of applications with data at the Social Security Administration to see if they fully matched the SSA’s records.

“Over 69,000 didn’t,” Horowitz said. “This type of advanced data analytics is transforming how we do oversight.”

To prevent fraud during future emergencies, Horowitz recommended that Congress permanently fund the committee’s data analytics center. He said the recent fraud alert identifying potentially $5.4 billion in fraud is 360

times the annual cost of operating such a platform, so the return on investment for taxpayers is clear.

One of the biggest factors in the COVID fraud that occurred was the need to get dollars out to people and businesses as quickly as possible. Horowitz said it is critical that agencies assess applicant eligibility before payments are sent out, but the SBA allowed entities applying for Paycheck Protection Program to self-certify they were eligible. He said that resulted in $3.6 billion going out to some 57,000 applicants on the federal government’s do-not pay list, “a list the SBA did not bother to cross-check.”

The House committee, which plans to examine an array of hot-button issues, includes some of the most strident critics of the Biden administration as well as some of its most ardent supporters. The clash in perspectives was evident from the start as Comer complained that the Biden administration faced little to no scrutiny last Congress.

“This committee has for too long stood on the sidelines while taxpayer dollars were wasted by bureaucrats whose only priority is getting money out the door,” Comer said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a statement after the hearing saying that Biden has empowered inspectors general to monitor COVID relief programs, secured money to strengthen anti-fraud measures and appointed a chief pandemic prosecutor.

“Many Republicans on the Oversight Committee defended the prior administration’s hand ling of these programs and opposed efforts to fund fraud prevention, yet are now using this issue to try to score political points,” Sams said.

10 states mull cross-border rules to tackle teacher shortage

By Jesse Bedayn

Associated Press

The

DENVER — Every Colorado school district, like many across the country, began 2023 understaffed. That’s caused classes to be crammed together, school bus routes to shrink, Spanish language courses to get cut from curriculums, and field trips to be nixed.

This has prompted lawmakers in Colorado and other states to suggest legislation that would get rid of relicensing requirements for teachers when they move across state lines — an oftentimes cumbersome and costly process of waiting periods, licensing fees, and expensive exams.

The idea for an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense and is designed, in part, to support military spouses. It would effectively allow teaching licenses to be viable across members of the compact, cutting through the current 50-state patchwork of disparate requirements.

Colorado’s House education committee voted to send the legislation forward in a hearing.

Nine other statehouses are considering joining the compact, including Hawaii, Washington, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi. For the compact to take effect, 10 states must approve it.

The national teacher shortage,

exacerbated by deep losses during the pandemic, has left states scrambling to hire and retain educators. It’s pushed school districts across the South to accept candidates without teaching certificates or formal training to staunch the losses.

“The idea of this bill is that it removes a barrier for moving into the state,” said Colorado Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens, one of the bill’s sponsors. “By participating in this compact we will allow the seamless transfer of teachers

to our state while maintaining the integrity of our teacher licensing.”

Some worry the change won’t make significant difference as long as teachers are underpaid in a state with sky-high housing costs.

In 2020, Colorado paid teachers an estimated average of just over $60,000 annually, below the national average of about $65,000, according the National Center for Education Statistics, even though it’s one of the most expensive states to live in. On those salaries, only about 20% of available

homes in Colorado are affordable to teachers, according to a study by the Keystone Policy Center.

“I think this is another example of a solution that isn’t meeting the problem,” said Philip Qualman, superintendent at Eagle County School District, which includes the ski town of Vail west of Denver.

Qualman said the district is struggling with about 90 vacant positions — the most they’ve ever had — including custodians, teachers and bus drivers. Applicants who receive a job offer often end up turning it down when they can’t find housing within their budget, he said.

“I think it’s great to reduce the barriers to licensure for those who want to come here. But in reality, who’s going to want to come here when our compensation is so horrible?” Qualman said.

Adam Diersing, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments which is working with the Department of Defense in developing and spreading the compact, said “in past compacts we have not seen evidence that accessibility of a license is an impetus for somebody to move to a new state.”

Still, Diersing added that teachers move for a plethora of reasons, including caring for aging relatives or joining their military spouse, and that state licensing barriers can push them to leave the field altogether.

“This can be an effective tool to

keep folks in the profession when they want to,” said Diersing.

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, pointed to underfunding as principle cause of teacher shortages. Baca-Oehlert did testify in support of the bill at the hearing, arguing that “it certainly opens the door to addressing the bigger issue.”

“We need something that attracts them to our state,” Baca-Oehlert said in an interview after the hearing, adding that Colorado must also focus on retaining teachers.

Agreeing that underfunding is a key problem, Democratic Rep. Mary Young said “We have to continue to recognize that this is a destination state, we’ve seen the number of people moving here and we want to make their experiences positive.”

Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis declined to say whether he supports the measure or not.

The legislation is receiving tentative bipartisan support in Colorado, along with other states where the bill is pending. But Diersing, the policy analyst, was unsure whether enough legislatures will sign on to the compact in 2023 to launch it.

He did point to the Nurse Licensing Compact, which passed in 2000 and now has 39 members states as of last year. As for the proposed teacher compact: “It’s tough to say.”

AP PHOTO House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., center, joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, the ranking member, leads a hearing on fraud and waste in the COVID-19 relief programs, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this Aug. 2020 file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops.

FILE PHOTOS

Jerry Tillman served in the N.C. Senate for 18 years, representing Randolph and Guilford counties before leaving office in June 2020. He was chair of the Senate Finance Committee, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education, and Majority Whip. He was elected to the Senate after a 35-year career in education as an assistant superintendent, principal, teacher and coach.

Craven said.

RCSO needs help identifying courthouse vandalism suspect

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office is currently seeking help from the public with identifying a suspect connected to vandalism at the courthouse on the weekend of January 29. Video surveillance of the incident captured the perpetrator, described as a black male, wearing black pants, a gray sweatshirt, red sneakers/boots, and a tan-colored toboggan, who was throwing rocks through several of the windows. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the same suspect is believed to be responsible for other vandalisms that occurred the same evening at other locations in proximity to the courthouse. If anyone has any information regarding this act of vandalism or knows the identity of the suspect, please contact 911, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office at (336) 318-6699, or Crime

Stoppers at (336) 672-7432. Crime

Stopper tips remain anonymous. A Randolph County Crime Stoppers reward is currently being offered in the amount of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for these crimes.

Kintegra opens family dental clinic at Randolph Public Health

Kintegra Health officially opened the doors of its newest practice location, Kintegra Family Dentistry – Randolph, this past Wednesday. The new practice is located within the Randolph County Public Health (RCPH) building, which is located at 2222 S. Fayetteville Street in Asheboro. Services include general dentistry, fillings, extractions, and cleanings for children and adolescents up to 18 years of age. The co-location of Kintegra Family Dentistry within the RCPH building brings increased access to children in Randolph County. The practice complements Kintegra’s Dental Outreach Program, which provides preventative care, such as cleanings, x-rays, sealants, and education on its Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) at participating schools within the county. “We are very excited to welcome Kintegra to our facility here at RCPH, and look forward to new opportunities to improve health outcomes for patients in need of these vital services,” said Tara Aker, RCPH Health Director.

Tillman built big influence on state level

state senator

Former

from Randolph County passes away at age 82

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ARCHDALE — Jerry Tillman’s influence on state politics had a long-lasting impact that’s bound to extend well past his death.

“He had a huge impact on our area,” state Sen. Dave Craven said. “He was a champion for our community.”

Tillman, a longtime state senator from Randolph County, died Saturday at age 82.

Tillman, a retired teacher, administrator, and coach in public schools, was first elected to the state Senate in 2002. He resigned from the chamber in 2020. He served a total of nine terms and became one of two majority whips in the Senate.

Craven, while in high school, was a page for Tillman in 2005. Fifteen years later, he was appointed to replace Tillman and later elected to the position.

“Jerry Tillman has been good to me through the years,” Craven said.

“I can never thank him enough. I want to honor him in any way we can. I want to build on the legacy that he built.”

Tillman’s efforts involved becoming an advocate for Randolph Hospital and North Carolina Zoo.

He was a strong proponent of K-12 schools and a leader on education issues, given his background in the Randolph County School System. During his time in the majority, the legislature overhauled teacher and principal pay scales, resulting in substantial raises.

Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican from Rockingham County, said in a statement: “Jerry was highly regarded in Raleigh and back in Randolph County for being a dedicated educator and leader. He played a significant role in shaping the policies that made North Carolina the best state in the nation. Jerry was truly larger than life. He was never afraid to share his thoughts on a particular bill and would often lighten the mood by regaling us with tales about music, racing, and baseball.”

Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-

“Senator Tillman was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly for his community for many years. Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” Gov. Roy Cooper in a statement

staff for two days to honor Tillman.

“Senator Tillman was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly for his community for many years,” Cooper said in a statement.

“Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

During his nine terms in the Senate, Tillman emerged as a chamber leader. He served as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education, and Majority Whip.

As finance committee chairman, his reputation grew as a lawmaker pushing for lower taxes,

Board of Commissioners presented with design for Health Department renovations

Public hearing set for restructuring of six fire districts

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met Monday, February 6, where they were provided updates on two of the county’s major construction projects.

The first item of new business was an update on the Health Department renovations.

“Last summer, you awarded a contract to Smith Sinett Architecture to design a renovation to the health department, which is located at the Ira McDowell Center,” said County Engineer Paxton Arthurs. “Since that time, Smith Sinett has worked to finalize the design and put together the bid documents.”

The current Health Department space is 16,000 square feet, with 35 offices, two dental offices, ten general exam rooms, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and supply storage.

“The building was built in the early ‘80s to the best that we

can determine, so it’s about 40 years old,” said Robert Carmac of Smith Sinett. “During that time, it only had some minor renovations. No major renovations, improvements, or reorganizations of the space have happened since then, so it’s badly needed to improve the workflow.”

The new projected site plan will feature three additional offices, an independent dental suite with three additional exam rooms, six additional general exam rooms, additional and organized storage, a dedicated check-in/check-out area, one additional break room, a fitness room, and secured circulation corridors.

The project is split into seven alternative phases, with the base bid coming in at $1.718 million. With all the additions, the construction cost comes out to $2.483 million, and with all the fees added, the total project budget would be $2.895 million.

“One of the reasons we’ve laid this project out the way we did is one: to help with the budget,” Carmac said. “We know that there’s going to be multiple funding sources for this project, so we’ve staggered this into seven alternates to allow budget flexibili-

“The architects have just completed the design and development phase of the Farm Food and Family Education Center.”

Kenny Sherin

ty and allow this project to come in budget whether we get all seven or just one or two parts.”

According to Carmac, the projected completion date would be April 2024.

After the presentation, the board authorized county staff to advertise the project for bids.

The board was also given an update on the Farm Food and Family Education Center.

“The architects have just completed the design and development phase of the Farm Food and Family Education Center,” said Cooperative Extension Director Kenny Sherin. “The latest estimate actually came down a little bit from the schematic de-

“His leadership in the Senate ushered in a new era that transformed North Carolina’s political and economic landscape,” Craven said. “His influence will be felt in Randolph County for generations to come.”

Tillman rose to the No. 4 seat in the 50-member chamber. That was the top spot other than those reserved for specific leadership roles.

“He was as senior as you can be,” Craven said.

Often referred to as “coach” by his colleagues, Sen. Tillman’s love of baseball and music was well known. He would often recite songs to people who stopped by his office.

He also had an interest in NASCAR, creating a longtime friendship with legendary driver Richard Petty of Level Cross.

In his retirement announcement in 2020, Tillman said: “It has been a pleasure serving the people that I have been so honored to represent over the years. My greatest joy in serving has always come from helping people with their everyday needs.”

He took the most pride in the assistance he provided others.

“I’ve been very, very pleased to help people,” Tillman said upon his retirement. “When you can help them, you have a good feeling, and I’ve done that for 20 years. I feel like that it’s time for me to move on and give somebody else a chance to do this work.”

His wife, Marian, died in 2019.

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s wrestling team won the Class 1-A dual team state championship. For details and photos, see Page 6.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population but it is actually 1%.

LAST WEEK, tape emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, of five black police officers engaging in the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man. Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, according to the officers; they ordered him to get on the ground and to give them his hands; he did not comply and instead began to run. When the officers caught up with him, they pummeled him, complete with strikes to the head, while his hands were being held behind his back. Nichols died in the hospital.

The five officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were fired from the police department.

The national media coverage was swift — and confused. For some in the media, the narrative was clear: the police are generally brutal, and thus must be dramatically curbed. “The issue here, as plenty of people have pointed out, is not black versus white, it’s blue versus the rest of us,” said MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. “You can’t reform this stuff with body cameras or diversifying the police, as we just saw in Memphis.” Instead, Hasan suggested, abolition of the police might be a possible solution.

This solution, of course, is no solution at all: Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of violent or property crime in the city are one in 12. And we know with statistical near-certainty that highprofile cases of police misconduct generally result in police stand-downs — which in turn result in more crime. As professors Tanaya Devi and Roland Freyer found in 2020, “all investigations that were preceded by ‘viral’ incidents of deadly force have led to a large and statistically significant increase in homicides and total crime.”

A second media narrative quickly emerged from the Nichols killing: despite the fact that all involved were black, that the Memphis Police Department is majority black, that the chief of police is black — the killing

was a result of “white supremacy.” The Washington Post headlined, “Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.” Van Jones opined at CNN.com, “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of intersectionality, explained, “One cannot imagine this happening in a well-heeled white community. That is a racial problem that the law has consistently said is a non-problem.”

This narrative, like the first, is designed to avoid solutions. If all policing is the result of structures of white supremacy, the only answer is to abolish policing. If each individual instance of police brutality, no matter the race of the officers, is an example of racism, then the only way to alleviate police brutality is by completely restructuring American society — which is just what those like Crenshaw propose. The result won’t be a safer America, but a much less safe and more fractious one.

In reality, instances of police brutality cross races. Whether it’s Daniel Shaver being shot to death in a hotel while attempting to comply with police demands in 2016 or whether it’s two Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies beating Randal Worcester in August 2022, white victims of police brutality aren’t hard to find. Some police brutality can undoubtedly be curbed by better recruitment and training. But if we wish to actually lower the number of encounters between a given population and the police, thus reducing the number of possible violent interactions, the most obvious method would be to reduce criminal activity — which requires more policing and more law-abiding behavior.

None of this should be controversial. But solutions aren’t what advocates of police abolition or critical race theory are looking for. They’re looking for revolution. And all revolutions have casualties.

Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

IN 1909, ZOOLOGIST Jakob von Uexkull coined the term “Umwelt” to identify the sensory bubble that surrounds and informs an animal. It is our perceptual world, “a functional circle,” inseparable because it is the brain that interprets what our bodies experience. Ed Yong, a staff writer for The Atlantic, has written a fascinating book entitled “An Immense World,” which discusses thousands of animal varieties and their unique ability to survive based on the Unweltan theory. The relationship between instinct, perception, and adaptation is the sensory bubble Umwelt.

Applying this theory to humans might help us understand why we are becoming a nation of tribes. With only slight variations, all humans are equipped with the same machinery to survive and procreate. Two eyes to see the world dimensionally, two ears to detect danger in stereo, skin, and hair to identify subtle changes in our environment. We gather information, filter it through perception and adapt accordingly. But what was once an interdenominational culture is devolving into non-denominational anarchy. We are closing ranks and choosing sides. Ten-year-old Fiona said, “choose your vibe and pick your tribe.” Her instincts are working.

But what about our perception? Perception is defined as the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information.

Circulating on the internet is a YouGovAmerica survey dated January 14, 2022, demonstrating the perceived size of minority groups versus the actual number. Perception was based on the respondents’ guesses; the actual numbers were sourced by the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and certain polls and surveys.

The poll shows a wide discrepancy in perception versus reality. As an example, Hispanics are perceived to be 39% of our population, in fact, it is 17%. Respondents believe 29% of our population is Asian, yet the number is actually 6%. Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population, but it is actually 1%. Generally, Americans tend to overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of most majority groups.

Why? What instincts tell us is filtered through our ability to

perceive and process reality, and reality is tough to determine. Information delivered to us through unreliable, biased legacy and cable media streams, internet propaganda, White House press briefings, and Hollywood entertainment venues are all pedaling influence to fit their agenda. Given this unreliable narrative, we can understand why most Americans believe they are in the minority, out of the mainstream of American culture. Our perception is penetrated with false information, and our instincts are on fire.

A recent viewing of the classic movie, “Wag the Dog,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, is a timely reminder of the power media has to influence an unquestioning, gullible audience. In this movie, the American public is subjected to a false narrative contrived to distract from the indiscretions of an American president in the eleven days before the national election. A crisis is created and adjusted, as necessary, to get the incumbent president over the finish line and maintain his office.

He succeeds. This cautionary tale has obvious current applications.

Most would agree that we now live in a constant state of crisis. Get through a pandemic, and war in Ukraine comes along. Inflation bounds out of control, and Mar-A- Lago gets raided. Immigration, crime, drug overdose, assaults on the power grid, and disruption in air travel, to name a few. Our natural world is being defiled, and it is messing with our instincts and perception, our Umwelt.

Instinctively we know something ominous is going on because applying the law could stop this downward spiral. Our B*S* detectors are signaling alert. Are we being distracted? Consider our national debt is $31.4 trillion, and there was a white balloon made in China flying over your house. Maybe there really is something there, there.

This is not going to end well. Seattle is out of body bags; Chicago is a killing field, and Atlanta is burning. We are allowing a very small, well-trained group of anarchists to Wag the Dog. Trust your instincts.

Connie Lovell lives in Moore County.

Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

COLUMN | CONNIE LOVELL

When black police officers kill a black man, that’s white supremacy

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Orioles CEO, brother agree to dismiss legal dispute

Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos and his brother Lou have agreed to end their fight over a lawsuit in which Lou accused John of seizing control of the team in defiance of their father Peter’s wishes. Lou Angelos sued John last year, claiming John took control of the Orioles at his expense. Georgia Angelos, their mother, also was named as a defendant. John, Lou, Georgia and Peter Angelos called on “all claims, including all counterclaims and defenses” to be dismissed in a court filing in the case Friday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Minnesota-Illinois postponed for COVID-19 in Gophers program

Minneapolis Minnesota’s game at Illinois has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Gophers’ program. The teams had been scheduled to play Tuesday and will meet on Feb. 20 instead. Minnesota’s announcement did not specify how many players would have been unable to play. The Gophers had only eight available scholarship players for their last game when they lost 81-46 to Maryland. The game will be rescheduled by the Big Ten with input from both schools. Minnesota is next scheduled to host Iowa this Sunday. Illinois will host No. 24 Rutgers this Saturday.

NFL Vikings hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator

Minneapolis

The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator. The Vikings are trying to revive a once-dominant unit that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh. He spent three years as head coach in Miami prior to that. Flores, who is black, was fired by the Dolphins. He then filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL. Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense before he went to Miami.

NBA Suns president, CEO Jason Rowley leaves team

Phoenix

Phoenix Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley has decided to leave the team as the franchise moves forward with ownership changes, according to The Associated Press. A source said Rowley’s departure was “shared internally” within the Suns organization on Monday. Rowley’s resignation comes in the midst of big changes in Phoenix. Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia is expected to be the team’s new majority owner in the coming weeks if the NBA’s board of governors approves his plan to purchase the controlling stake of the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver.

Kyrie Irving traded to Mavericks

The former Duke point guard’s three-plus seasons in Brooklyn came to an end

The Associated Press DALLAS — Luka Doncic has his co-star, and the Dallas Mavericks are set for their season essentially to start over after trading for Kyrie Irving.

The blockbuster deal with Brooklyn sending the former Duke star to the Mavericks became official Monday, two days before what figures to be his Dallas debut at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dallas also gets Markieff Morris in a trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round choices to the Nets.

It’s unknown if Doncic will be available against the Clippers. He

wasn’t with the Mavs at the start of a five-game trip out West after bruising his right heel in the final home game before the trip. He was ruled out of the second game on the trip at Utah on Monday night.

Whenever the All-Stars do get on the court together, Doncic and Irving instantly become one of the NBA’s top duos in a tightly packed Western Conference.

Doncic is in a dead heat for the scoring lead with fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and is the only one of the seven current 30-point scorers also averaging at least eight rebounds and eight assists per game. Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

The West has several title-contending teams beyond defending champion Golden State, which eliminated the Mavs in the conference finals last season.

Dallas is in a group of nine teams that started Monday within one loss of each other. It covers teams currently fourth, the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round, through 12th, two positions out of the postseason play-in tournament.

The 13th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were just another two losses behind those bunchedup playoff hopefuls.

Dallas made the bold move to pair Doncic with Irving after the Nets’ attempt to do the same with Irving and Kevin Durant never had much chance to click in three-plus seasons.

The trade came two days after Irving told the Nets he wanted out by Thursday’s league deadline, after talks about a contract beyond this season didn’t go to his liking.

For now, Irving is set to become

a free agent after the season. But future negotiations will involve Dallas general manager, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021.

Irving had a relationship with Nike for the entirety of his NBA career until earlier this season, when the sneaker giant dropped him and canceled the planned release of his next signature shoe just before it dropped. It was part of the massive fallout from Irving posting a link to an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.

That was one of many drama-filled sagas that marked Irving’s time with the Nets. He wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, because of New York City workplace rules, had to miss most of Brooklyn’s home games last season. He also took two leaves of absence during the 2020-21 season.

He has also expressed no shortage of controversial opinions during his career — including repeated questioning whether the Earth was round before eventually apologizing to science teachers.

Sean Payton wants to bring old-school style to Broncos

The new coach says quarterback Russell Wilson’s personal coach will not be welcome

The Associated Press ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton is bringing an old-school style sown by his mentor Bill Parcells and steeped in discipline and accountability as he takes over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach.

One thing that means is that Russell Wilson will no longer have his own entourage at the team’s headquarters as he did this past season.

Payton was introduced as the franchise’s 20th head coach Monday and he was asked in an informal gathering with reporters afterward about Wilson’s personal QB coach being on the premises in 2022, when Wilson suffered through the worst statistical season of his career.

“Yeah, that’s foreign to me,” Payton said. “That’s not going to take place here. I mean, I’m unfamiliar with it. But our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be that.”

Members of Wilson’s support team having access to the building was one of many perks allowed the

quarterback last season by general manager George Payton and rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired Dec. 26.

Given Payton’s stance on that matter, Wilson might also have to surrender his extra parking spaces and private upstairs office. We also could see less of his globetrotting jaunts on social media and maybe his teammates will have to make do without the air

hockey and gaming chairs that were part of Hackett’s conversion of the reporters’ workroom into a splashy players arcade a year ago.

The new head coach is all business, concerned not with creature comforts but about changing a losing culture that has permeated the franchise.

The Broncos surrendered their first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in the upcoming draft to the New

Orleans Saints to sign Payton to a five-year deal worth around $18 million a year.

Payton made a point of not piling on the former regime, but he did have this to say when asked about his game management skills: “I don’t anticipate the crowd having to count down the 30-second clock” as it did in Hackett’s home debut.

Fans mocking counting down the seconds led Paton to lure longtime assistant Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to handle those duties for Hackett, who also gave up play-calling duties later in the season. Rosburg coached the final two games after Hackett’s dismissal when Wilson finally played like the nine-time Pro Bowler he is, something Payton mentioned Monday when asked about helping Wilson bounce back in 2023.

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s a starting point, and I think it’s important to highlight their strengths and minimize any weaknesses,” Payton said.

Payton went 161-97, including playoffs, in 15 seasons in New Orleans before stepping down last year when Drew Brees retired.

AP PHOTO

Sean Payton is introduced Monday as the new coach of the Denver Broncos.

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks on Monday.

Hayes ready for challenge at Providence Grove

School’s new football coach is Trinity alum

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

CLIMAX — David Hayes has been around high school football teams for more than a decade as an assistant coach.

Now it’s something different. He’ll be a head coach. Providence Grove hired Hayes, who has close ties to a couple of other schools in Randolph County, as its next football coach.

“I feel like I was ready to take an opportunity like this,” Hayes said. Hayes takes the vacancy left when Calvin Brown departed to become Asheboro’s coach.

Most recently, Hayes has been an assistant coach and physical education teacher at Thomasville, which has one of the state’s most tradition-rich football programs.

But Hayes has other ties close to Providence Grove. He’s a Trinity graduate and former assistant football coach and head girls’ basketball coach at Asheboro.

“I’m a football coach,” Hayes said. “PG worked very hard to get me.” Providence Grove will open the Hayes era Aug. 18 at East Davidson. The home opener will come Sept. 1 against Bishop McGuinness.

PREP BASKETBALL

David Hayes

Hayes is a former Guilford College offensive lineman and later a student assistant with the Quakers. He spent time on coaching staffs at Trinity, Southwest Guilford, and East Gaston, where he was offensive coordinator for five seasons.

Then he joined the Asheboro staff under coach Kevin Gillespie. While there, he coached the girls’ basketball team to a 54-30 record.

After three seasons with the Blue Comets, Hayes followed Gillespie to Thomasville.

The Patriots could be in a regrouping mode considering that 20-plus seniors were on the 2022 roster. Providence Grove won a game in the state playoffs for the first time last season, defeating host McMichael in a Class 2-A

game and finishing with an 8-4 record after a second-round loss to Reidsville.

“The measuring stick might be a little different,” Hayes said. “How quickly can we get over the learning curve? It will definitely look a little bit different.”

Hayes said he has always been an offensive guy in terms of coaching. He’s looking to stock a coaching staff.

“Mission 1 for us right now is to determine how many (from the most recent staff) stay, and it goes from there,” he said.

Hayes said he has never attended a Providence Grove football game. When he was at Asheboro, the schools didn’t meet in football, but they did have girls’ basketball matchups.

“Coach Hayes is a true leader (who) brings energy and passion, and he has a unique ability to form relationships with all students,” new Providence Grove athletics director Cody Moran said.

The coach’s mother, Renee Hayes, guided Trinity to two Class 3-A girls’ basketball state championships in the 1980s. David Hayes lives in Trinity.

Coming from Thomasville, which went 11-2 last season, will mean an adjustment when Hayes formally starts his duties Mar. 2 at Providence Grove.

“Thomasville is one of the few places in the state where the logo instills fear,” Hayes said.

PAC boys’ race extends to final games

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The big upset from last week came with Southwestern Randolph ending the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team’s winning streak at 19 games.

The Cougars won 75-66 at home, so that likely will keep the suspense in the Piedmont Athletic Conference going until the final night of the regular season.

Nathan Ellis led the way with 21 points, while teammates Thomas Leal (14 points), Sean Adkins (12), Kearns Trotter (11), and Landon Williamson (10) all scored in double figures.

Second-place Southwestern Randolph remained just a halfgame out of first place by topping visiting Wheatmore 54-34 as Adkins posted 16 points Friday night.

Eastern Randolph hadn’t lost since its opener Dec. 2 at Southwest Guilford.

The Wildcats got back on track by winning 89-76 at Uwharrie Charter Academy on Friday night with a boost from Davonte Brooks’ 24 points (after he had 20 in the Southwestern Randolph game). Pierce Leonard, playing against his former school, tacked on 18 points, and Timothy Brower had 17 points. These outputs helped overcome 41 points from UCA’s Ashton Troutman.

Eastern Randolph could secure the outright regular-season title by beating visiting Trinity, which remains in contention, on Tuesday night and host Providence Grove on Thursday night. Southwestern Randolph’s lone game this week was set for Tuesday night at UCA, while Trinity is also home vs. Randleman on Thursday night.

Jordan Booker

Trinity played just once last week, with Dominic Payne and Dylan Hodges each scoring 23 points in a 68-51 victory at Providence Grove.

Despite 24 points from Tyshaun Goldston, Randleman fell 64-60 at UCA. The Tigers received 22 points from Christian Long in an 82-41 pounding of visiting Providence Grove.

In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Asheboro moved closer to clinching a title by defeating visiting Central Davidson 50-47 and topping host North Davidson 5548. Hakeeme Butler’s 18 points and 20 points, respectively, those games paced the Blue Comets.

Girls’ basketball

Randleman secured the outright

Randleman, girls’ basketball

Booker is a senior starter on another Piedmont Athletic Conference championship team for the Tigers.

Booker, a guard, ranks third in scoring on the team with 8.4 points per game, hitting about 51 percent of her shots from the field. She’s second in rebounding at 5.0 per game.

She’s also in the top three for Randleman in steals and free-throw percentage.

The Tigers, who’ve eclipsed the 20-win mark for the second season in a row, finish the regular season this week. In the PAC Tournament, they’ll have a bye before a home semifinal game Feb. 15.

Booker was an All-PAC selection last spring in softball.

PAC championship by defeating host UCA 56-33 as Gracyn Hall tallied 20 points.

The Tigers then won their regular-season home finale by 63-27 against Providence Grove.

Eastern Randolph won twice, including a 43-34 road victory against host Southwestern Randolph as Brecken Snotherly rolled up 25 points and 11 rebounds. That result avenged a loss from early January.

Next, Snotherly poured in 30 points in Eastern Randolph’s 6134 victory against UCA. That gave the Wildcats a four-game winning streak entering this week.

Eastern Randolph clinched at least a share of second place in the PAC.

Trinity needs football coach after Morris steps away

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

TRINITY — Trinity is amid a coaching change for its football program.

Marlon Morris stepped down from his role as head coach after three seasons.

“It was kind of a surprise,”

Trinity athletics director Robert Mitchell said. “He decided it was best not to stay as coach.”

Trinity was 9-16 in three seasons under Morris. The Bulldogs had back-to-back 4-6 seasons after a 1-4 mark in the pandemic-reconfigured 2021 spring season.

“We’re going to give it a few weeks and see how the next month goes,” Mitchell said Monday of hiring a replacement. “It’s still fresh now, and we want to see what openings we might have (on the school staff).”

Within a few days of word spreading about the vacancy, Mitchell said about a dozen potential candidates made contact with him.

Trinity’s 2023 team could have up to 30 seniors. Mitchell said there were good roster numbers for the junior varsity team last fall.

Morris, also a social studies teacher, was defensive coordinator in 2019 before he was named head coach in March 2020, shortly after the start of the pandemic. The High Point

Central alum previously had been on the coaching staff at Ledford.

Morris replaced Brett Andrews, who had been coach for five seasons.

Morris’ first season as head coach was the 2021 adjusted spring season because of the pandemic. Trinity ended a 17game losing streak that March.

“I think he did a great job during the pandemic,” Mitchell said, “because that was tough for everybody.”

In 2022, the Bulldogs won four of their first five games but ended the season on a fivegame losing streak and were the last-place team in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Except for a one-point loss to Wheatmore, the other PAC defeats were by 31 or more points.

“It was definitely a rough ending,” Mitchell said.

The problems were compounded by injuries. Senior Dylan Hodges, one of the team’s top two-way players, suffered a broken collarbone in the third game of the season. Injuries mounted, with quarterback Dominic Payne missing the last two games with an ankle ailment.

With changes at Asheboro and Providence Grove, it means three of the seven football-playing schools in Randolph County will be under the direction of new coaches this year.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PJ

| NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Eastern Randolph’s Logan Beaver launches a shot over Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Blakeley Justus last week.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Southwestern Randolph’s Nathan Ellis goes up for a shot as Eastern Randolph players, left to right, Timothy Brower, Nicah Taylor, Davonte Brooks and Pierce Leonard look on.

Marlon Morris spent three seasons as Trinity’s head coach.

Jordan Booker of Randleman goes up for a shot earlier this season vs. Lexington.

UCA wrestlers pin down state duals title

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

GREENSBORO — All the pieces came together for Uwharrie Charter Academy’s wrestling team in another tight battle with Avery County.

So this time, the Eagles won the Class 1-A dual team state championship.

“Anytime you do something like this, it’s pretty special,” UCA coach Chris Waddell said. “It takes plenty – so moving parts to make it happen. It takes a collective effort.”

Both teams won seven matches, but UCA racked up crucial points with pins and a technical fall to secure their second title in four seasons by prevailing 39-36 on Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro

Coliseum’s fieldhouse.

UCA avenged a loss to Avery County in last February’s state final.

Jaden Maness, the 195-pounder for UCA, clinched the team outcome with a pin of Brandon Cabrera in 3:20.

“It was a big deal, sealed the dual,” Maness said. “Get the team the state title; it was a really big moment.”

The pin was important because it gave the Eagles enough points with one match left on the docket.

“Getting this pin for this team,” Maness said. “I love this team. It means a lot to me to get this pin and sealing the dual and getting the state title.”

There was plenty to celebrate for the Eagles (36-0). Waddell gained

his 700th coaching victory.

He said the Eagles have been a committed and determined group.

“They train 11 months out of the year,” he said. “They do everything together. Hang out together.”

Avery County topped the Eagles 39-30 last year when UCA entered the meet with a 35-0 record.

This year’s final began at 285 pounds, with UCA sophomore Caden Bond moving up a division to take the team’s spot in that match. He delivered with an 8-0 decision against Connor Brewer.

“I thought Caden did exceptionally well,” Waddell said. “For Caden to be able to do that, he’s only a sophomore and as hard-nosed as they come.”

Avery County (27-8) won three of the next four bouts for an 18-9

Area swimmers set for state meet

Randolph Record GREENSBORO — Asheboro and Wheatmore had swimmers qualify for this week’s state meet after regional competitions late last week.

Asheboro swimming coach

Chuck Hinson said the Blue Com-

ets had their largest number of regional qualifiers in program history as the team was entered in 20 individual events and six relays in the Class 3-A Central Regional on Friday at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Freshman Megan Becker was the runner-up in the 200-yard

freestyle in 1 minute, 57.67 seconds, and second in the 100 freestyle in 53.87.

Sophomore Maci Columbia qualified for states by placing fifth in the 500 freestyle in 5:39.87 and seventh in the 100 breaststroke in 1:16.83.

The girls’ 400 freestyle relay of

lead. Only Ethan Hines, with a technical fall by shutout at 113, prevented a four-match sweep.

Then the Eagles put it into gear.

In a clash of 2022 state champions, UCA’s Aldo Hernandez pinned Grant Reece in 1:08 of 132. That earned Hernandez the selection as the Most Valuable Wrestler of the meet. He won the 132 states last February, while Reece won at 126.

UCA 138-pounder Jack McArthur won with a second-period pin. Avery County pulled even in team scoring by winning at 145 before Lorenzo Alston produced a 17-second pin in the 152 bout.

Another decision for Avery County came before Grayson Roberts, also a 2022 state champion for UCA, received a forfeit at 170.

Cael Dunn, son of Avery Coun-

Fiona Wolfe-Roberts, Madison Burnette, Columbia, and Becker placed third in 4:03.35. The same quartet placed fourth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:48.99.

On the boys’ side, junior Tyler Smith was sixth in 50 freestyle with a personal best of 23.89.

The Class 3-A state championships will be held Saturday at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.

In Class 1-A/2-A girls, Wheatmore sophomore Sydney Hall qualified for the states in the 50

ty coach Matthew Dunn, notched a pin for the Vikings at 182 before Maness removed all doubt about the team outcome. UCA forfeited the 220-pound match to account for the final scoring.

UCA won the 2019 title before Avery County topped the Eagles for the 2020 crown. There wasn’t a tournament in 2021 due to the pandemic.

UCA and Northwest Guilford, which toppled Wilmington Laney 52-24 for the Class 4-A title, are the state’s only undefeated teams. Next for the Eagles and other qualifying wrestlers will be individual regionals Friday and next Saturday, following the next week by the state tournament. UCA is the host school for the Class 1-A East Regional.

freestyle (26.80) and 100 butterfly (1:06.67) from Saturday’s Central Regional. The Class 1-A/2-A state meet will be held Thursday in Cary.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Clockwise from top left: Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jaden Maness is in control of Avery County’s Brandon Cabrera in the title-clinching bout at 195 pounds in the Class 1-A dual team state final; Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestling team members celebrate coach Chris Waddell’s 700th career victory after winning Saturday in Greensboro; Lorenzo Alston of Uwharrie Charter Academy works toward a first-period pin of Avery County’s Garrett Potter at 152 pounds; Here’s the Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestling team after winning the Class 1-A dual team state championship by defeating Avery County on Saturday in Greensboro.

Ricky Lee York

June 14, 1952 — February 3, 2023

Ricky Lee York, age 64, of Pleasant Garden, NC passed away Friday, February 3, 2023 at his home.

Ricky was born in Norfolk, VA to parents, Donald and Mary Belle Pruitt York on June 14, 1958. He was formerly employed with Carolina Residential Services (CRS). Ricky enjoyed fishing and nature, playing his guitar and the harmonica, and riding his motorcycle.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by the love of his life and his wife of 29 years, Cynthia (Cindy) Johnson York; Sons, Dylen York of the home, Jeremy Johnson of Asheboro, and Michael York of Asheboro; Brothers, Ron York of Jacksonville, NC and Steven York of Palm Desert, CA; Sister, Sherri Peery of Randleman; Grandchildren, Silas, Joseph, and Kayleigh York; Niece, Melody York; and great nieces, Ava and Aundreya McGann.

Timothy "Tim" Ray Carter

November 29, 1959 — February 2, 2023

Timothy “Tim” Ray Carter, age 63 of Randleman went home to be with his Lord and Savior on February 2, 2023 at his home.

Timothy was born on November 29, 1959, to Wilmer and Naomi Odom Carter in Guilford County, NC.

Tim attended The Mission Church (formerly named Redeeming Love Worship Center) in High Point and was employed with Bossong Hosiery in Asheboro. He was a veteran of the US Army where he received the long range marksmanship award. Tim was an avid Tar Heel and Dallas Cowboys Fan. He was a well-known and beloved coach for many sports winning several championships and state titles Tim loved to laugh and joke and play games with his kids. Mostly, Tim’s desire was to instill in his family to love each other and remember the many things he bestowed upon them. He deeply loved his whole family. He was preceded in death by his parents: Wilmer and Naomi Carter, his wife’s parents: George and Mary Lamb and brother-inlaw: Lonnie Furr.

Tim is survived by his wife of 42 years, Robin Lamb Carter; children: Brandon M. Carter (Coutney L. Carter) of Asheboro, Alaina Carter (Sam Labied) of North Lauderdale, Florida, John “Tyler” Ray Carter (Andrea Purvis) of Randleman; siblings: Mark Carter (Mary Jane Carter) of Trinity, Steven Carter of Ramseur, Phillip Carter (Tina Carter) of Denton and Aaron Carter of Randleman.

Pink William Morton, Sr.

March 4, 1936 — February 1, 2023

Pink William Morton, Sr., age 86 of Troy, passed away at his home on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

Pink was born in Stanly County to the late Frank and Morning Lemons Morton. He was a tough, hard working, simple man. He worked in the slate mines most of his life. He loved his donkeys, gardening, riding the golf cart, and fishing.

He is survived by sons: Frankie Morton (Shelia) of Candor, Johnny Morton of Denton, Jesse Morton of Ellerbe, Robert Morton (Andrea) of Troy, and Billy Morton of High Point; daughters: Frances Lamonds (Johnny) of Star, Jennifer Beacom (Alan) of Kernersville; sisters: Lottie Earnhardt of Troy and Sara Tyndall of Troy; twelve grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by eight siblings.

Helen McIntosh

June 14, 1926 — February 1, 2023

Helen Meredith Hedrick McIntosh passed away peacefully on February 1, 2023, at the age of 96, in the care of Hospice of Randolph.

Helen was born and raised in Maplewood, WV and lived her young adult life in Cleveland, OH. She was a 50-year resident of Asheboro, NC. Helen was strong in her faith and was a 50-year member of Asheboro Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Helen loved her family and taking care of them. She always kept a clean home for them to live in and plenty of delicious meals on the table for them.

Helen was preceded in death by her first husband Steve Cherko, her second husband John McIntosh, one son Daniel McIntosh (Sherry Ritter), one grandson Stevie Dzubak, and one son-in-law Art D’Amico.

She is survived by children Karen D’Amico, Jeanette Frank (Alan Pope), and David McIntosh (Kay). Her extended legacy includes grandchildren Bob Dzubak, Jason Frank (Sarah), Brooke Crump (Matt), Cassie Manuel (Greg), Hayley Hare (Nathan), Shelby Wood (Matt), Sean McIntosh, and great grandchildren Nathanael and Lydia Frank, Lincoln Crump, and Memphis and Siler Manuel.

Anita Lamb Hyatt

December 19, 1946 — January 31, 2023

Anita Lamb Hyatt, 76, wife of Johnny Wade Hyatt, passed away on January 31, 2023, at Hospice of Randolph in Asheboro, NC.

Born December 19, 1946 in Randolph County, she was the daughter of Jesse Giles Lamb Jr and Doris Lineberry Lamb.

Anita is survived by her husband of 33 years; one son, Brian Charles Beane (Jenna); two step-sons, Johnny Lee Hyatt (Marti) and Jeff Dale Hyatt (Vicki); one-step daughter, Lisa Hyatt Lang (Sam); ten grandchildren, Landon Beane, Isabella Beane, Joseph Hyatt, Megan Phillips (Tyler), Samantha Hyatt, Johnny Wayne Handy (Stephanie), Cody Lang (Bethany), Dylan Lang (Tali), Samantha Lang; seven great grandchildren; two sisters, Ellen Hilliard (Lee) and Lisa Hoover; three nieces, Kasey Barker, Kaitlin Barker, and Sylvia Glenn; and one nephew, Seth Campbell. Anita is preceded in death by her parents; two uncles, Hal Lineberry and Fred Lineberry; two aunts, Annie Lineberry and Jean Lineberry; and a grandson, Jacob Hyatt.

She worked at Sapona for 38 years before retiring. Anita was an avid lover of animals. She loved riding and showing her horses, and she absolutely loved her dogs! Anita and Johnny spent many years traveling with their friends and family. She loved jewelry, gardening, dancing, and the Lord! And she loved her family, and her grandkids.

John Powell Simmons, Sr.

May 11, 1949 — January 29, 2023

John Powell Simmons, Sr., 73, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, January 29, 2023 surrounded by his loving family.

John was born to Maude Denny and William Simmons on May 11, 1949. He married Deborah Holliman Simmons and together they raised a large family. John drove a truck for many years, retiring from the transportation industry. He loved the Lord first and foremost and adored his family. In his spare time, Mr. Simmons enjoyed bass fishing and being outdoors in the spring and summer. He was fond of wildlife and often fed animals from his front porch.

John is survived by his wife, Deborah, of the home. He is additionally survived by their seven children: Tina Stuart (Freddie) of Erwin, John Simmons Jr. (Michele) of Randleman, Angelia Fox (Jeff) of Asheboro, David Simmons (Rainey) of Hampstead, Billy Simmons (Lori) of Climax, Cora Wiseman (Michael) of Franklinville and Rebecca Brady (Dave) of Pleasant Garden, along with 18 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Audrey Alley of Summerfield, and brothers: Billy Simmons and David Simmons, both of Pleasant Garden.

John is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Joseph Simmons and his sister, Ruth Ann Lamb.

Leta Marie Williams Rice

December 17, 1925 — January 29, 2023

Leta Marie Williams Rice, age 97, of Asheboro passed away on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at her home.

Mrs. Rice was born in Randolph County on December 17, 1925 to Allen Jay and Emma Parks Williams. She was the last living graduate of the Seagrove School class of 1943. Leta was formerly employed with Jockey International and was a member of Flag Springs United Methodist Church. In addition to her parents, Leta was preceded in death by her husband, William Frank Rice, son, Roger Rice, sister, Alene Little, and brother, A.J. Williams.

She is survived by her sons, Ronnie Rice (Denise) of Seagrove and Franky Rice (Shelia) of Asheboro; daughter-in-law, Susan Rice of Asheboro; grandchildren, Angie Scott (Kevin), Jeff Rice (Chasity), Michael Rice (Rebecca), Jennifer Rice, Bethany Reeder (Scott), and Dallas Rice; great grandchildren, Julian Scott, Liam Scott, Hudson Rice, Weston Reeder, Landry Reeder, Mallie Reeder, Emma Rice, and Brewer Rice; and sisters, Thelma Miller of Asheboro and Martha Crotts of Greensboro.

Carolyn Lamonds Haywood

October 23, 1942 — February 4, 2023

Carolyn Lamonds Haywood, 80, of Candor, passed away on February 4, 2023, at her home.

Carolyn was born on October 23, 1942, in Newport News, Virginia, to Robert and Anna Perdue Lamonds Sr.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Robert J. Lamonds Jr. and sister, Louise Perdue Lamonds.

She is survived by her husband, Lonnie Haywood of the home; daughters, Marie Parsons of Raleigh and Renee Gomez of Asheboro; son, Duane Haywood of Rockingham. Sisters, Jean Britt of Biscoe, Pattie Carter of Star, Ann Lamonds of Hamlet; brothers, Donald Lamonds of Biscoe; Joe Lamonds (Kimberly) of Biscoe and Neil Lamonds (Dani) of Biscoe. Fifteen grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Robert Reynolds Russell

December 22, 1932 — February 2, 2023

Robert "Bob" Reynolds Russell

Thomas "Tom" David Wilkie

April 8, 1977 — February 3, 2023

Thomas David "Tom" Wilkie, 45, of Cary, passed away on February 3, 2023 at his home.

Tom was born on April 8, 1977 in Moore County, to David and Dorothy C. Wilkie. Tom was a software engineer and loved music, cooking, soccer and spending time with family and friends.

He is survived by his parents, Dave and Dottie Wilkie of Troy; children Nicholas, David, Elizabeth, and Jacob; sisters, Jean, Mary and Christine and ex wife Debbie.

Born on December 22, 1932, in Stanley County, the son of Grover Russell and Leola Huneycutt.

He served as a Petty Officer in the US Navy on the USS Kearsarge during the Korean War. Upon leaving the Navy, he continued his career with the NC State Highway Patrol serving in Robeson and Chatham Counties. After leaving the NCSHP, he went to work at the Siler City Post Office as a rural letter carrier until his retirement in 1996. He later returned to work in the mail services department at Moses Cone Hospital for another 17 years until his second retirement. Bob was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Loretta Russell, his parents, brother, Mac Russell of Daytona, FL, and his sister, Betty Burleson of Albemarle, NC.

He is survived by his two daughters, Bonita Russell, and Pam Hayes, both of Siler City; three grandchildren, Jennifer Hayes and Christopher Hayes of Siler City, and Courtney Davis (Ron) of Archdale; great grandchildren, Alexis and Joshua Hayes, and Isaiah and Jonah Davis; and several nieces and nephews.

STATE & NATION

Republican-led committee targets COVID relief aid for review

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans last week began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as “indications of widespread fraud” in federal coronavirus aid programs.

More than 1,000 people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted on federal charges of defrauding the myriad COVID-19 relief programs that Congress established in the early days of the pandemic. More than 600 other people and entities face federal fraud charges.

But that’s just the start, according to investigators who testified as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held its first hearing in the new Congress on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Congress approved about $4.6 trillion in spending from six coronavirus relief laws, beginning in March 2020, when Donald Trump was in the White House and including the $1.9 trillion package that Democrats passed in the first months of the Biden presidency.

“We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman.

Gene L. Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Of-

fice, told lawmakers that it will be some time before the full extent of fraud is known. The inspector general for the Small Business Administration has more than 500 ongoing investigations involving loan programs designed to help businesses meet operating expenses during the pandemic. The Labor Department’s internal watchdog continues to open at least 100 unemployment in-

surance fraud investigations each week.

The GAO said the more than 1,000 convictions related to COVID-19 relief fraud are one measure of how extensive it was. “There are definitely indications of widespread fraud, but it’s impossible to estimate right now what the full extent will be,” Dodaro said.

Michael Horowitz, the Jus-

tice Department inspector general who chairs the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told lawmakers that the amount of fraud and misspent funds is “clearly in the tens of billions of dollars.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it exceeds ultimately more than $100 billion, but we have so much work to do,” Horowitz said. “So we’re going to be counting and figuring this out for years to come. We’re going to go after every penny we can.”

Some 20 inspectors general work collaboratively to investigate pandemic relief spending. Horowitz said data analysis is critical to their work.

For example, this week the committee issued a fraud alert regarding the use of questionable Social Security numbers to obtain $5.4 billion in pandemic-related loans and grants. He said a team of data scientist compared tens of millions of applications with data at the Social Security Administration to see if they fully matched the SSA’s records.

“Over 69,000 didn’t,” Horowitz said. “This type of advanced data analytics is transforming how we do oversight.”

To prevent fraud during future emergencies, Horowitz recommended that Congress permanently fund the committee’s data analytics center. He said the recent fraud alert identifying potentially $5.4 billion in fraud is 360

times the annual cost of operating such a platform, so the return on investment for taxpayers is clear.

One of the biggest factors in the COVID fraud that occurred was the need to get dollars out to people and businesses as quickly as possible. Horowitz said it is critical that agencies assess applicant eligibility before payments are sent out, but the SBA allowed entities applying for Paycheck Protection Program to self-certify they were eligible. He said that resulted in $3.6 billion going out to some 57,000 applicants on the federal government’s do-not pay list, “a list the SBA did not bother to cross-check.”

The House committee, which plans to examine an array of hot-button issues, includes some of the most strident critics of the Biden administration as well as some of its most ardent supporters. The clash in perspectives was evident from the start as Comer complained that the Biden administration faced little to no scrutiny last Congress.

“This committee has for too long stood on the sidelines while taxpayer dollars were wasted by bureaucrats whose only priority is getting money out the door,” Comer said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a statement after the hearing saying that Biden has empowered inspectors general to monitor COVID relief programs, secured money to strengthen anti-fraud measures and appointed a chief pandemic prosecutor.

“Many Republicans on the Oversight Committee defended the prior administration’s hand ling of these programs and opposed efforts to fund fraud prevention, yet are now using this issue to try to score political points,” Sams said.

10 states mull cross-border rules to tackle teacher shortage

By Jesse Bedayn

The Associated Press

DENVER

— Every Colorado school district, like many across the country, began 2023 understaffed. That’s caused classes to be crammed together, school bus routes to shrink, Spanish language courses to get cut from curriculums, and field trips to be nixed.

This has prompted lawmakers in Colorado and other states to suggest legislation that would get rid of relicensing requirements for teachers when they move across state lines — an oftentimes cumbersome and costly process of waiting periods, licensing fees, and expensive exams.

The idea for an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense and is designed, in part, to support military spouses. It would effectively allow teaching licenses to be viable across members of the compact, cutting through the current 50-state patchwork of disparate requirements.

Colorado’s House education committee voted to send the legislation forward in a hearing.

Nine other statehouses are considering joining the compact, including Hawaii, Washington, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi. For the compact to take effect, 10 states must approve it.

The national teacher shortage,

exacerbated by deep losses during the pandemic, has left states scrambling to hire and retain educators. It’s pushed school districts across the South to accept candidates without teaching certificates or formal training to staunch the losses.

“The idea of this bill is that it removes a barrier for moving into the state,” said Colorado Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens, one of the bill’s sponsors. “By participating in this compact we will allow the seamless transfer of teachers

to our state while maintaining the integrity of our teacher licensing.”

Some worry the change won’t make significant difference as long as teachers are underpaid in a state with sky-high housing costs.

In 2020, Colorado paid teachers an estimated average of just over $60,000 annually, below the national average of about $65,000, according the National Center for Education Statistics, even though it’s one of the most expensive states to live in. On those salaries, only about 20% of available

homes in Colorado are affordable to teachers, according to a study by the Keystone Policy Center.

“I think this is another example of a solution that isn’t meeting the problem,” said Philip Qualman, superintendent at Eagle County School District, which includes the ski town of Vail west of Denver.

Qualman said the district is struggling with about 90 vacant positions — the most they’ve ever had — including custodians, teachers and bus drivers. Applicants who receive a job offer often end up turning it down when they can’t find housing within their budget, he said.

“I think it’s great to reduce the barriers to licensure for those who want to come here. But in reality, who’s going to want to come here when our compensation is so horrible?” Qualman said.

Adam Diersing, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments which is working with the Department of Defense in developing and spreading the compact, said “in past compacts we have not seen evidence that accessibility of a license is an impetus for somebody to move to a new state.”

Still, Diersing added that teachers move for a plethora of reasons, including caring for aging relatives or joining their military spouse, and that state licensing barriers can push them to leave the field altogether.

“This can be an effective tool to

keep folks in the profession when they want to,” said Diersing.

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, pointed to underfunding as principle cause of teacher shortages. Baca-Oehlert did testify in support of the bill at the hearing, arguing that “it certainly opens the door to addressing the bigger issue.”

“We need something that attracts them to our state,” Baca-Oehlert said in an interview after the hearing, adding that Colorado must also focus on retaining teachers.

Agreeing that underfunding is a key problem, Democratic Rep. Mary Young said “We have to continue to recognize that this is a destination state, we’ve seen the number of people moving here and we want to make their experiences positive.”

Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis declined to say whether he supports the measure or not.

The legislation is receiving tentative bipartisan support in Colorado, along with other states where the bill is pending. But Diersing, the policy analyst, was unsure whether enough legislatures will sign on to the compact in 2023 to launch it.

He did point to the Nurse Licensing Compact, which passed in 2000 and now has 39 members states as of last year. As for the proposed teacher compact: “It’s tough to say.”

AP PHOTO

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., center, joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, the ranking member, leads a hearing on fraud and waste in the COVID-19 relief programs, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this Aug. 2020 file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Hoke County Sheriff’s Office and SBI investigating homicide

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is officially investigating a possible homicide shooting that took place on Sunday afternoon. Deputies responded to a call about a shooting in the 200 block of Gatlin Farm Road, four miles northeast of Raeford, where they found an unresponsive victim. Local emergency services units and agents from the State Bureau of Investigations also responded to the incident, though no life-saving efforts were performed. According to the sheriff’s office, the next of kin of the victim have been notified, but the identity of the victim has not been released to the public. At this time, the investigation is considered active and ongoing. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Chavis at (910) 8755111. Information can also be anonymously reported by calling the Hoke County Sheriff’s Tip Line at (910) 878-1100.

Sponsors needed to help provide NC summer meals

Over 900,000 North Carolina students rely on the meals and snacks served during the school year through the breakfast, lunch, and afterschool meals programs provided at their schools. When school is out of session, North Carolina’s Summer Nutrition Programs help by providing meals and snacks to children ages 18 and younger who might otherwise go hungry. Schools and community organizations are currently needed to serve as sponsors for Summer Nutrition Programs this year to help ensure that children with limited access to food at home get the nutritious meals they need for optimal growth, development, and overall well-being. These programs are typically located in economically distressed areas to serve the most food-insecure, vulnerable students. Meal sites may be located at schools, public housing centers, playgrounds, camps, parks, medical centers, faith-based facilities, libraries, and various other locations. To learn more about the NC Summer Nutrition Programs and how your organization may become involved in providing summer meals to children in your community, please visit the NCDPI Summer Nutrition website https://www.dpi. nc.gov/districts-schools/districtoperations/school-nutrition/schoolnutrition-programs/summernutrition-programs.

HOKE COUNTY

Two LPN contracts extended to assist with Health Department staffing

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners met Monday, February 6, with another potential location for the Sheriff’s Office shooting range on the agenda for discussion.

The board started the meeting by holding a public hearing regarding an application by the Sheriff’s Office for a special use permit in order to construct a shooting range.

“The Planning Department has received a request for an application for a special use permit for a shooting range on 736 Ellis Road, which is a 22.18acre parcel,” said Planner Jeffery Dockery. “It’s in a low-density area where we have single-fam-

ily homes, and we also have the wastewater treatment facility. The Sheriff is asking to use a portion of this parcel as their shooting range.”

The Sheriff’s Office has been looking to build a shooting range within the county in order to allow them to conduct their firearm certifications for the department’s officers easier and with less hassle.

According to Sheriff Roderick Virgil, the range would only be for Raeford and Hoke County officers to use for qualification purposes, and the plan was to use dirt and debris to create berms around the lanes.

However, while most citizens expressed the understanding that the Sheriff’s Office’s need for a shooting range was legitimate and necessary, the location was seen as not ideal for most citizens due to the proximity to Sandy Grove Elementary and Middle Schools. In addition, the location

was problematic due to the proximity to multiple homeowners, noise levels, and because of the uncertainty of hours that officers would be allowed to shoot.

“It’s clear to me that there’s more studying that has to be done,” said Commissioner Harry Southerland. “This board will not be ready to vote tonight to approve this. There’s a lot of work that has to be done. You all came with some very, very valid questions and very valid concerns. Among them are the concerns over safety, especially for the kids, which is my main concern.

I’m not prepared to vote on this. I think we need to do more studies, and I think we might have to put together a committee so that we can come back and give you all the answers you need.”

Following the hearing, the board voted against the issuing of a special use permit for the site.

“I really don’t see any point in looking at this site any further,”

dents as the “gun violence generation” and said ease of access to guns by kids is a big issue, and lawmakers need to make laws for the safe storage of firearms and adopt federal gun bans. North Carolina already has a safe storage law on the books to protect minors, and recently proposed legislation would create a public education campaign on firearm safety.

Topics included higher teacher pay, added mental health services, more “culturally responsive teaching,” gun control, and a full implementation of the Leandro case remedial plan.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Education policymakers, members of think tanks, elected officials and other stakeholders gathered for the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s (PSFNC) 2023 Eggs and Issue forum held at N.C. State’s McKimmon Center in Raleigh on Jan. 31. The top five priorities presented by PSFNC included: Ensure fair and competitive compensation for educators

Address the root causes of mental health and school

safety crises Grow, retain and diversify the teacher pipeline Prepare students for the world they live in Implement, monitor, and evaluate the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan

Opening remarks unveiling the priorities were given by PSFNC’s senior director of policy and research Dr. Lauren Fox, and PSFNC’s president and executive director, Dr. Mary Ann Wolf.

Both Fox urged lawmakers in the room to fully fund all aspects of education while claiming the $100m appropriated in the last budget for educator pay increases was “not enough.” She also said the principal pay plan needs to increase. She said these increases are “not extravagant,” and we need to pay teachers a “living wage.”

Wolf referred to today’s stu-

Wolf also said youth suicides have doubled in recent years and that “Kids have the right to feel safe and supported at school.”

She said the state falls below the recommended ratios for school psychologists and social workers.

Teacher vacancies are due to “attrition,” according to Wolf, but the most recent state of the teaching profession report shows last year’s attrition rates are in line with previous years. Wolf also said there are “barriers” to becoming a teacher and suggested removing the PRAXIS Core licensure assessment, along with raising compensation and expanding teacher satisfaction surveys.

A bulletpoint included in PSFNC’s priorities calls for increasing state-funded base pay for teachers by 24.5% to reach the national average and eliminate the teacher pay penalty. Additionally, teachers should be paid

said Commissioner Tony Hunt. “There’s been so many valid reasons brought up not to have it there. I don’t think even a consultant can make it work there. We just need to abandon this and move on and get the people in place that we need in place to decide in which direction we’re going to go with this.”

This is the second location to be voted against after a formerly approved location off of Steele Road was rescinded in September due to public outcry.

“Nobody sitting here, young or old, is against our law enforcement,” Southerland said. “We all 100% love our law enforcement. But we’ve got to put some money behind our law enforcement. An indoor range would solve all of our problems: safety issues and noise issues. And then, if the Sheriff wanted to invite other counties, he could. And charge

See COMMISSIONERS, page 2

FILE PHOTO

Members of the Hoke County Commission meet on Monday, Feb. 6.

Commissioners shoot down potential Sheriff’s Office shooting range location

Education nonprofit unveils top five priorities for 2023

in enrollment in charter schools.

dents.”

for additional duties.

North Carolina’s average salary last school year was just over $53,450, and the beginning teacher salary stands at $37,000, which PSFNC says is below the state’s “minimum living wage” of around $48,346.

the actual number of students enrolled in school in Month 1 and Month 2 and whichever is greater is the number they used to determine if there will be a budget revision. Our actual ADM for month 1 was 8,498, and for Month Two, it was 8,665. Therefore the ADM for Month Two - 8,665 was used for our budget revision which is a difference of 423 students less than what was projected in our initial budget allotment.”

Finally, the board approved a new partnership and contract with Global Teaching Partners for the acquisition of international teachers.

PSFNC claims the national average salary for teachers increased by 3% during the time periods of 1999-2000 to 2020-2021 and that the average North Carolina teacher salary dropped 11.5% for the same periods.

State and provide J-1 Visas, meaning these teachers go through federal screening. These visas cover three years and can be extended for an additional two.

North Carolina and South Carolina.

“This is a new organization that will be an international partnership that will sponsor our J-1 Visa teachers and international faculty, which was previously referred to as our visiting international faculty or VIF,” said Assistant Superintendent Shawn O’Connor.

ic racism,” and “deep political divides” are all things in the world we live in that schools need to prepare students for, according to Fox.

The difference accounts for about $804,520.52 in funding that will return to the state’s budget. According to Chavis, some of the differences in actual enrollment numbers can be attributed to an uptick

The proposed increase of 24.5% for pay could be drawn from district unspent pandemic relief funds as some lawmakers have noted, including Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), who stated in his remarks on the opening day of the current session that “We must disabuse ourselves of the notion that more money alone buys positive outcomes for our stu-

♦ Loudermilk, Annbracha Krisshe Amari (B/F/20), Communicate Threats, 01/15/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

them. But let us look at that in our study. We’ve got to put some money into this thing at a minimum of half a million and up to $4 million.”

♦ Roper, Calvin Jamale (B/M/32), Attempted Common Law Robbery , 01/15/2023, Hoke County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ Staples, Chad Matthews (W/M/38), Firearm by Felon, 01/14/2023, Hoke County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ Collins, Laura Lashay (I/F/33), Identity Fraud, 01/14/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

The board then approved two additional Sheriff’s Office items, the first being the acceptance of a $23,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission given to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office. The second item was a $47,319.96 increase in budget for Jail Health Services to increase staffing to 12 hours per day, seven days a week.

Finally, the board approved two Licensed Practical Nurse

Notably missing from PSFNC’s claim is that the General Assembly has raised the average teacher pay by roughly 20% since 2014, the third-highest set of pay increases in the country. Just prior to the start of the pandemic in January 2020, Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a budget that would have included the sixth and seventh consecutive pay raises for teachers in the state.

According to O’Connor, Hoke County Schools currently has established partnerships with Participate (8 teachers in the district) and Education Partners Internationals (22 teachers), which are officially recognized cultural exchange programs by the US Department of

“Climate change,” “system-

♦ Willard, Brandy Jo (W/F/32), DWI, 01/11/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

(LPN) contracts for the Health Department.

♦ Haywood, Maleki Capone (B/M/19), Possess Stolen Firearm, 01/11/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Smith, Carressia Leanne (W/F/36), Resisting Arrest, 01/10/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Taylor, Freddie (B/M/67), Assault on a Female, 01/09/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

“We’ve had these LPNs working with us over the course of the year,” said Health Director Helene Edwards. “They had been funded through the state with COVID dollars, but the COVID dollars are going to end on February 28, and they’ve been doing a great job doing our vaccines on Mondays and Fridays and additional testing, so we’d like to keep them through May 31. They’ve expressed interest in staying with us and helping us throughout that time.”

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet February 13.

•

•

•

•

•

•

“Kids will need to develop empathy,” said Fox, who went on to refer to character trait development in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) “Portrait of a Graduate.” Priority items to increase student empathy included more Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Relevant Teaching.

Some of the other services these partners cover are teaching experience reviews, educational program audits, instructional and behavioral interviews and observations, english language proficiency assessments, cultural adaptiveness assessments, state licensure reviews, international background checks, and specifically Global Teaching Partners helps provide specific NC teacher training.

Replacing the A-F school grading system was brought up, but neither Fox nor Wolf mentioned the current efforts by NCDPI to revamp the system. Altering entry-level and current teacher

Global Teaching Partners, however, is located in the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, and they do all of their business only in

compensation through licensure changes is also being worked on by an NCDPI committee, however, that work was not brought up in the opening remarks.

The Leandro Comprehensive Remedial plan was addressed by Fox, who cited last fall’s N.C. Supreme Court order to requiring the transfer funds for years two and three of the plan. Right now, that funding total sits at $677.8 million.

“We’re not just filling vacancies with these individuals,” O’Connor said. “The people that we have gotten, their attrition rate, which means they come back every year and don’t quit their job, is so much lower than all of our other teachers. They typically stay their five years, and a lot of them are very effective teachers. These are quality individuals who want to be here to teach our kids, and with the J-1 Visa, they’re here for five years.”

Hoke County Schools currently has 30 international employees from eight different countries across nine different schools.

The Hoke County Board of Education will next meet February 14.

“The ruling is a big win for students,” said Fox. “They should be benefitting from funding they are constitutionally owed.” She also said there is a need to monitor that investment, something that is not built into the remedial plan or the transfer order.

A weekly podcast getting to the facts across

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population but it is actually 1%.

LAST WEEK, tape emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, of five black police officers engaging in the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man. Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, according to the officers; they ordered him to get on the ground and to give them his hands; he did not comply and instead began to run. When the officers caught up with him, they pummeled him, complete with strikes to the head, while his hands were being held behind his back. Nichols died in the hospital.

The five officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were fired from the police department.

The national media coverage was swift — and confused. For some in the media, the narrative was clear: the police are generally brutal, and thus must be dramatically curbed. “The issue here, as plenty of people have pointed out, is not black versus white, it’s blue versus the rest of us,” said MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. “You can’t reform this stuff with body cameras or diversifying the police, as we just saw in Memphis.” Instead, Hasan suggested, abolition of the police might be a possible solution.

This solution, of course, is no solution at all: Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of violent or property crime in the city are one in 12. And we know with statistical near-certainty that highprofile cases of police misconduct generally result in police stand-downs — which in turn result in more crime. As professors Tanaya Devi and Roland Freyer found in 2020, “all investigations that were preceded by ‘viral’ incidents of deadly force have led to a large and statistically significant increase in homicides and total crime.”

A second media narrative quickly emerged from the Nichols killing: despite the fact that all involved were black, that the Memphis Police Department is majority black, that the chief of police is black — the killing

was a result of “white supremacy.” The Washington Post headlined, “Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.” Van Jones opined at CNN.com, “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of intersectionality, explained, “One cannot imagine this happening in a well-heeled white community. That is a racial problem that the law has consistently said is a non-problem.”

This narrative, like the first, is designed to avoid solutions. If all policing is the result of structures of white supremacy, the only answer is to abolish policing. If each individual instance of police brutality, no matter the race of the officers, is an example of racism, then the only way to alleviate police brutality is by completely restructuring American society — which is just what those like Crenshaw propose. The result won’t be a safer America, but a much less safe and more fractious one.

In reality, instances of police brutality cross races. Whether it’s Daniel Shaver being shot to death in a hotel while attempting to comply with police demands in 2016 or whether it’s two Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies beating Randal Worcester in August 2022, white victims of police brutality aren’t hard to find. Some police brutality can undoubtedly be curbed by better recruitment and training. But if we wish to actually lower the number of encounters between a given population and the police, thus reducing the number of possible violent interactions, the most obvious method would be to reduce criminal activity — which requires more policing and more law-abiding behavior.

None of this should be controversial. But solutions aren’t what advocates of police abolition or critical race theory are looking for. They’re looking for revolution. And all revolutions have casualties.

Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

IN 1909, ZOOLOGIST Jakob von Uexkull coined the term “Umwelt” to identify the sensory bubble that surrounds and informs an animal. It is our perceptual world, “a functional circle,” inseparable because it is the brain that interprets what our bodies experience. Ed Yong, a staff writer for The Atlantic, has written a fascinating book entitled “An Immense World,” which discusses thousands of animal varieties and their unique ability to survive based on the Unweltan theory. The relationship between instinct, perception, and adaptation is the sensory bubble Umwelt.

Applying this theory to humans might help us understand why we are becoming a nation of tribes. With only slight variations, all humans are equipped with the same machinery to survive and procreate. Two eyes to see the world dimensionally, two ears to detect danger in stereo, skin, and hair to identify subtle changes in our environment. We gather information, filter it through perception and adapt accordingly. But what was once an interdenominational culture is devolving into non-denominational anarchy. We are closing ranks and choosing sides. Ten-year-old Fiona said, “choose your vibe and pick your tribe.” Her instincts are working.

But what about our perception? Perception is defined as the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information.

Circulating on the internet is a YouGovAmerica survey dated January 14, 2022, demonstrating the perceived size of minority groups versus the actual number. Perception was based on the respondents’ guesses; the actual numbers were sourced by the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and certain polls and surveys.

The poll shows a wide discrepancy in perception versus reality. As an example, Hispanics are perceived to be 39% of our population, in fact, it is 17%. Respondents believe 29% of our population is Asian, yet the number is actually 6%. Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population, but it is actually 1%. Generally, Americans tend to overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of most majority groups.

Why? What instincts tell us is filtered through our ability to

perceive and process reality, and reality is tough to determine. Information delivered to us through unreliable, biased legacy and cable media streams, internet propaganda, White House press briefings, and Hollywood entertainment venues are all pedaling influence to fit their agenda. Given this unreliable narrative, we can understand why most Americans believe they are in the minority, out of the mainstream of American culture. Our perception is penetrated with false information, and our instincts are on fire.

A recent viewing of the classic movie, “Wag the Dog,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, is a timely reminder of the power media has to influence an unquestioning, gullible audience. In this movie, the American public is subjected to a false narrative contrived to distract from the indiscretions of an American president in the eleven days before the national election. A crisis is created and adjusted, as necessary, to get the incumbent president over the finish line and maintain his office.

He succeeds. This cautionary tale has obvious current applications.

Most would agree that we now live in a constant state of crisis. Get through a pandemic, and war in Ukraine comes along. Inflation bounds out of control, and Mar-A- Lago gets raided. Immigration, crime, drug overdose, assaults on the power grid, and disruption in air travel, to name a few. Our natural world is being defiled, and it is messing with our instincts and perception, our Umwelt.

Instinctively we know something ominous is going on because applying the law could stop this downward spiral. Our B*S* detectors are signaling alert. Are we being distracted? Consider our national debt is $31.4 trillion, and there was a white balloon made in China flying over your house. Maybe there really is something there, there.

This is not going to end well. Seattle is out of body bags; Chicago is a killing field, and Atlanta is burning. We are allowing a very small, well-trained group of anarchists to Wag the Dog. Trust your instincts.

Connie Lovell lives in Moore County.

Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

COLUMN | CONNIE LOVELL

When black police officers kill a black man, that’s white supremacy

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Orioles CEO, brother agree to dismiss legal dispute

Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos and his brother Lou have agreed to end their fight over a lawsuit in which Lou accused John of seizing control of the team in defiance of their father Peter’s wishes. Lou Angelos sued John last year, claiming John took control of the Orioles at his expense. Georgia Angelos, their mother, also was named as a defendant. John, Lou, Georgia and Peter Angelos called on “all claims, including all counterclaims and defenses” to be dismissed in a court filing in the case Friday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Minnesota-Illinois postponed for COVID-19 in Gophers program

Minneapolis Minnesota’s game at Illinois has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Gophers’ program. The teams had been scheduled to play Tuesday and will meet on Feb. 20 instead. Minnesota’s announcement did not specify how many players would have been unable to play. The Gophers had only eight available scholarship players for their last game when they lost 81-46 to Maryland. The game will be rescheduled by the Big Ten with input from both schools. Minnesota is next scheduled to host Iowa this Sunday. Illinois will host No. 24 Rutgers this Saturday.

NFL Vikings hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator

Minneapolis

The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator. The Vikings are trying to revive a once-dominant unit that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh. He spent three years as head coach in Miami prior to that. Flores, who is black, was fired by the Dolphins. He then filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL. Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense before he went to Miami.

Kyrie Irving traded to Mavericks

The 13th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were just another two losses behind those bunchedup playoff hopefuls.

came to an end

The former Duke point guard’s three-plus seasons in Brooklyn

The Associated Press

DALLAS — Luka Doncic has his co-star, and the Dallas Mavericks are set for their season essentially to start over after trading for Kyrie Irving.

The blockbuster deal with Brooklyn sending the former Duke star to the Mavericks became official Monday, two days before what figures to be his Dallas debut at the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas also gets Markieff Morris in a trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round choices to the Nets.

It’s unknown if Doncic will be available against the Clippers. He wasn’t with the Mavs at the start of a five-game trip out West after bruising his right heel in the final home game before the trip. He was ruled out of the second game on the trip at Utah on Monday night.

Whenever the All-Stars do get on the court together, Doncic and Irving instantly become one of the NBA’s top duos in a tightly packed Western Conference.

Doncic is in a dead heat for the scoring lead with fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and is the only one of the seven current 30-point scorers also averaging at least eight rebounds and eight assists per game. Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists

and 5.1 rebounds. The West has several title-contending teams beyond defending champion Golden State, which eliminated the Mavs in the conference finals last season. Dallas is in a group of nine

teams that started Monday within one loss of each other. It covers teams currently fourth, the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round, through 12th, two positions out of the postseason play-in tournament.

Dallas made the bold move to pair Doncic with Irving after the Nets’ attempt to do the same with Irving and Kevin Durant never had much chance to click in threeplus seasons.

The trade came two days after Irving told the Nets he wanted out by Thursday’s league deadline, after talks about a contract beyond this season didn’t go to his liking.

For now, Irving is set to become a free agent after the season. But future negotiations will involve Dallas general manager, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021.

Irving had a relationship with Nike for the entirety of his NBA career until earlier this season, when the sneaker giant dropped him and canceled the planned release of his next signature shoe just before it dropped. It was part of the massive fallout from Irving posting a link to an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.

That was one of many drama-filled sagas that marked Irving’s time with the Nets. He wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, because of New York City workplace rules, had to miss most of Brooklyn’s home games last season. He also took two leaves of absence during the 2020-21 season.

He has also expressed no shortage of controversial opinions during his career — including repeated questioning whether the Earth was round before eventually apologizing to science teachers.

Sean Payton wants to bring old-school style to Broncos

The

new coach says quarterback Russell Wilson’s personal coach will not be welcome

The Associated Press ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton is bringing an old-school style sown by his mentor Bill Parcells and steeped in discipline and accountability as he takes over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach.

One thing that means is that Russell Wilson will no longer have his own entourage at the team’s headquarters as he did this past season.

Payton was introduced as the franchise’s 20th head coach Monday and he was asked in an informal gathering with reporters afterward about Wilson’s personal QB coach being on the premises in 2022, when Wilson suffered through the worst statistical season of his career.

“Yeah, that’s foreign to me,” Payton said. “That’s not going to take place here. I mean, I’m unfamiliar with it. But our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be that.”

Members of Wilson’s support team having access to the building was one of many perks allowed the quarterback last season by general manager George Payton and rookie head coach

Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired Dec. 26.

Given Payton’s stance on that matter, Wilson might also have to surrender his extra parking spaces and private upstairs office. We also could see less of his globetrotting jaunts on social media and maybe his teammates will have to make do without the

air hockey and gaming chairs that were part of Hackett’s conversion of the reporters’ workroom into a splashy players arcade a year ago.

The new head coach is all business, concerned not with creature comforts but about changing a losing culture that has permeated the franchise.

The Broncos surrendered their first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in the upcoming draft to the New Orleans Saints to sign Payton to a five-year deal worth around $18 million a year.

Payton made a point of not piling on the former regime, but he did have this to say when asked about his game management skills: “I don’t anticipate the crowd having to count down the 30-second clock” as it did in Hackett’s home debut.

Fans mocking counting down the seconds led Paton to lure longtime assistant Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to handle those duties for Hackett, who also gave up play-calling duties later in the season.

Rosburg coached the final two games after Hackett’s dismissal when Wilson finally played like the nine-time Pro Bowler he is, something Payton mentioned Monday when asked about helping Wilson bounce back in 2023. “I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s a starting point, and I think it’s important to highlight their strengths and minimize any weaknesses,” Payton said.

Payton went 161-97, including playoffs, in 15 seasons in New Orleans before stepping down last year when Drew Brees retired.

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks on Monday.

AP PHOTO

Sean Payton is introduced Monday as the new coach of the Denver Broncos.

Justin Rose wins at Pebble Beach to end 4-year drought

The victory gives the Englishman a spot in the Masters

The Associated Press

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Justin Rose had a different set of goals at the start of the year. His back was starting to become bothersome. His world ranking sank to its lowest point in 13 years. And he had reason to wonder if he would spend the first full week in April somewhere other than Augusta National.

All that changed Monday morning when Rose capped off a long week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with three quick birdies and four steady pars that gave him a three-shot victory, his first in four years.

Along with the crystal trophy — his 11th on the PGA Tour, 23rd worldwide — and the $1.62 million prize comes an invitation to the Masters. Rose has been eligible for every major dating to St.

Andrews in 2010, a streak he did not want to end.

“Augusta’s definitely been a big part of being on my mind,” Rose said after closing with a 6-under 66 in cool but pristine conditions at Pebble Beach. “I thought the simple way to approach it was try to play my way into the top 50 in the world ... claw my way up the world rankings and make it that way.

“Obviously this,” he said, tapping the crystal on a table next to him, “is a better way to make it by winning a tournament. So yeah, big relief from that point of view.”

The wind-delayed tournament forced a Monday finish, and Rose had staked himself to a two-shot lead Sunday night with an eagle-birdie-par stretch along the ocean.

And then he delivered a knockout punch early to as many as a dozen players who were within three shots of the lead at various points on the course.

After a good two-putt par on

the 10th to resume his round, Rose holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 11th, a 20-foot birdie putt on the 13th and then hit a wedge to the back shelf on the par-5 14th to 8 feet for a third birdie.

From there, it was about playing it safe and soaking up the views. For all the weather this week — and it was everything, all the time — the final three hours featured a stunning blue sky and big surf, waves crashing into the rocks and adding to a scenery that already is among the best in golf.

Rose finished three shots clear of Brendon Todd (65) and Brandon Wu (66).

“An incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor,” Rose said.

The 42-year-old from England had not won since Torrey Pines in 2019, when he was No. 1 in the world. He finished last year at No. 76, his lowest point since early in 2010.

“Amazing how long it’s been,” said Rose, whose victory moved

him to No. 35. This week of weather was more about wind than rain, although Pebble offered a little of everything. At one point on Sunday, there was rain, wind, hail and sunshine, all within a one-hour window.

That was all a distant memory when Rose finished with a smile as

bright as the sun.

“Just that walk up 18, to be able to build a bit of a lead, to kind of enjoy it, was a very special moment,” he said. “Think when you’re a bit starved for a win as well, the fact that it came today on a weather day like we had and at a venue that we had today was just worth waiting for.”

Ryland, Haener lead National team’s 27-10 Senior Bowl win

Virginia’s Anthony Johnson

Jr. wore No. 15 to honor

Devin Chandler, one of the three Cavaliers players killed in a November shooting

The Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. — Maryland’s

Chris Ryland kicked four field goals and Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 139 yards and a touchdown to lead the National team to a 27-10 victory over the American team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Haener, named the game’s MVP, delivered a 44-yard touchdown pass to Stanford receiver Michael Wilson in the fourth quarter. He thrived on a short-handed quarterback situation for the team, completing 12 of 19 passes after setting a Fresno State career record with a 68.1% completion rate.

“I just wanted to come out here and get a win with the guys and cap off a really good week,” Haener told NFL Network. “Just have a really good week and get the win.

“We found a way to get the win and that was fun.”

Haener missed four games with an ankle injury this season but returned to help finish off a ninegame winning streak for the Bulldogs. Like the other quarterbacks in the game, he’s trying to improve on mid- to- late-round draft projections.

“I love proving the doubters wrong,” Haener said. “I love the motivation. I love the passion that it brings me. Keep coming with it, man.”

The American team’s biggest play came early in the fourth when Virginia’s Anthony Johnson Jr. returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Johnson was wearing the No. 15 jersey in honor of wide receiver Devin Chandler, who was among three Cavaliers players shot and killed in November, along with Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.

Louisville’s Malik Cunningham was hit as he threw and appeared

to land on his right arm, briefly heading toward the locker room with a strained shoulder. He returned to the sidelines but not the game.

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall didn’t play in the game for the National team. It wasn’t immediately known why, but Hall missed the New Mexico Bowl with an ankle injury. He did participate in practices when quarterbacks were off-limits for contact.

The American team did get another big defensive play to stay alive with a fourth-down, fourth-quarter sack by Florida A&M’s Isaiah Land, the 2021

Buck Buchanan winner as the top player in FCS after leading the nation with 19 sacks.

Cunningham hit Purdue tight end Payne Durham just short of the left pylon late in the first half. Then he dropped the snap, picked up the ball and rushed for a 1-yard

touchdown. Cunningham passed for 70 touchdowns and ran for 47 at Louisville following in the footsteps of friend and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

But he attempted only five passes in the Senior Bowl, completing three for 49 yards. Northwestern’s Evan Hull ran 10 times for a game-high 74 yards.

Ryland’s four field goals included a 41-yarder on the final play of the first half for a 17-3 lead. He did miss a 52-yard attempt early in the third quarter.

TCU’s Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, completed 4 of 9 passes for 26 yards for

the American team. Duggan overthrew Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas in the end zone on a fourth-down play that was his best chance for a touchdown.

Shepherd College quarterback Tyson Bagent, whose 159 career touchdown passes is an NCAA all-division record, completed 17 of 22 passes for 138 yards before throwing a last-minute interception near the goal line. Bagent is trying to become the first Division II quarterback drafted since the Rams picked Keith Null in the sixth round in 2009 after passing for more than 17,000 yards.

AP PHOTO

Justin Rose reacts after making a par putt on the 18th green to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monday in Pebble Beach, California.

“I love proving the doubters wrong.”

Jake Haener, Fresno State quarterback

AP PHOTO

National quarterback Jake Haener of Fresno State throws a pass during the Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama

Biden 2024? Most Democrats say no thank you: AP-NORC poll

The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024.

That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that shows just 37% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, down from 52% in the weeks before last year’s midterm elections.

While Biden has trumpeted his legislative victories and ability to govern, the poll suggests relatively few U.S. adults give him high marks on either. Follow-up interviews with poll respondents suggest that many believe the 80-year-old’s age is a liability, with people focused on his coughing, his gait, his gaffes and the possibility that the world’s most stressful job would be better suited for someone younger.

“I, honestly, think that he would be too old,” said Sarah Overman, 37, a Democrat who works in education in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We could use someone younger in the office.”

Overall, 41% approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, the poll shows, similar to ratings at the end of last year. A majority of Democrats still approve of the job Biden is doing as president, yet their appetite for a reelection campaign has slipped despite his electoral track record. Only 22% of U.S.

adults overall say he should run again, down from 29% who said so before last year’s midterm elections.

The decline among Democrats saying Biden should run again for president appears concentrated among younger people. Among Democrats age 45 and over, 49% say Biden should run for reelection, nearly as many as the 58% who said that in October. But among

those under age 45, 23% now say he should run for reelection, after 45% said that before the midterms.

Already the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden has been dogged by questions about his age as he would be 86 if he serves a full eight years as president. He often works long days, standing for hours, remembering the names of strangers he meets while traveling who want

to share a story about their lives with him.

Yet he’s been a national political figure for a half-century, having first been elected to the Senate from Delaware in 1972, and the moments when he appears lost on stage or stumbles through speeches can garner more attention than his policies.

On CNN on Sunday, Transpor-

tation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, acknowledged that “generational arguments can be powerful.”

“The most powerful argument of all is results,” said Buttigieg, 41. “And you can’t argue — at least, I would say you can’t argue with a straight face that it isn’t a good thing that we have had 12 million jobs created under this president.”

Biden has repeatedly emphasized in speeches that it’s essential for the public to know the totality of what his administration is doing.

It’s notched four big legislative victories with coronavirus relief, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and tax and spending measures that help to address climate change and improve the IRS’ ability to enforce the tax code and help taxpayers.

Yet just 13% have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to accomplish major policy goals, a possible reflection of the fact that he must now work with a Republican majority in the House that wants to cut spending in return for lifting the government’s legal borrowing authority.

The poll also shows only 23% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” of confidence in Biden to effectively manage the White House. That has ticked down from 28% a year ago and remains significantly lower than 44% two years ago, just as Biden took office.

Just 21% have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to handle a crisis, down slightly from 26% last March.

On working with congressional Republicans and managing government spending, roughly half of U.S. adults say they have hardly any confidence in the president, and only around 1 in 10 say they have high confidence.

North Carolina Supreme Court hears felony voting rights case

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s newly seated Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether people convicted of felonies — tens of thousands statewide — should be permitted to vote if they aren’t in prison but still are serving probation or parole or have yet to pay fines.

The justices listened to their first high-profile case since the court flipped to Republican control in January, after a Democratic majority for the past six years.

They didn’t immediately rule.

The court’s two new Republican justices featured prominently in an hour of questioning over 2019 litigation from civil rights groups and ex-offenders who challenged a 1973 state law automatically restoring voting rights only after the “unconditional discharge of an inmate, of a probationer, or of a parolee.” The law is in place because the state constitution says one is needed to overcome the state’s blanket voting prohibition for felony offenders.

Last year, a majority of trial judges agreed with the plaintiffs that keeping felony offenders who aren’t behind bars but are still under state supervision from registering to vote disproportionately harmed Black offenders and violated the constitution’s equal protection and free election clauses. Their rulings told election officials they can’t deny voter registration to any convicted felon who

is on probation, parole or post-release supervision.

At the time of the 2021 trial, over 56,000 people on probation, parole or supervision were estimated to be affected by the law -- compared to the state’s 7.2 million registered voters. The ruling gave these types of offenders the option to register to vote and cast ballots, with most of them getting that chance this past November. Some people who had only fines yet to pay also have been able to register to vote since 2020.

New Associate Justices Richard Dietz and Trey Allen — among the five Republicans now

on the seven-member court — questioned whether the trial judges were wrong to pick and choose which portions of the law they believed were biased and strike them out.

“The courts can’t grant the restoration of voting rights to felons,” Allen told plaintiffs’ attorney Stanton Jones. “The constitution expressly provided that those rights can only be restored in a manner prescribed by law, and the authority to adopt such a law rests with the General Assembly, not with any court.”

But Jones told Dietz, “The trial court properly enjoined only the

racially discriminatory aspect of the law here, which was the denial of the franchise to people who are living in the community.”

The trial judges accepted arguments of trial witnesses that the 1973 law remained rooted in Reconstruction-era efforts by white politicians to intentionally prevent Black residents from voting.

Republican legislative leaders defending the law acknowledged the state’s voter suppression history but argued the changes made in the early 1970s — when the General Assembly was overwhelmingly Democratic — were hardly racist. Their attorneys told the court in briefs that the changes championed by the General Assembly’s few Black lawmakers at the time actually made it easier for felony offenders to vote by doing away with the requirement that they ask a judge to restore those rights, making it automatic after all penalties are complete.

“Something has gone awry when a signature achievement of the civil rights movement is invalidated on the basis of racial discrimination,” argued Peter Patterson, the GOP legislators’ attorney.

The plaintiffs presented evidence at trial that showed African Americans are denied the right to vote due to the felony supervision limits at nearly three times the rate of white felony offenders. But that has nothing to do with the law itself, Patterson said. The law treats all convict-

ed felons the same regardless of race, he added.

But Jones said under that type of logic a poll tax or literacy test — both used during the Jim Crow era to prevent Black residents from voting — would be lawful simply because a law’s text was racially neutral.

Daryl Atkinson, another attorney for the plaintiffs, told the justices that court fees, fines and other costs that a felony offender must pay in order to obtain their unconditional discharge equates to a property qualification to obtain a political right that the state constitution prohibits.

The median amount that North Carolina probationers owe is over $2,400, Atkinson said, and failing to pay “results in a multiyear extension of their disenfranchisement.”

Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican, questioned the broadness of Atkinson’s definition of property given the history of the state’s constitution. But Atkinson argued the constitution’s framers “envisioned that wealth would not be an exclusionary factor to being able to be a participant in the body politic.”

Opinions by the 4-3 Democratic majority on the court during the past two years blocked several laws or actions backed by the GOP-controlled General Assembly. They struck down redistricting plans drawn by legislators and the state’s latest photo voter identification law.

AP PHOTO

resident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia.

AP PHOTO, FILE

Dennis Gaddy, the co-founder of Community Success Initiative is shown at the Raleigh office in Dec. 2019.

Lonnie Baldwin

August 18, 1952 ~ January 30, 2023

It is with profound sadness and heavy heart that the Hoke County Board of Commissioners announce that Commissioner Lonnie Baldwin passed away on Monday January 30, 2023.

“We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Commissioner Baldwin. This is a tremendous loss for all of us. Commissioner Baldwin faithfully served Hoke County for over two years, and dedicated his life to serving and helping others. Commissioner Baldwin’s strong leadership and deep compassion for people made him a valued member on the Hoke County Board of Commissioners.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners always had the deepest respect and admiration for Commissioner Baldwin, and we were honored and proud to work with him throughout the years. He will be greatly missed by the Hoke County Board of Commissions and the Staff of Hoke County Government.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the late Commissioner’s wife Ava and his children as they grieve their loss.”

Ellen English Reich

July 12, 1946 ~ January 26, 2023

Ellen English Reich, of Morganton, NC, passed away on January 26, 2023, from cancer. She was predeceased by brothers Neill, Fred, and Larry, and she left behind sons Ron and Sam, and brother Marvin.

STATE & NATION

Republican-led committee targets COVID relief aid for review

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans last week began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as “indications of widespread fraud” in federal coronavirus aid programs.

More than 1,000 people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted on federal charges of defrauding the myriad COVID-19 relief programs that Congress established in the early days of the pandemic. More than 600 other people and entities face federal fraud charges.

But that’s just the start, according to investigators who testified as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held its first hearing in the new Congress on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Congress approved about $4.6 trillion in spending from six coronavirus relief laws, beginning in March 2020, when Donald Trump was in the White House and including the $1.9 trillion package that Democrats passed in the first months of the Biden presidency.

“We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman.

Gene L. Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Of-

fice, told lawmakers that it will be some time before the full extent of fraud is known. The inspector general for the Small Business Administration has more than 500 ongoing investigations involving loan programs designed to help businesses meet operating expenses during the pandemic. The Labor Department’s internal watchdog continues to open at least 100 unemployment in-

surance fraud investigations each week.

The GAO said the more than 1,000 convictions related to COVID-19 relief fraud are one measure of how extensive it was. “There are definitely indications of widespread fraud, but it’s impossible to estimate right now what the full extent will be,” Dodaro said.

Michael Horowitz, the Jus-

tice Department inspector general who chairs the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told lawmakers that the amount of fraud and misspent funds is “clearly in the tens of billions of dollars.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it exceeds ultimately more than $100 billion, but we have so much work to do,” Horowitz said. “So we’re going to be counting and figuring this out for years to come. We’re going to go after every penny we can.”

Some 20 inspectors general work collaboratively to investigate pandemic relief spending. Horowitz said data analysis is critical to their work.

For example, this week the committee issued a fraud alert regarding the use of questionable Social Security numbers to obtain $5.4 billion in pandemic-related loans and grants. He said a team of data scientist compared tens of millions of applications with data at the Social Security Administration to see if they fully matched the SSA’s records.

“Over 69,000 didn’t,” Horowitz said. “This type of advanced data analytics is transforming how we do oversight.”

To prevent fraud during future emergencies, Horowitz recommended that Congress permanently fund the committee’s data analytics center. He said the recent fraud alert identifying potentially $5.4 billion in fraud is 360

times the annual cost of operating such a platform, so the return on investment for taxpayers is clear.

One of the biggest factors in the COVID fraud that occurred was the need to get dollars out to people and businesses as quickly as possible. Horowitz said it is critical that agencies assess applicant eligibility before payments are sent out, but the SBA allowed entities applying for Paycheck Protection Program to self-certify they were eligible. He said that resulted in $3.6 billion going out to some 57,000 applicants on the federal government’s do-not pay list, “a list the SBA did not bother to cross-check.”

The House committee, which plans to examine an array of hot-button issues, includes some of the most strident critics of the Biden administration as well as some of its most ardent supporters. The clash in perspectives was evident from the start as Comer complained that the Biden administration faced little to no scrutiny last Congress.

“This committee has for too long stood on the sidelines while taxpayer dollars were wasted by bureaucrats whose only priority is getting money out the door,” Comer said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a statement after the hearing saying that Biden has empowered inspectors general to monitor COVID relief programs, secured money to strengthen anti-fraud measures and appointed a chief pandemic prosecutor.

“Many Republicans on the Oversight Committee defended the prior administration’s hand ling of these programs and opposed efforts to fund fraud prevention, yet are now using this issue to try to score political points,” Sams said.

10 states mull cross-border rules to tackle teacher shortage

By Jesse Bedayn

The Associated Press

DENVER — Every Colorado school district, like many across the country, began 2023 understaffed. That’s caused classes to be crammed together, school bus routes to shrink, Spanish language courses to get cut from curriculums, and field trips to be nixed.

This has prompted lawmakers in Colorado and other states to suggest legislation that would get rid of relicensing requirements for teachers when they move across state lines — an oftentimes cumbersome and costly process of waiting periods, licensing fees, and expensive exams.

The idea for an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense and is designed, in part, to support military spouses. It would effectively allow teaching licenses to be viable across members of the compact, cutting through the current 50-state patchwork of disparate requirements. Colorado’s House education committee voted to send the legislation forward in a hearing.

Nine other statehouses are considering joining the compact, including Hawaii, Washington, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi. For the compact to take effect, 10 states must approve it. The national teacher shortage,

exacerbated by deep losses during the pandemic, has left states scrambling to hire and retain educators. It’s pushed school districts across the South to accept candidates without teaching certificates or formal training to staunch the losses.

“The idea of this bill is that it removes a barrier for moving into the state,” said Colorado Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens, one of the bill’s sponsors. “By participating in this compact we will allow the seamless transfer of teachers

to our state while maintaining the integrity of our teacher licensing.”

Some worry the change won’t make significant difference as long as teachers are underpaid in a state with sky-high housing costs.

In 2020, Colorado paid teachers an estimated average of just over $60,000 annually, below the national average of about $65,000, according the National Center for Education Statistics, even though it’s one of the most expensive states to live in. On those salaries, only about 20% of available

homes in Colorado are affordable to teachers, according to a study by the Keystone Policy Center.

“I think this is another example of a solution that isn’t meeting the problem,” said Philip Qualman, superintendent at Eagle County School District, which includes the ski town of Vail west of Denver.

Qualman said the district is struggling with about 90 vacant positions — the most they’ve ever had — including custodians, teachers and bus drivers. Applicants who receive a job offer often end up turning it down when they can’t find housing within their budget, he said.

“I think it’s great to reduce the barriers to licensure for those who want to come here. But in reality, who’s going to want to come here when our compensation is so horrible?” Qualman said.

Adam Diersing, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments which is working with the Department of Defense in developing and spreading the compact, said “in past compacts we have not seen evidence that accessibility of a license is an impetus for somebody to move to a new state.”

Still, Diersing added that teachers move for a plethora of reasons, including caring for aging relatives or joining their military spouse, and that state licensing barriers can push them to leave the field altogether.

“This can be an effective tool to

keep folks in the profession when they want to,” said Diersing.

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, pointed to underfunding as principle cause of teacher shortages. Baca-Oehlert did testify in support of the bill at the hearing, arguing that “it certainly opens the door to addressing the bigger issue.”

“We need something that attracts them to our state,” Baca-Oehlert said in an interview after the hearing, adding that Colorado must also focus on retaining teachers.

Agreeing that underfunding is a key problem, Democratic Rep. Mary Young said “We have to continue to recognize that this is a destination state, we’ve seen the number of people moving here and we want to make their experiences positive.”

Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis declined to say whether he supports the measure or not.

The legislation is receiving tentative bipartisan support in Colorado, along with other states where the bill is pending. But Diersing, the policy analyst, was unsure whether enough legislatures will sign on to the compact in 2023 to launch it.

He did point to the Nurse Licensing Compact, which passed in 2000 and now has 39 members states as of last year. As for the proposed teacher compact: “It’s tough to say.”

AP PHOTO

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., center, joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, the ranking member, leads a hearing on fraud and waste in the COVID-19 relief programs, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this Aug. 2020 file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops.

Forsyth Co. middle school athletics getting boost from Winston-Salem Open

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Winston-Salem Open

makes donation to middle school athletics

Forsyth County

The Winston-Salem Open, presented by Flow Automotive and Truist, is pleased to announce a $25,000 donation to the WinstonSalem/Forsyth County Schools middle school athletic programs from a portion of the proceeds from the 2022 tournament.

We are so proud to support our community. It is our honor to give back to the city that serves as our home,” says Winston-Salem Open Tournament Director Jeff Ryan.

This brings the two-year total of donations to WSFCS to $50,000. The tournament will also invest $8,000 into grassroots community tennis programs within the Winston-Salem community$4,000 to Winston-Salem Tennis, Inc. and $4,000 to the Kimberley Park Tennis Association. Both organizations focus on low- or nocost programming for underserved populations and providing play opportunities for thousands of local community members.

“It’s a great gift for us to encourage not only the next generation of tennis players, who might not always have access to equipment, instruction or courts, but to also energize our local players to keep going with this sport which you really can play for a lifetime,” Ryan added.

The $33,000 total gift is the result of the eight-day event held at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex between August 20 through August 27, 2022.

“It is a core value at the Winston-Salem Open to support the city that supports the tournament. We know that sports, especially for young people, improve cognitive development and skills, create friendships, and improve overall self-esteem,” says Winston-Salem Professional Tennis Board Chair Don Flow.

Ryan presented the donation to the school board at their recent meeting on January 24.

Winston-Salem Dash announce 2023 field staff

Quiroz, Ely, and Wooten return to Winston, join two newcomers

Twin City Herald

The Winston-Salem Dash, in conjunction with the Chicago White Sox, are excited to announce the Winston-Salem Dash field staff for the 2023 season. Guillermo Quiroz will make his debut as Manager for the Dash, alongside Pitching Coach John Ely, and Hitting Coach Jason Krizan. Carson Wooten returns as the Athletic Trainer, and the Dash welcome Logan Jones as the team’s Performance Coach.

Manager Guillermo

Quiroz takes a step up from Single-A Kannapolis after managing the Cannon Ballers for the past two seasons. Quiroz was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and earned MLB playing time for

Toronto in 2004. After his time with the Blue Jays ended in 2005, the Venezuelan catcher went on to play between the major and minor league levels for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians. After his retirement, Quiroz brought 19 years of playing experience to the Winston-Salem Dash as a coach in 2018 and later to the Charlotte Knights in 2019.

The White Sox soon named Quiroz manager of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, where his 2020 managerial debut was put on hold until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Quiroz brings with him a new Pitching Coach in John Ely, who has also spent the last two seasons in Kannapolis. Ely grew up in Harvey, Illinois and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox as a pitcher out of Miami University (OH) in 2007. He spent the 2008 season

“I am confident that these coaches will put the best product on the field and give our fans an unforgettable baseball experience in 2023.”

Dash GM Brian DeAngelis

between the Great Falls Voyagers and the Winston-Salem Warthogs and pitched his way to Double-A Birmingham in 2009. Shortly after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ely made his MLB debut in April of 2010 and spent time with the Dodgers between 2010 and 2011. After playing in the Astros, Red Sox and Brewers organizations, Ely transitioned to a coaching role within the White Sox system. He served as Pitch-

WSFCS BoE approve School and Staff Calendar for

2022 financial audit findings presented to

board

the

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County

Board of Education met

Tuesday, January 24.

The board was first presented with the final draft of the 20232024 School and Staff Calendar.

“When we put this calendar together, we put together a group of individuals throughout the district,” said Chief Operations Officer Lauren Richards. “We had

2023-24 school year

representation from human resources, from child nutrition, other departments that came out of central office, but we also brought in school members to the table. On the committee this year, we also had principals from various levels, assistant principals, school counselors and a few teachers as well.”

According to Richards, the calendar mirrors the 2022-23 calendar almost identically outside of an additional teacher workday in February.

However, despite interest around a potential earlier start date, the board expressed their concern with going against state law. “I know that we had an over-

“I’m not sure I want to break the law until we figure out what happens to those that have.”

Superintendent Tricia McManus

whelming number of folks that wanted us to push to start earlier,” said board member Sabrina Coone. “I just want to state for the record that although other districts are doing that, the risk is

ing Coach for the Great Falls Voyagers from 2017-2019, with a brief stop in Winston-Salem in early 2019. Ely was scheduled to return to Great Falls in 2020, but was named Pitching Coach for Kannapolis when minor league play resumed in 2021.

Hitting Coach, Jason Krizan, makes his MiLB coaching debut after an 11-year professional playing career. After a successful campaign at Dallas Baptist University, the Austin, Texas-native was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and shaped himself into effective utility player at the higher levels of the Tigers’ minor league organization. After his time with the Tigers, Krizan signed minor league contracts with the New York Mets in 2018 and the San Francisco Giants in 2020. In 2022, Krizan was posted to the Giants’ 40-man roster on April 29. He made his MLB debut on the same day, starting in left field and collecting his first major league hit.

Athletic Trainer, Carson Wooten, returns for a third season with the Dash. Wooten hails from California and is a graduate of Boise State University. Before making his Dash debut in 2021, he spent time with the Boston Red Sox or-

See DASH, page 2

Left to right, Alexis McCoy (Athletic Director for WS/FC Middle Schools), Jeff Ryan (WS Open Tournament Director), Deana Kaplan (School Board President) and Tricia McManus (Superintendent) were on hand for the presentation of the $25,000 donation to WS/ FCS middle school athletics. Read more below.

Get in touch

Twin City Herald

DEATH NOTICES

♦ Nancy Carolyn Denny Barr, 85, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 2, 2023.

♦ Jesse “Ray” Benton, 85, of Forsyth County, died Feb. 2, 2023.

♦ Florence Evelyn Cable, 93, of Clemmons, died Feb. 1, 2023.

♦ Jack Dean Callahan, 85, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 3, 2023.

♦ Paul Eugene Cunningham, 89, of Clemmons, died Feb. 4, 2023.

♦ J. Michael Dickey, 80, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 3, 2023.,

♦ Frances Young Dunn, 103, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 1, 2023.

♦ Paul J. Furrow, 60, of WinstonSalem, died Feb. 2, 2023.

♦ Arzie Greene, 96, of Kernersville, died Feb. 2, 2023.

♦ James William Harrison, 76, of Kernersville, died Feb. 3, 2023.

♦ June Wright Lowe, 80, of Cumberland County, died Feb. 1, 2023.

♦ James William “Bill” McGlamery, 79, of Forsyth County, died Feb. 1, 2023.

♦ Mary Jo McKimmie,78, of Lewisville, died Feb. 3, 2023.

♦ Kimrey Lee Owens, 70, of Walkertown, died Feb. 2, 2023.

♦ Benzena Dargan Purvis, 93, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 1, 2023.

♦ Charlene Hedrick Reid, 72, of Winston-Salem, died Feb. 2nd, 2023.

♦ Ellen Huffstetler Ringer, 80, of Greenville, died Feb. 3, 2023.

♦ Jean Iris Frazier Robertson, 90, of Guilford County, died Feb. 3,

♦ Harvey

♦ Jane

♦ Howard Ray

| BEN SHAPIRO

When black police officers kill a black man, that’s white supremacy

LAST WEEK, tape emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, of five black police officers engaging in the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man. Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, according to the officers; they ordered him to get on the ground and to give them his hands; he did not comply and instead began to run. When the officers caught up with him, they pummeled him, complete with strikes to the head, while his hands were being held behind his back. Nichols died in the hospital.

The five officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were fired from the police department.

The national media coverage was swift — and confused. For some in the media, the narrative was clear: the police are generally brutal, and thus must be dramatically curbed. “The issue here, as plenty of people have pointed out, is not black versus white, it’s blue versus the rest of us,” said MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. “You can’t reform this stuff with body cameras or diversifying the police, as we just saw in Memphis.” Instead, Hasan suggested, abolition of the police might be a possible solution.

This solution, of course, is no solution at all: Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of violent or property crime in the city are one in 12. And we know with statistical near-certainty that high-profile cases of police misconduct generally result in police standdowns — which in turn result in more crime. As professors Tanaya Devi and Roland Freyer found in 2020, “all investigations that were preceded

DASH from page 1

ganization as well as the Great Falls Voyagers, former rookie affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Wooten and the Dash coaching staff will work in tandem with Performance Coach, Logan Jones, who returns to his home state of

COMMISSIONERS from page 1 much higher than the reward because some of those districts are being sued.”

Current state calendar law states that the school year cannot start any earlier than the Monday closest to August 26 and has to end by Friday closest to June 11.

“This is something that comes up monthly in superintendent meetings and in those, some of the districts have said, ‘You know what?

We’re not going to follow the law, we’re going to move forward,’ and yes, from what I understand, some of those districts are being sued for that,” said Superintendent Tricia McManus. “We also would love to start a little bit earlier and get exams done before the breaks. We definitely would want to do that, and I’m used to that kind of schedule, but right now in our calendar law, it is very clear what it says. I’m not sure I want to break the law until we figure out what happens to

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ AGUILAR, BULMARO ELIAS was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 2/5/2023 Bauguess, David Allen (M/35) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 1610 Old Hollow Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on

2/3/2023 18:54.

♦ Broderson, Ira Austin (M/45) Arrest on chrg of 1) Order For Arrest (M) and 2) Ofa/ fta-second Degree Trespass (M), at 3759 Fraternity Church Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/4/2023 10:54.

♦ Brown, Kierre Triston (M/22) Arrest on chrg of Ccw, M (M), at 5199 Peters Creek Pw/fishel Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/2/2023 00:20.

♦ CALHOUN, JUSTIN ISAIAH was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED IV at 1998 S STRATFORD RD/HANES MALL BV on 2/4/2023

♦ CLARK, CHARIS LAMONT was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 100 W FIFTH ST on 2/4/2023

♦ Coachman, Khylisha Michelle (F/24) Arrest on chrg of 1) Order For Arrest (M), 2) Ofa/ fta-m-aid & Abet Larceny (m) (M), and 3) Ofa/fta-m-simple Affray (M), at 799 N Cleveland Av/n Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/2/2023 13:51.

♦ CONRAD, JOSE ELMO was arrested on a charge of 2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 1522 NORTH LIBERTY STREET on 2/4/2023

♦ Covington, James Christopher (M/37) Arrest on chrg of Possession Control Substance Jail (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/1/2023 14:05.

♦ DICKENS, ANTHONY THEODORE was

by ‘viral’ incidents of deadly force have led to a large and statistically significant increase in homicides and total crime.”

A second media narrative quickly emerged from the Nichols killing: despite the fact that all involved were black, that the Memphis Police Department is majority black, that the chief of police is black — the killing was a result of “white supremacy.” The Washington Post headlined, “Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.” Van Jones opined at CNN.com, “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of intersectionality, explained, “One cannot imagine this happening in a well-heeled white community. That is a racial problem that the law has consistently said is a non-problem.”

This narrative, like the first, is designed to avoid solutions. If all policing is the result of structures of white supremacy, the only answer is to abolish policing. If each individual instance of police brutality, no matter the race of the officers, is an example of racism, then the only way to alleviate police brutality is by completely restructuring American society — which is just what those like Crenshaw propose. The result won’t be a safer America, but a much less safe and more fractious one.

In reality, instances of police brutality cross races. Whether it’s Daniel Shaver being shot to death in a hotel while attempting to comply with police demands in 2016 or whether it’s two Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies beating Randal Worcester in August 2022, white victims of police brutality aren’t hard to find. Some police brutality can undoubtedly be curbed by better recruitment and training. But if we wish to actually lower the number of encounters between a given population and the police, thus reducing the number of possible violent interactions, the most obvious method would be to reduce criminal activity — which requires more policing and more law-abiding behavior.

None of this should be controversial. But solutions aren’t what advocates of police abolition or critical race theory are looking for. They’re looking for revolution. And all revolutions have casualties.

Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

North Carolina. Jones grew up in Zebulon, NC and spent four seasons playing baseball at Guilford College. While at Guilford, he earned degrees in Exercise and Sport Sciences & Health Sciences. After graduation, Jones spent time at the University of Kentucky and Wake Forest University before joining the

those that have. But I will say that we just need to know that it is part of the law and as superintendents continue to bring it up to our legislatures, asking if they would please seek policy change on that, it just has not happened.”

The board approved the calendar with a change to make January 2 a teacher workday as opposed to a central office only work day.

The board was then presented with the findings from their FY2022 Fiscal Audit Report which produced an unmodified opinion.

The official statement presented by FORVIS, who completed the audit for WSFCS, stated:

“In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the governmental activities, the business-type activities of each major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information of the Board, as of June 30, 2022 and the respective changes

arrested on a charge of DISCHARGING FIREARMS at OLD LEXINGTON on 2/3/2023

♦ Dixon, Shane Lee (M/35) Arrest on chrg of Rec/poss Stole Mv (F), at 5878 Graham Farm Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/4/2023 21:40.

♦ DOUTHIT, SHERRY ANN was arrested on a charge of VIO. PROTECTIVE ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER STATE/ INDIAN TRIBE at CAESAR DR on 2/4/2023

♦ Eldridge, Braxton Charles (M/20) Arrest on chrg of Possession Control Substance Jail (F), at 201 N Church St, Winstonsalem, NC, on 2/6/2023 12:05.

Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2018.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new staff to Winston-Salem. It is a pleasure to have Carson Wooten back as well. I am confident that these coaches will put the best product on the field and give our fans an unforgettable baseball experience

in financial position and, where applicable, cash flows thereof and the respective budgetary comparison for the General Fund, State Public School Fund, Special Revenue Fund, and Federal Grants Fund for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

As final actions, the board approved an easement at 890 E 11th Street for Duke Energy to move utility services underground, approved the low bid from Westbend Construction for the renovation of 3810 Liberty Street, the reallocation of $450,000 through the 2016 Bond Fund, a revision to Policy 5140: Child Abuse and Neglect to codify changes made by the general assembly, a revision to Policy 9000: Bylaws to adjust the start times for the standing committee meetings, a $267,056 change order for Ersoy Brake Appleyard for extended design services for Philo-Hill, and a $56,600 change order for Edifice

in 2023,” said Dash President & General Manager, Brian DeAngelis.

The Dash begin their 2023 season with a three-game series on the road against the Hickory Crawdads beginning on Thursday, April 6. The Dash play their home opener against the Brooklyn Cyclones on Tuesday, April 11.

for preconstruction services at Philo-Hill.

Those phases of the Philo-Hill project had been estimated to be completed within 12 months, but had been extended to over three years and as such, some board members asked for a clarification of the current scope of the project.

“What we’re moving toward is to renovate the core part of the building,” said Director of Facilities and Construction Nick Seeba. “So there’s a gym, CTE area, the administrative area of the school and the kitchen/cafeteria space that will all be renovated. I kind of look at it as a horseshoe or ‘U.’ That will stay as a footprint of a building and then what will happen is the classroom wings that kind of move down the hill towards the soccer field, those will be demolished and we’ll build back a three-story classroom wing along with a new media center and kitchen/cafeteria space.”

The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet February 14.

828 E DEVONSHIRE ST on 2/4/2023

♦ NOYOLAMORALES, ANTONY ANTONY was arrested on a charge of CCWFIREARM at 5208 RAINWOOD DR on 2/3/2023

♦ POWERS, RONALD ELLIOTT was arrested on a charge of VIO. PROTECTIVE ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER STATE/ INDIAN TRIBE at 2000 GRIFFITH RD on 2/5/2023

♦ QUICK, JEFFERY MAURICE was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 243 S STRATFORD RD on 2/3/2023

♦ Ivester, Trevor Alan (M/34) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at 200 N. Main St, Winston Salem, NC, on 2/1/2023

♦ JOHNSON, DEANNA CHANTELLE was arrested on a charge of DRUGS-POSS SCHED II at 320 E HANES MILL RD on 2/3/2023

♦ Lyles, Christopher Lee (M/47) Arrest on chrg of 1) Fail To Appear/compl (M),

♦ Reynolds, Tonya Stowe (F/55) Arrest on chrg of 1) Vand-personal Prop (M), 2) Vand-personal Prop (M), and 3) Vandpersonal Prop (M), at 200 N Liberty St, Winston-salem, NC, on 2/2/2023 ♦ 13:10. RICE, BENNIE AMOS was arrested on a charge of2ND DEGREE TRESPASS at 1651 CHARITY LN on 2/3/2023

COLUMN

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Orioles CEO, brother agree to dismiss legal dispute

Baltimore Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos and his brother Lou have agreed to end their fight over a lawsuit in which Lou accused John of seizing control of the team in defiance of their father Peter’s wishes. Lou Angelos sued John last year, claiming John took control of the Orioles at his expense. Georgia Angelos, their mother, also was named as a defendant. John, Lou, Georgia and Peter Angelos called on “all claims, including all counterclaims and defenses” to be dismissed in a court filing in the case Friday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Minnesota-Illinois postponed for COVID-19 in Gophers program

Minneapolis

Minnesota’s game at Illinois has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Gophers’ program. The teams had been scheduled to play Tuesday and will meet on Feb. 20 instead. Minnesota’s announcement did not specify how many players would have been unable to play. The Gophers had only eight available scholarship players for their last game when they lost 81-46 to Maryland. The game will be rescheduled by the Big Ten with input from both schools. Minnesota is next scheduled to host Iowa this Sunday. Illinois will host No. 24 Rutgers this Saturday.

NFL Vikings hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator

Minneapolis

The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator. The Vikings are trying to revive a once-dominant unit that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh. He spent three years as head coach in Miami prior to that. Flores, who is black, was fired by the Dolphins. He then filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL. Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense before he went to Miami.

NBA Suns president, CEO Jason Rowley leaves team

Phoenix Phoenix Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley has decided to leave the team as the franchise moves forward with ownership changes, according to The Associated Press. A source said Rowley’s departure was “shared internally” within the Suns organization on Monday. Rowley’s resignation comes in the midst of big changes in Phoenix. Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia is expected to be the team’s new majority owner in the coming weeks if the NBA’s board of governors approves his plan to purchase the controlling stake of the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver.

Kyrie Irving traded to Mavericks

wasn’t with the Mavs at the start of a five-game trip out West after bruising his right heel in the final home game before the trip. He was ruled out of the second game on the trip at Utah on Monday night.

The Associated Press DALLAS — Luka Doncic has his co-star, and the Dallas Mavericks are set for their season essentially to start over after trading for Kyrie Irving.

The blockbuster deal with Brooklyn sending the former Duke star to the Mavericks became official Monday, two days before what figures to be his Dallas debut at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dallas also gets Markieff Morris in a trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round choices to the Nets.

It’s unknown if Doncic will be available against the Clippers. He

Whenever the All-Stars do get on the court together, Doncic and Irving instantly become one of the NBA’s top duos in a tightly packed Western Conference.

Doncic is in a dead heat for the scoring lead with fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and is the only one of the seven current 30-point scorers also averaging at least eight rebounds and eight assists per game. Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds. The West has several title-contending teams beyond defending champion Golden State, which eliminated the Mavs in the conference finals last season.

Dallas is in a group of nine teams that started Monday within one loss of each other. It covers teams currently fourth, the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round, through 12th, two positions out of the postseason play-in tournament.

The 13th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were just another two losses behind those bunchedup playoff hopefuls.

Dallas made the bold move to pair Doncic with Irving after the Nets’ attempt to do the same with Irving and Kevin Durant never had much chance to click in three-plus seasons.

The trade came two days after Irving told the Nets he wanted out by Thursday’s league deadline, after talks about a contract beyond this season didn’t go to his liking.

For now, Irving is set to become

a free agent after the season. But future negotiations will involve Dallas general manager, who was a Nike executive before taking over the Mavericks in 2021.

Irving had a relationship with Nike for the entirety of his NBA career until earlier this season, when the sneaker giant dropped him and canceled the planned release of his next signature shoe just before it dropped. It was part of the massive fallout from Irving posting a link to an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.

That was one of many drama-filled sagas that marked Irving’s time with the Nets. He wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, because of New York City workplace rules, had to miss most of Brooklyn’s home games last season. He also took two leaves of absence during the 2020-21 season.

He has also expressed no shortage of controversial opinions during his career — including repeated questioning whether the Earth was round before eventually apologizing to science teachers.

Sean Payton wants to bring old-school style to Broncos

The new coach says quarterback Russell Wilson’s personal coach will not be welcome

The Associated Press

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton is bringing an old-school style sown by his mentor Bill Parcells and steeped in discipline and accountability as he takes over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach.

One thing that means is that Russell Wilson will no longer have his own entourage at the team’s headquarters as he did this past season.

Payton was introduced as the franchise’s 20th head coach Monday and he was asked in an informal gathering with reporters afterward about Wilson’s personal QB coach being on the premises in 2022, when Wilson suffered through the worst statistical season of his career.

“Yeah, that’s foreign to me,” Payton said. “That’s not going to take place here. I mean, I’m unfamiliar with it. But our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be that.”

Members of Wilson’s support team having access to the building was one of many perks allowed the quarterback last season by general manager George Payton and rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired Dec. 26. Given Payton’s stance on that

matter, Wilson might also have to surrender his extra parking spaces and private upstairs office.

We also could see less of his globetrotting jaunts on social media and maybe his teammates will have to make do without the air hockey and gaming chairs that were part of Hackett’s conversion of the reporters’ workroom into a splashy players arcade a year ago.

The new head coach is all business, concerned not with creature comforts but about changing a losing culture that has permeated the

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions.”

Sean Payton, new Broncos coach

seconds led Paton to lure longtime assistant Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to handle those duties for Hackett, who also gave up play-calling duties later in the season.

franchise.

The Broncos surrendered their first-round pick, No. 29 overall, in the upcoming draft to the New Orleans Saints to sign Payton to a fiveyear deal worth around $18 million a year.

Payton made a point of not piling on the former regime, but he did have this to say when asked about his game management skills: “I don’t anticipate the crowd having to count down the 30-second clock” as it did in Hackett’s home debut.

Fans mocking counting down the

Rosburg coached the final two games after Hackett’s dismissal when Wilson finally played like the nine-time Pro Bowler he is, something Payton mentioned Monday when asked about helping Wilson bounce back in 2023.

“I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players is what are the things that they do really well and then let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s a starting point, and I think it’s important to highlight their strengths and minimize any weaknesses,” Payton said.

Payton went 161-97, including playoffs, in 15 seasons in New Orleans before stepping down last year when Drew Brees retired.

The former Duke point guard’s three-plus seasons in Brooklyn came to an end

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks on Monday.

AP PHOTO Sean Payton is introduced Monday as the new coach of the Denver Broncos.

STATE & NATION

Republican-led committee targets COVID relief aid for review

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans last week began their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, focusing on what watchdogs described as “indications of widespread fraud” in federal coronavirus aid programs.

More than 1,000 people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted on federal charges of defrauding the myriad COVID-19 relief programs that Congress established in the early days of the pandemic. More than 600 other people and entities face federal fraud charges.

But that’s just the start, according to investigators who testified as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held its first hearing in the new Congress on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Congress approved about $4.6 trillion in spending from six coronavirus relief laws, beginning in March 2020, when Donald Trump was in the White House and including the $1.9 trillion package that Democrats passed in the first months of the Biden presidency.

“We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman.

Gene L. Dodaro, head of the Government Accountability Of-

fice, told lawmakers that it will be some time before the full extent of fraud is known. The inspector general for the Small Business Administration has more than 500 ongoing investigations involving loan programs designed to help businesses meet operating expenses during the pandemic. The Labor Department’s internal watchdog continues to open at least 100 unemployment in-

surance fraud investigations each week.

The GAO said the more than 1,000 convictions related to COVID-19 relief fraud are one measure of how extensive it was.

“There are definitely indications of widespread fraud, but it’s impossible to estimate right now what the full extent will be,” Dodaro said.

Michael Horowitz, the Jus-

tice Department inspector general who chairs the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told lawmakers that the amount of fraud and misspent funds is “clearly in the tens of billions of dollars.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it exceeds ultimately more than $100 billion, but we have so much work to do,” Horowitz said. “So we’re going to be counting and figuring this out for years to come. We’re going to go after every penny we can.”

Some 20 inspectors general work collaboratively to investigate pandemic relief spending. Horowitz said data analysis is critical to their work.

For example, this week the committee issued a fraud alert regarding the use of questionable Social Security numbers to obtain $5.4 billion in pandemic-related loans and grants. He said a team of data scientist compared tens of millions of applications with data at the Social Security Administration to see if they fully matched the SSA’s records.

“Over 69,000 didn’t,” Horowitz said. “This type of advanced data analytics is transforming how we do oversight.” To prevent fraud during future emergencies, Horowitz recommended that Congress permanently fund the committee’s data analytics center. He said the recent fraud alert identifying potentially $5.4 billion in fraud is 360

times the annual cost of operating such a platform, so the return on investment for taxpayers is clear.

One of the biggest factors in the COVID fraud that occurred was the need to get dollars out to people and businesses as quickly as possible. Horowitz said it is critical that agencies assess applicant eligibility before payments are sent out, but the SBA allowed entities applying for Paycheck Protection Program to self-certify they were eligible. He said that resulted in $3.6 billion going out to some 57,000 applicants on the federal government’s do-not pay list, “a list the SBA did not bother to cross-check.”

The House committee, which plans to examine an array of hot-button issues, includes some of the most strident critics of the Biden administration as well as some of its most ardent supporters. The clash in perspectives was evident from the start as Comer complained that the Biden administration faced little to no scrutiny last Congress.

“This committee has for too long stood on the sidelines while taxpayer dollars were wasted by bureaucrats whose only priority is getting money out the door,” Comer said.

White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a statement after the hearing saying that Biden has empowered inspectors general to monitor COVID relief programs, secured money to strengthen anti-fraud measures and appointed a chief pandemic prosecutor.

“Many Republicans on the Oversight Committee defended the prior administration’s hand ling of these programs and opposed efforts to fund fraud prevention, yet are now using this issue to try to score political points,” Sams said.

10 states mull cross-border rules to tackle teacher shortage

By Jesse Bedayn

The Associated Press

DENVER — Every Colorado school district, like many across the country, began 2023 understaffed. That’s caused classes to be crammed together, school bus routes to shrink, Spanish language courses to get cut from curriculums, and field trips to be nixed.

This has prompted lawmakers in Colorado and other states to suggest legislation that would get rid of relicensing requirements for teachers when they move across state lines — an oftentimes cumbersome and costly process of waiting periods, licensing fees, and expensive exams.

The idea for an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense and is designed, in part, to support military spouses. It would effectively allow teaching licenses to be viable across members of the compact, cutting through the current 50-state patchwork of disparate requirements.

Colorado’s House education committee voted to send the legislation forward in a hearing.

Nine other statehouses are considering joining the compact, including Hawaii, Washington, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi. For the compact to take effect, 10 states must approve it.

The national teacher shortage,

exacerbated by deep losses during the pandemic, has left states scrambling to hire and retain educators. It’s pushed school districts across the South to accept candidates without teaching certificates or formal training to staunch the losses.

“The idea of this bill is that it removes a barrier for moving into the state,” said Colorado Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens, one of the bill’s sponsors. “By participating in this compact we will allow the seamless transfer of teachers

to our state while maintaining the integrity of our teacher licensing.”

Some worry the change won’t make significant difference as long as teachers are underpaid in a state with sky-high housing costs.

In 2020, Colorado paid teachers an estimated average of just over $60,000 annually, below the national average of about $65,000, according the National Center for Education Statistics, even though it’s one of the most expensive states to live in. On those salaries, only about 20% of available

homes in Colorado are affordable to teachers, according to a study by the Keystone Policy Center.

“I think this is another example of a solution that isn’t meeting the problem,” said Philip Qualman, superintendent at Eagle County School District, which includes the ski town of Vail west of Denver.

Qualman said the district is struggling with about 90 vacant positions — the most they’ve ever had — including custodians, teachers and bus drivers. Applicants who receive a job offer often end up turning it down when they can’t find housing within their budget, he said.

“I think it’s great to reduce the barriers to licensure for those who want to come here. But in reality, who’s going to want to come here when our compensation is so horrible?” Qualman said.

Adam Diersing, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments which is working with the Department of Defense in developing and spreading the compact, said “in past compacts we have not seen evidence that accessibility of a license is an impetus for somebody to move to a new state.”

Still, Diersing added that teachers move for a plethora of reasons, including caring for aging relatives or joining their military spouse, and that state licensing barriers can push them to leave the field altogether.

“This can be an effective tool to

keep folks in the profession when they want to,” said Diersing.

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, pointed to underfunding as principle cause of teacher shortages. Baca-Oehlert did testify in support of the bill at the hearing, arguing that “it certainly opens the door to addressing the bigger issue.”

“We need something that attracts them to our state,” Baca-Oehlert said in an interview after the hearing, adding that Colorado must also focus on retaining teachers.

Agreeing that underfunding is a key problem, Democratic Rep. Mary Young said “We have to continue to recognize that this is a destination state, we’ve seen the number of people moving here and we want to make their experiences positive.”

Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis declined to say whether he supports the measure or not.

The legislation is receiving tentative bipartisan support in Colorado, along with other states where the bill is pending. But Diersing, the policy analyst, was unsure whether enough legislatures will sign on to the compact in 2023 to launch it.

He did point to the Nurse Licensing Compact, which passed in 2000 and now has 39 members states as of last year. As for the proposed teacher compact: “It’s tough to say.”

AP PHOTO House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., center, joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, the ranking member, leads a hearing on fraud and waste in the COVID-19 relief programs, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this Aug. 2020 file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops.

MOORE COUNTY

Local signing day

From left: Lauren Jefferson,softball at William Peace University; Karma Morrison, softball at Salem College; Lauren Wimberly, track and field at UNC Charlotte; Ella Pate, volleyball at Middlebury College; (back) Roston Barber, football at UNC Pembroke; Zack Gilbertson, cross country at Ole Miss; Shaun Thomas, track and field at High Point University; Eric Fruge, lacrosse at Mount Olive University, John Luke Taylor, football at Lenoir-Rhyne University; Michael Suther, football at St Andrews University; Wade Harris, football at North Carolina Central University and Nahjiir Seagraves, football at St. Andrews University.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Boys & Girls Club of the Sandhills receives Hero of Youth Award

The Boys & Girls Club of the Sandhills recently received a Hero of Youth Award from the national Boys & Girls Club of America for their advocacy on behalf of Moore County’s youth. They were recognized, in part, due to their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many local branches of the Boys & Girls Club to address new challenges facing the youth. During the crisis, Boys & Girls Clubs partnered with public officials to help meet communities’ larger needs, such as providing childcare for healthcare professionals and other essential workers, meals, and virtual learning to fill educational gaps.

Sponsors needed to help provide NC summer meals

Over 900,000 North Carolina students rely on the meals and snacks served during the school year through the breakfast, lunch, and afterschool meals programs provided at their schools. Schools and community organizations are currently needed to serve as sponsors for Summer Nutrition Programs this year to help ensure that children with limited access to food at home get the nutritious meals they need for optimal growth, development, and overall well-being. Meal sites may be located at schools, public housing centers, playgrounds, camps, parks, medical centers, faith-based facilities, libraries, and various other locations. To learn more about the NC Summer Nutrition Programs and how your organization may become involved in providing summer meals to children in your community, please visit the NCDPI Summer Nutrition website https://www.dpi.nc.gov/ districts-schools/districtoperations/school-nutrition/ school-nutrition-programs/ summer-nutrition-programs.

Education nonprofit unveils top five priorities for 2023

Topics included higher teacher pay, added mental health services, more “culturally responsive teaching,” gun control, and a full implementation of the Leandro case remedial plan.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Education policymakers, members of think tanks, elected officials and other stakeholders gathered for the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s (PSFNC) 2023 Eggs and Issue forum held at N.C. State’s McKimmon Center in Raleigh on Jan. 31.

The top five priorities presented by PSFNC included: Ensure fair and competitive compensation for educators

Address the root causes of mental health and school safety crises

Grow, retain and diversify the teacher pipeline Prepare students for the world

they live in

Implement, monitor, and evaluate the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan Opening remarks unveiling the priorities were given by PSFNC’s senior director of policy and research Dr. Lauren Fox, and PSFNC’s president and executive director, Dr. Mary Ann Wolf.

Both Fox urged lawmakers in the room to fully fund all aspects of education while claiming the $100m appropriated in the last budget for educator pay increases was “not enough.” She also said the principal pay plan needs to increase. She said these increases are “not extravagant,” and we need to pay teachers a “living wage.”

Wolf referred to today’s students as the “gun violence generation” and said ease of access to guns by kids is a big issue, and lawmakers need to make laws for the safe storage of firearms and adopt federal gun bans. North Carolina already has a safe storage law on the books to protect minors, and recently proposed legislation would

Aberdeen swears in eight new, full-time firefighters

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ABERDEEN

– The Aberdeen Town Board began its Monday, January 24, regular meeting with some positive news by recognizing and swearing in eight new fulltime firefighters.

“I feel very blessed that we were able to hire eight,” said Fire Chief Phillip Richardson. “I’ve talked with FEMA and several other departments across the country that were awarded the SAFER grant, and they are having a lot of difficulty getting the people hired, and we were able to hire all of ours in one thing.”

“Six of these personnel are through what we call SAFER. They are FEMA employed and paid by a grant, and actually, $835,000 of their salary over the next few years is paid for. We’ve been very lucky over the years, this is the third time that we have received this SAFER grant, and the SAFER grant is through the US Fire. Formerly Homeland Security had ended up giving us around $3

million, and this will be our 18th full-time employee we’ve been able to get funded.”

“Aberdeen is fortunate,” said Mayor Robert Farrell. “It did not take that long for this town to hire eight firefighters, and I know there is a shortage out there, but we found eight in about a threemonth period. That’s pretty remarkable to find eight firefighters in three months. And obviously, they’ve come to the best fire department in Moore County, so that’s another step right there. Moore County is fortunate because the Aberdeen Fire Department not only does Aberdeen, but it does Moore County, and it goes into Hoke County. We’ve had services in Richmond County and sent fire trucks down there. So we’re lucky, and everybody goes to sleep at night knowing these young men and ladies are on duty.”

The board also heard from a representative of Lighthorse Trace regarding a request for a speed reduction in the neighborhood.

“We had an annual meeting in December, and at that time,

create a public education campaign on firearm safety.

Wolf also said youth suicides have doubled in recent years and that “Kids have the right to feel safe and supported at school.” She said the state falls below the recommended ratios for school psychologists and social workers.

Teacher vacancies are due to “attrition,” according to Wolf, but the most recent state of the teaching profession report shows last year’s attrition rates are in line with previous years. Wolf also said there are “barriers” to becoming a teacher and suggested removing the PRAXIS Core licensure assessment, along with raising compensation and expanding teacher satisfaction surveys.

A bulletpoint included in PSFNC’s priorities calls for increasing state-funded base pay for teachers by 24.5% to reach the national average and eliminate the teacher pay penalty. Additionally, teachers should be paid for additional duties.

North Carolina’s average sal-

we had a vote of our membership, and they have requested that we reduce the speed limit in our neighborhood from 25 mph to 15 mph,” said the President of Lighthorse Trace HOA Pat McLaughlin. “That may seem very low, however, if you come to our community, you will find that the road is narrow, 50% of the homes are people who are retired, we have people walking dogs, there are no sidewalks, and it’s a big circle. So, it’s one endless turn. We feel like 25 is simply too fast.”

The board directed the chief of police to inspect the request as any official potential speed reduction first requires a recommendation by the chief to ensure that a change would be safe and that no additional measures would be required.

“We’ve got a problem everywhere in Aberdeen with people driving too fast,” Farrell said. “All the neighborhoods are seeing the same thing. It’s a problem because everybody is in a hurry, and I’m not sure why they want to get there that fast, but they do. We’ve been looking into ways to try and slow some of this traffic down. People have come up with the idea of putting up a speed hump, and that’s fine until somebody says, ‘Well, I

ary last school year was just over $53,450, and the beginning teacher salary stands at $37,000, which PSFNC says is below the state’s “minimum living wage” of around $48,346.

The proposed increase of 24.5% for pay could be drawn from district unspent pandemic relief funds as some lawmakers have noted, including Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), who stated in his remarks on the opening day of the current session that “We must disabuse ourselves of the notion that more money alone buys positive outcomes for our students.”

PSFNC claims the national average salary for teachers increased by 3% during the time periods of 1999-2000 to 2020-2021 and that the average North Carolina teacher salary dropped 11.5% for the same periods.

Notably missing from PSFNC’s claim is that the General Assembly has raised the average teacher pay by roughly 20% since 2014, the third-highest set of pay increases in the country. Just prior to the start of the pandemic in January 2020, Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a budget that would have included the sixth and seventh consecutive pay raises for teachers in the state.

“Climate change,” “systemic racism,” and “deep political divides”

See EDUCATION, page 2

PHOTO BY DAVID SINCLAIR

FIREFIGHTERS, from page 1

don’t want it in front of my house.’ It’s always somebody that doesn’t want it. We’re trying to figure this thing out to make it work.”

The board then held a public hearing to consider the expenditure of public money for an economic development project to potentially incorporate and improve 73 acres of real property known as the Iron Horse Property located off Highway 211 and Carolina Road.

“We’ve been looking at an industrial development park in different versions for several years now,” said Town Manager Paul Sabiston. “Partners in Progress has done a great job in putting together kind of a package deal to really bring this industrial park to fruition. Part of the concept, which was created last year, was for both Moore County and the Town of Aberdeen to contribute $200,000 each towards the development.”

“It initially started off with road contribution to have access to the back parcel to make it more accessible for industrial development, but between the clearing

are all things in the world we live in that schools need to prepare students for, according to Fox.

“Kids will need to develop empathy,” said Fox, who went on to refer to character trait development in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) “Portrait of a Graduate.” Priority items to increase student empathy included more Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Relevant Teaching.

Replacing the A-F school grading system was brought up, but neither Fox nor Wolf mentioned the current efforts by NCDPI to revamp the system.

Altering entry-level and current teacher compensation through licensure changes is also being worked on by an NCDPI committee, however, that work was not brought up in the opening remarks.

The Leandro Comprehensive Remedial plan was addressed by Fox, who cited last fall’s N.C. Supreme Court order to requiring the transfer funds for years two and three of the plan. Right now, that funding total sits at $677.8 million.

“The ruling is a big win for students,” said Fox. “They should be benefitting from funding they are constitutionally owed.” She also said there is a need to monitor that investment, something that is not built into the remedial plan or the transfer order.

and the road, we were really kind of adding some value to the property. Well, further proposals and just evolution of the project, the thought then was that maybe it would be better if another entity like Partners in Progress actually just went ahead and bought the property from Three Rivers Land Trust to give it some more flexibility in terms of moving quickly when the right manufacturer or industrial development comes along to buy the entire piece.”

According to Sabiston, manufacturers are more and more looking for sites that are ready to go and able to be moved onto quickly, so the economic development project would allow for the clearing of trees and debris off the property and construction of a road through the parcel to allow for multiple developments on the land.

“Iron Horse Industrial Park, as I’ve told you before, is the best industrial land that we have in Moore County,” said Partners in Progress Executive Director Natalie Hawkins. “It has access to rail, natural gas, town water, and sewer, it’s going to have a four-lane road when 211 is widened as well,

and I think this is just a great opportunity for both the town and the county and Partners in Progress to work jointly together to get this property in the position that manufacturing clients would want to come to.”

Following the hearing, the board voted to authorize the Town Manager to issue the notice once approval once Partners in Progress and Moore County have also approved the economic development.

“This is not all about Aberdeen; it just happens to be in Aberdeen,” Farrell said. “We’re excited about it because this will help all of Moore County. This is a win for everybody.”

The board also approved the appointment of Leslie Brian to a four-year term position on the Historic Preservation Commission and approved a resolution directing the clerk to research the sufficiency of a petition for annexation by Coca-Cola Bottling for approximately 52.37 acres of land located west of Carolina Road and south of NC 211.

The Town of Aberdeen Board will next meet February 27.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:

February 9

Trivia Thursday at the Brewery

6pm

Come out for Trivia at the Southern Pines Brewery! Enjoy fun and prizes each Thursday. Southern Pines Brewing Company.

February 10

Civil War Series

1pm – 2:30pm

The Moore County Senior Enrichment Center is welcoming Dr. Matt Farina, who will be hosting a six-part series on the American Civil War.

Identifying Edible Mushroom Lecture

1pm

Join the Sandhills Horticultural Society for their Winter Lecture Series about how to identify edible mushroom! The lecture will be given by Frank Hyman, who is the owner of Cottage Garden Landscaping, an NCSU educated horticulturalist. This event will take place in the Burlingame Room at the Ball Visitors Center, Sandhills Horticulture Gardens.

February 11

Mobile Animal Clinic 9am – 10:30am

Peak Performance Mobile Veterinary Services PLLC will be offering low-cost exams, vaccines, heartworm testing, heartworm prevention, oral flea/tick medication, and microchips at Sprout Springs Church in Cameron. Appointments are not necessary.

•

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population but it is actually 1%.

LAST WEEK, tape emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, of five black police officers engaging in the beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man. Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, according to the officers; they ordered him to get on the ground and to give them his hands; he did not comply and instead began to run. When the officers caught up with him, they pummeled him, complete with strikes to the head, while his hands were being held behind his back. Nichols died in the hospital.

The five officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were fired from the police department.

The national media coverage was swift — and confused. For some in the media, the narrative was clear: the police are generally brutal, and thus must be dramatically curbed. “The issue here, as plenty of people have pointed out, is not black versus white, it’s blue versus the rest of us,” said MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan. “You can’t reform this stuff with body cameras or diversifying the police, as we just saw in Memphis.” Instead, Hasan suggested, abolition of the police might be a possible solution.

This solution, of course, is no solution at all: Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of violent or property crime in the city are one in 12. And we know with statistical near-certainty that highprofile cases of police misconduct generally result in police stand-downs — which in turn result in more crime. As professors Tanaya Devi and Roland Freyer found in 2020, “all investigations that were preceded by ‘viral’ incidents of deadly force have led to a large and statistically significant increase in homicides and total crime.”

A second media narrative quickly emerged from the Nichols killing: despite the fact that all involved were black, that the Memphis Police Department is majority black, that the chief of police is black — the killing

was a result of “white supremacy.” The Washington Post headlined, “Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.” Van Jones opined at CNN.com, “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of intersectionality, explained, “One cannot imagine this happening in a well-heeled white community. That is a racial problem that the law has consistently said is a non-problem.”

This narrative, like the first, is designed to avoid solutions. If all policing is the result of structures of white supremacy, the only answer is to abolish policing. If each individual instance of police brutality, no matter the race of the officers, is an example of racism, then the only way to alleviate police brutality is by completely restructuring American society — which is just what those like Crenshaw propose. The result won’t be a safer America, but a much less safe and more fractious one.

In reality, instances of police brutality cross races. Whether it’s Daniel Shaver being shot to death in a hotel while attempting to comply with police demands in 2016 or whether it’s two Arkansas Sheriff’s Deputies beating Randal Worcester in August 2022, white victims of police brutality aren’t hard to find. Some police brutality can undoubtedly be curbed by better recruitment and training. But if we wish to actually lower the number of encounters between a given population and the police, thus reducing the number of possible violent interactions, the most obvious method would be to reduce criminal activity — which requires more policing and more law-abiding behavior.

None of this should be controversial. But solutions aren’t what advocates of police abolition or critical race theory are looking for. They’re looking for revolution. And all revolutions have casualties.

Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+.

IN 1909, ZOOLOGIST Jakob von Uexkull coined the term “Umwelt” to identify the sensory bubble that surrounds and informs an animal. It is our perceptual world, “a functional circle,” inseparable because it is the brain that interprets what our bodies experience. Ed Yong, a staff writer for The Atlantic, has written a fascinating book entitled “An Immense World,” which discusses thousands of animal varieties and their unique ability to survive based on the Unweltan theory. The relationship between instinct, perception, and adaptation is the sensory bubble Umwelt.

Applying this theory to humans might help us understand why we are becoming a nation of tribes. With only slight variations, all humans are equipped with the same machinery to survive and procreate. Two eyes to see the world dimensionally, two ears to detect danger in stereo, skin, and hair to identify subtle changes in our environment. We gather information, filter it through perception and adapt accordingly. But what was once an interdenominational culture is devolving into non-denominational anarchy. We are closing ranks and choosing sides. Ten-year-old Fiona said, “choose your vibe and pick your tribe.” Her instincts are working.

But what about our perception? Perception is defined as the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information.

Circulating on the internet is a YouGovAmerica survey dated January 14, 2022, demonstrating the perceived size of minority groups versus the actual number. Perception was based on the respondents’ guesses; the actual numbers were sourced by the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and certain polls and surveys.

The poll shows a wide discrepancy in perception versus reality. As an example, Hispanics are perceived to be 39% of our population, in fact, it is 17%. Respondents believe 29% of our population is Asian, yet the number is actually 6%. Transgenders are perceived to be 21% of the US population, but it is actually 1%. Generally, Americans tend to overestimate the size of minority groups and underestimate the size of most majority groups.

Why? What instincts tell us is filtered through our ability to

perceive and process reality, and reality is tough to determine. Information delivered to us through unreliable, biased legacy and cable media streams, internet propaganda, White House press briefings, and Hollywood entertainment venues are all pedaling influence to fit their agenda. Given this unreliable narrative, we can understand why most Americans believe they are in the minority, out of the mainstream of American culture. Our perception is penetrated with false information, and our instincts are on fire.

A recent viewing of the classic movie, “Wag the Dog,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, is a timely reminder of the power media has to influence an unquestioning, gullible audience. In this movie, the American public is subjected to a false narrative contrived to distract from the indiscretions of an American president in the eleven days before the national election. A crisis is created and adjusted, as necessary, to get the incumbent president over the finish line and maintain his office.

He succeeds. This cautionary tale has obvious current applications.

Most would agree that we now live in a constant state of crisis. Get through a pandemic, and war in Ukraine comes along. Inflation bounds out of control, and Mar-A- Lago gets raided. Immigration, crime, drug overdose, assaults on the power grid, and disruption in air travel, to name a few. Our natural world is being defiled, and it is messing with our instincts and perception, our Umwelt.

Instinctively we know something ominous is going on because applying the law could stop this downward spiral. Our B*S* detectors are signaling alert. Are we being distracted? Consider our national debt is $31.4 trillion, and there was a white balloon made in China flying over your house. Maybe there really is something there, there.

This is not going to end well. Seattle is out of body bags; Chicago is a killing field, and Atlanta is burning. We are allowing a very small, well-trained group of anarchists to Wag the Dog. Trust your instincts.

Connie Lovell lives in Moore County.

Black Memphis police spark dialogue on systemic racism in the US.

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

COLUMN | CONNIE LOVELL

When black police officers kill a black man, that’s white supremacy

Leon Gerald Williams

December 19, 1943 - January 30, 2023

Leon Gerald Williams, age 79 of West End, NC passed on Monday, January 30, 2023 at his residence.

Mr. Williams was born December 19, 1943 in Moore County to the late Herbert and Ruthie (Martin) Williams.

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 60years, Mary Ann (Chisholm) Williams. His daughters, Lisa W. Montgomery and husband Michael of Carthage and Wendy Chavis and husband John of West End; a sister, Betty Seawell of Carthage; three grandchildren, William McLemore, Laura Stephens and husband Spencer and Simeon Chavis; two great-grandchildren, Caroline McLemore and Tanner McLemore.

Mr. Williams was preceded in death by ten brothers and sisters.

Stanley A Sieracki

January 27, 1934 - January 29, 2023

Stanley A Sieracki (89) of Springfield Virginia passed away on January 29, 2023, in Aberdeen, North Carolina.

Stanley, remembered by his family and friends as Stan, was born on January 27, 1934, to Stanley and Cora Sieracki of Jersey City, New Jersey. He enlisted in the Army ahead of the draft in July of 1953 and was ultimately assigned to duty in Germany during US occupation after the armistice agreement in Korea. He married the love of his life of 65 years Beverly Baker of Bayonne, New Jersey on August 17, 1957. Stanley is survived by his wife and three children Marc, Susan, Olivia and their grandchildren/great grandchild and his sister Carol and husband Robert Schmitt and families.

At an early age Stanley moved his family to Phoenix, Arizona where he resided for fifty years. His love for the Southwest and appreciation for the wide open beautiful natural and historical qualities of this region gave him the comfort and peace to which he always called home.

Helen Louise Ludlum Warwick

October 23, 1941 - January 31, 2023

Helen Louise Ludlum Warwick, 81, of Aberdeen, NC passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at FirstHeatlh Hospice House in Pinehurst.

Helen was born October 23, 1941 in Lumberton, NC to the late Thomas and Eleanor Byrd Ludlum.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Rev. Horace Warwick; daughters, Barbara Ussery (Eugene) and Betty Hodges (Harry); son, Michael Warwick; grandchildren, Melissa Seawell (Eddie), Erica Garner (Marty), Stacy Fowler (Jerek), Brian Warwick (Lindsay), Michelle Leitheiser (Kevin); and eight great- grandchildren; three step great-grandchildren and one step great-great-grandchild; and two step-grandchildren; eight greatgrandchildren and one step greatgrandchild.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her brother and sister.

Helen married Horace Warwick, also of Lumberton, on March 30, 1957. He became an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Holiness Church and together they pastored 5 churches during his ministry. She was a godly woman and fully supported his ministry by teaching Sunday School and supporting all activities of the church. She loved reading the bible and was a true student of God’s word. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and a faithful friend to many. Helen also enjoyed sewing and Sudoku puzzles.

Gladys Catherine Floyd Johnson

December 9, 1931 - February 2, 2023

Gladys Catherine Floyd Johnson, 91 of Southern Pines, passed away on February 2, 2023 at her home.

Born on December 9, 1931 in Columbus County, NC to the late Grover and Snowie Floyd. Gladys was an avid learner and graduated from Lumberton Hospital Nursing Program with a degree in nursing. She worked as a Registered Nurse before raising her three children. Her love of learning also helped her get licensed as a Real Estate broker. She enjoyed drawing, painting, antiquing, reading and baking for her family. Her biggest joy was time spent with family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Wayland “Clyde” Johnson in 1993; one sister, Barbara Ann Thorp and one brother, Boyd Floyd.

She is survived by three children, Stephanie West, Wayland Clyde Johnson, III and Timothy Leon Johnson; two sisters, Jeanette Imbriale, and Delphine Huffstetler; brother, Jack Floyd; also survived by two grandchildren, William West, and Jennifer Nicole Przadka and two great grandchildren, Patryk Przadka and Lukasz Przadka.

Nancy Lambert Weiss

November 16, 1939 - January 29, 2023

Nancy Lambert Weiss, age 83 of Pinehurst, NC passed away on Sunday, January 29, 2023.

Nancy was born on November 16, 1939 in Rochester, PA to the late Frank Curtis and Edith Lambert. She was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1954. She and her childhood sweetheart were married in 1958 and raised their family in the NY/NJ area. In 2007 they moved to Pinehurst. Nancy lost her husband of 55 years, Frederic D. Weiss on January 29, 2014.

She is survived by her two children, Kenneth D. Weiss and wife Pamela of Raleigh, NC and Daniel L. Weiss of Pinehurst, NC. Her Brother F. Curtis Lambert III and his wife Patricia of Chapel Hill, NC. Brother-in-Law, Robert C. Weiss and his wife Leona of Chapel Hill, NC. Her grandchildren Ryan D. Weiss and his wife Krista of Raleigh, NC, Lauren M. Weiss of Raleigh, NC and Bianca G. Weiss of Warren, NJ. Her great grandson, Julian Jimenez of Warren, NJ.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 3pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, located at 1468 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387.

Mildred Mercer Townsend

November 11, 1927 ~ February 5, 2023

Mildred Mercer Townsend of Red Springs passed away at Morrison Manor on Sunday, February 5, 2023, at the age of 95. Mildred was born in Robeson County on November 11, 1927, to the late James and Juliet Sellers Huggins. Mildred grew up in Robeson County and graduated high school in 1944. She later attended and graduated from Women's College, now UNCGreensboro, with a bachelor's degree in home economics with a concentration in food services. She married N.P. Mercer on September 17, 1949, resided in Shannon where they started a family. Mildred taught in the Cumberland and Robeson County School Systems. Upon having children, Mildred left teaching so that she could be with her three daughters. Once the children were old enough to attend school, she went back to teaching. She was a faithful member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Red Springs. She served in various positions and even taught Sunday School for 35 years. Her greatest joy was making a wonderful life for her children and serving her church. She lived a full and complete life of 95 years. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, N.P. Mercer, and her second husband, Earl Townsend. She leaves behind her three daughters, Carolyn Haggins (Willard) of Burlington, Jane Danford (Mike) of Raleigh, Linda Davis (Ted) of Wilmington; six grandchildren and their spouses, Jason Haggins of New York, Elizabeth Reich (Emerson) of Hampstead, Matt Danford (Ryce) of Raleigh, Marshall Davis of Wilmington, Owen Davis (Camille) of Cary, Russell Davis of Wilmington; four greatgrandchildren, Addison and James Reich, John Matthew and Charlie Danford. Memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 48, Red Springs, NC 28377.