North State Journal Vol. 8, Issue 11

Strawberries and smiles

Festival goers celebrate the annual North Carolina Strawberry Festival in Chadbourn. The annual event features a parade, carnival rides and plentiful samples of North Carolina strawberries. Read more about the event in A4.

the BRIEF this week

NBA commissioner, Air Force commander among spring university commencement

speakers

Durham Spring commencement

speakers for North Carolina’s colleges and universities annually deliver heartfelt comments and advice for the thousands of graduates ready to receive their diplomas in front of family and friends.

This year’s list includes NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who returns to Duke University to deliver their annual address on May 14. Silver is a 1984 graduate of the school.

At NC State’s spring commencement, which took place on Saturday, May 6, Gen. Anthony J. Cotton delivered the address to 2023 graduates. Cotton is a Wolfpack alum and serves as the commander of United States Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

Bryan Stevenson, an attorney and executive director of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative, will deliver the keynote address at UNC Chapel Hill’s spring commencement on May 14.

NSJ STAFF

Elmore in for Lt. Gov. race

North Wilkesboro

State Rep. Jeff Elmore has added his name to the growing list of candidates for lieutenant governor in 2024.

Elmore, a Wilkes County Republican who has guided public education legislation and spending during his time in the General Assembly, announced his bid at a recent county GOP meeting, news outlets reported.

Elmore reiterated his plans last week in a video in which he said a more formal campaign kickoff would occur in the next couple of weeks.

A teacher in Wilkes County Schools, Elmore was first elected to the House in 2012 after serving on the North Wilkesboro town board.

“I’m very excited. I feel with my background in education, I can help in this role moving forward,” Elmore told The Wilkes Record.

Current GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson announced last month he was running for governor.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

House committee no closer to answers following second SBI hearing

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

RALEIGH — The House Oversight and Reform Committee’s second hearing about improper conduct alleged by State Bureau of Investigation director Bob Schurmeier against members of Gov. Roy Cooper’s senior leadership was no closer to a resolution following a testy hearing on May 2 in Raleigh.

Following weeks of emails between the House oversight staff and three witnesses — Cooper chief of staff Kristi Jones, Cooper general counsel Eric Fletcher and SBI general counsel Angel Gray — the hearing took place at 1 p.m. during a hectic week as legislators slogged through their “crossover” week in which most legislation must pass one of the two chambers to be eligible for

North Carolina’s abortion bill sets up high-profile veto override fight

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH

— The stage is set for a veto override fight following the passage of Senate Bill 20, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act.

for any physician that fails to aid babies born alive following a botched procedure, raising penalties for assault on pregnant women, including lifetime GPS monitoring for certain domestic violence offenders.

The bill passed the House on May 3 down party lines by a vote of 71-46.

ratification.

The committee heard from Schurmeier on March 28 in an extraordinary hearing that even committee members were not informed about the purpose of until shortly before it began.

On two occasions, Schurmeier said Jones and Fletcher asked him for his resignation and threatened him with investigations of racial discrimination. Schurmeier strongly denied any accusations of wrongdoing.

Schurmeier pointed to the meetings that occurred from Oct. to Dec. 2022 in which, while recovering from surgery, he was asked to resign or face an investigation.

“It was clear intimidation,” he said in response to a question from committee co-chair Jake

See SBI, page A2

NC superintendent pushes back on proposed Biden Title IX change

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — North Carolina

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt has taken a position on the proposed changes to Title IX by the Biden administration’s Department of Education that would force states to allow biological men to be able to compete on women’s sports teams based on the male’s gender identity.

In a May 1 letter to U.S. Education

Secretary Miguel Cardona, Truitt asked the administration to “maintain the intent of Title IX as it pertains to safety and fairness in women’s sports.”

“I am writing to request that your Department of Education maintain

the intent of Title IX as it pertains to safety and fairness in women’s sports,” wrote Truitt. “Under no circumstance can we assume that Congress, when crafting this important law forty years ago, fathomed a biological male playing competitive sports in an all-female league or competition at any level. The current proposed rule from the Department of Education would undermine the intent of Title IX, which was to increase opportunities for female athletes.”

Truitt went on to say that she believes “we need to protect the integrity of women’s sports.”

“As a mom to two daughters who are currently college and high school athletes respectively, I strongly be-

The legislation reduces the state’s elective abortion limit from 20 weeks down to 12 and includes an exception for rape and incest through 20 weeks. It also establishes an exception for fetal life-limiting anomalies through 24 weeks and there is no limit if a doctor determines the life of the mother is in danger. Also included in the bill are several financial line items to support women and families, such as $75 million to expand access to child care, more than $16 million that includes federal matching funds to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and $20 million to pay for maternity and paternity leave for teachers and state employees.

Additionally, the bill includes almost $59 million for foster care, kinship care and children’s homes, as well as $7 million to increase birth control access for uninsured or medically indigent patients, and another $3 million to help mothers and fathers complete community college.

Multiple criminal penalties are also in the bill, including making it a Class D felony and a $250,000 fine

lieve we must maintain a level playing field in women’s sports — one where biological sex supersedes gender preference,” Truitt wrote. “There are inherent and intrinsic biological differences between men and women that impact athletic performance.”

The superintendent went on to list differences in strength, speed and endurance that can impact outcomes in sports. She also cited medical studies showing an “average 10-12% performance gap between elite males and elite females,” that “is almost entirely attributable … to the production of testosterone.”

“Biological differences help explain why competitive sports have traditionally separated biological males from that of females. This is precisely why the true intent of Title IX is so important,” wrote Truitt. “We can respect individual gender preferences without reconstructing Title IX to inherently disadvantage women. Biological sex must be the basis for sporting events.”

She added that the proposed rule

On May 4, the Senate took up the bill, which passed by a vote of 29 to 20, again down party lines. The Senate session began at 10 a.m. with more than half a dozen bills on the list. Discussion on Senate Bill 20 began just before noon, but the final vote was not taken until 4:58 p.m. due to every Senate Democrat taking a turn to speak. Each used the maximum 10-minute allotment to delay passage of the bill.

After passage and ratification that same day, the bill was sent to the governor. Within hours of the bill passing, Cooper issued a video statement on Twitter accompanied by text that read. “This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom.”

In the video, Cooper claims “Republicans are pushing an abortion ban that dramatically reduces women’s health care freedoms.”

Cooper says the “fine print” will “shut down clinics” and make abor-

See BILL , page A3

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“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah . . . and his wife Elizabeth ... Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.”

Luke 1:5-6

It makes a great deal of difference in what times and amid what circumstances and influences, a man lives. In days when godliness pervades society — it is not remarkable that one should live righteously. But when the times are ungodly, and the prevailing spirit is wickedness — the life which is holy and devout shines with rare splendor, like a lamp in the darkness.

Such were the times and the spirit of “the days of King Herod,” and such were the lives of the blameless elderly people, who are here mentioned.

Amid the almost universal corruption of the society and religious leaders — they lived in piety and godly simplicity.

The lesson is — that it is not necessary for us to be and live like other people — if other people are not holy. The prevailing standard of living ought not to satisfy us — if the prevailing standard is below Scripture.

Saine fires back at former opponent in Facebook post

North State Journal

A FORMER Democratic opponent of Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) posted on the lawmaker’s Facebook page following the passage of SB 20 last week.

Greg McBryde, who ran against Saine in 2020, said in the post, “Rep Jason Saine voted for the NC abortion ban. He doesn’t care about

TITLE IX from page A1

“robs female athletes of those very opportunities Title IX is supposed to protect as this reconstructed mandate reduces her odds for a podium finish.”

“My hope is that the Department of Education not only considers the original intent of Title IX, but also truly recognizes the biological differences at play here when formalizing this ruling for our country,” Truitt wrote in closing. “The inherent and intrinsic biological differences between men and women that impact athletic performance is indisputable, and that is why Title IX has existed as it has for forty years.”

The North Carolina General Assembly has taken up the issue of biological men in women’s sports, with each chamber approving a bill on the issue.

House Bill 574 and Senate Bill 631 are nearly identical and both

a woman’s right to choose her own healthcare. Prove me wrong.”

Saine, who is active on social media, fired back with his own message, writing, “You literally have 12 whole weeks to kill a child still. Never satisfied!”

In their 2020 race, Saine defeated McBryde with 74% of the vote in the Lincoln County statehouse district.

titled the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.” Both bills have passed their respective chambers and are very likely to be combined and sent to Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper is expected to veto the measures, and a veto override may be successful with Republicans holding a supermajority in both chambers and three House Democrats voting for passage of the House version. The bills, as written, would prevent biological males, including those who identify as transgender females, from playing on female high school and college sports teams.

The only exception is a case where there is no comparable sports team for females available and the sport in question is not a contact sport.

Last year, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita led 22 states in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Tennessee over the Biden administra-

No matter how corrupt the times — we should strive to live righteous and godly lives.

Nor is this impossible. God is able and willing to give us all the grace we need, to enable us to live a true and holy life — in the most unfavorable circumstances! God makes no mistakes in planting His people in this world. He does not put any of us in a spiritual climate in which we cannot grow into spiritual beauty and strength; and wherever He plants us — He sends the streams of grace to refresh and nourish us.

So, whatever our circumstances may be — it is possible for us to live a

BILL from page A1

tion “completely unavailable to many women.”

Throughout the video, the governor continually calls the change in the number of weeks a “ban,” however, the word ban does not appear in the bill’s text.

He also claimed that for a medication abortion, the bill “specifically limits it to 10 weeks,” yet no such language is in the bill. For medical abortions, including the use of abortion-inducing drugs, the bill says “voluntary and informed consent” is required “at least 72 hours” before the procedure is performed.

Near the end of his tweeted video statement, Cooper says “I will veto this awful bill, but I need your help.”

The “help” the governor refers to is that of pressuring four legislators he called out by name in the video as well as in a second tweet.

Cooper singled out Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) and Reps. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover), John Bradford (R-Mecklenburg) and Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg), and directed the public to “demand they keep their promises.”

“They made campaign promises to protect women’s reproductive health,” Cooper said of the four legislators. “Demand that they keep their promises by sustaining the veto.”

Lee fired back at the governor in several tweets.

“I will not let the Governor lie to the people of my district and this state and try to bully me out of legislation I campaigned on supporting. I was clear on my position then, and I am clear now,” tweeted Lee in response. “I support 1st trimester abortions with exceptions beyond the first 12 weeks. That is exactly what this bill does.”

Lee also included a link to an article he wrote last September that refutes Cooper’s claims about

tion’s revival of an Obama-era interpretation of Title IX “to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” North Carolina was not part of the lawsuit.

In 2016, the Obama administration issued a letter citing Title IX and including guidance requiring schools to grant students access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on a student’s self-declared gender identity. The guidance also compelled the usage of a student’s preferred pronouns and required that a student be able to join a male or female sports team based on their self-announced gender identity.

Three months after the letter was issued, a U.S. District Court judge in Texas blocked the guidance, ruling that redefining sex under Title IX in that manner violated the law.

In February 2017, the Trump administration rescinded the Obamaera Title IX guidance altogether.

godly life! The darker the night of sin around us — the clearer and steadier should the light which streams from our life and conduct be.

Any Christian should be able to live godly — in the midst of friendly influences and favoring circumstances; but it is doubly important that we be loyal and true to Christ — when surrounded by an ungodly society.

J.R. Miller was a pastor and former editorial superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication from 1880 to 1911. His works are now in the public domain.

Lee’s position. “The vast majority of this state and country also believe that this is a common sense and reasonable approach,” Lee wrote.

Lee’s claim of support is partially backed by a recent poll by Carolina Partnership for Reform showing 56% of voters, including 51% of Unaffiliated voters and 42% of Democrats, support a 12week limit on elective abortion with the same exceptions as the current law.

Bradford also pushed back on Cooper’s rhetoric.

“I am serving my 4th term in the legislature and the Governor wouldn’t know me if he bumped into me,” Bradford said in a statement to media outlet WSOC-TV.

“In March he hosted a Down syndrome advocacy event and despite being the leading advocate for Down syndrome in the state legislature I was excluded.”

Bradford also cites being the primary bill sponsor of an organ donor transplant discrimination bill and that Cooper had invited a Democrat instead of him to the public bill signing as well as a personal letter he sent to Cooper in 2017 regarding I-77 toll lane safety issues.

“In 2017, I sent him a personal letter and a box of I-77 toll lane markers that were coming loose and causing safety issues. I asked him to honor his campaign promise to cancel the I-77 toll roads,” Bradford said. “He ignored my letter and request.”

“It’s ironic that Cooper acts like he knows me, wants to work with me or is even talking about honoring campaign promises,” Bradford said.

Davis and Cotham have yet to issue any formal statements.

Cotham is the only one of the four who had previously made statements in line with Cooper’s claims. In an April 2022 candidate

survey, Cotham said that “North Carolina should act now to codify Roe v. Wade to affirm the right to an abortion without interference.”

During her previous service in the House, she had made statements supporting abortion rights, including a 2015 session debate on extending waiting periods to 72 hours in which she recounted undergoing an abortion procedure out of medical necessity.

Cooper spent time on various talk shows following passage of the bill and tweeted a video of himself being interviewed on CNN on the bill.

“North Carolina Republicans are pushing an extreme abortion ban that will cause many clinics to shut their doors and dramatically reduce women’s health care freedom,” the governor’s tweet reads.

Sen. Vicki Sawyer (R-Iredell) responded to the governor, tweeting, “So the politician who said that our kids can’t go to school, our businesses can’t open and everyone must be vaccinated in order to work is now saying that politicians shouldn’t be in healthcare.”

The governor appeared on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on May 7 and was asked by the host how he was going to “stop them” given that Republicans can override his veto given that they hold supermajorities in both chambers.

Cooper responded by blaming “gerrymandered districts” as the reason Republicans hold supermajorities, yet did not mention, nor was he asked, about the recent defection from his party, Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County.

During the interview, Cooper invoked the “four Republicans” again but did not name them as he had previously. He also repeated his claim that the bill will “effectively ban many abortions altogether because of the obstacles that they have created for women, for clinics and for doctors.”

“Zacharias Writes Down the Name of his Son” by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1490) is a fresco in the Tornabuoni Chapel in the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy.

Chatham News + Record sold to North State Media

North State Journal

SILER CITY — Chatham Media Group, the owner of the Chatham News + Record, has sold the newspaper and its other print and digital news products to North State Media. North State Media is the owner of North State Journal, North Carolina’s only statewide newspaper.

“We are excited to add the Chatham News & Record to the North State Journal family,” said Neal Robbins, North State Media’s president and the publisher of the North State Journal. “We believe the long-term viability of North Carolina’s independent press lies in local ownership and strategic business planning. This acquisition furthers our goal to elevate the conversation across North Carolina while ensuring local communities are part of that conversation.”

In addition to its statewide edition, North State Journal will now have local editions in six coun-

ties — Chatham, Forsyth, Hoke, Moore, Randolph and Stanly.

“Over the coming weeks, Chatham News & Record readers can expect to see expanded content and new sections in addition to the award-winning local coverage they have enjoyed since 1878,” said Matt Mercer, editor in chief of North State Journal.

Chatham Media Group’s owners

— Kirk Bradley, Chris Ehrenfeld and Bill Horner III — acquired the Chatham News & Chatham Record from the Resch family in October 2018.

The combined newspaper has consistently received top accolades from the N.C. Press Association annual awards. In 2022, the Chatham News + Record received first place in the General Excellence category in its division, the contest’s “best newspaper” prize, following up its second-place and third-place finishes in the two prior years of the contest.

“Being a part of the CNR with

“We believe the long-term viability of North Carolina’s independent press lies in local ownership and strategic business planning. This acquisition furthers our goal to elevate the conversation across North Carolina while ensuring local communities are part of that conversation.”

Bill and Chris has been an interesting journey at an important time in the growth of Chatham County,” Bradley said. “Today’s

Running for governor, AG Josh Stein proposes ‘public safety’ package

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Now a candidate for governor, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has issued a “public safety” package.

“The package includess measures to combat drugs, support law enforcement officers, protect kids, test sexual assault kits, improve public safety, and fight fraud,” a press release from Stein’s office said.

“Protecting the people of this state has to be job one,” Stein said in the release. “I’m fighting to keep people safe from violent crime, drugs, and fraud, and I’ll always do everything in my power to hold criminals accountable.”

This appears to be the first package of its kind issued by Stein in his seven years as the state’s attorney general.

The press release quotes House Minority Leader Robert Reives (D-Chatham) describing restrictions on firearms in Stein’s package like “red flag” laws and raising the age to buy certain weapons to 21.

“One of our fundamental duties to North Carolinians is to ensure they are safe,” said Reives. “Our caucus has offered a number of bills that would do just that: Red Flag Laws that keep guns out of the hands of people who would harm themselves or others, raising the age to buy certain weapons to 21, and promoting school safety with more resources in

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein speaks about crime prevention and public safety measures at a news conference

Monday, May 1, 2023, at the Department of Justice building in Raleigh.

classrooms.”

The restrictions on firearms in Stein’s package all fall under the section titled “protecting kids” and include universal background checks to “Keep guns out of the hands of violent felons, people with serious mental illness, people on the no-fly list, and people with outstanding domestic violence protective orders.”

Additionally, Stein’s “protecting kids” section on raising the age of purchases to 21 to “ensure that North Carolinians under 21 — who are too young to buy a beer — are too young to purchase military-grade weapons.”

Senate Bill 41, which was passed and enacted into law after a veto override, includes a public awareness campaign for safe gun storage.

Stein offers several options to fight fentanyl and opioids, like creating a “Fentanyl Control Unit,” but other drug crimes and issues were not mentioned.

The Racial Equity Task Force Stein co-chairs was also not mentioned in the press statement or Stein’s public safety package. The task force had released recommendations that called for the weakening of penalties for certain drug offenses.

Stein’s package also wants to establish a cold case unit to close cases with DNA hits from sexual assault cases and higher salaries for crime lab staff to help with the retention

of talent.

Under Stein’s tenure, the state had 15,000 untested rape kits in 2017, making the state No. 1 in the nation for untested kits. Legislation offered up more funding to test kits, however, the backlog has persisted. According to early March numbers posted on the data dashboard maintained by Stein’s office, the number of kits in inventory stood at 16,223.

In terms of promoting public safety, Stein makes no mention of fighting the lawsuit against the new rioting and civil disorder penalties filed by the ACLU of North Carolina. Instead, Stein proposes more funding to require all officers to wear body cameras and a “Court Reminder System” that would send text messages to people for court appointments.

Stein has also recently released a plan to address law enforcement officer shortages that includes recruiting out-of-state officers, hiring bonuses, a public awareness recruitment campaign, education fellowships and a path to allow retired officers to return to the job.

Some of the plans for law enforcement shortages are also in the public safety package, such as wanting graduates of basic law enforcement training in the state to be offered a $5,000 bonus. Similarly, Stein wants out-of-state transfers and former military police to get a $10,000 bonus and a $10,000 relocation stipend.

media landscape makes it hard to survive as a stand-alone operation. When we purchased the paper from the Resch Family, our goal was to provide support for the importance of education and economic development in Chatham County told from a local perspective, while honoring the history of the paper. We remain hopeful that selling to North State Media will continue that vision and support the future of Chatham County.

In addition to the News + Record’s weekly print edition, the newspaper has an award-winning website, chathamnewsrecord.com, the Chatham Life and Chatham 411 magazines, and three digital newsletters. They include the Chatham Brew, a four-times-weekly publication with more than 6,700 subscribers, the Chatham Scorecard, a weekly sports e-newsletter, and the Carpool, a monthly parent-focused e-newsletter.

North State Journal plans to restart the newspaper’s Spanish-lan-

guage news project, which was put on hold a year ago.

Griffin Daughtry, local editor for North State Journal, will head the Chatham News + Record.

“I can’t wait to get started in Chatham County,” Daughtry said. “Our focus will be on delivering important news to every community while developing new beats and features that will highlight all Chatham County has to offer.”

First published in 2016, North State Journal’s mission is to delve deep, engage with truth, help citizens find common ground, and fill a void in North Carolina’s media landscape. The award-winning newspaper reaches readers in all 100 counties of North Carolina through its flagship print edition and its website, nsjonline.com.

North State Journal was the top award-winner in its division in the past year’s N.C. Press Association contest, taking 20 prizes and has taken home the general excellence award three times since 2016.

Treasurer praises Senate passage of Medical Deweaponization Act

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH

— Last week, State Treasurer Dale Folwell praised the NC Senate for the passage of Senate Bill 321, the Medical Deweaponization Act.

“I want to thank the members of the North Carolina Senate who unanimously passed this bipartisan bill,” Folwell said in a statement. “It could be a significant accomplishment by the General Assembly making a generational difference in the lives of so many families faced with financial ruin due to medical debt.”

Throughout his tenure, Folwell has been active in reducing medical costs for State Health Plan enrollees as well as expenses for North Carolinians in general through calls for increased transparency in pricing by health care providers.

“I am particularly grateful to Sens. Joyce Krawiec, Carl Ford and Jim Burgin for their leadership as primary sponsors in the Senate. They represent the very best in public service with their steadfast support of this pro-family, anti-poverty, consumer protection measure,” said Folwell. “Citizens, including widows and widowers, shouldn’t

It could be a significant accomplishment by the General Assembly making a generational difference in the lives of so many families faced with financial ruin due to medical debt.”

fear getting medical services because of medical billing.”

The bill passed unanimously on May 1 and was sent to the House Rules Committee.

Senate Bill 321 would help families with mounting medical debt collections by requiring large health care facilities to provide patients with a financial assistance policy and would prevent the use of excessive collection methods.

The bill also would require health care providers to publish price information on their websites and block the charging of facility fees for certain identified procedures. Health care facilities and medical debt collectors violating those provisions could be sued by a consumer.

North State Journal publisher Neal Robbins

State Treasurer Dale Folwell

AP PHOTO

North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger presides over a Senate floor debate on new abortion restrictions, Thursday, May, 4, 2023, in Raleigh.

AP PHOTO

north STATEment

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

EDITORIAL DEAN ARP EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

New abortion law brings us closer to a culture of life

WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?

For the past 50 years, that question was essentially irrelevant to the state lawmaking process. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling dictated the answer for legislatures throughout the country. In the United States, only very limited restrictions on abortion could be imposed through the end of the second trimester, which at the time of the decision was considered the point at which an unborn child could survive outside the womb.

That all changed in June 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturning Roe and sending the question of when life begins back to the 50 state legislatures.

For me, the answer as to when life begins is a simple one — conception. But if that is not the answer, for anyone who has ever sat with a loved one as they lay dying in the hospital, it’s when their heart stops beating that their life ends. So, it’s only logical to me that a life begins at the point when a person’s heart starts beating.

For that reason, I have been advocating for the last 10 months that we should, with limited exceptions, prohibit abortions in our state after six weeks gestation, when an unborn child’s heartbeat can typically be detected through ultrasound.

The bill passed by the legislature on Thursday allows broad access to abortion through 12 weeks, or the end of the first trimester. Abortion in cases of rape or incest would be allowed up to 20 weeks, and up to 24 weeks in the event of a life-limiting fetal anomaly. Of course, it would be allowed at any time the life of the mother was in peril.

I supported the bill despite my belief that a more protective “heartbeat bill” would be the right one, for several reasons.

First, I understand that our laws are and should be the result of societal consensus, and I believe there is a consensus — both according to polls and my discussions with constituents — that abortion after the first trimester should be allowed in only certain limited cases. Currently, 12 weeks is the cutoff for abortion-on-demand in nearly two dozen European countries.

Secondly, the bill prohibits eugenics abortions. Though abortions because of an unborn baby’s sex or gender or the presence of Down syndrome are commonplace in some other countries, I believe it is essential that we as a civilized society stand up and say that the practice is abhorrent.

Finally, the bill goes a long way toward protecting and strengthening women, children and families. It includes improved health and safety standards for women undergoing abortion procedures and increased protections for born-alive abortion survivors. It also includes more than $160 million in new state funding over the next two years for contraceptive health care grants, prenatal health care services, paid parental leave for state employees, foster care and adoption assistance, childcare subsidies and related programs.

The bill passed this week was very much a consensus bill, aimed at balancing the interests of all stakeholders. As a strong pro-life advocate, I don’t think the new law is perfect. But I was still happy to vote for it because I think it gets us closer to creating the kind of society where respecting and supporting life — from beginning to end — is a fundamental value.

Rep. Dean Arp (R-Union) serves as senior chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

EDITORIAL |

STACEY MATTHEWS

The king’s coronation

I TRIED TO WATCH as little of the coronation of King Charles III as possible. I just couldn’t bear to watch a lot of it.

Something about celebrating the concentration of coercive government power in the hands of a single fallible human being ― even if it is merely titular and ceremonial as in Britain today ― rubs me the wrong way.

Gold chariots, white horses, kings and queens ― the only things missing were Merlin the Magician and Cinderella.

Watching a king ascend to his throne should have reminded everyone of many of the capricious actions taken by state governors and the president during COVID. While some of the actions were taken to protect public health, many others were issued accompanied by the stench of dictatorial, monarchial arrogance made purely for partisan political purposes.

Americans really don’t like that sort of thing. They shouldn’t, anyway.

The pomp and circumstance during the 10 minutes of the coronation which I did see was enjoyable in a fairy tale sort of way. Gold chariots, white horses, kings and queens with crowns on their heads and princes and princesses and ladies-in-waiting ― the only things missing were Merlin the Magician and Cinderella.

But please, let’s leave it that. Let’s keep any admiration of royalty relegated to the world of fiction and children’s literature. God forbid that someone like President Joe Biden watched the whole spectacle and started thinking the average citizen wants him to act like a king. He might just wake up one morning and do it, you know.

King Charles III himself looked uncomfortable as heck walking through Westminster Abbey in those heavy red robes. He walked stiffly through a door under the vestibule after his coronation and came out “magically” (?) on the other side with a mace in each hand as if he was in an elementary school play. Did you catch the part about King Charles III being the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”? Would any sane American citizen want to see President Biden, Trump or Obama ― during their inaugural ceremony, no less ― sworn in as our “Supreme Governor of Religion” on top of being given the code to the nuclear football and veto power over Congress?

No, thank you. The separation of church and state was proclaimed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1801 in a letter to a Danbury, Connecticut, congregation of Baptists who were worried he might institute a national religion. He adamantly said no and promised them they would have freedom to worship as they saw fit as would everyone else in America. The intent was to protect churches from state interference, not the other way around.

Think an infringement of religious belief could never happen in America? President Barack Obama’s Justice Department violated this important tenet in 2015 when they went after The Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who objected to being forced to prescribe contraceptives under Obamacare.

We are seeing ever-increasing assaults on religious liberty from left-wing activists now in government who are seeking to undermine and overturn many of the basic bedrock principles of faith, family and patriotism in our schools, universities and public discourse.

The hypocrisy behind Democrat attacks on the Supreme Court

DEMOCRATS CURRENTLY HAVE A MAJORITY in the U.S. Senate, which means they also have control of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, where there has been a flurry of activity and finger-pointing in recent weeks.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, has been out since early March dealing with what her staff describes as a severe case of shingles.

Though Democrats can’t subpoena Thomas, that hasn’t stopped their attacks on him nor other conservative members of the court.

Feinstein is a member of the Judiciary Committee, but she’s been at her California home recovering all this time. She hasn’t been able to participate in committee votes on judicial nominees, which means the most radical of Joe Biden’s picks are unable to make it past the committee because it now sits at a 10-10 Democrat/Republican tie.

Though there has been a lot of grumbling from Democrats about their inability to ram through those nominees — to the point that some high-profile House Democrats have called on Feinstein to resign ― an even bigger “issue” has emerged for Democrats which has severely complicated their efforts at delegitimizing the Supreme Court.

Judiciary Committee Democrats want to subpoena Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over alleged “conflict of interest” and “failure to disclose” issues, attacks that are bogus to the core considering that successful real estate developer Harlan Crow, the longtime close family friend of Thomas who reportedly has paid for family trips for the Thomases, has never had any business before the court.

Committee Democrats can’t subpoena him, though, because of the tie-vote situation. So, the next thing they did was to write a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and request his presence at a sham hearing on “Supreme Court ethics reform,” which Democrats conveniently have only been interested in since conservatives took the majority on the nation’s highest court after Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation in the fall of 2020.

Roberts, considered by political observers as the weakest “conservative” link on the court, said no, and in response pointed to the Statement of Ethics Principles and Practices, a document to which he informed Committee

They have determined that faith, family and patriotism are sexist, racist and dangerous by their very nature. They are seeking to complete the job President Obama promised on election night 2008 when he said: “Change has come to America.”

And now his vice president is trying to help complete that mission by being the most socialist president ever. Joe Biden is making singular executive decisions that affect all of our lives as if he were a king ― and we are all suffering because of his decisions.

On Nov. 29, 1803, British foreign minister Anthony Merry went to the White House with U.S. Secretary of State James Madison to present his credentials to President Thomas Jefferson. Merry arrived decked out in pretentious, haughty British diplomatic uniform ― blue dress coat with gold braid, white breeches and white silk stockings, a plumed hat and dress sword.

Jefferson greeted them in “slippers down at the heels” clothed in a worn-out coat, breeches, linen shirt and woolen stockings. Jefferson represented the new egalitarian spirit of America where every person was as important as the next and certainly not subservient to anyone both foreign and domestic.

Certainly not representatives of foreign kings. Merry, while insulted, got the picture about the new American Republic and reported back to London.

The point of this critique is not to be disrespectful of the customs of our best and longest-serving ally. The point is to urge everyone not to get too caught up in how “wonderful” British royalty is ― because concentrated government executive power in the hands of a single executive has led to more problems, not less in American history.

Chairman Dick Durbin that “all of the current Members of the Supreme Court subscribe.”

Though Democrats can’t subpoena Thomas as it stands now, that hasn’t stopped their attacks on him nor other conservative members of the court who mysteriously have all been hit with similar style media “reports” of “failure to disclose” over the last few weeks in what are clearly coordinated attempts at delegitimizing the Supreme Court.

What’s fascinating about the predictable “gotcha!” reactions from Democrats to all of these hit pieces as though they are the gospel truth is that what they’re doing is exactly what they’ve been lecturing people for three years now that we should not do: cast doubt on the legitimacy of our “sacred institutions” and “democratic norms” or whatever.

We’ve heard such things nonstop since the Capitol riot, with Democrats and their media allies suggesting Republicans didn’t respect historical “norms” in this country nor the “rule of law” because they had concerns over the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

And yet they turn around and relentlessly attack the Supreme Court with ruthless precision, using their willing accomplices in the media as well as gullible far-left activists as tools to get their message across in the court of public opinion.

It is something to keep in mind the next time you hear any of them get on their soapboxes about respecting our “sacred institutions.”

As always with Democrats, it is different when they do it because of the “D” that is beside their names.

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.

HUGO BURNAND/ROYAL HOUSEHOLD 2023 VIA AP

In this photo made available by Buckingham Palace on Monday, May 8, 2023, Britain’s King Charles III poses for a photo in full regalia in the Throne Room, London.

LAST WEEK Frank Hill published a column, “When does education become indoctrination?” In part, his essay is a lament that the UNC faculty has forgotten they are state employees (and who pays the bills). UNC professors, and by implications many more, are disparaged for their haughtiness of wanting to control the curriculum they teach. More fundamentally, however, his essay is an affirmative piece, crying out that our country not lose our shared Constitutional inheritance.

Recently I collaborated with a South Sudanese immigrant in preparation for the high school equivalency exam. Consistent with the curriculum, we talked long sessions on the Constitution. My appreciation for the U.S. Constitution was refreshed and I again fell in love.

I embrace the basic tenets of Hill’s sonata, that a shared affinity for the Constitution’s elegance is the glue for our governance. The collateral damage in the essay, however, seems to be college faculty, and, as I see it, similarly state legislators.

The very existence of the Professor/Legislature standoff is an example of “Checks and Balance” at work.

College professors are admonished for allowing only their ideology to be in the lecture hall. Lest we forget, professing is indoctrination. And as he states, so too are everyone’s messages.

He alludes to the existence of “pure education,” presumably some ideal outside the realm of indoctrination. I have no idea what that means, presumably some former gold standard for what citizenship meant, but more likely is that which agrees with one’s own ideology.

You do not have to be much of a historian to realize a pure conception of constitutionalism has never existed in this country. The country’s entire history is a contest over the Constitution’s meanings.

All Constitutional talk is indoctrination, including everyone’s classes or legislative rules.

It’s just a matter of who gets to decide.

I reach a quandary when contemplating who should decide what is indoctrination.

My lived experience is that most people I include in my life, my “too liberal” and “too conservative” friends, are invariably reasonable people. Their views on most issues are much more nuanced and far-sighted than the political pap offered to fire them up for the next election.

I am confident a visit with the 677 “politically tineared” UNC professors would solicit scores of nuanced

reasons, many, if not most, would make sense, hardly an imposing danger. The same would be true if you visited with the legislative majority. They would often make sense, considerably less belligerence than the media might convey.

The debate is less about ideas and more about who controls. Faculties are right to be afraid of others telling them what to do (a world mandated by the Florida legislature). And the legislature should attend to the “colossal power” of a few disparate and careless voices undermining social cohesion.

My takeaway from my 50 years in higher education is that however much we think we are influencing our students, what we teach is overwhelmed by background and life, family and circumstance. The people we know in our lives have not been destroyed by the professor’s prophecies. Most simply carry on.

I conjecture too that legislative “overreach” is not as big a threat as presented. Institutional systems, regardless of regulations, tend to seek their own stasis and are hard to move, perhaps harder than changing the “Washington swamp.”

The left often sees professors as a societal safeguard stemming an inevitable historically authoritarianism strain. Yet their collective certainty becomes its own censorship, most easily identified currently as “Cancel Culture.” The Right becomes the self-appointed protector of the vulnerable from the well-meaning but dangerously wrong intelligentsia.

Anti-intellectualism is not new. When it goes too far, professional and educated classes are provided residency in a gulag.

As the threat is largely invented, I would have no problem with someone requiring classwork in the Constitution. After all, schools add requirements for students all the time. Requiring students to learn the Constitution, a collective understanding governance, seems sensible.

Currently in our divided cultures “who decides” becomes the energized political base, the most opinionated constituents. This reductionist point of view casts the professors as ingrates and the legislators as bullies. Yet neither resembles a monolith. Adding constitutional law classes seems reasonable enough. Telling instructors what they can profess about the Constitution is wholly another matter.

Allan Louden is a communication professor emeritus at Wake Forest University.

ALMOST EVERYONE recognizes the symbol for recyclable items: three arrows, arranged in a triangle or circle, each arrow leading to the next. It shows the promise of recycling: That the items we discard today might be recycled into what we use tomorrow, reducing our waste and environmental footprints.

It sounds great, but it’s missing an arrow: The one that breaks the circle and leads to a landfill. Sadly, that arrow would show a path currently followed by most plastic products.

You may toss a used plastic bottle or food container into a blue bin at your home or office, thinking you’ve done a small part to help the planet. But the contents of that bin will eventually wind up in a sorting center, where machines and people will remove items that are deemed too contaminated or too difficult to recycle. Much of our plastic waste is hard to recycle using traditional methods (known as “mechanical” recycling), either due to a product’s chemical composition or its particular use.

In fact, about 90% of the plastic we currently use is not recycled. The item you tossed into a blue bin with good intentions may very well get recategorized and ticketed for a landfill anyway.

Any serious environmental policy platform must include attention to waste management, and that means focusing on recycling. Recycling has the potential to decrease the amount of trash that winds up in landfills (or worse, as litter in waterways, oceans and other ecosystems). Yet, America has struggled to adopt effective recycling programs for decades.

North Carolina’s General Assembly can change that by supporting existing legislation which promotes “advanced recycling.” The best part of this is that it can be done using an existing tax credit.

Advanced recycling uses new technology and chemical processes to break down plastic into its component substances. This is a more complete breakdown than mechanical recycling methods achieve, which allows for recycling a broader range of materials. The output is virgin-quality plastic, clean enough to create new products for use in food service, medical, pharmaceutical and other sensitive environments.

AMERICA’S HISTORIC BATTLEFIELDS, when preserved and restored to their wartime appearance, possess a tranquil solemnity that belies the fierce combat that once transpired at these hallowed sites. In the face of their picturesque beauty, it can be easily forgotten that battlefields are also cemeteries where the remains of the fallen often still rest.

As students of history, we have long known that lost warriors are out there, but a trio of recent discoveries is a poignant reminder of this phenomenon. Earlier this month, 14 dead from the 1780 Battle of Camden in South Carolina — Patriots, a Loyalist and a British Regular alike — were honored with a military tribute during a moving ceremony on the battlefield. In March, a Civil War burial trench from the 1862 Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia, was inadvertently unearthed. And last summer, researchers in New Jersey announced they had located the remains of several Revolutionary War Hessian soldiers at what had been Fort Mercer on the banks of the Delaware River.

Fifteen years ago, a similar discovery occurred at North Carolina’s Bentonville Battlefield State Park, where groundpenetrating radar investigations, coupled with photographic sleuthing, located 20 long-lost individual burials of unknown soldiers in neat rows. In 2011, each one received an individual headstone, along with appropriate interpretive markers, ensuring their memory was kept alive.

The nature of war has always necessitated that armies hastily bury their fallen on the battlefields, with bodies often moved only a handful of feet apart to be interred with others who fell nearby. In the wake of the Civil War, massive efforts sought to repatriate remains closer to home or family, or to centralized cemeteries where the unknown dead could be appropriately honored. National cemeteries at New Bern, Raleigh and Wilmington were the result of this work. Such efforts, however, are inherently imperfect and even the most comprehensive and well-intentioned process has left some behind.

When we walk a battlefield, often together with our colleagues at the American Battlefield Trust, we make a point to remember these men, buried in unmarked graves lost to history, as well as the grieving loved ones they left behind. When the Trust protects hallowed ground, we are doing it for more than the sake of the history that unfolded there. We are also safeguarding these soldiers’ final resting places and ensuring they are not subjected to unintentional disrespect.

On two of the locations where graves were recently discovered, the Trust has previously been able to protect historically significant land, and it is a source of great pride that we have made a difference at those solemn battlefields. We have now preserved 56,000 acres in 25 states, including more than 2,000 acres at Bentonville — the largest battle ever fought on North Carolina soil.

Much of the progress made to protect North Carolina’s battlefields has been the result of a partnership between the Trust and the State of North Carolina, leveraging federal and state preservation dollars with charitable donations from Trust members. At Bentonville alone, this partnership has taken a 156-acre park and grown it more than 12 times over, creating a heritage tourism destination that draws 60,000 people every year.

Despite this progress, more critical battlefield land — more hallowed ground potentially home to more burials — remains threatened. With America’s 250th anniversary on the horizon, there is no better time for the state to invest in its battlefield parks and historic sites — places such as Averasboro, Bentonville, Fort Fisher, Guilford Courthouse, Moore’s Creek, New Bern, Wyse Fork and others from across the sweep of our nation’s history. By working together to respect the past — and those who gave their lives and remain interred on that land — we also invest in the future.

Kirk Bradley of Sanford is chairman emeritus of the American Battlefield Trust. Charlie Trefzger of Hickory is a member of the American Battlefield Trust Board of Trustees.

In addition to the obvious benefit of reducing the amount of waste that winds up in landfills or as litter, advanced recycling creates less demand for new plastic. That limits the use of natural resources in new manufacturing. Instead of plastic products following a linear model — starting with production and ending with a landfill — they can follow a circular model.

Over 500 companies have already committed to such a circular model as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment. These companies have pledged to make 100% of their packaging recyclable and include 25-50% of recyclable content in that packaging by 2025.

Reaching these goals — and ensuring that other organizations can answer the challenge with noble goals of their own — will require us to adopt better, more forward-thinking recycling programs, including advanced recycling. The best part of this is it is at no taxpayer cost and no appropriation or fiscal note. A facility may qualify for existing tax credit programs but would not expand the program or result in additional government funding. It’s also great to know the advanced recycling industry has invested over $7 billion in these facilities.

If we are serious about environmental stewardship, we must be serious about reusing more and throwing out less. By promoting advanced recycling, the General Assembly can move us closer to the optimistic ideal promised by those three simple arrows in the recycling symbol. Retired state Rep. Curtis Blackwood (R) lives in Union County.

COLUMN | KIRK BRADLEY AND CHARLIE TREFZGER

COLUMN | ALLAN LOUDEN

COLUMN CURTIS BLACKWOOD

Advanced recycling holds exciting future for N. Carolina

Preserving the hallowed ground where valor rests

Politicizing the Constitution: professors vs. legislators

NATION & WORLD

Biden administration to allow Afghans to stay longer in US

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration will continue to allow tens of thousands of Afghans who fled Taliban control more than two years ago to stay and work in the U.S., as congressional efforts have stalled that were meant to permanently resolve their immigration status, according to two people familiar with the plan.

As soon as this summer, eligible refugees will be able to renew temporary work permits and protections from deportation for another two years, according to two administration officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss plans that haven’t yet been released. The protections were initially given in 2021 and renewed last year.

The effort is a temporary fix for more than 76,000 Afghans who arrived in the U.S. following

the military’s chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops, some of the darkest moments of Biden’s presidency. Many of those who arrived in the country have worked with U.S. officials, some for many years, as translators, interpreters and other partners.

Details of the renewal were first reported by CBS News. An official announcement is expected by the Department of Homeland Security later this week.

Immigrant advocate groups and veterans who have been working alongside the government trying to find a more permanent pathway for Afghans called the move a band-aid — but better than nothing.

“Afghans have been languishing on our shores awaiting a long-term answer and Congress continues to play games with their future,” said Shawn Van Diver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. But he said he was happy

“Afghans have been languishing on our shores awaiting a long-term answer and Congress continues to play games with their future.”

Navy veteran Shawn Van Diver

the Biden administration would allow them to stay as Congress can’t find a solution.

The U.S. government admitted the refugees temporarily as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the largest resettlement effort in the country in decades, with the promise of a path to life in the U.S. for their service. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress had hoped to resolve their immigration status as part of a year-end government funding package in December.

The proposal would have enabled them to apply for U.S. citizenship come August, when their temporary status was set to expire, as was done for other refugees from other nations in the past, including those from Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq.

But that effort failed over some Republican opposition, most notably Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who argued last year the bill went too far by including evacuees beyond those “who were our partners over the last 20 years,” and providing a road to residency without the proper screening required.

Some lawmakers are hopeful that with advanced screening measures added to the bill, it can gain the support needed to pass a Republican-controlled House and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate.

“It cuts to the core question of whether the U.S. keeps its promise of protection to its allies,” said Helal Massomi, an evacuee from Afghanistan and Afghan policy adviser at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, in a statement Monday. “Congress needs to keep our nation’s promise and make it clear to Afghans that this country is more than their temporary safe haven — it’s their home.”

Trump PAC complaint against DeSantis rejected in Florida Tallahassee, Fla.

A Florida ethics board has dismissed a complaint that allies of former President Donald Trump filed against Republican rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, finding no legal basis for allegations that the governor violated campaign finance laws with a “shadow” run for the White House.

The Florida Commission on Ethics rejected the complaint in an order filed last week.

The Trump-supporting super PAC MAGA Inc. filed the complaint against DeSantis in March and asked the commission to investigate the governor for allegedly leveraging his office to enrich his national profile.

The ethics panel found no legal basis for the complaint’s allegations.

“There is no inherent reason why respondent, as governor, cannot travel outside the state, and the complaint does not provide additional information to establish that such travel creates a continuing or frequently occurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties or that it impedes the full and faithful discharge of his public duties,” reads the order from ethics commission chairman Glen Gilzean.

The complaint came as the former president had begun to accelerate criticism of DeSantis, who is widely seen as Trump’s most serious challenger for the 2024 GOP nomination.

DeSantis’ communications team had said the complaint was a politically motivated attack.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

White House national security adviser meets Saudi prince

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

President Joe Biden’s top national security aide met Sunday night with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince amid long-standing tensions between the White House and the kingdom.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency acknowledged the meeting between Jake Sullivan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the Red Sea port city now at the heart of seaborne evacuations from the fighting in Sudan.

Johnson (R-Polk).

That set the table for the May 2 hearing.

Delayed by a House Rules Committee meeting that ran long beforehand, tensions were quickly raised as Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan), the other committee co-chair, said opening statements would not be heard.

Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry) began questioning Gray, who brought her personal attorney to the hearing and did not give committee members any answers.

On numerous occasions, Gray responded to questions that she could not answer, saying, “The rules of professional conduct prohibit me from disclosing information that was gained in my role as a general counsel to the SBI.”

Stevens asked Gray if she knew who she represented and who her client was.

“The SBI is my client,” Gray said.

“OK. And what about the governor? Are you answerable to the governor?” Stevens responded.

“No ma’am. I am answerable to the SBI, that state agency and the director of the SBI,” Gray answered.

Stevens retorted back, “You told our legislative staff you were unclear on who you ultimately represent. Did you ever seek advice from the State Bar about that?”

Gray said, “Yes, ma’am I have. The advice from the State Bar is, I represent the SBI.”

Stevens’ questioning of Gray was repeatedly interrupted. Rep. Amos Quick (D-Guilford) asked how long each member would be given, and then Schurmeier’s attorney, Chris Swecker, stood up and told the committee he was willing to waive privilege with Gray on the matters to be discussed.

That prompted an objection from Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake), who said the witnesses were entitled to “due process” and they didn’t come prepared for questions.

The focus shifted to Jones, Cooper’s chief of staff since 2017, who used an opening question to begin reading her prepared remarks in defiance of Warren instructing them not to do so. At several points throughout the hearing, Jones said she was brought allegations of discrimination and shared them with Schurmeier but refused to go into any further detail.

Two of the panel’s members, Rep. Allen Chesser (R-Nash) and Rep. Jeff McNeely (R-Iredell), were able to get the three witnesses to corroborate details of the meetings Schurmeier alluded to in his earlier testimony that included two meetings in which Schurmeier said he was threatened with an investigation by a law firm.

Jones confirmed the meetings took place and said they involved serious allegations but refused to go into further detail. When asked why Gray was not at the meetings, the governor’s senior staff faulted

“I think it is extremely troubling that the general counsel of an independent state agency, and the chief of staff of a sitting governor would be discussing personnel and who knows what other issues behind the back of the sitting SBI director.”

Rep. Jake Johnson (R-Polk)

Schurmeier.

Another issue that arose from the day’s testimony was Schurmeier’s status following the nomination of a new SBI director the previous week.

On April 27, Cooper nominated North Carolina Captiol Police Chief R.E. “Chip” Hawley to serve as SBI director at the end of Schurmeier’s term on June 30. Hawley has more than 40 years of experience in state and local law enforcement.

“The SBI is North Carolina’s premier law enforcement agency and it’s critical that it has strong leadership focused on keeping North Carolinians safe and who will maintain the highest standards of integrity and professionalism,” said Cooper in a statement. “Chip Hawley brings decades of

experience and leadership and strong law enforcement credentials to this role.”

McNeely raised the issue to Jones and Fletcher of whether Schurmeier would continue on a rolling basis or if an acting director would be named. Fletcher said he couldn’t provide a legal answer. Jones said to McNeely that the legislature was “going to do that” and ensure Schurmeier would stay on.

The issue of employee “holdovers” for appointed positions has been a recent dispute between legislative intent and executive power, and it could be implemented in the state budget.

“I think it is extremely troubling that the general counsel of an independent state agency, and the chief of staff of a sitting governor would be discussing personnel and who knows what other issues behind the back of the sitting SBI director,” Johnson said following the two-hour hearing. “This testimony raises more questions than answers and certainly merits a follow-up.”

Warren added, “Interference in personnel matters is much more fundamental than interference in any specific case at the SBI. It’s extremely unfortunate that the governor’s office chose not to answer committee members’ pertinent questions. Hopefully, they will be more forthcoming as the committee continues to investigate Director Schurmeier’s allegations. North Carolinians are entitled to the truth.”

The state news report said only that the men reviewed “strategic relations” in a meeting that included other American officials.

Later, Sullivan took part in a meeting with the crown prince and Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Biden campaigned on a promise to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” after the 2018 slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence agencies believe the killing came at the crown prince’s orders, though Riyadh denies it. However, Biden did make a trip to the kingdom last July as the U.S. sought the kingdom’s assistance in keeping energy prices under control as Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on.

In the time since, Biden vowed there would be “consequences” over oil production cuts by OPEC+, a group that includes Russia. The benchmark Brent crude now sits at $75 a barrel as global markets remain concerned about nations making interest rate hikes to combat inflation and U.S. banks face turmoil.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP PHOTO

Afghan refugees walk through an Afghan refugee camp at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, N.J., on Sept. 27, 2021.

SBI from page A1

SOCCER

Wrexham to play

Italy’s Como in Cary

Cary Wrexham will play Como from Italy’s second tier, a U.S. Women side of former national team players led by Heather O’Reilly and a Say Word team paying homage to North Carolina and HBCUs in Group D of a seven- on-seven tournament from June 1- 4 in Cary. A Welsh club bought in 2020 by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham has been promoted to the fourth tier of English soccer for next season. Cesc Fabregas, Chad OchoCinco Johnson, Mia Hamm and Noah Beck have committed to play in the $1 million, 32 -team, winner-take -a ll event. TBT Enterprises is organizing the tournament and each team plays three group stage games on June 1-2. Sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage starting June 2. Quarterfinals and semifinals are on June 3, and the championship is on June 4.

Copetti scores

twice, Charlotte FC

beats NYCFC

Charlotte

Enzo Copetti scored twice in the first half and Charlotte FC used an own-goal by Richard Ledezma in the second half to beat New York City FC 3-2. Copetti was assisted by McKinze Gaines and Ashley Westwood in the 8th minute to score his third goal of the season and give Charlotte (3 -5-3) an early lead. NYCFC (4 - 4 -3) evened the score in the 37th minute on a goal by Gabriel Pereira. Copetti scored for a second time just two minutes later off a corner kick by Justin Meram and Charlotte took a 2-1 lead into halftime. NYCFC’s Santiago Rodríguez scored on a penalty kick in the 57th minute, knotting the score at 2-2. Ledezma’s own-goal came in the 72nd minute off a free kick by Charlotte’s Karol Swiderski. Charlotte outshot NYCFC, but the visitors had a 6 -3 advantage in shots on goal. Kristijan Kahlina finished with four saves for Charlotte.

Mac Horvath leads UNC’s NCAA Tournament push

Baseball Heels have seen an offensive explosion as they try to earn a tourney bid

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE TAR HEELS baseball team has a busy stretch run as they try to make the NCAA Tournament. UNC took a much-needed six-day break for final exams and will now play eight games in 11 days — a stretch that started on Tuesday.

The Heels enter the season-end-

ing sprint with signs of positive momentum, Carolina won four of their last six games before exams to pull to even at 11-11 in the ACC. After posting an 11-3 record in nonconference games to start the season, UNC went 14-12 over the next six weeks to land firmly on the tournament bubble before their fortunes began trending upward again. The Heels now face ACC series against NC State and Clemson, as well as nonconference tilts with Gardner-Webb and Coastal Carolina as they look to improve their NCAA resume.

“We’ve been stepped on. Are we gonna come out and fly away, or are we gonna sting somebody?”

Scott Forbes, UNC coach

“I learned the RPI isn’t a be-all end-all in 2015 and 2016. We were top 15 and got left out,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said in his weekly show. The Heels are currently No.

UFC showcases heavyweights in return to Charlotte

Ultimate Fighting makes its fifth trip to the Queen City

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE OCTAGON RETURNS to Charlotte on Saturday for the first time since January 2018. The UFC makes its fifth appearance in the city with the nationally broadcast UFC on ABC 4: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida. Charlotte was one of the first cities to embrace the UFC, hosting two of the first five Ultimate Fighting Championships — UFC 3 in 1994 and UFC 5 in 1995. Future UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn were among the fighters to record wins at those two early events.

After 15 years, the UFC returned to the city with a card headed by Kenny Florian’s submission victory over Takanori Gomi. Wellknown UFC fighters Roy Nelson, Gleison Tibau, Ross Pearson and Yushin Okami also recorded wins at that 2010 event. The UFC made its first appearance at the Spectrum Center, site of Saturday’s event, in 2018, where fight legend Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza knocked out North Carolina fighter Derek Brunson in the first round. That card also featured three women’s fights, the first time the UFC had held women’s bouts in Charlotte.

Only 11 U.S. cities (Las Vegas, Anaheim, Atlantic City, Newark,

Houston, Denver, Chicago, Sacramento, Boston, New York and Dallas) and only 18 cities around the world (Rio, Sao Paulo, Montreal, Toronto, London, Abu Dhabi, Stockholm) have hosted the UFC more than the Queen City. Saturday’s fights will help sort out the title challenger picture at the UFC’s two heaviest weight classes. Two ranked heavyweights square off in the main event, with No. 9 Jairzinho Rozenstruik facing No. 12 Jailton Almeida. Rozenstruik is the first native of Suriname to fight in the UFC and has a record of 13-4 with 12 knockouts, including nine in the

Number of U.S. cities to host UFC events more than Charlotte’s five

first round. He also went 76-8-1 with 64 knockouts as a professional kickboxer before moving to MMA. He holds knockout wins over former champions Junior Dos Santos, Andre Arlovski and

33 in RPI. “What you do in this league is very important and how you finish your last 10 is very important. Our guys know it. … You can literally go from not making the tournament to possibly hosting a regional to being a top 16 to be in the top eight. So there’s so much for everybody to play for.”

As recently as the last week in April, it appeared the Heels might be destined to be playing out the string by this point. The UNC season hit a low point when Carolina was swept by Boston College in three games at home, getting outscored by 3.3 runs a game.

“Sometimes a kick in the face can wake up (a team) or p--- you off,” said Forbes. “There’s a difference between playing tight and angry and playing like you’ve got something to prove. I challenged them … you can respond one of two ways when you get swept at home. You can pout about it or you

See UNC, page B3

Alistair Overeem. The 34-yearold has lost two of his last three fights, but he got back on the winning track last time out with a 23-second knockout win that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

“I’ll say to the top five (heavyweight) fighters, don’t get too comfortable,” Rozenstruik said after his quick win in December.

Almeida, a 31-year-old Brazilian fighter, is 18-2 with seven knockouts and 11 submission wins. He’s on a 13-fight winning streak dating back to January 2018 and has not lost since joining the UFC. His last two outings have earned him Performance of the Night bonuses.

The featured bout pits No. 5 light heavyweight Anthony Smith against No. 7 Johnny Walker.

The 34-year-old Smith is 3617, with 20 knockouts and 14 submissions. By finishing 10 of his 11 UFC wins early, Smith has the seventh-highest finish rate in UFC history. Walker, a Brazilian fighter now based in Ireland, is 20-7 with 16 knockouts and three submissions. He has 17 first-round stoppages, including his last two fights. He has four Performance of the Night bonuses in his six UFC wins.

Smith and Walker were originally planned as the main event for Charlotte, but the heavyweight bout was moved into that spot, with the light heavyweights taking the supporting role.

The ABC fights will also include several other compelling matchups. Unbeaten Irish welterweight Ian Machado Garry (11-0, 6 knockouts 1 submission) faces veteran Daniel Rodriguez (17-3, 8 knockouts, 4 submissions), who is 12 years older than the prospect.

See UFC, page

BEN MCKEOWN | AP PHOTO

UNC’s Mac Horvath has set career highs in home runs (19), RBIs (56) and stolen bases (21) through 46 games this season.

GREGORY PAYAN | AP PHOTO

Heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik, right, will fight Jailton Almeida in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

TRENDING

Don January:

The first winner on what is now the PGA Tour Champions who also claimed a major during his PGA Tour career died Sunday. He was 93. January won 10 times on the PGA Tour over 20 years, none bigger than the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club in Colorado. Four years after his final win, January won the first event on the Senior PGA Tour. January won 22 times on the Senior PGA Tour, including the 1982 Senior PGA Championship.

Tony Ferguson:

The UFC veteran was arrested by police in Los Angeles Sunday morning for suspicion of drunken driving after he allegedly crashed his truck into parked cars. Police say Ferguson’s truck hit at least two parked vehicles and flipped over near Sunset Boulevard. Ferguson, a 2017 interim UFC lightweight champion, refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene, according to police, and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Glen Kuiper: The Oakland Athletics broadcaster has been suspended after uttering what sounded like a racial slur while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. NBC Sports California said Kuiper will remain off the air until a review Friday night’s broadcast is completed. In a pregame segment on before the A’s played the Royals, Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum but seemingly mispronounced the word ”negro.” Kuiper said he couldn’t be ”more sorry and horrified by what I said.”

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

Mage, a 15‑1 long shot who had only one win in his career, won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday in the 149th running of horse racing’s most famous event. Mage overtook Two Phil’s to his inside and won by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2‑year‑old, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57. Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (2015) as Derby winners with just three previous starts. Jockey Javier Castellano snapped an 0‑for‑15 skid in the Derby.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour after Carolina’s 8‑4 loss to the Devils in Sunday’s Game 3.

Cup Series driver Noah Gragson after Ross Chastain wrecked him on Sunday at Kansas.

PRIME NUMBER

$25K

Fine for Nuggets center Nikola Jokic by the NBA for making improper contact in the stands with Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia in Game 4 of the teams’ series. Jokic had 53 points and 11 assists in the loss.

Bronny James, the son of four‑time NBA MVP LeBron James, says he will play basketball for the USC Trojans in the fall. The 18‑year‑old James was a McDonald’s All‑American just like his father, but he was among the few uncommitted elite high school basketball prospects heading into the summer.

Vida Blue, the left‑hander who helped lead the Oakland Athletics to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems, died Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 73. Blue was voted the 1971 American League Cy Young Award and MVP after going 24‑8 with a 1.82 ERA.

The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL Draft lottery and the right to select Connor Bedard with the first pick. Chicago had the third‑highest odds of winning it at 11.5%. Bedard is considered the top draft‑eligible prospect available since Connor McDavid in 2015. Bedard had 72 goals and 143 points with Regina of the Western Hockey League this season. League‑worst Anaheim won the lottery to pick second.

HORSE RACING

JEFF ROBERSON | AP PHOTO

MLB AP PHOTO

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

GREGORY PAYAN | AP PHOTO

“I’m sick and tired of it.”

“We were horrible. That’s probably putting it mild.”

KARL B. DEBLAKER | AP PHOTO

JOHN RAOUX | AP PHOTO

DARRYL DYCK | THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

Clark holds off Schauffele to win Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow

The Denver native won his first PGA Tour event

By Steve Reed

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Wyndham

Clark tried to pull his hat over his eyes with both hands as he struggled to hold back tears on the 18th green at Quail Hollow Club after winning his first PGA Tour event at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The long, agonizing wait that included days on tour where he wanted to “break some clubs” were over.

It was time to celebrate.

“I’m a little choked up,” Clark said on the green. “It’s been a long five years (on tour) to get to this point. I thought I would have won one earlier, but it is well worth the wait.”

Clark shot 68 on Sunday for a four-shot victory over Xander Schauffele.

He finished the tournament at 19-under 265, the second-lowest score in relation to par in tournament history behind only threetime champion Rory McIlroy’s 21-under 267 in 2015 when par for the course was 72.

Schauffele had accuracy issues with his driver on Sunday and shot 70, finishing at 15 under.

Tyrrell Hatton and Harry English tied for third at 12 under, one shot better than Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott. Defending champion Max Homa shot 70 on Sunday and tied for ninth at 9-under 275.

“There are so many times that I wanted to cry and break clubs — and I did break clubs at times — in this journey,” Clark said. “But to get to this point is so sweet. It is just amazing to finally do this.”

“To go and put that round of 63 together (on Saturday) and finish at

UNC from page B1 can do something about it.

“What happens when you step on a hornets’ nest?” Forbes asked his team. “They come out and sting the heck out of you. We’ve been stepped on. Are we gonna come out and fly away, or are we gonna sting somebody?”

The Heels’ offense responded by stinging the ball over their recent hot stretch. UNC batters hit .287 in the last six games, helping to spur a 45-18 scoring differential. Carolina is led by junior Mac Hor-

UFC from page B1

Tim Means, the 39-year-old welterweight who has survived a shooting, morphine and meth addictions, and a three-year prison stint for assault during his 19-year MMA career, will put his 32-14 (19 knockouts, 5 submissions) record on the line against 32-yearold Alex Morono (22-8, 6 knockouts, 6 submissions).

Before the UFC takes over on ABC, eight preliminary fights,

19 under is a fantastic effort,” Hatton said. “Yeah, he deserves to be holding that trophy.”

Clark’s victory didn’t come easy — perhaps fitting for his career. The world’s 80th-ranked player opened the final round with a twoshot lead, surrendered it to Schauffele after seven holes and then stormed back to win after playing the final 11 holes in 4 under.

Despite never having won on tour before, there were signs that Clark was due. He’d finished in the top six in three of the last five tournaments he’d entered, including a third-place finish at the Zurich Classic last month.

He showed the poise of a champion after a rough start.

Clark pulled his tee shot left on No. 1 over the cart path, leaving him a difficult approach shot leading to a bogey. Schauffele pulled into the lead with birdies at Nos. 3 and 7, and it looked like Clark — who was struggling just to make birdie over

vath, who has 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and 21 steals, all team highs. He entered the week with a teambest six-game hitting streak and took home a host of honors weekly honors.

Horvath hit .563 last week, leading UNC to three wins in four games. He had 19 RBIs in the four contests, the best fourgame stretch in school history. His eight RBIs in a single game, against UNC Wilmington, were the most by a Tar Heel in a game since 2004. He had five home runs in the four games and posted an

starting at 11:30 a.m., will air on ESPN and ESPN+. Matt Brown, a 42-year-old welterweight, attempts to live up to his nickname, “The Immortal,” when he faces former winner of Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, Court McKee. Brown hasn’t fought in 14 months, but he’s earned performance bonuses his last two times out and is 23-19 with 15 knockouts and six taps. The 38-year-old McKee is 21-11 with five knockouts and five

the first six holes — might collapse under the pressure of trying to win his first tournament.

“My caddie (John Ellis) kept preaching to me that it’s going to be challenging and get your mind wrapped around it,” Clark said.

The momentum changed on the eighth hole.

Clark chipped to within 4 feet and rolled in a short birdie putt to pull back into a tie, and he then took the lead for good at the turn when Schauffele’s par putt lipped out on No. 9.

Schauffele started struggling

absurdly high 2.181 OPS.

The performance earned him four Player of the Week awards, from the ACC, D1 Baseball, Rawlings and the Dick Howser Trophy. Horvath also called a players-only meeting before the sixgame resurgence.

“That’s part of being a leader,” Forbes said. “When you have a leader like Mac, who works hard as anybody on our team, when he speaks (they listen) — because he doesn’t speak a lot.”

“We just talked about what great teams have, and we made a list,”

submissions.

A second “Ultimate Fighter” winner will also be in action as Season 29 winner Bryan Battle faces Gabriel Green. Battle fights out of nearby Matthews, North Carolina, and is 8-2 (2 KOs, 4 taps). Green is 11-4 (4 KOs, 6 submissions).

In a light heavyweight fight sure to inspire an emotional reaction from the crowd, Ihor Potieria, fighting out of Kyiv, Ukraine, (193, 9 KOs, 8 submissions) will take

with his driver, missing four straight fairways. Clark kept the pressure on sinking birdie putts at No. 10 and 12 sandwiched in between a Schauffele bogey on No. 11, pushing the lead to four strokes with six holes left to play.

Clark matched Schauffele’s birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to maintain a four-shot edge heading into the difficult closing three holes known as the Green Mile. From there, the only real drama was whether he’d break McIlroy’s tournament record.

But Clark played the final three holes in 1 over, bogeying the 18th after finding a fairway bunker.

“I didn’t hit it as well and didn’t make as many putts as maybe I did the day before, but mentally I was super strong,” Clark said. “I didn’t start out great. I was kind of shaky. I think in years past I might have folded. But this time I stayed patient and hung in there and caught fire on the back nine.”

Horvath said of the agenda for his meeting. “And we went down the list and we didn’t have a lot of those things. So we just figured out what we had to do to get the things on that list.” Horvath had a couple of potential reasons for his own offensive explosion.

“Slowing my rhythm down at the plate,” he said. “I was definitely sped up there. And I actually felt like I wasn’t seeing as well, so I went to the eye doctor and got a stronger prescription for my left eye.”

on New Zealand fighter Carlos Ulberg (7-1, 5 KOs).

Heavyweight Chase Sherman (16-11, 15 KOs) tries to snap a stretch of five losses in six fights against Karl Williams (8-1, 3 KOs).

Bantamweight Cody Stamann (21-5-1, 7 KOs, 2 submissions) faces Douglas Silva De Andrade (285, 20 KOs, 2 submissions).

Brazilian women’s bantamweight Tainara Lisboa (5-2, 3 KOs, 2 submissions) makes her

Schauffele said he wished he could have put more pressure on Clark, but that he was just flat on Sunday.

“I started leaking oil,” Schauffele said. Clark dedicated the win to his mother, who got him into golf and later died of breast cancer when he was 19 years old. He contemplated giving up the game after her death but didn’t.

“I’m glad I stuck it out,” Clark said. McIlroy, playing for the first time since missing the cut at the Masters, played the final three rounds in 3-over par, including a 72 on Sunday to finish even par for the tournament.

He had nine top-10 finishes in 11 starts including wins in 2010, 2015 and 2021 at Quail Hollow, but this was his worst outing since missing the cut in 12 years ago.

McIlroy declined to speak to reporters after his final round.

Whether it’s medical or technique, Horvath is the offensive centerpiece for the lineup. He’s one home run shy of having the school’s second-ever 20-20 (homers and steals) season, and his 42 career homers rank third in UNC history. He’s also the ACC’s current home run and RBI leader.

After getting things right in the locker room and at the plate, UNC finds itself on the right side of the bubble according to most NCAA tournament projections. Now the Heels just need to keep things going in the right direction.

UFC debut against 35-year-old veteran Jessica-Rose Clark (11-8, 3 KOs, 2 submissions).

Korean women’s flyweight Ji Yeon Kim (9-6-2, 2 KOs, 3 submissions) tries to snap a four-fight losing streak against Germany’s Mandy Bohm (7-2, 2 KOs, 2 submissions), who has lost her first two fights in the UFC.

Israel’s Natan Levy (8-1, 3 submissions) fights Pete Rodriguez (5-1, 5 KOs) in a lightweight showdown.

“To get to this point is so sweet. It is just amazing to finally do this.”

Wyndham Clark

NELL REDMOND, AP IMAGES FOR WELLS FARGO | CHRIS CARLSON, AP PHOTO

Left, PGA Tour player Joseph Bramlett gives First Tee – Greater Charlotte participants advice on their swings at a clinic on the Tuesday before the start of last week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club. Right, Xander Schauffele hits from a bunker on the 18th hole during Sunday’s final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

Left, Wyndham Clark hits from a bunker on the 15th hole during Sunday’s final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. Right, Wyndham Clark celebrates his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday.

Jalon

Charlotte football turns over new leaf as Poggi era begins

The 49ers are preparing for their inaugural American Athletic Conference season

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — As the Charlotte 49ers football program prepares for a transition to a tougher conference with a new coach and a renovated roster, the upcoming 2023 football season will mark the beginning of a new era.

The team’s recent Green vs. White spring game showcased the ongoing wave of change for the Niners as coach Biff Poggi gets his squad ready for its season-opener against South Carolina State and the following slate of American Athletic Conference matchups.

“I’m really pleased with the kids. We divided them up, drafted them up, and they played real-

ly hard,” Poggi said of the spring game performance. “I loved how we ran the ball. I loved how the defense stiffened up inside the red zone. I loved the physicality. We saw some of our marquee players do some unbelievable things, and we didn’t even have some of our best guys even playing today. I’m really, really happy with that.”

After trailing 15-0, the Green offense responded with 17 unanswered points and an exhibition victory that Poggi deemed a win for the whole roster.

“They’ve worked their tails off,” he said. “We’ve put them through the paces of three hours of very physical practices. In the beginning, they had their tongues hanging out, but now they’re asking for more, so I’m really happy with that.”

The performance also gave a glimpse of where the team is heading at the quarterback posi-

tion with longtime starter Chris Reynolds’ eligibility now expired: 6-foot-3 dual-threat Jalon Jones.

Nearly five years ago, the Richmond, Virginia, native played at St. Frances Academy under Poggi. Now just a few months after announcing his transfer to Charlotte, the former Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman player presumably has the starting job.

C harlotte is the fourth school that the senior has suited up for — and his fifth stop as a collegiate athlete — after initially spending one semester with the Florida Gators in 2019. Jones completed six of his seven passes for 67 yards in the spring game while redshirt junior James Foster was 7 of 12 for 104 yards.

The scrimmage provided some clarity on where offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Miller wants to go with his offense. Following the spring

game, Foster and redshirt freshman Xavier Williams announced they were each joining the transfer portal, leaving Jones and true freshman Carson Black as the only scholarship quarterbacks. With the portal reopened, Charlotte could very well opt to bring in some added depth at the position with Jones now appearing to be the QB1.

Shadrick Byrd was the game’s leading rusher with 107 yards on 5.4 yards per carry. The redshirt sophomore led the 49ers in rushing last season and looks to be the primary ball carrier yet again on a youthful running back core that also includes freshmen Micah Bell, Hahsaun Wilson and Durell Robinson.

Redshirt junior linebacker and Notre Dame transfer Ositadinma Ekwonu led the White team with six tackles, while redshirt senior linebacker Chase Monroe anchored the Green team with eight tackles.

Poggi noted that his team still has a long way to go to achieve the training and offseason goals he has set for both his players and coaching staff, adding that toughening up in the trenches will be paramount to on-field success.

They have had great gains in the weight room and we’re going to get back into it,” Poggi said. “Then we’ll be doing the player-led practices and the new rules for the NCAA will be involved. We have a lot of work to do. I mean, we’ve only had them for 15 practices. We have so much more install going in and so many interesting things that we’re going to do defensively, offensively and in the kicking game.”

One area that could make or break the team is how the wide receiver corps shapes up after losing six of its eight top receiving yardage leaders from last season. Former top wideout Grant DuBose was a seventh-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers a few weeks ago, while Elijah Spencer opted to transfer to Minnesota. Quinton Patten, Jake Clemons, Jack Reynolds, Reggie Givhan III and Jack Hestera will each compete for snaps as the wide receiver depth chart takes shape.

C oming off a 3-9 season in their final season in Conference USA, the Niners will have their work cut out for them as they adjust to stronger opponents while also looking for an identity under Poggi.

Ex-Penn State running back embarks on NASCAR pit crew career

Journey Brown is working for Trackhouse Racing

By Dave Skretta

The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Journey Brown never envisioned a future without football.

He certainly never envisioned one in racing.

The last time he walked off the field after a game, Brown had run for 202 yards and two touchdowns, leading Penn State to a 2019 Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis. He had every reason to believe that he would one day be back in AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, leading an NFL team to another victory.

“The only NASCAR I knew was ‘Talladega Nights,’” Brown said of the slapstick film starring Will Ferrell, “and my next-door neighbor had a Dale Earnhardt Jr. flag.”

Brown knows a whole lot more these days. On Saturday, he walked through the infield gate at Kansas Speedway and joined his new teammates from Trackhouse Racing, where he’s learning the ropes as a pit crew member.

The winding road to reach this point was long and unexpected, beginning not long after that December game in Texas.

Brown was undergoing a routine COVID-19 test during the height of the pandemic. Brown joked with the doctor that he had a good heart, one capable of pumping enough blood through his body to power those long TD runs, when the doctor turned to him with a grim-faced expression. The doctor told Brown that something was amiss — there was something concerning with his scans — and he’d need additional testing.

Soon afterward, Penn State coach James Franklin called him

into his office and delivered the news: Brown had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening and stiffening of the heart wall, and it would be too dangerous to continue playing football.

All those pictures of what the future might hold evaporated that day in the office.

“I was always confident in my abilities in football,” Brown told The Associated Press during a wide-ranging interview. “For me, the confidence I had in myself, I know I would have been in the league, and I would have played for as long as I chose.

“Then,” Brown said,” that wasn’t

an option anymore. And I didn’t know what I was going to do.” He helped out with the Nittany Lions for a bit. He had a job lined up to train budding players in California that fell through, in part because of how expensive it is to live there and in part because of the daughter he had back in Pennsylvania.

When Brown got a call about trying out as a tire changer for Trackhouse Racing, he basically blew it off. But a few weeks later, pit coach Shaun Peet called again and convinced Brown to travel to Charlotte and give the operation a look.

Brown thought he’d find a bunch of guys turning wrenches in a greasy garage. What he found was a sophisticated research and engineering facility, immaculately clean shop space and a finely tuned team that created an atmosphere not much different from the one in college football. Peet said he made no promises. But it didn’t take long for Brown’s athleticism to show. He was faster than the average crew member, quickly getting into position to change a tire. He was stronger than many too, making it easy to fling a 40-pound wheel back to the pit wall. And his dexterity made

“I’ll never forget I was a ballplayer. I love football to this day. But I love this life I never thought I’d be living.”

Journey Brown

changing the lugnuts seem natural.

Brown wound up spending a week in North Carolina, then he headed home to ponder his future. He spoke with family and friends, including Carolina Panthers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, one of his old teammates at Penn State.

“I was like, ‘I think I want to give this NASCAR thing a try,’” Brown said.

He wound up moving to North Carolina late last year and spent most of this year learning the nuances of life as a pit crew member. Brown may eventually be part of the regular rotation for Trackhouse Racing, which fields cars for Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain in NASCAR’s top series.

In the meantime, Brown has bought a house and settled down. He has become an ambassador for AdventHealth, one of the team’s sponsors, and spends spare time speaking at schools about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

It’s not the future he envisioned. But it’s one he’s happy to embrace.

“I know what my life would have been in the NFL. The life I’m living now, it’s the what-if — like, what if I didn’t play football? What would I be doing?” Brown said. “Right now, I wake up every day curious because I’m living a life I never knew I would. I’ll never forget I was a ballplayer. I love football to this day. But I love this life I never thought I’d be living.”

LYNNE SLADKY | AP PHOTO

ROGER STEINMAN | AP PHOTO

Former Penn State running back Journey Brown had to give up football due to a heart condition, but he’s found a new path as a member of NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing.

Quarterback

Jones, who transferred to Charlotte from Bethune Cookman, impressed at the 49ers’ spring game last month.

$2,765,780,626

Add Receipts $164,747,183

Less Disbursements $130,469,130

Reserved Cash $125,000,000

Unreserved Cash Balance Total $7,061,807,556

Loan Balance $0

ida would, like Hawley’s bill, ban U.S. economic transactions with TikTok, but it would also create a new framework for the executive branch to block any foreign apps deemed hostile. His bill is cosponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

There is broad Senate support for bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, that does not specifically call out TikTok but would give the Commerce Department power to review and potentially restrict foreign threats to technology platforms.

The White House has signaled it would back that bill, but it is unclear if it will be brought up in the Senate or if it could garner support among House Republicans.

TikTok has launched an extensive lobbying campaign for its survival, including by harnessing influencers and young voters to argue that the app isn’t harmful.

A newer question for Congress is whether lawmakers should move to regulate artificial intelligence as rapidly developing and potentially revolutionary products like AI chatbot ChatGPT begin to enter the marketplace and can in many ways mimic human behavior.

Senate leaders have made the emerging technology a priority, arguing that the United States needs to stay ahead of China and other countries that are eyeing regulations on AI products. Lawmakers have been working with AI experts and has released a general framework of what regulation could look like, including increased disclosure of the people and data involved in developing the technology, more transparency and explanation for how the bots arrive at responses.

The White House has been focused on the issue as well, with a recent announcement of a $140 million investment to establish seven new AI research institutes. Vice President Kamala Harris met Thursday with the heads of Google, Microsoft and other companies developing AI products.

In global rush to regulate AI, Europe set to be trailblazer

The Associated Press LONDON — The breathtaking development of artificial intelligence has dazzled users by composing music, creating images and writing essays, while also raising fears about its implications. Even European Union officials working on groundbreaking rules to govern the emerging technology were caught off guard by AI’s rapid rise.

The 27-nation bloc proposed the Western world’s first AI rules two years ago, focusing on reining in risky but narrowly focused applications. General purpose AI systems like chatbots were barely mentioned. Lawmakers working on the AI Act considered whether to include them but weren’t sure how, or even if it was necessary.

“Then ChatGPT kind of boom, exploded,” said Dragos Tudorache, a Romanian member of the European Parliament co-leading the measure. “If there was still some that doubted as to whether we need something at all, I think the doubt was quickly vanished.”

The release of ChatGPT last year captured the world’s attention because of its ability to generate human-like responses based on what it has learned from scanning vast amounts of online materials. With concerns emerging, European lawmakers moved swiftly in recent weeks to add language on general AI systems as they put the finishing touches on the legislation. The EU’s AI Act could become the de facto global standard for artificial intelligence, with companies and organizations potentially deciding that the sheer size of the bloc’s single market would make it easier to comply than develop different products for different regions.

“Europe is the first regional bloc to significantly attempt to regulate AI, which is a huge challenge considering the wide range of systems that the broad term ‘AI’ can cover,” said Sarah Chander, senior policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi.

Authorities worldwide are scrambling to figure out how to control the rapidly evolving technology to ensure that it improves people’s lives without threatening their rights or safety. Regulators are concerned about new ethical and societal risks posed by ChatGPT and other general purpose AI systems, which could transform daily life, from jobs and education to copyright and privacy. The EU’s sweeping regulations — covering any provider of AI services or products — are expected to be approved by a European

Parliament committee Thursday, then head into negotiations between the 27 member countries, Parliament and the EU’s executive Commission.

European rules influencing the rest of the world — the socalled Brussels effect — previously played out after the EU tightened data privacy and mandated common phone-charging cables, though such efforts have been criticized for stifling innovation.

Attitudes could be different this time. Tech leaders including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have called for a sixmonth pause to consider the risks.

Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist known as the “Godfather of AI,” and fellow AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio voiced their concerns last week about unchecked AI development. Tudorache said such warnings

Last week Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that the turmoil in the banking sector could slow the economy and help the central bank in reducing inflation, which would mean the Fed wouldn’t have to raise interest rates as high as it would otherwise.

“In principle, we won’t have to raise the rates quite as high as we would have had this not happened,” Powell said.

show the EU’s move to start drawing up AI rules in 2021 was “the right call.”

Google, which responded to ChatGPT with its own Bard chatbot and is rolling out AI tools, declined to comment. The company has told the EU that “AI is too important not to regulate.”

Microsoft, a backer of OpenAI, did not respond to a request for comment. It has welcomed the EU effort as an important step “toward making trustworthy AI the norm in Europe and around the world.”

Mira Murati, chief technology officer at OpenAI, said in an interview last month that she believed governments should be involved in regulating AI technology, but with nuance.

“It kind of depends where you apply the technology,” she said, citing as an example a “very highrisk medical use case or legal use case” versus an accounting or advertising application.

Officials drawing up AI regulations have to balance risks that the technology poses with the transformative benefits that it promises.

Under the EU’s risk-based approach, AI uses that threaten people’s safety or rights face strict controls.

Remote facial recognition is expected to be banned. So are government “social scoring” systems that judge people based on their behavior. Indiscriminate “scraping” of photos from the internet used for biometric matching and facial recognition is also a no-no. Predictive policing and emotion recognition technology, aside from therapeutic or medical uses, are also out.

Violations could result in fines of up to 6% of a company’s global annual revenue.

Even after getting final approval, expected by the end of the year or early 2024 at the latest, the AI Act won’t take immediate effect. There will be a grace period for companies and organizations to figure out how to adopt the new rules.

The survey respondents were 65 U.S. banks and U.S. branches of 19 foreign banks. The results were gathered from March 27 to April 7, well after Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed in early March, touching off the latest round of bank turmoil. First Republic bank failed a week ago, the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Federal Reserve report Monday showed that banks raised their lending standards for business and consumer loans in the aftermath of three large bank failures and expect to lift them more this year, a trend that could slow the economy in coming months and increases the risk of a recession.

The report, known as the senior loan officers survey, asked banks if they have tightened their lending standards by taking steps such as demanding higher credit scores, charging higher interest rates, or requiring more collateral, among other steps, that altogether would make it harder for businesses and consumers to obtain loans.

About 46% of all banks said they had raised standards for business loans known as commercial and industrial loans, up from just under 45% in the previous quar-

ter. That increase was not as dramatic as in previous quarters, but banks were tightening credit before the bank failures. A year ago, slightly more banks were easing credit standards than raising them. Now nearly half are tightening.

At the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, that figure topped 80%.

The Fed’s survey also found that a majority of banks plan to tighten their credit further this year.

“That will starve firms and households of credit and help push the economy into recession in the second half of this year,” Michael Pearce, lead US economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a note.

Other economists say it is hard to know exactly when a pullback in lending will start to slow the economy and by how much. Federal Reserve staff economists have also forecast a “mild recession” for later this year, in part because of an expected reduction in lending.

Also Monday, Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said he is hearing from business contacts that banks are starting to rein in lending. He suggested that could mean the Fed would limit its rate hikes. The Fed, in a statement last week, signaled it may pause its interest rate increases at its next meeting in June.

“I don’t know that it’s a fullblown credit crunch, but it’s certainly credit tightening,” Goolsbee said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. “That will slow the economy, and we absolutely should have to take that into account when we’re setting monetary policy.”

Federal Reserve officials and economists will closely scrutinize the report, because tighter credit standards are expected to be followed by a reduction in lending. That could force businesses to pull back on expansion plans and reduce hiring, and could limit sales of cars and homes.

The Fed’s report said that midsized banks — those with assets between $50 billion and $250 billion, like the three banks that failed in March — were more likely to report tighter standards.

The banks also said they are restricting credit for most consumer loans, including auto and credit card lending and home equity lines of credit.

Separately Monday, the Fed released its twice-yearly financial stability report, which examines the financial sector — banks, insurance companies, and investment funds — for any potential signs of future turmoil or disruption.

The report said that commercial real estate loans — particularly loans to downtown office buildings and retail sites — were at greater risk of default as fewer Americans report to work in cities, preferring instead to work from home. Those loans are disproportionately held by smaller banks.

The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT.

South Stanly suffers defeat

The South Stanly varsity baseball team lost in their home conference tournament game against Mount Pleasant on May 5, 2023. The final score was a close 4-3. Left: Gavyn Miller hits a single against Mt. Pleasant during the Yakin Valley 1A/2A Baseball Tournament. Top right: Carter Moon delivers a pitch. Bottom left: Alex Ramirez stares down the runner at third base before tagging the runner out at first.

COUNTY NEWS

SCC announces its first Picnic in the Park event for alumni

Stanly Community College (SCC) has announced its firstever Picnic in the Park event for alumni on Thursday, June 15. The event, which will be held at the Morrow Mountain State Park Community Building, will run from 5 pm until 7 pm and offer alumni the chance to connect and discover opportunities to become better involved with their alma mater. “Our students are at the center of all we do at Stanly Community College,” said Jeania Martin, SCC Foundation Executive Director. “As alumni, they become part of our family for a lifetime, and we hope they will remain involved with the college long after they have graduated.” This event is free to attend, and individuals are encouraged to register by emailing sccalumni@stanly.edu.

New teen driver law comes into effect this week

Following the passing of a new bill by the North Carolina General Assembly, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles announced changes to the graduated driver licensing (GDL) program for teens. Effective May 8, teen drivers will be required to have their Level 1 Limited Learner Permit for six months before being able to receive their Level 2 Limited Provisional License. Teen drivers will still be required to be at least 16 years old, log 60 hours of driving time, pass a road test, and show printed proof of insurance in the teen driver’s name. Prior to this new law, teen drivers with a learner permit were required to wait 12 months before advancing to a limited provisional license. According to this new legislation, this sixmonth requirement will lapse at the end of the year. Beginning on January 1, 2024, this provision will be permanently changed to nine months. An additional change to the GDL system will allow Level 2 Provisional License holders to drive one passenger under the age of 21 (that is not a family member) if they are being driven directly to or from school. This rule adds to the existing provision allowing one passenger under 21-year-old that is a family member.

Albemarle receives Main Street America accreditation renewal

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

ALBEMARLE — The North Carolina Department of Commerce announced on May 4 that Albemarle is one of 42 communities in the state to receive national accreditation status as a Main Street America program for 2023.

On an annual basis, the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center releases a list of accredited programs throughout the state in order to recognize their commitment to economic development, community revitalization efforts, and achieved level of performance standards.

With its recent honor, the Albemarle Downtown Development Corporation’s accreditation status has been renewed for another year — the city was originally added to the NC Main Street program in 1993.

“The recent growth in downtown Albemarle has added excitement to our already-vibrant

district,” Joy Almond, City of Albemarle Main Street Manager/liaison for the ADDC, said in a press release. “The programs available through both NC Main Street and Main Street America have been vital to the success of our community, and it is a privilege to once again be recognized as an accredited program.”

During the 2022-23 fiscal year, the ADDC reported a public and private investment of over $17 million in Albemarle’s Municipal Service District. Additionally, five new businesses — along with 10 new full-time and 22 part-time positions — were created over the course of the fiscal year.

“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main

“The recent growth in downtown Albemarle has added excitement to our already-vibrant district.”

Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”

In order to meet the parameters for national accreditation status, communities must show a commitment to grassroots revitalization programs and public-private partnerships, as well as the preservation of historic places, spaces and cultural assets.

“The North Carolina Main Street programs have once again met the rigorous standards of the National Main Street Center,” said NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Our local Main Street programs

Board of Education approves supplement funding from the state for teacher bonus pay

Board approves new courses to be offered at Stanly County Schools

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Schools Board of Education met Tuesday, May 2, with new courses and supplement funding as the key items on the agenda.

The board approved the CTE Annual Plan Review, which happens every two years and contains a comprehensive needs assessment and goal and benchmark proficiencies.

“This is year two of a two-year plan, and we are meeting meaningful progress towards all the goals that are outlined for us through the state as well as the comprehensive needs assessment that was conducted last year for the CTE programs to grow and expand,” said Director of Career and Technical Education Mandy Melton

“The comprehensive needs as-

sessment was conducted last year, and that’s where we meet with and survey stakeholders. CTE has teacher advisories and business advisories where we meet with the local businesses we cooperate with, like NCWorks, NextGen and different governmental agencies relating to employment. And from all that, we gather information to make a plan on how to move forward, what programs are needed and those types of things.”

“The second part is goals outlined from the state that CTE has benchmarks that they have to meet every year. It is academic proficiency in mathematics, science and reading. There is also a goal for non-traditional participation in CTE which is basically a non-traditional gender participating in CTE class, such as a girl in construction class or auto mechanics or a boy in health science. There are also goals related to credentials, how many students we credential each year, as well as our post-secondary attainment. In February of every year, CTE surveys each of its concentrators to see if they have positive placement

after high school. The last goal is what they call ‘program quality,’ and that is our post-assessment scores and performance-based measures that are done at the end of every course. We are given state and local benchmarks to meet every year.”

The board also approved the establishment of a few new courses.

The first is an elective exclusive to South Stanly Middle School, and it will be an outdoor and environmental STEM elective that will be offered for one semester as a rotational elective.

“I’m very passionate about getting kids outdoors,” said South Stanly 6th grade Science and Social Studies teacher Kristin Owens-White, who will be leading the course. “We want kids to think outside the box, but we’re not willing to teach them outside the box, and I think we need to get those kids back outdoors, exploring and seeing what is in the world around them.

“It’s not a go outside and play course; this is where they get to explore things about their environment and make educat-

help drive North Carolina’s economy by working with Commerce’s community developers to increase the economic vitality of their downtown districts, helping attract new jobs, more small businesses, and additional investment across the state.”

Liz Parham, Director of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, added: “The list of nationally accredited communities demonstrates the necessary hard work to build sustainable organizations that spur investment, business development, and job creation.”

Historically, NC Main Street programs have leveraged $4.52 billion in private and public investment over the past 43 years; the accredited downtown districts added 301 net new businesses, 1,941 net new jobs, 360 facade rehabilitations, 303 building rehabilitations, and 103,277 recorded volunteer hours last year.

On a national scale, Main Street communities have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment along with 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs. Additional information about the program can be found at mainstreet.org.

Joy Almond

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

ed choices. It’s not pushing an agenda on children; it is about getting them invested in the world around them. There’s a lot of material and equipment in that STEM lab that I want to see put to good use, and I think this is just a great way to twist it, use the equipment but get the kids excited.”

The second type of course would be an honors/advanced studies offering of PE.

“We had our group of high school physical education teachers come to us with a vision for offering an advanced course for physical education and being able to give some of those student-athletes an extended opportunity to perform not just in the weight room, but academically and mixing those two things together,” said Chief Academic Officer Lynn Plummer. “It’s not just a matter of going to the weight room and lifting weights or going outside and playing on the field every day but being able to add in exercise and diet and the nutritional side of things.

“If we take PE as a Freshman, a lot of our students don’t go back and take another PE course, especially those that are really trying to advance that GPA because a lot of those PE courses are just going to give them a 4.0 rather than a 5.0. So, they came together and put together a wonderful plan of what that would look like for those students.”

The board also approved the Child Nutrition Recruitment Plan, which was a template sent by DPI that needed to be sent in every two years.

Finally, the board approved the state supplemental funds for teacher bonus pay.

“This year, in the second rollout of funding from DPI, the amount that we got this year is $1.7 million,” said Chief Financial Officer Terry Dudney. “The funding amount is $1,750,009, and there are 620 staff members that are eligible based on the policy that was approved by the board last year. So, the bonus this year would be $2,135 per certified instructional staff member. It may tweak a little higher than that, but until we process the payroll and know what it comes up with, the amount that we’re working with is $2,135 per individual. Staff must be employed and in paid status as of May 1, and if the staff is employed less than 100 percent, then they will receive a prorated amount of that bonus.”

According to Dudney, the funding came directly from the state as a budget line item and there is no county match required.

The Stanly County Schools

Board of Education will next

No Mow May? Good intentions, bad approach, critics say

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve heard about the #NoMowMay movement that’s been gaining steam on social media and in eco-conscious circles these past few years.

Started in 2019 by citizen scientists in the United Kingdom, the call for homeowners to abstain from mowing their lawns during the month has spread to other countries, including the U.S.

The intention is admirable: Let your grass and weeds grow and bloom to provide food and shelter for essential pollinators like bees and butterflies early in the season, when such necessities may be scarce.

Frankly, I think it’s a terrible idea.

Some of those pollinators you set out to protect will likely get shredded up with the first mow of the season. Grass will no doubt get shaded by tall weeds, which can lead to fungal diseases. And weeds and invasive plants that take hold during the month won’t

simply disappear once the mowing commences. That might lead people to apply chemical pesticides they wouldn’t otherwise use.

And what about rodents, snakes and other undesirables that also will likely avail themselves of the shelter?

Perplexed by the seemingly runaway-train popularity of the now-annual event, I called Tamson Yeh, turf specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County in New York. “Is it me?” I asked.

“I think it’s a terrible idea, too,” she said. “It’s such a nice slogan, but letting the grass grow high and allowing it to do its thing, and then suddenly mowing it back is really counterproductive.”

Yeh sees the movement as a “feel-good, stop-gap measure, because if you want to have an impact, you need to establish a permanent cover for insects,” not merely temporary housing.

“Bees tell each other where the food is, and pollinators (when they discover an unmown lawn) will remember to come back to it again and again,” Yeh said. “Then

on June 1st, when the food disappears, it’s not good for them.”

Hibernating insects have memories that span not only from day to day but from year to year, Yeh said. So she recommends planting early blooming shrubs, trees and plants to establish a permanent food source they can remember and rely on as adults when they emerge from dormancy.

Other problems with the practice, Yeh noted, include “confusing insects when the grass is suddenly low again. That gives predators the opportunity to take advantage of them.”

There’s also the potential to disturb a nest of bunnies when mowing, she said, calling the discovery “the most horrible experience you can have.”

An all-or-nothing approach would be better. If you really want to make a difference, consider replacing the entire lawn, or part of it, with native plants or planting a wildflower meadow. Both will provide permanency for birds and pollinators while shrinking or eliminating the lawn, which frankly, has no redeeming value

aside from subjective aesthetics, anyway.

When planting for beneficial insects, Yeh advises creating a corridor or path of pollen- and nectar-rich plants for migratory pollinators to travel along instead of spacing plants far apart.

Postponing fall cleanup until spring, which spawned another movement called #LeaveTheLeaves, will create safe havens for pollinators to lay their eggs and hibernate within. To allow time for them to emerge from dormancy, wait until after spring temperatures have remained above 50 degrees for an entire week before clearing away last season’s plant debris.

For those set on letting their lawns go wild this month, Yeh cautions that “allowing grass to go to seed will kill it,” so remove seedheads if they form.

It’s also important to reintroduce mowing gradually.

“The best height for grass is 3 inches tall, but if you’re mowing it down from 5 or 6 inches, do it over several sessions,” she advised, adding that cutting grass by more than one-third of its height at one time can cause it to go into shock.

The gradual approach “also will give insects a chance to realize it’s not a good place for them anymore,” she said. Hopefully, they’ll take the hint and move on to safer spaces.

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ LATTA, LLOYD DESHAN (B /M/44) FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE 05/07/2023 Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ LAMPLEY, CAMERON GLENN (W /M/44) SURRENDER BY SURETY 05/05/2023 Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ NUGENT, CANDICE LEA (W /F/32) POSSESS METHAMPHETAMINE 05/05/2023 Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ ORDWAY, EDWARD HAROLD (W /M/53) DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED

05/03/2023 Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ RICHARDSON, GARY NMN (B /M/28)

FELONY PROBATION VIOLATION 05/03/2023 Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ PORTER, JAMIE DUSTIN (W /M/30) PAROLE

VIOLATION 05/02/2023

Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ COUICK, JESSICA LIANE (W /F/35)

♦

The Associated Press

This May 3, 2023, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows overgrown grass and weeds in an unmowed lawn.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Federal Trade Commission’s Call of Duty maneuver is actually a dereliction of it

THE BRITISH ANTITRUST cops just announced they will oppose the proposed blockbuster $68.7 billion merger of two American companies -- Microsoft and gaming company Activision Blizzard, the owner of the wildly popular game Call of Duty. This decision is bad news for investors in companies, gamers and workers. But it’s very good news for America’s competitors in Asia and Europe.

The foreign regulators claim the merger will give monopolistic power to Microsoft in the computer gaming industry.

The Brits and Europeans have been tossing spurious accusations of monopoly power at America’s tech companies for years.

The idea that Microsoft could monopolize this nearly $200 billion entertainment industry with tens of thousands of games and new ones introduced every day is far-fetched, to say the least. Even with the merger, Microsoft would only have about one-third of the computer console market that is now dominated by Sony. Sony’s PlayStation has two-thirds of the market, and no doubt it is thrilled by the British government’s action.

If there is a dominant player in this industry, it’s the Japanese right now, not Microsoft.

The Brits and Europeans have been tossing spurious accusations of monopoly power at America’s tech companies for years. They think Apple and Google are monopolies. Facebook was accused of being monopolistic before the market brought the company down on its own.

Euroland hasn’t been able to compete in the tech arena. So they accuse U.S. companies that are profitable and dominant -- in products ranging from cellphones to search engines to social media platforms -- of being too powerful. They retaliate with hostile regulations, lawsuits, and, in some cases, trade barriers designed to knock American companies off their perch. These are simply taxes on American innovation. These are envy lawsuits.

What makes this story nefarious is that instead of defending U.S. companies against these economic assaults aimed at American jobs, firms and shareholders, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is working behind the scenes to aid and abet our attackers. The FTC has failed to make its boogeyman antitrust case against Microsoft in courts here at home, so they work with foreign regulators to kneecap the merger.

Foreign regulators are simply copycatting bogus claims made against Microsoft by ... the FTC.

Back in December, soon after the announced merger proposal, FTC Chair Lina Khan swooped in to oppose this marriage with “expansive legal theories,” as the Wall Street Journal put it. This is the idea that somewhere, somehow, a consumer may be harmed by two private companies mutually agreeing to combine.

Khan comes with a professorial anti-business chip on her shoulder and

hates almost all mergers and acquisitions. Of course, as a lawyer and an academic, she’s never created a successful company herself. But she’s a crusader against those who have. This is a woman who thinks it would be preferable for Spirit Airlines to go bankrupt and sell its assets off at auction, rather than get saved in a merger with JetBlue.

When Biden’s FTC loses here at home, as it did in the Illumina and Grail merger, Khan doesn’t throw in the towel. She conspires with foreign regulators to assist in their attacks on American companies. Khan isn’t shy about her chummy relationship with her British regulatory counterpart Sarah Cardell -an ideological Lina Khan mini-me.

Microsoft insiders tell me that the firm will challenge the baseless U.K. objections in court, as well as it should. But this will cost millions of dollars in legal fees and delays. Who benefits from this obstruction? Lawyers, for sure. After all, who will make tens of millions of dollars in legal fees? But not consumers. The gaming product that Microsoft wants to purchase is Call of Duty. Microsoft argues that the synergies from a marriage between the two companies will improve gaming products and make them more accessible and affordable.

Can you imagine the Japanese or the Chinese government trying to drive one of its own domestic companies to its knees? It would never happen.

Remember, we are talking about video games here. Not steel plants or topsecret military weapon systems. It’s hard to detect any public interest being served here by blocking this merger.

It’s all more evidence that Washington has moved from a Put America

First economic agenda under President Donald Trump to a Put America

Last ideology under President Joe Biden. With a more market-friendly administration, the U.S. government would be defending Microsoft against foreign aggressions and declaring the British action as an act of economic hostility. Which it is.

The game caught in the middle of this political tug of war is Call of Duty, but the actions by the British and American regulators are a clear case of dereliction of duty.

Lina Khan is just getting started with her crusade to slice and dice American businesses. In her budget proposal to Congress, the super-regulator wants a near 50% increase in her budget. Congress should instead cut it in half.

Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a cofounder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. His latest book is “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”

Instead of smearing justices, senators should be asking them for ethics lessons

THE CONCERTED EFFORT by the media and Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court is the most consequential attack on our institutions in memory.

Make no mistake. The “Supreme Court Ethics Reform” hearing this week was meant to discredit the high court and slander justices with innuendo. Nothing else. Democrats are angry because the court happens to occasionally uphold basic constitutional principles of American governance.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen.

The recent hit pieces on Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were shoddy and transparently partisan. They did not uncover any conflict of interest or corruption. They exist to give politicians fodder and hackish outlets like The Washington Post the freedom to contend that the Senate is “consider(ing) strengthening ethics rules for the Supreme Court in response to a cascade of revelations about unreported lavish travel and real estate deals.”

Most Post readers will, no doubt, be unaware that there has been no “unreported” lavish travel or real estate deals. There is one amended note in a financial disclosure by Thomas -- who had no ethical or legal obligation to check in with Democrats whenever he travels. In Politico’s Gorsuch hit, the reporter didn’t even know how to read a basic disclosure form. Everything, including a real estate deal that Gorsuch was allegedly attempting to conceal, was reported.

The fact that the same histrionic coverage did not accompany Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s amended financial disclosures in 2022 nor Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s amended financial disclosures in 2021 nor Justice Stephen Breyer’s long-term travel arrangements, which were often reimbursed by the wealthy Pritzker family, is no accident.

The committee chair, Dick Durbin, contends he merely wants the justices to abide by the ethics rules that Congress has drafted for itself. If they did, it would mean a complete degradation of standards in the court.

Because while there has not been a scintilla of evidence offered by anyone that the originalist justices have altered their judicial philosophy or approach for personal benefit, one could not say that same thing about the leader of the delegitimization effort, Durbin, who, according to a 2014 Chicago Tribune investigation, used his office and power to help enrich his lobbyist wife: Among the areas of overlap in the Durbins’ careers: her firm getting a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time the senator went to bat for the organization and others like it; a state university receiving funds earmarked by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife

was seeking state support for the same group.

Durbin did not pay a fine or face any repercussions for this conflict of interest. Then again, do you know how many officials the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued disciplinary sanctions to since 2007? Zero.

Not Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein, whose husband Richard Blum, an investment banker, made some amazingly prescient trades in the biotech sector during COVID-19.

Not Judiciary Committee member Richard Blumenthal, D-Stolen Valor, and his wife, who happened to trade shares of Robinhood before calling for an investigation and then lie, not surprisingly, about the family’s significant stock ownership.

Not Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, who not only traded health care stock through his and his family’s accounts while pushing to pass a medical bill directly related to that sector but also used his seat to prop up a green energy concern that supported his campaign.

Nor Judiciary Committee member Peter Welch, who was buying stock in a German coronavirus test producer after hearing intelligence briefings on the matter.

Nor Durbin himself, who unloaded investments right after a private meeting with the then-Treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman during the 2008 financial collapse.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen. This is their doing. They are the ones creating the perception of corruption where there is none. And why? Because the Constitution is a hindrance to their agenda. It’s that simple.

Durbin tried to get Chief Justice John Roberts to participate in his partisan clown show, claiming it was time “for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it.” The Supreme Court is an equal branch of the government, not an agency for Durbin to bully. And, outside of impeaching someone, Congress has no power to dictate how it conducts business. If anything, Congress should be looking to the justices to learn how to act decently.

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books - the most recent, “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.”

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA Banchero only

unanimous 1st-team

All-Rookie selection

New York

Magic forward and former Duke standout Paolo Banchero was the only player to be unanimously selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He was joined on the first team by former UNC forward Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Kings and Jalen Williams of the Thunder.

They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting. Detroit teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren made the second team, as did Houston teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, along with San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan.

MLB Royals place

Yarbrough on injured list with head fractures

Kansas City, Mo. Kansas City Royals lefthander Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 15day injured list with what was classified as ”head fractures” after taking a 106-mph line drive off the right side of his face Sunday. Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Yarbrough has three non-displaced fractures in different spots around his right eye. ”He’s stable, improving,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. ”He never lost consciousness. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. We don’t think at this time will require surgery. He’s getting further testing and we’ll have a better idea (of his prognosis) in the next 24 hours.”

TENNIS

Alcaraz set to return to No. 1 after retaining Madrid title

Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to pave the way to reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking. The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open. He converted on his first match point after a hardfought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.

FORMULA ONE

Verstappen keeps

Red Bull undefeated with win in Miami Miami Gardens, Fla.

Max Verstappen kept Red Bull undefeated on the season as the reigning two-time Formula One champion drove from ninth to the victory Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull has won all five races so far this season, and teammate Sergio Perez’s second-place finish in Miami was the fourth 1-2 finish for Red Bull this year. Verstappen has three wins this season, while Perez, the pole sitter in Miami, has two victories. The win was the 38th of his career for Verstappen, who tied Sebastian Vettel for most victories for Red Bull.

Hamlin bumps Larson for lead on final lap to win at Kansas

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had walked out of Victory Lane after winning a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series duel over Kyle Larson with a last-lap pass at Kansas Speedway on Sunday just in time to hear his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, make a bold proclamation.

“He’s the most talented race car driver in the world,” Gabehart was saying.

Awkward, because Gabehart wasn’t talking about his own driver.

“Tells you what he thinks about me,” Hamlin said with a wry grin.

Gabehart was talking about Larson, who was leading in the closing laps on a sizzling day in the heart-

land. But it was Hamlin who was better this time. He spent about 30 laps stalking Larson before making a couple of failed attempts at the lead in the closing laps. Finally, heading onto the backstretch on the final one, Hamlin pulled alongside Larson and made the slightest of contact, sending him bumping into the outside wall and giving Hamlin a clear path to the finish line.

The victory ended a 33-race winless drought for Hamlin dating to last year’s Coca-Cola 600. And along with giving Hamlin a record fourth win at Kansas, it gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 400th win overall in NASCAR’s top series.

“I was sideways. He was sideways. I knew it was going to be close whether he could clear me,” Hamlin said. “I was grinding his left side, trying to keep the sidedraft as much as I could. It’s such a super-sensitive part and I hooked him at the end.”

Hamlin said he planned to speak with Larson about the finish at some point.

“I was really loose,” Larson said. “He was able to finally get my inside off two. It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.”

So what does Gabehart think of his own driver?

“I’m so proud of Denny to work over — in my view — the most talented race car driver in the world,” he said.

Larson finished second and William Byron, who was two laps down for more than 50 laps during the middle portion of the race, rallied to join his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the top three.

Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth while Ross Chastain rounded out the top five before tempers flew on pit

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

Jockey Javier Castellano won horse racing’s biggest event in his 16th attempt

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-yearold, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (1915) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.

The colt was in the skilled hands of Javier Castellano, a Hall

of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby. “I never give up,” Castellano said. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.”

Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties.

a little horse with a big heart.”

Jockey Javier Castellano on Mage

Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971. Going into the backstretch,

road.

Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness on the track, found himself in another heated confrontation Sunday. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.

Gragson put his hands on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping right hook that appeared to connect. Gragson tried to return the punch, but he was pulled away by security and NASCAR officials.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style.

“The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain accepted some of the blame for the spin but didn’t have much to say about the punch.

“I got tight off four for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the race track. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of four.”

Next week the Cup Series goes to Darlington for “Throwback Weekend.”

Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. said. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.’”

Forte, the early favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s. Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized after being injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won for the fourth time at the track

“He’s

Denny Hamlin does a burnout as he celebrates after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

AP PHOTO

Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Sterling win at UFC 288 may send Cejudo back to retirement

UFC Fight Night will be in Charlotte on Saturday

The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. — Aljamain

Sterling landed enough stiff knees and elbows in a split-decision victory against a battered Henry Cejudo that the punishment may push the former UFC two-division champion back into retirement.

Moments after winning his ninth straight bout and surviving his latest 135-pound championship title defense in the main event of UFC 288, Sterling’s fight night was only heating up.

Bantamweight challenger Sean O’Malley stepped inside the cage, stripped off his jacket and stood nose-to-nose with Sterling (23-3) as the two fighters launched into profanity-laced tirades against each other and eventually needed to be separated.

“Get this (expletive) out of my cage,” Sterling shouted Saturday night at the Prudential Center.

They might get their championship match later this summer. UFC President Dana White wanted Sterling-O’Malley to fight in August in Boston — and not late night in New Jersey.

“It was a bad idea,” White cracked of inviting O’Malley inside the octagon. Cejudo’s comeback after a threeyear retirement also might have been a bad idea. Cejudo, the only person to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title, held the bantamweight crown when he abruptly retired in May 2020 after he successfully defended the championship against Dominick Cruz.

Cejudo said he was a “little confused” about his future plans and would return home to his family — his wife is expecting the couple’s second child — and think hard about his fight future. He was wildly cheered through all five rounds by 17,559 fans that paid to watch Cejudo try to turn back the clock.

“Who knows, this may be the last time in the octagon,” he said.

The 33-year-old Sterling won 48-

West, South Stanly find success in conference tournaments

Eight Stanly teams received state playoff bids

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

13, 8-6 Catawba Valley), while the fourth-seeded Colts softball team hosted No. 29 Randleman (7-15, 4-8 Piedmont), both on Tuesday.

S outh Stanly’s two squads also carry momentum into the state tournaments.

47, 48-47 on two scorecards and Cejudo won 48-47 on the third.

“I hate losing but it’s also been three years,” Cejudo said. Sterling, a Long Island, New York native, successfully defended the bantamweight championship for a record third time.

At 21, Cejudo (16-3) became the youngest American to capture an Olympic wrestling gold medal when he won the freestyle 55-kilogram division in 2008. At 36, Cejudo may finally call it quits instead of continuing to chase another UFC championship.

White shook Cejudo’s hand inside the cage and helped the fighter remove his gloves for perhaps the final time.

“I’m out here to chase greatness,” Cejudo said. “If I can’t make history, I’m not doing this. I didn’t win. The belt’s not around my waist.”

Cejudo found greatness in UFC when he became the fourth fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously, and the second to defend titles in two different weight divisions.

STANLY COUNTY — High schools within Stanly County were well represented in the recent baseball and softball tournament championships for both the Rocky River Conference and Yadkin Valley Conference on May 5. West Stanly’s baseball and softball teams each won their respective RRC Tournament championship games, while South Stanly’s softball team won the YVC Tournament title. The Bulls’ baseball team finished as a runner-up. The Colts baseball team (22-3, 11-0 RRC) defeated Parkwood (11-14, 7-4 RRC) with a 21-0 victory to become the RRC Tournament champions.

23-1

The Bulls baseball team (1211, 6-6 YVC) won in the first two rounds of the YVC tournament before falling 4-3 to Mount Pleasant (15-8, 9-3 YVC) in the championship round. The No. 16 Bulls hosted No. 17 Swain County (10-9, 9-3 Smoky Mountain) in the opening round of the 1A state playoffs.

Record for reigning state 2A softball champion West Stanly

Meanwhile, the Bulls softball team (213, 12-0 YVC) — the reigning 1A champions — used a 12-1 showing to defeat Mount Pleasant (14-10, 7-5 YVC) in the YVC championship before hosting No. 31 North Rowan (5-8, 4-8 Central Carolina) as a No. 2 seed in the state playoffs.

Increasing its winning streak to 24 games, the Colts softball team (23-1, 10-0 RRC) — the reigning 2A state champions — bested Anson (11-11, 6-4 RRC) with a 6-1 finish in its own title game. Both the West baseball and softball teams earned the RRC regular season title with undefeated records, combining for a 21-0 showing for the 2023 season. G oing forward beyond conference play into the NCHSAA state playoffs, West’s teams accounted for two of the eight different Stanly teams that received tournament bids starting with Tuesday’s first round, which was after press time.

In the 2A brackets, the fifth-seeded Colts baseball team hosted No. 28 West Lincoln (12-

Four other Stanly County teams were included in the state tournaments.

The No. 10 North Stanly baseball team (15-10, 10-2 YVC) hosted No. 23 Shelby (12-11, 7-5 Southern Piedmont) in the 2A bracket, while the No. 23 North Stanly softball team (12-12, 6-6 YVC) faced a familiar road opponent in No. 10 Mount Pleasant (14-10, 7-5 YVC).

Additionally, No. 25 Gray Stone baseball (7-12, 2-10 YVC) traveled to eighth-seeded Corvian Community (13-7, 6-1 Metro Eight) in the 1A bracket, while the No. 17 Gray Stone softball team (10-9, 5-7 YVC) was hosted by No. 16 Draughn (19-4, 10-2 Western Highlands).

The second round of playoff action for both baseball and softball is set for May 12.

Will gambling case at Alabama ripple across college sports?

Brad Bohannon was fired after their were suspicious bets involving the Crimson Tide

The Associated Press

ALABAMA FIRED its baseball coach this week amid an investigation into suspicious bets involving a Crimson Tide game at LSU.

The school did not give details about why Brad Bohannon was let go, saying only that he violated “the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of university employees.”

This appears to be the first major gambling scandal in college sports since a Supreme Court decision five years ago paved the way for states to legalize wagering on sporting events.

How were potential improprieties spotted? And what have

schools and conferences been doing to safeguard competition since legal sports betting has become widespread in the United States?

Red flag

Alabama lost 8-6 at top-ranked LSU on April 28 in a game in which the Crimson Tide’s top starting pitcher was a late scratch with an injury.

A Louisiana gambling official who received a report from a sports integrity monitor said two bets were placed in Ohio at a sportsbook located in the Cincinnati Reds stadium, Great American Ball Park. Matthew Holt, the president of U.S. Integrity, said the operators of the sportsbook alerted his company to “abnormal activity.” U.S. Integrity alerted state gambling and gaming associations. After collecting information from other states, U.S. Integrity reported back to Ohio regulators, who opened an in-

vestigation.

Sporting events all over the world are monitored for potential issues. Holt said U.S. Integrity sends out about 15 alerts per month to sportsbook operators, sports leagues and organizing bodies it has as clients. Its client list includes the Southeastern Conference, home to both Alabama and LSU.

How is sports wagering monitored?

U.S. Integrity, for example, analyzes data that includes real-time odds and wagering at sportsbooks to try to spot irregular activity. The company also monitors online chatter on social media and other websites.

“All kinds of information, some of which human beings are looking through, some of which the machines are identifying using algorithms,” he said. “The second way

alerts are catalyzed, which is what happened in this instance, is operators identify some type of abnormal, nefarious, suspicious activity.”

In most states, sportsbooks are required to work with independent monitors.

Scandals

College sports has had its share of gambling-related scandals through the years, including point-shaving in basketball and football where the final scores of games were improperly impacted.

Initial indications are what happened with Alabama baseball was not point-shaving. The NFL recently suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling rules. Holt said the Alabama case is different.

“What we’re not used to is it involving a coach,” Holt said. “I think the coach is supposed to be the mentor, the role model. And that’s

the difference here.”

ESPN reported that sportsbook surveillance video indicated the person who made the suspicious bets in Cincinnati on Alabama’s game was communicating with Bohannon at the time.

“The natural comparison a lot of people are going to draw is Pete Rose,” said sports gambling expert John Holden, an associate professor in the Oklahoma State School of Business. Rose was banned from Major League Baseball for betting on games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Good sign?

Holt said said the Alabama case is actually an example of the benefits of legalized wagering.

“It proves that regulated sports betting and transparency into the marketplace that we have now, it works,” he said. “When people do nefarious things, we catch them.”

MICHAEL JOHNSON | THE ADVOCATE VIA AP

AP PHOTO

Whatmakessammyrun and Joe Bravo, left, hold off Air Force Red and Juan Hernandez to win the $100,000 Siren Lure Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita Park. Horse racing’s new anti-doping rules have been pushed back until after the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Alabama coach Brad Bohannon, left, argues with umpire Joe Harris after being tossed from an NCAA game in April. Alabama fired Bohannon after a report of suspicious bets involving his team.

US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threat

The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A U.S. agency has agreed to an in-depth environmental study into whether dredging a Georgia shipping channel in the spring and summer would threaten rare sea turtles nesting on nearby beaches — a review demanded by conservationists who sued to stop the project.

Georgia conservation group

One Hundred Miles moved to dismiss its lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers after the agency announced Friday that it would voluntarily conduct the study. The group sued in December, asking a U.S. District Court judge to order the Corps to produce such a report.

“The Corps has now committed to what we’ve asked for, to go back and review the science,” Catherine Ridley, a One Hundred Miles vice president, said Monday. “The science is clear: Spring and summer dredging puts Georgia’s sea turtles and decades of conservation progress at risk.” Environmentalists and the Army Corps have battled since 2021 over the agency’s plan to end a policy that for three decades has prohibited the dredging of accumulated sand and mud from harbors in Georgia and the Carolinas during the nesting season for sea turtles.

In place since 1991, the seasonal limits are intended to protect sea turtles from being killed and maimed by the vacuum-like suction pumps of hopper dredges during the warmer months, when female turtles are most abundant near Southern beaches. Conservationists credit that policy with helping threatened and endangered turtle species begin a fragile rebound.

The Army Corps said in a statement Monday that it’s undertaking the fuller environmental study to “ensure robust public, agency, and stakeholder engagement” as well as “full evaluation of the impacts that this action may have to the human and natural environment.” The agency is responsible for keeping shipping channels clear of accumulated sediments to ensure safe passage

for ships Since the 1990s, maintenance dredging in Georgia and the Carolinas has been confined to a period roughly between December and March. Giant loggerhead sea turtles, federally protected as a threatened species, typically start nesting in May. Smaller numbers of endangered green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles lay eggs in the region as well.

The Corps has argued seasonal dredging limits are no longer necessary. That’s because the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded in 2020 that sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act can likely endure rough-

ly 150 deaths anticipated annually from year-round dredging.

Army Corps officials have said seasonal restrictions make it difficult to compete for a limited number of contractors. They also argue that dredging windows timed to protect sea turtles ignore species such as critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which frequent the same waters during winter.

A federal judge in May 2021 temporarily blocked the Army Corps from conducting yearround dredging in Georgia. Last September, a different judge halted a similar plan in North Carolina. Both judges ruled that the

Corps failed to adequately assess potential dangers to legally protected sea turtle species.

In Georgia, the Army Corps responded a year later with an environmental assessment that concluded year-round dredging in Brunswick would have no significant impact on sea turtles. Last July, the agency solicited bids for dredging in Georgia that included an “optional bid item” to dredge in Brunswick between May and August during sea turtle nesting season.

One Hundred Miles filed suit again in December, arguing the Corps’ assessment was insufficient. The group asked a judge to

order the Corps to produce a full environmental impact statement — the most comprehensive type of review federal agencies can undertake to ensure projects don’t violate the National Environmental Policy Act.

Col. Joseph R. Geary, commander of the Army Corps’ Savannah District, in March prohibited any maintenance dredging in Brunswick outside the seasonal window, pending further review. On Friday, the Corps announced that review would consist of a full environmental impact statement.

The Army Corps said it does not know how long the more indepth study is expected to take.

GOP subpoenas FBI for Biden records; WH denounces ‘innuendo’

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A top House Republican subpoenaed FBI Director Chris Wray last week for what he claimed are bureau records related to President Joe Biden and his family, basing the demand on newly surfaced allegations he said an unnamed whistleblower made to Congress.

The White House said it was the latest example in the yearslong series of “unfounded, unproven” political attacks against Biden by Republicans “floating anonymous innuendo.”

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee and Accountability, is seeking a specific FBI form from June 2020 that is a report of conversations or interactions with a confidential source. Comer, in a letter to Wray with Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said that “it has come to our attention” that the bureau has such a document that “describes an alleged criminal scheme” involving Biden and a foreign national “relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions” when Biden was vice president and includes “a precise

description” about it.

The subpoena seeks all socalled FD-1023 forms and accompanying attachments and documents.

The lawmakers used the word “alleged” three times in the open-

ing paragraph of the letter and offered no evidence of the veracity of the accusations or any details about what they contend are “highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures.”

Comer and Grassley said those

“disclosures” demand further investigation, and they want to know whether the FBI investigated and, if so, what agents found.

To the White House, the subpoena is further evidence of how congressional Republicans long “have been lobbing unfounded, unproven, politically motivated attacks” against the Bidens “without offering evidence for their claims or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests.”

A White House spokesperson, Ian Sams, said Biden “has offered an unprecedented level of transparency” about his personal finances with the public release of a total of 25 years of tax returns.

The FBI and Justice Department confirmed receiving the subpoena but declined to comment further. The president’s personal lawyers had no comment.

Republicans claim they have amassed evidence in recent years that raise questions about whether Biden and his family have used their public positions for private gain.

House Republicans have used the power of their new majority to aggressively investigate Joe Biden

and Hunter Biden’s business dealings, including examining foreign payments and other aspects of the family’s finances. Comer has obtained thousands of pages of the Biden family’s financial records through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January. Comer has not revealed much about the findings of his investigation so far. Most recently, Comer claimed one deal involving the Biden family resulted in a profit of over $1 million in more than 15 incremental payments from a Chinese company through a third party.

Both Comer and Grassley have accused both the FBI and Justice Department of stonewalling their investigations and politicizing the agency’s yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes.

Last month, an IRS special agent sought whistleblower protections from Congress to disclose a “failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition” of a criminal investigation related to the younger Biden’s taxes and whether he made a false statement in connection with a gun purchase.

AP PHOTO

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Appropriations subcommittee Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies budget hearing for Fiscal Year 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday, April 27, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this June 30, 2019, photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, a loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Ossabaw Island, Ga.

STATE & NATION

Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — La -

Joia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden. He’s provided opportunities for black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.

“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.

Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.

“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.

After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, black voters in South Carolina rallied behind Biden, reviving his White House ambitions by driving his Democratic rivals from the race and ultimately putting him on a path to defeating then-President Donald

Trump. But at the outset of Biden’s reelection bid, the conflicting views among the same voters provide an early warning sign of the challenges he faces as he aims to revive the diverse coalition that proved so crucial to him before.

Black voters formed the heart of Biden’s base of support and any dip in support could prove consequential in some of the

most fiercely competitive states, such as Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Well aware of the challenge, the Biden campaign says it’s confident in its message and is planning to highlight how the president has prioritized issues that are important to black Americans.

“The progress made in the first two years -- whether it’s the historically low black un -

employment rate, unprecedented funding to HBCUs, or halving the black poverty rate in half -- is all at stake in 2024,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in an emailed statement.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote, and expand on its winning 2020 coalition.”

Yet there are some early signs that Biden will have work to do to generate enthusiasm among Black voters for another run.

Biden’s approval rating among black adults has fluctuated over his two years in office. As with most demographic groups, the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds his 58% current approval rating among black adults sitting well below where he began. Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office.

South Carolina provides an early barometer on how black voters are viewing Biden.

After his 2020 campaign was rescued, Biden rewarded the black voters who are decisive in South Carolina Democratic politics by moving the state to the head of the party’s nominating schedule next year. He also followed through with his campaign pledge to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Many younger voters said they aren’t convinced that Biden has delivered on their most important priorities.

“He wouldn’t have been president without us,” said Courtney McClain, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of South Carolina, who voted for Biden in 2020, her first presidential election.

Getting her loans forgiven, both for her bachelor’s degree

and a planned master’s program, is a top priority for her. She applauds Biden’s attempt at a college loan forgiveness program, but is frustrated that the plan is now in doubt after it was challenged in the courts by Republicans.

“So, I definitely think moving forward, if he wants to promise something as large as that, I think he should put the steps in place to make sure that he’s able to go through with that before he just says it out loud,” McClain said.

Biden’s plan, announced last August, is uncertain after the Supreme Court last December said it would deliberate over the program’s future.

Many black voters, especially those in the middle of their careers and beyond, said they already are looking forward to supporting Biden, who they say has a long history of advocating for the black community. Laddie Howard, who owns a business making handcrafted leather goods in Sumter, just west of Columbia, said he would like to see other candidates enter the race but knows that’s not realistic.

“It’s going to be a battle of Biden against whoever emerges from the other side, and everything is so extreme on the other side that, you know, I can’t see many options besides Biden at this point,” said Howard, 52.

Bill seeking to end N. Carolina concealed gun mandate halted

The Associated Press RALEIGH — An effort to do away with the requirement that anyone who wants to carry a concealed handgun get a permit from their local sheriff could be derailed for the two-year legislative session after a House floor vote was cancelled during last week’s “crossover” deadline.

The measure, House Bill 189, had cleared two House committees, but House Speaker Tim Moore referred the bill back to one of those panels last week.

The proposal was backed by gun-rights groups but opposed by gun control advocates as well as the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Senate Leader Phil Berger told reporters that he’s unsure there’s a need to address additional Second Amendment issues at this time after a significant gun-rights law was enacted weeks ago.

Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill ending a requirement that people secure permits issued by sheriffs before a they could lawfully purchase a pistol.

The repeal “was the No. 1 goal of many of the gun-rights groups for a long period of time,” Berger said. “I just don’t know that the timing is right for us at this time to move forward with additional gun legislation.”

A sheriffs’ association lobbyist

told House committee members last week that making the concealed permit process optional would make it harder for law enforcement officers to know who in

their communities may be armed. The bill was among dozens being considered as late as Wednesday, the day before the General Assembly’s self-imposed deadline

designed to separate measures that have a decent chance of becoming law over the next two years from those that don’t. Ideas unrelated to taxes, spending and

some other categories that didn’t pass at least one legislative chamber by Thursday face long odds to advance through the end of 2024.

For nearly 30 years, North Carolina has directed people to obtain a concealed weapons permit if they wish to carry a hidden pistol. The measure would have essentially made it optional by telling people they could carry concealed if they met certain qualifications.

Those included completing a training course, avoiding convictions of felonies or other specific crimes and lacking a mental or physical disability preventing the safe handling of a weapon. The bill also would have lowered the minimum age for concealed carry from 21 to 18.

Twenty-seven states already allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

The National Rifle Association ultimately opposed the bill, saying an amendment during the committee process required a mandatory training and education requirement and “as a result, the bill was no longer constitutional carry,” in a statement.

Critics of the bill say scrapping the permits would lead to more violence and homicides.

North State Journal staff contributed to this report.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with his “Investing in America Cabinet,” in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

An array of pistols are shown in the Dan Wesson display as guests browse firearms at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, April 16, 2023.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote”campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz

Randolph record

Randolph

after almost five years of renovations.

COUNTY NEWS

RCC announces Dr. Shah Ardalan as new president

Dr. Shah Ardalan has been named the seventh president of Randolph Community College. Ardalan is the current president of Lone Star College-University Park in Houston, Texas. He was one of four candidates that the RCC Board of Trustees invited to interview and tour the campus and Randolph County during the week of April 17. Ardalan was unanimously selected by the RCC Board. “Randolph Community College is uniquely poised to build on its rich history and serve as a collaborative and critical engine of socioeconomic growth, workforce development, and prosperity for the entire community and our partners,” said Ardalan. “It will be my honor and privilege to work with such a visionary board and talented employees who are focused on increasing student access and success. RCC will thrive as a relevant, flexible, high-tech, and high-touch institution of higher education with deep respect for tradition and a relentless drive for innovation. On a personal note, returning to North Carolina and leading RCC are like coming home and getting the perfect career opportunity as well.” Ardalan holds a doctorate in Community College Leadership from the John Roueche Graduate Center at National American University.

New teen driver law comes into effect this week

Following the passing of a new bill by the North Carolina General Assembly, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles announced changes to the graduated driver licensing (GDL) program for teens.

Effective May 8, teen drivers will be required to have their Level 1 Limited Learner Permit for six months before being able to receive their Level 2 Limited Provisional License. Teen drivers will still be required to be at least 16 years old, log 60 hours of driving time, pass a road test, and show printed proof of insurance in the teen driver’s name. Prior to this new law, teen drivers with a learner permit were required to wait 12 months before advancing to a limited provisional license. According to this new legislation, this sixmonth requirement will lapse at the end of the year. Beginning on January 1, 2024, this provision will be permanently changed to nine months.

Asheboro High School unveils new renovations

By Scott Pelkey Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — After almost five years of construction, Asheboro High School’s renovations are finally complete.

On Wednesday, May 3, Asheboro City Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the new and improved home of the Blue Comets for a crowd of elected officials, school system leadership and members of the media.

“This is a culmination of years of work with partners, with the Randolph County Board of Commissioners, with the City of Asheboro and their City Council members, with the Central Office and their staff, and the staff at Randolph County,” said Michael Smith, Chair of City of Asheboro Board of Education. “This renovation is part of the largest capital improvement even undertaken by our school system. This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to continue to serve Ashe-

boro High School students for years to come.”

Construction of Asheboro High School first began in 1949 and was later opened for students to attend during the 1950-1951 school year. The building has since become

something of a historical icon in Asheboro.

In November 2018, Asheboro City Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction and renovation project. During renovations, the school had to find

Asheboro Council approves issuance of Multifamily Housing Revenue bonds

Sunset Theatre to be included within Social District

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ASHEBORO — The Asheboro City Council met Thursday, May 4, with various property matters on the agenda.

The council first held a public hearing for a zoning request to rezone 1.4 acres located between 2307 and 2333 US Highway 64 East from R-40 Low-Density Residential to B2 General Commercial that was tabled at last month’s meeting.

“As we look at the city’s longrange plans and land development plans for guidance, this area is designated and has been designated for a good while as an employment center,” said Community Development Director Trevor Nuttall. “It’s intended to integrate a mixture of commercial, office and institutional industrial and open space uses with sidewalks, street trees, on-street parking, open space and that’s really intended as these utilities come online for the area. That is what the plan envisions for this area.”

Following the hearing, the council approved the rezoning request.

“I’ve advocated for years between

the county and the city that some depth of all of [Highway] 64 is commercial,” said Mayor Pro Tem Walker Moffitt. “It should be zoned that way, and the housing become existing non-conforming as opposed to doing this one parcel at a time.”

The council then approved a resolution approving the issuance of Multifamily Housing Revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $10.79 million by the Asheboro Housing Authority to finance improvements to the Asheboro Summit Apartments.

“As most of the council knows, this particular property has been a sore subject here in town,” said Mayor David Smith. “Our fire department has some real issues, the council hears about these issues, but unfortunately, we can’t do anything other than minimum code requirements because it’s a private property. So we welcome the opportunity to get that building rehabbed.”

The council also approved a resolution amending the Recreation Services Policy Manual Article XIV - Sunset Theatre to allow the Social District regulations to apply to events at the theatre as determined by the Recreation Services Director or their designee.

“This all stems from a previous conversation we had to have staff

start looking into the possibility of alcohol at the theatre,” said Recreation Services Director Jonathan Sermon. “This can be based upon the event and if the organization that is renting the facility wants to take part in it or not.

“We already have two provisions that allow alcohol. One is for nonprofit fundraising events, and the other is for nonprofits to actually obtain an ABC permit and sell their own. So this is just an addition that allows for the extension of the ability to have alcohol at the theatre.”

The change applies to the Recreation Services Policy Manual, and it gives patrons the option to carry alcohol into the theatre from providers within the Social District at the discretion of whoever is renting the theatre.

The council then approved resolutions setting a date for public hearings for four annexation requests for properties located at 521 Kelly Circle, Zoo Parkway, across from the intersection of New Century Drive and Veterans Loop Road, and at the intersection of Old Cox Road and Old Humble Mill Road.

The council also approved a contract to purchase a parcel of land on North McCrary Street in order to erect McCrary Park Interstate signage.

ways to work around having a construction site inside the high school. Sports teams were able to continue their season by playing at the City of Asheboro’s Recreational Center, and local churches and organizations opened their buildings to the school for various school-related activities.

Now, after almost five years and $55 million in construction costs, the work is finally complete. Construction and renovations include adding 37,670 additional square feet, which gives the school fourteen new classrooms and stateof-the-art band and chorus spaces. In addition to these new spaces built onto the school, renovation of 200,000 square feet of the historical main building brought with it upgrades to the auditorium and two gymnasiums, a new-multipurpose commons area, modern technology, safety improvements, and additional ADA compliance. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the school hosted an open house event this past Sunday to allow members of the public to come see the renovations for themselves.

“The design of this school has truly captured the historical integrity of Asheboro High School while also exalting and emphasizing the future,” said Dr. Aaron Woody, District Superintendent.

“The city is looking to purchase property adjacent to McCrary Park and US Business 220 for interstate signage for the ballpark,” said Assistant City Engineer Spencer Patton, EIh. “The property is 0.249 undeveloped acres, and it was previously NCDOT excess right-of-way.”

“With setbacks, it’s not buildable, probably,” Smith said. “It’d be a challenge to build anything on it besides a sign.”

Along with the approved contract, the council approved a budget amendment of $16,000 from the General Fund to the McCrary Ballpark Fund for the property purchase.

The Asheboro City Council will next meet June 8.

SCOTT PELKEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

County commissioners and employees of the Asheboro City School System officially cut the ribbon to re-open Asheboro High School during a ceremony May 3

An open house to tour the school was held during the weekend.

Taking shots

Rusty LaRue, a former basketball and football standout at Wake Forest and ex-NBA player, speaks during the mayor’s breakfast last week at AVS Catering and Banquet Center in Asheboro. Mayor David Smith, left, looks on.

Asheboro, county schools take precautions from social media threat

Randolph Record ASHEBORO — Schools throughout Randolph County continued with classes Friday with increased law enforcement presence because of threats stemming from social media.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office deployed extra deputies to all school campuses, according to the department.

“As in any instance of a threat, precautions are being taken. Additional law enforcement are present on school campuses in Randolph County,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

A Snapchat threat was sent throughout the state and to other parts of the country, according to several reports.

Asheboro City Schools continued operations, though advisories were sent to parents.

As part of a memo from the city schools, officials had been “made aware of a social media post with threatening messages towards schools.”

Though the message was sent nationally, it was shared within the Asheboro High School community, according to the school’s notification to parents.

So, the school day began with a secured perimeter with all students reporting directly to their classrooms. No students were permitted outside the main building until that directive was lifted.

Superintendent Steven Gainey of the Randolph County School System delivered a mes-

sage to parents Friday night via an automated phone service.

“I am calling to make you aware that a national message of potential school violence was posted on social media during the night (Thursday) night,” Gainey’s message said. “Please know that the leadership of the school system is working closely with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department to investigate and monitor this situation. Also, the Sheriff’s Department has placed additional officers on our school campuses throughout the school system as a means of additional support for the safety of our students and staff members. Please know that the safety of our students and staff members is our first priority at all times.”

Verizon operates temporary unit in Asheboro

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — A Verizon store has wheels – temporarily, anyway.

The store on East Dixie Drive in Asheboro was damaged by a vehicle last month. In order to remain in a position to serve customers, workers are operating out of a mobile trailer.

The April 10 accident occurred in the early evening and resulted in the driver being transported to a hospital in Greensboro with injuries that

were described as serious but not life-threatening. Rescue crews had to secure the vehicle in place before extricating the driver. The front of the vehicle was about 8 feet off the ground. The driver was pulled from the rear hatch.

Employees were in the Verizon store at the time of the accident. No injuries were reported. However, the building was determined to be unsafe by a building inspector because of the structural damage.

The Randolph Guide is a quick look at what’s going on in Randolph County.

May 11

Asheboro Farmers Market 7am – 1pm

Come out to the Asheboro Downtown Farmers Market, located at 134 S. Church Street. This event is free and open to the public!

Red Cross Blood Drive

2pm – 6:30pm

The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at First United Methodist Church, located on 224 N. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro. Come out and donate!

May 13

NC Zoo’s Annual Plant Sale 8am – 3pm

Spring is here and the flowers are blooming! Come out to the Solar Pointe picnic area for this Mother’s Day weekend event! Cash or checks only, please!

May 15

Blessing of the Badges

12pm

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office will be observing National Police Week, which runs from May 14-20. They will be hosting their 5th annual “Blessing of the Badges” event next Monday to pray for and honor every law enforcement officer in the county. This event will take place on the sheriff’s office lawn.

May 17

Red Cross Blood Drive

2:30pm – 7pm

The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at Journey Church, located at 1801 S. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro. Come out and donate!

World Tavern Poker at Carolina Tap House 7pm

Join America’s #1 Bar Poker League right in Asheboro at the Carolina Tap House! Entry is 100% free to the public and games take place every Wednesday night!

SCOTT PELKEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Rescue workers prepare to remove a driver from a vehicle last month in Asheboro.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

America needs leadership to address debt crisis and House Republicans are delivering

“I GO ON THE PRINCIPLE that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.” - James Madison House Republicans made a commitment to deliver an economy that’s strong and a government that’s accountable. With our nation now staring down a debt crisis as a result of years of reckless spending, yet again, we are following through on our promise.

The days of President Joe Biden’s out-of-control spending in Washington are over.

House Republicans have delivered a responsible plan that would save $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years

Two weeks ago, we delivered for the American people with the passage of the Limit, Save, Grow Act. It will responsibly address the debt crisis while also limiting Washington’s spending, saving your tax dollars, and growing the American economy.

Washington Democrats have tried to mislead you about the legislation, even saying it would cut funds for the VA or veteran benefits. You know me—I would never support something like that.

The Left are using our nation’s veterans as a political football to spread lies and instill fear to gain political advantage.

The truth is this legislation does not cut benefits but simply freezes spending at 2022 levels—levels once praised by President Joe Biden. It also reclaims billions in unused COVID-19 tax dollars, defunds Biden’s IRS army of 87,000 agents, and requires single, childless adults to look for work while on welfare programs—all while preventing the U.S. from defaulting on its debt and protecting your hard earned money.

You and your family deserve answers and strong leadership, and House Republicans have delivered a responsible plan that would save

$4.8 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

We have done our job. If President Biden and Senate Democrats don’t like the plan we passed, they can offer an alternative and we can negotiate.

President Biden, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer all have a long history of engaging in and supporting similar negotiations in the past. In fact, as Vice President, Biden led debt limit negotiations in 2011. Debt ceiling negotiations are nothing new, and recent polling showed an overwhelming 74% of Americans want President Biden and Chuck Schumer to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy.

Instead of presenting a tangible alternative, Senate Democrats and the President have wasted critical time and are placing our country’s credit on the line. You deserve better from your elected leaders, and are too smart to fall victim of their political games.

While many in Washington play games with your tax dollars, I will always stand up for you and your family and stay focused on working across the aisle on common sense solutions to improve our community, state, and nation.

Richard Hudson is serving his sixth term in the U.S. House and represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. He currently serves as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and is a member of the House Republican Steering Committee.

Instead of smearing justices, senators should be asking them for ethics lessons

THE CONCERTED EFFORT by the media and Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court is the most consequential attack on our institutions in memory.

Make no mistake. The “Supreme Court Ethics Reform” hearing this week was meant to discredit the high court and slander justices with innuendo. Nothing else. Democrats are angry because the court happens to occasionally uphold basic constitutional principles of American governance.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen.

The recent hit pieces on Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were shoddy and transparently partisan. They did not uncover any conflict of interest or corruption. They exist to give politicians fodder and hackish outlets like The Washington Post the freedom to contend that the Senate is “consider(ing) strengthening ethics rules for the Supreme Court in response to a cascade of revelations about unreported lavish travel and real estate deals.”

Most Post readers will, no doubt, be unaware that there has been no “unreported” lavish travel or real estate deals. There is one amended note in a financial disclosure by Thomas -- who had no ethical or legal obligation to check in with Democrats whenever he travels. In Politico’s Gorsuch hit, the reporter didn’t even know how to read a basic disclosure form. Everything, including a real estate deal that Gorsuch was allegedly attempting to conceal, was reported.

The fact that the same histrionic coverage did not accompany Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s amended financial disclosures in 2022 nor Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s amended financial disclosures in 2021 nor Justice Stephen Breyer’s long-term travel arrangements, which were often reimbursed by the wealthy Pritzker family, is no accident.

The committee chair, Dick Durbin, contends he merely wants the justices to abide by the ethics rules that Congress has drafted for itself. If they did, it would mean a complete degradation of standards in the court.

Because while there has not been a scintilla of evidence offered by anyone that the originalist justices have altered their judicial philosophy or approach for personal benefit, one could not say that same thing about the leader of the delegitimization effort, Durbin, who, according to a 2014 Chicago Tribune investigation, used his office and power to help enrich his lobbyist wife:

Among the areas of overlap in the Durbins’ careers: her firm getting a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time the senator went to bat for the organization and others like it; a state university receiving funds earmarked by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife was seeking state support for

the same group.

Durbin did not pay a fine or face any repercussions for this conflict of interest. Then again, do you know how many officials the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued disciplinary sanctions to since 2007? Zero.

Not Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein, whose husband Richard Blum, an investment banker, made some amazingly prescient trades in the biotech sector during COVID-19.

Not Judiciary Committee member Richard Blumenthal, D-Stolen Valor, and his wife, who happened to trade shares of Robinhood before calling for an investigation and then lie, not surprisingly, about the family’s significant stock ownership.

Not Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, who not only traded health care stock through his and his family’s accounts while pushing to pass a medical bill directly related to that sector but also used his seat to prop up a green energy concern that supported his campaign.

Nor Judiciary Committee member Peter Welch, who was buying stock in a German coronavirus test producer after hearing intelligence briefings on the matter.

Nor Durbin himself, who unloaded investments right after a private meeting with the then-Treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman during the 2008 financial collapse.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen. This is their doing. They are the ones creating the perception of corruption where there is none. And why? Because the Constitution is a hindrance to their agenda. It’s that simple.

Durbin tried to get Chief Justice John Roberts to participate in his partisan clown show, claiming it was time “for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it.” The Supreme Court is an equal branch of the government, not an agency for Durbin to bully. And, outside of impeaching someone, Congress has no power to dictate how it conducts business. If anything, Congress should be looking to the justices to learn how to act decently.

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books - the most recent, “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.”

COLUMN | U.S. REP. RICHARD HUDSON

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA Banchero only

unanimous 1st-team

All-Rookie selection

New York

Magic forward and former Duke standout Paolo Banchero was the only player to be unanimously selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He was joined on the first team by former UNC forward Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Kings and Jalen Williams of the Thunder.

They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting. Detroit teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren made the second team, as did Houston teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, along with San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan.

MLB Royals place

Yarbrough on injured list with head fractures

Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City Royals lefthander Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 15day injured list with what was classified as ”head fractures” after taking a 106-mph line drive off the right side of his face Sunday. Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Yarbrough has three non-displaced fractures in different spots around his right eye. ”He’s stable, improving,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. ”He never lost consciousness. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. We don’t think at this time will require surgery. He’s getting further testing and we’ll have a better idea (of his prognosis) in the next 24 hours.”

TENNIS

Alcaraz set to return to No. 1 after retaining Madrid title

Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to pave the way to reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking. The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open. He converted on his first match point after a hardfought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.

FORMULA ONE

Verstappen keeps

Red Bull undefeated with win in Miami Miami Gardens, Fla.

Max Verstappen kept Red Bull undefeated on the season as the reigning two-time Formula One champion drove from ninth to the victory Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull has won all five races so far this season, and teammate Sergio Perez’s second-place finish in Miami was the fourth 1-2 finish for Red Bull this year. Verstappen has three wins this season, while Perez, the pole sitter in Miami, has two victories. The win was the 38th of his career for Verstappen, who tied Sebastian Vettel for most victories for Red Bull.

Hamlin bumps Larson for lead on final lap to win at Kansas

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had walked out of Victory Lane after winning a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series duel over Kyle Larson with a last-lap pass at Kansas Speedway on Sunday just in time to hear his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, make a bold proclamation.

“He’s the most talented race car driver in the world,” Gabehart was saying.

Awkward, because Gabehart wasn’t talking about his own driver.

“Tells you what he thinks about me,” Hamlin said with a wry grin.

Gabehart was talking about Larson, who was leading in the closing laps on a sizzling day in the heart-

land. But it was Hamlin who was better this time. He spent about 30 laps stalking Larson before making a couple of failed attempts at the lead in the closing laps. Finally, heading onto the backstretch on the final one, Hamlin pulled alongside Larson and made the slightest of contact, sending him bumping into the outside wall and giving Hamlin a clear path to the finish line.

The victory ended a 33-race winless drought for Hamlin dating to last year’s Coca-Cola 600. And along with giving Hamlin a record fourth win at Kansas, it gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 400th win overall in NASCAR’s top series.

“I was sideways. He was sideways. I knew it was going to be close whether he could clear me,” Hamlin said. “I was grinding his left side, trying to keep the sidedraft as much as I could. It’s such a super-sensitive part and I hooked him at the end.”

Hamlin said he planned to speak with Larson about the finish at some point.

“I was really loose,” Larson said. “He was able to finally get my inside off two. It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.”

So what does Gabehart think of his own driver?

“I’m so proud of Denny to work over — in my view — the most talented race car driver in the world,” he said.

Larson finished second and William Byron, who was two laps down for more than 50 laps during the middle portion of the race, rallied to join his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the top three.

Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth while Ross Chastain rounded out the top five before tempers flew on pit

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

Jockey Javier Castellano won horse racing’s biggest event in his 16th attempt

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-yearold, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (1915) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.

The colt was in the skilled hands of Javier Castellano, a Hall

of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby. “I never give up,” Castellano said. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.”

Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties.

big heart.”

Jockey Javier Castellano on Mage

Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971. Going into the backstretch,

road.

Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness on the track, found himself in another heated confrontation Sunday. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.

Gragson put his hands on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping right hook that appeared to connect. Gragson tried to return the punch, but he was pulled away by security and NASCAR officials.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style.

“The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain accepted some of the blame for the spin but didn’t have much to say about the punch.

“I got tight off four for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the race track. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of four.”

Next week the Cup Series goes to Darlington for “Throwback Weekend.”

Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. said. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.’”

Forte, the early favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s.

Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized after being injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won for the fourth time at the track

“He’s a little horse with a

Denny Hamlin does a burnout as he celebrates after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

AP PHOTO

Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cruising Cougars collect PAC Tournament title in softball

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Macie Crutchfield threw a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts as Southwestern Randolph completed its domination of the Piedmont Athletic Conference with Thursday night’s 7-0 victory against visiting Providence Grove in the league tournament championship game.

Carleigh Whitson had two hits and two runs batted in to help the Cougars to their first conference tournament title in eight years.

Caressa King, who had a triple, drove in one run and scored a run, while Madelyn Smith and Madison Varner both knocked in one run. Lileigh Payne and Maddie Strider each scored two runs.

Crutchfield didn’t issue a walk, but she hit three batters. The Cougars (19-1) were aided by error-less defense. Providence Grove (13-8) lost for the third time this season to the Cougars, scoring a total of one run in those games.

In the latest meeting, Emma Mazzarone, Mailey Way and Maddie Flinchum each had one single for the Patriots. Mazzarone was the losing pitcher, striking out nine and walking three.

Southwestern Randolph avenged a 1-0 loss from last year’s PAC Tournament final at Providence Grove.

Earlier rounds …

Southwestern Randolph won 3-0 against Uwharrie Charter Academy in the semifinals with Crutchfield’s two-hitter, including 14 strikeouts. Varner had a triple and scored a run.

Third-seeded Providence Grove edged second-seeded Eastern Randolph 3-2, with Mazzarone’s complete game from the pitching circle.

Providence Grove began the tournament with an 11-1 victory against sixth-seeded Wheatmore

Davis Gore

with Mazzarone logging 11 strikeouts and driving in three runs. Leela Von Der Hey also knocked in two runs, while Kaylee St. Join joined Mazzarone with two doubles.

Eastern Randolph won 17-0 against seventh-seeded Trinity in the quarterfinals as Quachell Headen knocked in four runs and Skylar Pugh struck out 11 with one walk.

UCA’s Kenzie Hill went 4-for4, and Kynley Brewer scored two runs in the fourth-seeded Eagles’ 6-3 victory against fifth-seeded Randleman.

Asheboro, baseball

Gore has been a steady performer for the Blue Comets on the baseball field this spring. He shares the team lead with six home runs, and he’s second among the Blue Comets with 18 runs scored.

Gore is a catcher and utility player heading to Belmont Abbey for college.

Asheboro won four of its last five games entering the Class 3-A state playoffs this week.

Gore also played football for the Blue Comets.

Wheatmore takes PAC golf crown

Randolph Record

ARCHDALE — Wheatmore was the team champion in the Piedmont Athletic Conference championships for boys’ golf last week at Holly Ridge Golf Links.

Wheatmore’s Ryan Marshall and Eastern Randolph’s Connor Carter shared medalist honors with even-par 72s, with both golfers shooting 36s on the front and back sides.

Wheatmore posted a team score of 350 for a 10-shot advantage on runner-up Providence Grove. Trinity was next with 363, followed by Randleman (390), Southwestern Randolph (402), Eastern Randolph (405) and Uwharrie Charter Academy (426).

Individually, third place went to Providence Grove’s Brandon Davis (82), fourth place to Trinity’s Ethan Earnhardt (84) and fifth place to Wheatmore’s Hunter Marshall ()87).

** In the Mid-Piedmont Conference championships at Asheboro’s Pinewood Country Club, Oak Grove was the overwhelming team winner with a 35-stroke advantage on runner-up Ledford. Asheboro placed fourth among the six teams.

Girls’ soccer

Area teams hold No. 2 seeds for state playoffs

Randolph Record

BASEBALL TEAMS from Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy and the Southwestern Randolph softball team all landed No. 2 seeds in the West Region for the state playoffs.

Brackets were unveiled Monday. Play was set to begin Tuesday.

Teams that advanced will be slated to play second-round games Friday.

Here’s a look at where Randolph County teams were seeded:

Baseball

Randleman (20-4) welcomed No. 31 seed Reidsville (11-14) for the first round in Class 2-A.

A victory would mean that No. 15 Forbush (20-7) or No. 18 Providence Grove (14-10) would visit Randleman later in the week.

Randleman won two of three games this season vs. Providence Grove.

Southwestern Randolph (914) took the last spot in the Class 2-A bracket, meaning a trip to top-seeded Burns (20-4). The winner of that game faces either No. 16 Trinity (15-10) or No. 17 East Gaston (13-9) in the second round.

Wheatmore (8-13) made the field as the No. 29 seed in Class 2-A, so the Warriors were to go to No. 4 seed West Stokes (20-4).

In Class 1-A, UCA (14-10) was to be home against No. 31 seed Queen’s Grant (8-10). A potential second-round game looms against either No. 15 Murphy or No. 18 Bishop McGuinness.

Eastern Randolph (4-17) is seeded No. 21, visiting No. 12 seed Mount Airy (14-12).

In Class 3-A, No. 26 seed Asheboro (12-11) headed to No. 7 seed

Enka (12-10).

Softball

Southwestern Randolph (19-1) was to take on No. 31 seed East Davidson (10-8) in the Class 2-A first round.

The Cougars could have a rematch from the PAC Tournament final in the second round later this week. If Southwestern Randolph won, it would take on the winner between No. 15 seed Providence Grove (13-8) and No. 18 seed West Caldwell (21-6). Randleman (7-15) is the No. 29 seed and was to go to fourth-seeded West Stanly (23-1).

In Class 1-A, fourth-seeded Eastern Randolph (15-5) had a home date with No. 29 seed Bradford Prep (4-7).

No. 15 seed UCA (12-8) was home vs. No. 18 seed Highland Tech (11-7).

Undefeated Wheatmore defeated host Eastern Randolph 140, topped visiting Southwestern Randolph 9-0, and blasted visiting Uwharrie Charter Academy 9-0 in a trio of Piedmont Athlet-

ic Conference romps.

Summer Bowman’s four goals and Ellie Garrison’s three goals led the way against Southwestern Randolph. Against UCA, Garrison scored six goals, and Bowman had two goals and two assists.

** Macy Allred scored three goals in Southwestern Randolph’s 9-0 home victory against Eastern Randolph.

** Alaliyah Loveday and Taryn Waugh both scored two goals when Providence Grove defeated visiting Trinity 4-0. Rori Luther and Noelle Swaim had the goals when Providence Grove nipped host Randleman 2-0.

** Randleman defeated host UCA 4-2 despite two goals from Jazmin Palma.

When UCA defeated host Eastern Randolph 9-0, Ava Cugino had three goals and Katie Jaimes scored twice.

** Madison Luck had two goals when Asheboro lost 4-3 to visiting Central Davidson in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.

Boys’ tennis

All three area qualifiers for the dual-team state playoffs were eliminated in first-round matches.

In Class 2-A, sixth-seeded Trinity lost 6-0 at home to No. 11 seed West Stokes, while No. 12 seed Southwestern Randolph fell 6-0 at No. 5 seed Burns.

In Class 1-A, fifth-seeded Bishop McGuinness overwhelmed No. 12 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy 9-0.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Davis Gore of Asheboro’s baseball team takes a swing during a game earlier this spring.

SCOTT PELKEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Southwestern Randolph team members celebrate after the PAC Tournament championship game against visiting Providence Grove.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Morgyn Lassiter of Wheatmore aims to control the ball against Eastern Randolph in last week’s girls’ soccer game in Ramseur.

SCOTT PELKEY | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Southwestern Randolph’s Carleigh Whitson is about to be tagged out at the plate by Providence Grove pitcher Emma Mazzarone.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Caleb Stickle and the Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball team are diving into the state playoffs this week.

College choices abound for area senior athletes

Randolph Record

HERE’S A LIST of additional college commitments and/or signings involving athletes at area high schools made during the past several months from members of the Class of 2023

(Others have been previously listed):

Baseball

• Two Randleman players are going to UNC Greensboro. Pitcher Austin Lemons joined infielder Hunter Atkins in the signing class for the Spartans.

• Catcher Caleb Dunn of Randleman signed with Division II Catawba.

Boys’ basketball

• Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy is going to Division II CarsonNewman.

Girls’ basketball

• Ashara Spruill of UCA picked Division I Texas Southern.

• Trinity’s Autumn Gentry, the program’s all-time leading scorer, is bound for Division III Bridgewater.

Girls’ golf

• Salem Lee of Asheboro is going to Appalachian State.

Football

• Quarterback Stratton Barwick of Eastern Randolph picked Division III Guilford College, where he also hopes to play baseball as a pitcher.

• Eastern Randolph lineman Mason Sechrest is going to Division II Winston-Salem State.

• Randleman tight end Chesney Welch signed with Division II Catawba.

• Adam Cole, a receiver and defensive back at Southwestern Randolph, will take a spot as a preferred walk-on at East Carolina.

• Tight end / long snapper

Eli Gravely of Southwestern Randolph is heading to North Carolina Central.

• Trinity’s Ezra Hollifield, a lineman, chose Division III Greensboro College.

• Trinity’s Colby Peel, a lineman, is heading to Division III Averett.

Softball

• Morgan Coward of Asheboro selected Division II Belmont Abbey.

• Maddie Flinchum of Providence Grove will join the Division III Pfeiffer team.

• Southwestern Randolph teammates Madison Varner and Ky Perdue have picked Division III Pfeiffer as their college destination.

Randleman’s Lemons sours Trinity in eventful PAC final

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN

– There was so much going on with Randleman’s baseball team in the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament final.

Everything from Drake Purvis making his much-anticipated season debut to the Tigers racking up their 20th victory of the year.

Yet pretty much nothing could overshadow Austin Lemons.

The senior, who mostly waited in the wings behind a stacked roster from a year ago, emerged as the pitching and hitting standout in Randleman’s 4-0 victory against visiting Trinity last Thursday night.

“This is the biggest game I’ve probably ever pitched in my life, and I feel like I handled it really well out there. I could trust my team. We got some runs. I knew right when we got those runs; I felt good about it.”

Make no mistake, the Tigers got their runs because of Lemons, who hit a two-run homer and later doubled to set up another run,

So he went from having an upclose view of Randleman’s record-setting 2022 season as a reserve to becoming one of the main participants for this year’s conference titlist.

“It definitely feels rewarding after working a lot,” Lemons said. “It’s not just for me. Hunter (Atkins) and Seth (Way) are the two that were in the lineup last year. They’ve been killing it this year. Everybody else had to fill really big roles, and I think we’re doing a really good job of that.”

Lemons, a UNC Greensboro signee as a pitcher, must have been paying good attention last year.

“He has worked for this,” Randleman coach Jake Smith said. “He has seen people being successful in front of him.”

Lemons said he grew as a player last summer and in the fall on the travel ball circuit. Combined with what he learned from watching his former Randleman teammates, he applied it all to his final high school season.

“I feel like I just stuck through the process. I came out here and practiced just the same as every-

body else,” Lemons said. “I took a lot of time to learn watching these guys on the field, and I think it really carried over to this year.”

So that’s why the Tigers felt good about sending Lemons to the mound for the tournament final after he tossed two shutout innings in relief in Tuesday night’s eight-inning escape against Providence Grove in the semifinals.

“He competed and threw strikes,” Smith said. “His body language, his presence. He’s very focused.”

He gave Randleman six innings vs. Trinity, allowing two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Lemons relies mostly on fastballs and sliders. He said his control tended to be a glitch in past years, but that’s an area where he made significant improvement.

“I definitely feel like I’ve always had some of the talent there,” he said. “There’s potential, but I really had to work. I feel the biggest thing that changed for me is my mental approach, just being more confident.”

Randleman (20-4), the twotime defending Class 2-A state champion, holds a No. 2 seed in the West Region for the state playoffs.

Perfect inning for Purvis

Now, they’ll have Purvis ready to contribute. He hadn’t pitched in competition in about 10 months because of elbow surgery.

The junior left-hander entered in the seventh – though Lemons stayed loose on the side – and pitched a perfect inning.

“A couple of days ago, we knew this would be the night,” Purvis said. “Slowly returning back. This is what you want. The place was packed, a big crowd.”

Second baseman Shawn Miller fielded a grounder toward the hole and snagged a line drive for the first two outs before a called third strike ended the game. Purvis celebrated with an emotion-filled prance toward the dugout.

“Wanted to see some live hitters in-game situations,” he said. “Have that playoff mode. I’m used to this. It’s not my first rodeo and definitely not my last, either.”

It pretty much went by design for the Tigers. Purvis pitched a no-hitter in last June’s Game 1 of the state championship series vs. Farmville Central.

“We had to get him in and see him, and it was a positive,” Smith said. “He was amped up, for sure. I don’t blame him. I would be, too.”

Some offense, too

In part because of Randleman center fielder Way’s diving catch in right-center field that likely saved a run to end the top of the fourth, neither team had scored. In the bottom of the inning, Atkins drew a lead-off walk and scored on Lemons’ second home run of the season.

The lead grew to 3-0 on Chesney Welch’s first varsity home run when he led off the bottom of the fifth with a blast to right-center field.

“I’m just getting out of my spring training phase,” Welch said of bolstering his production. “Sometimes they feel a certain way, and that (swing) was one of them.”

Soon after, Trinity starter Ethan Willard was gone. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out but didn’t score again in the fifth.

Lemons’ lead-off double in the sixth resulted in the game’s final run after a couple of defensive miscues. Randleman posted its first shutout in an 11-game span.

Trinity (15-10) failed to score in the tournament final for the second year in a row. Last year, the Bulldogs bounced back and reached the fourth round of the state playoffs.

Trinity used Andon Simmons’ two-hitter in a 4-0 semifinal victory against visiting Uwharrie Charter Academy, with Landon Mowery and Brody Little both homering. The Bulldogs needed a fifth-run sixth inning to rally past seventh-seeded Eastern Randolph 7-5 in the quarterfinals.

Tigers take different route in league tourney

One strike away from a tournament exit, Randleman overcomes Providence Grove

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — Randleman’s baseball team hadn’t been in many of these situations in recent years.

Trailing by two runs and down to their final strike, the Tigers’ stranglehold on the Piedmont Athletic Conference was in jeopardy a week ago Tuesday night.

Providence Grove was on the cusp of pulling off an upset in the PAC Tournament semifinal.

“I haven’t been in that many situations like that.” Randleman junior Seth Way said. “Do what you have to do to win the game.”

So he did. Down 0-2 in the count with runners on second and third with two outs, Way rapped a single to center field on reliever JC Cruz’s knuckleball. That tied the game.

“I saw it coming,” Way said of the knuckler.

The game went to extra innings, where Chesney Welch’s one-out single to left field brought in Shawn Miller from second base. Miller drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.

Randleman coach Jake Smith, whose two-time reigning Class 2-A state champions often dominated, couldn’t recall the last time the Tigers produced a late-game comeback.

“All that matters is our score is higher than theirs,” Way said. Providence Grove ended Randleman’s 38-game conference winning streak last month with a 3-2 victory and then dropped a 3-2 decision later that week in the regular-season rematch. The Patriots (14-10) needed just one more out to notch another upset.

“It is what it is,” Providence Grove coach Glen Hunt said. “That’s what they do. We played well three times against them.” Way and Providence Grove’s Jayten Beasley were locked in a pitchers’ duel until Way’s home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth.

The Patriots struck back in the fifth, using four singles and an error on the way to three runs. The first run was scored by Brady Collins on a two-out double steal. Logan Fox capped the rally with an RBI single.

From there, the Patriots dodged trouble the next two innings. Cruz entered with two runners on base and two outs to strike out Hunter Atkins to end the fifth. The Tigers stranded two more runners in the sixth after Jake Riddle’s two-out double.

Smith said he was glad Way could overshadow his fifth-inning pitching misfortune with his bat.

“He took it out at the plate,” Smith said.

Then in the eighth, it was Welch’s turn for a clutch hit. He wasn’t on the team last year.

“Sitting in the dugout right before I went out, I was kind of hoping it would get to me,” he said.

Providence Grove, playing for the second night in a row, had to piece together the pitching. Hunt said Beasley excelled in a heightened role.

“He did a real good job keeping them off balance,” Hunt said. “I thought we played a really clean game defensively.”

Austin Lemons pitched two innings of shutout relief for the Tigers. With only two returning starters from a year ago in the Randleman lineup, this group wants to get the job done, too.

“It’s a pride thing,” Smith said. “You’re here at your home field, and you’re protecting your home field. They’ve got a lot of pride.”

** In the quarterfinals, Providence Grove upended Southwestern Randolph 10-9 in eight innings. That game was contested at Randleman because of wet field conditions at Providence Grove.

Karson Bowman’s three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning tied the game. Andrew Canter was the winning pitcher in relief. Tyler Foust homered earlier in the game. Landon Williamson homered, and Tyler Parks drove in three runs for Southwestern Randolph (9-14).

BOB SUTTON | RANDOLPH RECORD

Randleman’s Austin Lemons plans on a college future.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Top, Randleman’s Drake Purvis throws a pitch in the final inning against Trinity. Bottom, Randleman players react to teammate Chesney Welch’s home run.

Jimmy Harrell Wright

December 28, 1949 — May 4, 2023

Mr. Jimmy Harrell Wright completed his mission on earth May the 4th 2023, after an over 10 year battle with cancer. Attending Liberty Baptist Church in Thomasville, his first love was Jesus, and he showed this by sharing his testimony everywhere he went. He lived his life with his eternity and others’ eternity always in the forefront of his mind.

A lifelong resident of Randolph County, he was a part of the last graduating class of Ramseur High School in 1968, and honorably served in the U.S. Army before attending college. After marrying the love of his life and beginning a family, he graduated with Honors from Guilford College in 1980 with a Business Administration degree.

He faithfully served his community through the banking industry before beginning his career as a Real Estate Appraiser for almost 40 years before retiring. He ensured his family was loved deeply and well cared for, married for 46 years he enjoyed a full life as his family grew to include his children, grandchildren and great grandson, as well as his large extended family consisting of many nieces and nephews. Family and family gatherings and reunions were very important to him, along with his church family.

He was preceded in death by his father, Johnie Michael Wright. He is survived by his mother Pauline Wright, wife Sheila Wright, children Allison Lucas (Mike), Jonathan Wright (Stephanie), grandchildren Morganne Bowman (Jesse), Jacob Wright, Jordan Lucas, Emily Wright and great-grandson Liam Bowman, sister Peggy Yates (Kirby), many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and his dear friend Norm Hepler.

Marjorie "Marge" Jean Brammer McKendry

April 13, 1937 — May 3, 2023

Marjorie Jean "Marge"

McKendry, age 86, of Asheboro passed away on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at TerraBella Assisted Living.

Ms. McKendry was born in Hot Springs, South Dakota on April 13, 1937 to Floyd and Rose Wagner Brammer. Marge was a homemaker and was formerly employed at Food Town/Lion in the meat department. She loved her church, First United Methodist in Asheboro. In addition to her parents, Marge was preceded in death by her brother, Dennis Brammer. Marge loved to cook and bake. She was most known for her casseroles, her meatloaf, and her cookies called roll ups. Her home was the gathering place for all. She loved to do crafts, ceramics, and painting. She is survived by her children, James Edward McKendry (Steven Yarborough) of Virginia and Sue Rene McKendry (Midge Noble) of Asheboro; brother, Marvin Brammer (Donna) of Walla Walla, WA; and several nieces and nephews.

Mary Sharpe Brewer

June 28, 1938 — May 3, 2023

Mary Sharpe Brewer, age 84, of Asheboro passed away on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at her home.

Mrs. Brewer was born in Asheboro on June 28, 1938 to Richard and Gracie Cranford Sharpe. She was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church of Seagrove. In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her brother, James Hancock. Mary was a loving mother, a selfless lady, and was God's gift to her husband John. She enjoyed shopping, getting her hair done, fishing, but most of all she loved spending time with her kids and grandkids. Mary loved Elvis.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, John Brewer; children, Jeffrey Brewer (Debbie) of Franklinville, Randy Brewer (Erika) of Jacksonville, Robert Brewer (Jennifer) of Randleman, Kevin Brewer (Lisa) of Asheboro, and Tina Sheffield (Chris) of Ramseur; grandchildren, Brittany, Charles, Sarah, Josh, Rob, John, Jenna, Garrett, Austin, Caleb, and Destiny; and great grandchildren, Ellen Mae, Audrey, Nani, Aislinn, and Braelynn.

Samuel "Sam" Eugene Jordan

June 4, 1957 — May 2, 2023

Samuel Eugene “Sam” Jordan 65, of Randleman passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Sam was born in Randolph County, North Carolina on June 4, 1957, to Theodore Jordan and Jewel Strider Jordan.

Sam was a happy-go-lucky person, who was always willing to help. He always saw the good in people. He loved all his many girlfriends.

Sam was predeceased by his parents and a sister Frances Smith and a nephew Carl Smith, half-brother Wayne Strider.

He is survived by his sister: Margaret Ingram of Asheboro NC, loving sister-in-law:

Sandra Strider of Asheboro NC, half sister: Joy Morton of Troy, NC, nephew: Timmy Ingram of Liberty, NC, best friend, and caretaker: Royal Purnell, Greensboro, NC

Teresa Ann Brim Perdue

November 6, 1958 — May 2, 2023

Teresa Ann Brim Perdue, age 64, of Asheboro passed away on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at her home.

Mrs. Perdue was born in Mt. Airy, NC on November 6, 1958. She was employed with Elastic Therapy and was of the Baptist faith. Teresa was preceded in death by her son, Steven Mark Brady, mother, Dora Lee Barker, and stepfather, Thomas G. Barker. Teresa had a true green thumb and was an avid gardener. She was a very artistic lady who enjoyed crafting and making decorative clay pot people. Teresa loved decorating her home in the Victorian style and collecting beautiful teacups. She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Chuck Perdue; stepson Preston Perdue (Kelly) of Sanford; sisters, Diane Kearns (Walton) of Asheboro and Carolyn Ward (Doug) of Asheboro.

Bennie Ray Presnell

October 23, 1959 ~ May 4, 2023

Bennie Ray Presnell, age 63 of Asheboro, passed way Thursday, May 4, 2023 at the Randolph County Hospice House. A native of Randolph County, Bennie was born October 23, 1959 to the late Henry Junior and Pearl Thompson Presnell.

Bennie accepted Christ at One Way Baptist Church in Randleman and worked in construction for most of his carrier. He enjoyed playing guitar, woodworking, spending time with his family and Jake, his dog. In addition to his parents, Bennie was preceded in death by his brother, Jessie William Presnell.

Thomas "Tom" Hoffman

October 13, 1947 - May 3, 2023

Thomas "Tom" Lee Hoffman, 75, of Asheboro, passed away Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro.

Tom was born on October 13, 1947, in Pulaski County, IN, to the late Arthur and Florence Hanson Hoffman. Tom spent a lot of time in his woodshop and enjoyed making small cabinets and furniture, as well as volunteering at the NC Zoo. He was a proud member of Central United Methodist Church.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, John William Hoffman; and sister, Marjorie Conn.

Tom is survived by his wife, Linda Hoffman of the home; daughters, Angela Hoffman (Gerardo) of Randleman, Kellie Hanspal (G.P.) of Asheboro; sister, Betty Jean Reinhold of Winamac, IN; brothers, Arthur Spencer Hoffman (Barbara) of Winamac, IN, Howard Franklin Hoffman of Rochester, IN, Daniel Hoffman (Dawn) of Charlotte, MI; grandchildren, Jordan Jensen, Jaxon Jensen; and great grandchildren, Damian Draper, Ember Rose Draper.

Evelyn Brown

May 29, 1931 — May 2, 2023

Mary Evelyn Farlow Brown, age 91 of Randleman NC passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at Clapps Convalescent Nursing Home in Asheboro, NC.

Evelyn was born on May 29, 1931 to the late James Farlow and the late Carrie Blakley Farlow. She was retired from Commonwealth Hosiery in Randleman where she had been a receptionist. Evelyn was a member of Randleman High School Class of 1949. She loved to play cards especially Rook, and reading. She was a wonderful cook and she loved spending time with her family.

Evelyn is survived by her daughter Jackie Lynn Steed; son: Randall Brown; granddaughter: Alexanderia "Paige" Elliott (Brad); grandson: Jared Alexander Steed; great granddaughters: Lanie Elliott, Blakeley Elliott and Ainsley Elliott; great grandson: Jace Steed. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Jack Brown; brothers: J.C. Farlow, Frank Farlow, and sister Peggy Redding.

Robert Calvin "Bobby" Swing

September 24, 1948 — May 1, 2023

Robert Calvin "Bobby" Swing, age 74, of Asheboro passed away on Monday, May 1, 2023, at Clapp's Convalescent Nursing Home.

Bobby was born in Asheboro on September 24, 1948, to Calvin and Sadie Craven Swing, who preceded him in death. Bobby was a 1966 graduate of Asheboro High School and a 1970 graduate of NC State University with a degree in Textile Technology. He was co-owner and operator of Banner Hosiery Mills, Inc. where he served as President from 19762006. Bobby enjoyed playing golf, music, especially beach music, which he enjoyed shag dancing to. He also enjoyed shooting sporting clays both competitively and casually with good friends.

He is survived by his wife, Louretta Lovin Swing; brothers, Charles Swing (Dorothy) of Asheboro and Frank Swing of Asheboro; nephews, Ethan Swing and Thomas Swing (Jody); niece, Michele Montgomery (Keith); and great nieces, Sarah Swing and Charley Swing.

November 26, 1932 ~ May 1, 2023

John “Jack” Nelson Ogburn, Jr, 90, passed away on Monday, May 1, 2023 at his home. Born November 26, 1932 in Guilford County, he was the son of the late John Nelson Ogburn, Sr. and Jean Funk Ogburn.

Jack was a life-long Tar Heel, earning his juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957. He entered military service in 1957 and retired from the US Army Reserve on October 27, 1977.

On February 18, 1961 Jack married the former Edith Walker Junkins in Laurens, SC. Jack and Edie shared 51 joyful years together until her death in 2012. Jack and Edie were lifelong members of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Asheboro where Jack served in many capacities including Senior Warden. He was ordained as a Deacon in 1992 and served at Good Shepherd as well as St. Andrew’s in Haw River for more than 30 years. In addition to the many parishioners Jack served during those years, he had the honor of performing the marriage ceremonies of his daughter, Anne, and granddaughter, Mary, and baptizing all three of his grandchildren.

Jack is survived by son, John Nelson Ogburn, III and wife Martha of Asheboro; son, Timothy Martin Ogburn and wife Amanda of Anderson, Indiana; daughter, Anne Walker Ogburn Ladd and husband Michael of Huntersville, North Carolina; three grandchildren, Mary Walker Ogburn Hillery and husband Ryan of Huntington, New York; Claire Elizabeth Ogburn of Brooklyn, New York; and Davis Walker Ladd of Huntersville, North Carolina; sister-in-law, Jane Martin Childs and husband Ted of Clarkesville, Georgia; sister-in-law, Charlene Martin of Sandy Run, South Carolina; sister-in-law, Kay Chandler Ogburn of Mooresville, North Carolina; and six nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Rev. R. Lynn Ogburn.

John Nelson (Jr.) Ogburn

Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — La-

Joia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden.

He’s provided opportunities for black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.

“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.

Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.

“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.

After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, black voters in South Carolina rallied behind Biden, reviving his White House ambitions by driving his

Democratic rivals from the race and ultimately putting him on a path to defeating then-President Donald Trump. But at the outset of Biden’s reelection bid, the conflicting views among the same voters provide an early warning sign of the challenges he faces as he aims to revive the diverse coalition that proved so crucial to him before.

Black voters formed the heart of Biden’s base of support and any dip in support could prove consequential in some of the most fiercely competitive states, such as Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Well aware of the challenge, the Biden campaign says it’s confident in its message and is planning to highlight how the president has prioritized is-

sues that are important to black Americans.

“The progress made in the first two years -- whether it’s the historically low black unemployment rate, unprecedented funding to HBCUs, or halving the black poverty rate in half -- is all at stake in 2024,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in an emailed statement. “The campaign will work hard to earn every vote, and expand on its winning 2020 coalition.”

Yet there are some early signs that Biden will have work to do to generate enthusiasm among Black voters for another run.

Biden’s approval rating among black adults has fluctuated over his two years in office. As with most demographic groups, the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds his 58% current approval rating among black adults sitting well below where he began. Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office.

South Carolina provides an early barometer on how black voters are viewing Biden.

After his 2020 campaign was rescued, Biden rewarded the black voters who are decisive in South Carolina Democratic politics by moving the state to the head of the party’s nominating schedule next year. He also followed through with his campaign pledge to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Many younger voters said they aren’t convinced that Biden has delivered on their most important priorities.

“He wouldn’t have been pres-

ident without us,” said Courtney McClain, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of South Carolina, who voted for Biden in 2020, her first presidential election.

Getting her loans forgiven, both for her bachelor’s degree and a planned master’s program, is a top priority for her. She applauds Biden’s attempt at a college loan forgiveness program, but is frustrated that the plan is now in doubt after it was challenged in the courts by Republicans.

“So, I definitely think moving forward, if he wants to promise something as large as that, I think he should put the steps in place to make sure that he’s able to go through with that before he just says it out loud,” McClain said.

Biden’s plan, announced last August, is uncertain after the Supreme Court last December said it would deliberate over the program’s future.

Many black voters, especially those in the middle of their careers and beyond, said they already are looking forward to supporting Biden, who they say has a long history of advocating for the black community. Laddie Howard, who owns a business making handcrafted leather goods in Sumter, just west of Columbia, said he would like to see other candidates enter the race but knows that’s not realistic.

“It’s going to be a battle of Biden against whoever emerges from the other side, and everything is so extreme on the other side that, you know, I can’t see many options besides Biden at this point,” said Howard, 52.

Bill seeking to end N. Carolina concealed gun mandate halted

The Associated Press RALEIGH — An effort to do away with the requirement that anyone who wants to carry a concealed handgun get a permit from their local sheriff could be derailed for the two-year legislative session after a House floor vote was cancelled during last week’s “crossover” deadline.

The measure, House Bill 189, had cleared two House committees, but House Speaker Tim Moore referred the bill back to one of those panels last week.

The proposal was backed by gun-rights groups but opposed by gun control advocates as well as the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Senate Leader Phil Berger told reporters that he’s unsure there’s a need to address additional Second Amendment issues at this time after a significant gunrights law was enacted weeks ago.

Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of

a bill ending a requirement that people secure permits issued by sheriffs before a they could lawfully purchase a pistol.

The repeal “was the No. 1 goal

of many of the gun-rights groups for a long period of time,” Berger said. “I just don’t know that the timing is right for us at this time to move forward with additional

gun legislation.” A sheriffs’ association lobbyist told House committee members last week that making the concealed permit process optional would make it harder for law enforcement officers to know who in their communities may be armed.

The bill was among dozens being considered as late as Wednesday, the day before the General Assembly’s self-imposed deadline designed to separate measures that have a decent chance of becoming law over the next two years from those that don’t. Ideas unrelated to taxes, spending and some other categories that didn’t pass at least one legislative chamber by Thursday face long odds to advance through the end of 2024.

For nearly 30 years, North Carolina has directed people to obtain a concealed weapons permit if they wish to carry a hidden pistol. The measure would have essentially made it optional by telling people they could car -

ry concealed if they met certain qualifications. Those included completing a training course, avoiding convictions of felonies or other specific crimes and lacking a mental or physical disability preventing the safe handling of a weapon. The bill also would have lowered the minimum age for concealed carry from 21 to 18.

Twenty-seven states already allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

The National Rifle Association ultimately opposed the bill, saying an amendment during the committee process required a mandatory training and education requirement and “as a result, the bill was no longer constitutional carry,” in a statement. Critics of the bill say scrapping the permits would lead to more violence and homicides.

North State Journal staff contributed to this report.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with his “Investing in America Cabinet,” in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

An array of pistols are shown in the Dan Wesson display as guests browse firearms at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, April 16, 2023.

COUNTY NEWS

Third suspect arrested in connection to 2021

Hoke murder

A third person has been arrested in connection to the murder of 21-yearold Davion McQueen, which took place last year. McQueen, who was shot in the 100 block of Seagull Drive near Raeford on May 16, 2021, was transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Deputies from the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office arrested Keshandre Mclean the same day McQueen was shot. In February of this year, deputies also arrested 20-year-old Dennis Locklear Jr. in connection to the murder of McQueen.

On Monday, deputies also arrested 20-yearold Cadorrian Omarion Wall, of Laurinburg, in connection to the case. According to the sheriff’s office, Wall has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony conspiracy, and accessory. He is currently being held at the Hoke County Detention Center without bond. This case is still under investigation.

$1.00

HOKE COUNTY

Exceptional Students at Hoke High School

Hoke County Schools hosted its annual Special Olympics event at Raz Autry Stadium this past week. Over 300 Exceptional Children participated in the event. Top: Sandy Grove Elementary School Exceptional Children students and staff celebrate as they march in the parade around the stadium. Bottom Left: Members of the Hoke High Exceptional Students classrooms and students from the school’s chorus sing “We Are The World.” Bottom Right: Elijah McCormick, a recent American Idol contestant who made it to the Top 26, sings the National Anthem.

State Health Plan saves $47M from enrollment in Humana Medicare Advantage Plans

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH

— State Treasurer

Dale Folwell signaled good news for the State Health Plan with the announcement an additional $47 million had been saved due to enrollment in Humana Medicare Advantage Plans (HMAP).

The State Health Plan (SHP) is a division of Folwell’s office and covers around 740,000 teachers, state employees, retirees, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel, and their dependents.

“For every Medicare member that we enroll in one of our Medicare Advantage plans, the Plan

saves approximately $4,700 per year,” Folwell said in a press release. “We are thrilled to see so many retirees take advantage of these plans. Not only does it save the Plan money, it also gives them an opportunity to save with a ‘0’ dollar premium for the base plan and only $4 a month for dependent coverage, all at no cost to the taxpayers.” Folwell unveiled the news at the SHP Board of Trustees meeting during the first week of May. The savings were possible due to 9,975 additional members added to the HMAP.

Medicare-eligible retirees have

See HUMANA, page 2

Man wanted for Hoke murder arrested by US Marshalls in West Virginia

North State Journal

RAEFORD — A Fayetteville man was arrested in West Virginia last week and is currently facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder.

According to the U.S. Marshals from the Southern District of West Virginia, the 20-yearold Antwon Jamal Davis was arrested by the Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division (CUFFED) Task Force in St. Albans. Davis was wanted in Hoke County in connection to the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Joshua Demetrius Crooks Jr., which took place in the 2600 block of Lindsay Road near Raeford in February 2022. In addition to the death of Crooks, Davis is also accused

Davis is currently at South Central Regional Jail and awaiting extradition back to Hoke County.

of injuring another 18-year-old woman during the incident. Upon arrest, Davis was taken to South Central Regional Jail, where he is currently awaiting extradition back to Hoke County. Davis is currently wanted in Hoke County and is facing charges the following charges: first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, shooting into an oc -

cupied dwelling, felony conspiracy, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

Davis is just one suspect that has been arrested in connection to the murder of Crooks. In June of last year, Kevin Elijah-Simeon Chapel and Nyana Finesse Lilly, both of whom were 18 years old, were arrested for their involvement in the shooting. Both individuals were denied bond.

U.S. Marshals have noted that the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office also participated in the investigation and arrest of Davis.

At this time, the investigation is still considered on-going. If you have any additional information regarding this case, please contact the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 875-5111.

COURTESY PHOTOS

AP PHOTO

In this June 8, 2015, file photo specialist Anthony Rinaldi works adjacent to the post that handles Humana, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

The Associated Press

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve heard about the #NoMowMay movement that’s been gaining steam on social media and in eco-conscious circles these past few years. Started in 2019 by citizen scientists in the United Kingdom, the call for homeowners to abstain from mowing their lawns during the month has spread to other countries, including the U.S.

Frankly, I think it’s a terrible idea.

Some of those pollinators you set out to protect will likely get shredded up with the first mow of the season. Grass will no doubt get shaded by tall weeds, which can lead to fungal diseases. And weeds and invasive plants that take hold during the month won’t simply disappear once the mowing commences. That might lead people to apply chemical pesticides they wouldn’t otherwise use.

And what about rodents, snakes and other undesirables that also will likely avail themselves of the shelter?

Perplexed by the seemingly runaway-train popularity of the now-annual event, I called Tamson Yeh, turf specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Yeh sees the movement as a “feelgood, stop-gap measure, because if you want to have an impact, you need to establish a permanent cover for insects,” not merely temporary housing.

Hibernating insects have memories that span not only from day to day but from year to year, Yeh said.

So she recommends planting early blooming shrubs, trees and plants to establish a permanent food source they can remember and rely on as adults when they emerge from dormancy.

Other problems with the practice, Yeh noted, include “confusing insects when the grass is suddenly low again. That gives predators the opportunity to take advantage of them.”

There’s also the potential to disturb a nest of bunnies when mowing, she said, calling the discovery “the most horrible experience you can have.”

An all-or-nothing approach would be better. If you really want to make a difference, consider replacing the entire lawn, or part of it, with native plants or planting a wildflower meadow. Both will provide permanency for birds and pollinators while shrinking or eliminating the lawn, which frankly, has no redeeming value aside from subjective aesthetics, anyway.

When planting for beneficial insects, Yeh advises creating a corridor or path of pollen- and nectar-rich plants for migratory pollinators to travel along instead of spacing plants far apart.

Postponing fall cleanup until spring, which spawned another movement called #LeaveTheLeaves, will create safe havens for pollinators to lay their eggs and hibernate within. To allow time for them to emerge from dormancy, wait until after spring temperatures have remained above 50 degrees for an entire week before clearing away last season’s plant debris.

For those set on letting their lawns go wild this month, Yeh cautions that “allowing grass to go to seed will kill it,” so remove seedheads if they form.

It’s also important to reintroduce mowing gradually.

The gradual approach “also will give insects a chance to realize it’s not a good place for them anymore,” she said. Hopefully, they’ll take the hint and move on to safer spaces.

three plans to choose from; Humana Group Medicare Advantage Base or Enhanced plans and the Base PPO Plan (70/30). The Humana Group Medicare Advantage plans are comparable to a 90/10 plan and have no de -

ductible, no specialist referral requirement and all preventative services are covered at 100%.

According to the release by Folwell’s office, those choosing the Humana route save the SHP thousands of dollars and help reduce the SHP’s $23.7 billion unfunded liability.

No Mow May? Good intentions, bad approach, critics say

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

America needs leadership to address debt crisis and House Republicans are delivering

“I GO ON THE PRINCIPLE that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.” - James Madison House Republicans made a commitment to deliver an economy that’s strong and a government that’s accountable. With our nation now staring down a debt crisis as a result of years of reckless spending, yet again, we are following through on our promise.

The days of President Joe Biden’s out-of-control spending in Washington are over.

House Republicans have delivered a responsible plan that would save $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years

Two weeks ago, we delivered for the American people with the passage of the Limit, Save, Grow Act. It will responsibly address the debt crisis while also limiting Washington’s spending, saving your tax dollars, and growing the American economy.

Washington Democrats have tried to mislead you about the legislation, even saying it would cut funds for the VA or veteran benefits. You know me—I would never support something like that.

The Left are using our nation’s veterans as a political football to spread lies and instill fear to gain political advantage.

The truth is this legislation does not cut benefits but simply freezes spending at 2022 levels—levels once praised by President Joe Biden. It also reclaims billions in unused COVID-19 tax dollars, defunds Biden’s IRS army of 87,000 agents, and requires single, childless adults to look for work while on welfare programs—all while preventing the U.S. from defaulting on its debt and protecting your hard earned money.

You and your family deserve answers and strong leadership, and House Republicans have delivered a responsible plan that would save

$4.8 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

We have done our job. If President Biden and Senate Democrats don’t like the plan we passed, they can offer an alternative and we can negotiate.

President Biden, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer all have a long history of engaging in and supporting similar negotiations in the past. In fact, as Vice President, Biden led debt limit negotiations in 2011. Debt ceiling negotiations are nothing new, and recent polling showed an overwhelming 74% of Americans want President Biden and Chuck Schumer to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy.

Instead of presenting a tangible alternative, Senate Democrats and the President have wasted critical time and are placing our country’s credit on the line. You deserve better from your elected leaders, and are too smart to fall victim of their political games.

While many in Washington play games with your tax dollars, I will always stand up for you and your family and stay focused on working across the aisle on common sense solutions to improve our community, state, and nation.

Richard Hudson is serving his sixth term in the U.S. House and represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. He currently serves as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and is a member of the House Republican Steering Committee.

Instead of smearing justices, senators should be asking them for ethics lessons

THE CONCERTED EFFORT by the media and Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court is the most consequential attack on our institutions in memory.

Make no mistake. The “Supreme Court Ethics Reform” hearing this week was meant to discredit the high court and slander justices with innuendo. Nothing else. Democrats are angry because the court happens to occasionally uphold basic constitutional principles of American governance.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen.

The recent hit pieces on Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were shoddy and transparently partisan. They did not uncover any conflict of interest or corruption. They exist to give politicians fodder and hackish outlets like The Washington Post the freedom to contend that the Senate is “consider(ing) strengthening ethics rules for the Supreme Court in response to a cascade of revelations about unreported lavish travel and real estate deals.”

Most Post readers will, no doubt, be unaware that there has been no “unreported” lavish travel or real estate deals. There is one amended note in a financial disclosure by Thomas -- who had no ethical or legal obligation to check in with Democrats whenever he travels. In Politico’s Gorsuch hit, the reporter didn’t even know how to read a basic disclosure form. Everything, including a real estate deal that Gorsuch was allegedly attempting to conceal, was reported.

The fact that the same histrionic coverage did not accompany Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s amended financial disclosures in 2022 nor Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s amended financial disclosures in 2021 nor Justice Stephen Breyer’s long-term travel arrangements, which were often reimbursed by the wealthy Pritzker family, is no accident.

The committee chair, Dick Durbin, contends he merely wants the justices to abide by the ethics rules that Congress has drafted for itself. If they did, it would mean a complete degradation of standards in the court.

Because while there has not been a scintilla of evidence offered by anyone that the originalist justices have altered their judicial philosophy or approach for personal benefit, one could not say that same thing about the leader of the delegitimization effort, Durbin, who, according to a 2014 Chicago Tribune investigation, used his office and power to help enrich his lobbyist wife:

Among the areas of overlap in the Durbins’ careers: her firm getting a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time the senator went to bat for the organization and others like it; a state university receiving funds earmarked by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife was seeking state support for

the same group.

Durbin did not pay a fine or face any repercussions for this conflict of interest. Then again, do you know how many officials the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued disciplinary sanctions to since 2007? Zero.

Not Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein, whose husband Richard Blum, an investment banker, made some amazingly prescient trades in the biotech sector during COVID-19.

Not Judiciary Committee member Richard Blumenthal, D-Stolen Valor, and his wife, who happened to trade shares of Robinhood before calling for an investigation and then lie, not surprisingly, about the family’s significant stock ownership.

Not Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, who not only traded health care stock through his and his family’s accounts while pushing to pass a medical bill directly related to that sector but also used his seat to prop up a green energy concern that supported his campaign.

Nor Judiciary Committee member Peter Welch, who was buying stock in a German coronavirus test producer after hearing intelligence briefings on the matter.

Nor Durbin himself, who unloaded investments right after a private meeting with the then-Treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman during the 2008 financial collapse.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen. This is their doing. They are the ones creating the perception of corruption where there is none. And why? Because the Constitution is a hindrance to their agenda. It’s that simple.

Durbin tried to get Chief Justice John Roberts to participate in his partisan clown show, claiming it was time “for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it.” The Supreme Court is an equal branch of the government, not an agency for Durbin to bully. And, outside of impeaching someone, Congress has no power to dictate how it conducts business. If anything, Congress should be looking to the justices to learn how to act decently.

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books - the most recent, “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.”

COLUMN | U.S. REP. RICHARD HUDSON

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

Banchero only

unanimous 1st-team

All-Rookie selection

New York

Magic forward and former Duke standout Paolo Banchero was the only player to be unanimously selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He was joined on the first team by former UNC forward Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Kings and Jalen Williams of the Thunder.

They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting. Detroit teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren made the second team, as did Houston teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, along with San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan.

MLB Royals place

Yarbrough on injured list with head fractures

Kansas City, Mo. Kansas City Royals lefthander Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 15day injured list with what was classified as ”head fractures” after taking a 106-mph line drive off the right side of his face Sunday. Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Yarbrough has three non-displaced fractures in different spots around his right eye. ”He’s stable, improving,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. ”He never lost consciousness. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. We don’t think at this time will require surgery. He’s getting further testing and we’ll have a better idea (of his prognosis) in the next 24 hours.”

TENNIS

Alcaraz set to return to No. 1 after retaining Madrid title

Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to pave the way to reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking. The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open. He converted on his first match point after a hardfought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.

FORMULA ONE

Verstappen keeps

Red Bull undefeated with win in Miami Miami Gardens, Fla.

Max Verstappen kept Red Bull undefeated on the season as the reigning two-time Formula One champion drove from ninth to the victory Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull has won all five races so far this season, and teammate Sergio Perez’s second-place finish in Miami was the fourth 1-2 finish for Red Bull this year. Verstappen has three wins this season, while Perez, the pole sitter in Miami, has two victories. The win was the 38th of his career for Verstappen, who tied Sebastian Vettel for most victories for Red Bull.

Hamlin bumps Larson for lead on final lap to win at Kansas

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had walked out of Victory Lane after winning a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series duel over Kyle Larson with a last-lap pass at Kansas Speedway on Sunday just in time to hear his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, make a bold proclamation.

“He’s the most talented race car driver in the world,” Gabehart was saying.

Awkward, because Gabehart wasn’t talking about his own driver.

“Tells you what he thinks about me,” Hamlin said with a wry grin.

Gabehart was talking about Larson, who was leading in the closing laps on a sizzling day in the heart-

land. But it was Hamlin who was better this time. He spent about 30 laps stalking Larson before making a couple of failed attempts at the lead in the closing laps. Finally, heading onto the backstretch on the final one, Hamlin pulled alongside Larson and made the slightest of contact, sending him bumping into the outside wall and giving Hamlin a clear path to the finish line.

The victory ended a 33-race winless drought for Hamlin dating to last year’s Coca-Cola 600. And along with giving Hamlin a record fourth win at Kansas, it gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 400th win overall in NASCAR’s top series.

“I was sideways. He was sideways. I knew it was going to be close whether he could clear me,” Hamlin said. “I was grinding his left side, trying to keep the sidedraft as much as I could. It’s such a super-sensitive part and I hooked him at the end.”

Hamlin said he planned to speak with Larson about the finish at some point.

“I was really loose,” Larson said. “He was able to finally get my inside off two. It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.”

So what does Gabehart think of his own driver?

“I’m so proud of Denny to work over — in my view — the most talented race car driver in the world,” he said.

Larson finished second and William Byron, who was two laps down for more than 50 laps during the middle portion of the race, rallied to join his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the top three.

Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth while Ross Chastain rounded out the top five before tempers flew on pit

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

Jockey Javier Castellano

won horse racing’s biggest event in his 16th attempt

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-yearold, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (1915) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.

The colt was in the skilled hands of Javier Castellano, a Hall

of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby. “I never give up,” Castellano said. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.”

Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties.

a little horse with a big heart.”

Jockey Javier Castellano on Mage

Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971. Going into the backstretch,

road.

Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness on the track, found himself in another heated confrontation Sunday. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.

Gragson put his hands on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping right hook that appeared to connect. Gragson tried to return the punch, but he was pulled away by security and NASCAR officials.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style.

“The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain accepted some of the blame for the spin but didn’t have much to say about the punch.

“I got tight off four for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the race track. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of four.”

Next week the Cup Series goes to Darlington for “Throwback Weekend.”

Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. said. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.’”

Forte, the early favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s.

Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized after being injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won for the fourth time at the track

“He’s

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin does a burnout as he celebrates after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

AP PHOTO

Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Sterling win at UFC 288 may send Cejudo back to retirement

UFC Fight Night will be in Charlotte on Saturday

The Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — Aljamain Sterling landed enough stiff knees and elbows in a split-decision victory against a battered Henry Cejudo that the punishment may push the former UFC two-division champion back into retirement.

Moments after winning his ninth straight bout and surviving his latest 135-pound championship title defense in the main event of UFC 288, Sterling’s fight night was only heating up.

Bantamweight challenger Sean O’Malley stepped inside the cage, stripped off his jacket and stood nose-to-nose with Sterling (23-3) as the two fighters launched into profanity-laced tirades against each other and eventually needed to be separated.

“Get this (expletive) out of my cage,” Sterling shouted Saturday night at the Prudential Center. They might get their championship match later this summer. UFC President Dana White wanted Sterling-O’Malley to fight in August in Boston — and not late night in New Jersey.

“It was a bad idea,” White cracked of inviting O’Malley in-

side the octagon.

Cejudo’s comeback after a three-year retirement also might have been a bad idea. Cejudo, the only person to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title, held

the bantamweight crown when he abruptly retired in May 2020 after he successfully defended the championship against Dominick Cruz.

Cejudo said he was a “little

confused” about his future plans and would return home to his family — his wife is expecting the couple’s second child — and think hard about his fight future. He was wildly cheered through

all five rounds by 17,559 fans that paid to watch Cejudo try to turn back the clock.

“Who knows, this may be the last time in the octagon,” he said.

The 33-year-old Sterling won 48-47, 48-47 on two scorecards and Cejudo won 48-47 on the third.

“I hate losing but it’s also been three years,” Cejudo said.

Sterling, a Long Island, New York native, successfully defended the bantamweight championship for a record third time.

At 21, Cejudo (16-3) became the youngest American to capture an Olympic wrestling gold medal when he won the freestyle 55-kilogram division in 2008. At 36, Cejudo may finally call it quits instead of continuing to chase another UFC championship.

White shook Cejudo’s hand inside the cage and helped the fighter remove his gloves for perhaps the final time.

“I’m out here to chase greatness,” Cejudo said. “If I can’t make history, I’m not doing this. I didn’t win. The belt’s not around my waist.”

Cejudo found greatness in UFC when he became the fourth fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously, and the second to defend titles in two different weight divisions.

Will gambling case at Alabama ripple across college sports?

Brad Bohannon was fired after their were suspicious bets involving the Crimson Tide

The Associated Press

ALABAMA FIRED its baseball coach this week amid an investigation into suspicious bets involving a Crimson Tide game at LSU.

The school did not give details about why Brad Bohannon was let go, saying only that he violated “the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of university employees.”

This appears to be the first major gambling scandal in college sports since a Supreme Court decision five years ago paved the way for states to legalize wagering on sporting events.

How were potential improprieties spotted? And what have schools and conferences been doing to safeguard competition since legal sports betting has become widespread in the United States?

Red flag

Alabama lost 8-6 at top-ranked LSU on April 28 in a game in which the Crimson Tide’s top starting pitcher was a late scratch with an injury.

A Louisiana gambling official who received a report from a sports integrity monitor said two bets were placed in Ohio at a sportsbook located in the Cincinnati Reds stadium, Great American Ball Park.

Matthew Holt, the president of U.S. Integrity, said the operators of the sportsbook alerted his company to “abnormal activity.” U.S. Integrity alerted state gambling and gaming associations. After collecting information from other states, U.S. Integrity reported back to Ohio regulators, who opened an investigation.

Sporting events all over the

world are monitored for potential issues. Holt said U.S. Integrity sends out about 15 alerts per month to sportsbook operators, sports leagues and organizing bodies it has as clients. Its client list includes the Southeastern Conference, home to both Alabama and LSU.

How is sports wagering monitored?

U.S. Integrity, for example, analyzes data that includes real-time odds and wagering at sportsbooks to try to spot irregular activity. The company also monitors online chatter on social media and other websites.

“All kinds of information, some of which human beings are looking through, some of which the machines are identifying using algorithms,” he said. “The second way alerts are catalyzed, which is what happened in this instance, is operators identify some type of abnormal, nefarious, suspicious activity.”

In most states, sportsbooks are required to work with independent monitors.

Scandals

College sports has had its share of gambling-related scandals through the years, including point-shaving in basketball and

football where the final scores of games were improperly impacted.

Initial indications are what happened with Alabama baseball was not point-shaving.

The NFL recently suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling rules. Holt said the Alabama case is different.

“What we’re not used to is it involving a coach,” Holt said. “I think the coach is supposed to be the mentor, the role model. And that’s the difference here.”

ESPN reported that sportsbook surveillance video indicated the person who made the suspicious bets in Cincinnati on Alabama’s game was communicating with Bohannon at the time.

“The natural comparison a lot of people are going to draw is Pete Rose,” said sports gambling expert John Holden, an associate professor in the Oklahoma State School of Business. Rose was banned from Major League Baseball for betting on games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Good sign?

Holt said said the Alabama case is actually an example of the benefits of legalized wagering.

“It proves that regulated sports betting and transparency into the marketplace that we have now, it works,” he said. “When people do nefarious things, we catch them.”

AP PHOTO

Aljamain Sterling, right, kicks Henry Cejudo during their bantamweight title bout at UFC 288 on Sunday in Newark, New Jersey. Sterling won the fight.

MICHAEL JOHNSON | THE ADVOCATE VIA AP Alabama coach Brad Bohannon, left, argues with umpire Joe Harris after being tossed from an NCAA game in April. Alabama fired Bohannon after a report of suspicious bets involving his team.

US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threat

The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A U.S. agency has agreed to an in-depth environmental study into whether dredging a Georgia shipping channel in the spring and summer would threaten rare sea turtles nesting on nearby beaches — a review demanded by conservationists who sued to stop the project.

Georgia conservation group

One Hundred Miles moved to dismiss its lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers after the agency announced Friday that it would voluntarily conduct the study. The group sued in December, asking a U.S. District Court judge to order the Corps to produce such a report.

“The Corps has now committed to what we’ve asked for, to go back and review the science,” Catherine Ridley, a One Hundred Miles vice president, said Monday. “The science is clear: Spring and summer dredging puts Georgia’s sea turtles and decades of conservation progress at risk.”

Environmentalists and the Army Corps have battled since 2021 over the agency’s plan to end a policy that for three decades has prohibited the dredging of accumulated sand and mud from harbors in Georgia and the Carolinas during the nesting season for sea turtles.

In place since 1991, the seasonal limits are intended to protect sea turtles from being killed and maimed by the vacuum-like suction pumps of hopper dredges during the warmer months, when female turtles are most abundant near Southern beaches. Conservationists credit that policy with helping threatened and endangered turtle species begin a fragile rebound.

The Army Corps said in a statement Monday that it’s undertaking the fuller environmental study

to “ensure robust public, agency, and stakeholder engagement” as well as “full evaluation of the impacts that this action may have to the human and natural environment.” The agency is responsible for keeping shipping channels clear of accumulated sediments to ensure safe passage for ships

Since the 1990s, maintenance

dredging in Georgia and the Carolinas has been confined to a period roughly between December and March. Giant loggerhead sea turtles, federally protected as a threatened species, typically start nesting in May. Smaller numbers of endangered green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles lay eggs in the region as well.

The Corps has argued seasonal dredging limits are no longer necessary. That’s because the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded in 2020 that sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act can likely endure roughly 150 deaths anticipated annually from year-round dredging.

Army Corps officials have said

seasonal restrictions make it difficult to compete for a limited number of contractors. They also argue that dredging windows timed to protect sea turtles ignore species such as critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which frequent the same waters during winter.

A federal judge in May 2021 temporarily blocked the Army Corps from conducting yearround dredging in Georgia. Last September, a different judge halted a similar plan in North Carolina. Both judges ruled that the Corps failed to adequately assess potential dangers to legally protected sea turtle species.

In Georgia, the Army Corps responded a year later with an environmental assessment that concluded year-round dredging in Brunswick would have no significant impact on sea turtles. Last July, the agency solicited bids for dredging in Georgia that included an “optional bid item” to dredge in Brunswick between May and August during sea turtle nesting season.

One Hundred Miles filed suit again in December, arguing the Corps’ assessment was insufficient. The group asked a judge to order the Corps to produce a full environmental impact statement — the most comprehensive type of review federal agencies can undertake to ensure projects don’t violate the National Environmental Policy Act.

Col. Joseph R. Geary, commander of the Army Corps’ Savannah District, in March prohibited any maintenance dredging in Brunswick outside the seasonal window, pending further review.

On Friday, the Corps announced that review would consist of a full environmental impact statement.

The Army Corps said it does not know how long the more indepth study is expected to take.

GOP subpoenas FBI for Biden records; WH denounces ‘innuendo’

The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A top House Republican subpoenaed FBI Director Chris Wray last week for what he claimed are bureau records related to President Joe Biden and his family, basing the demand on newly surfaced allegations he said an unnamed whistleblower made to Congress.

The White House said it was the latest example in the yearslong series of “unfounded, unproven” political attacks against Biden by Republicans “floating anonymous innuendo.”

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee and Accountability, is seeking a specific FBI form from June 2020 that is a report of conversations or interactions with a confidential source. Comer, in a letter to Wray with Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said that “it has come to our attention” that the bureau has such a document that “describes an alleged criminal scheme” involving Biden and a foreign national “relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions” when Biden was vice president and includes “a precise

description” about it.

The subpoena seeks all socalled FD-1023 forms and accompanying attachments and documents.

The lawmakers used the word “alleged” three times in the open-

ing paragraph of the letter and offered no evidence of the veracity of the accusations or any details about what they contend are “highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures.” Comer and Grassley said those

“disclosures” demand further investigation, and they want to know whether the FBI investigated and, if so, what agents found.

To the White House, the subpoena is further evidence of how congressional Republicans long “have been lobbing unfounded, unproven, politically motivated attacks” against the Bidens “without offering evidence for their claims or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests.”

A White House spokesperson, Ian Sams, said Biden “has offered an unprecedented level of transparency” about his personal finances with the public release of a total of 25 years of tax returns.

The FBI and Justice Department confirmed receiving the subpoena but declined to comment further. The president’s personal lawyers had no comment.

Republicans claim they have amassed evidence in recent years that raise questions about whether Biden and his family have used their public positions for private gain.

House Republicans have used the power of their new majority to aggressively investigate Joe Biden

and Hunter Biden’s business dealings, including examining foreign payments and other aspects of the family’s finances. Comer has obtained thousands of pages of the Biden family’s financial records through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions since January.

Comer has not revealed much about the findings of his investigation so far. Most recently, Comer claimed one deal involving the Biden family resulted in a profit of over $1 million in more than 15 incremental payments from a Chinese company through a third party.

Both Comer and Grassley have accused both the FBI and Justice Department of stonewalling their investigations and politicizing the agency’s yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes.

Last month, an IRS special agent sought whistleblower protections from Congress to disclose a “failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition” of a criminal investigation related to the younger Biden’s taxes and whether he made a false statement in connection with a gun purchase.

AP PHOTO

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Appropriations subcommittee Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies budget hearing for Fiscal Year 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday, April 27, 2023.

AP PHOTO

In this June 30, 2019, photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, a loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Ossabaw Island, Ga.

Donald Eugene Davis

December 26, 1977 ~ May 5, 2023

Mr. Donald Eugene Davis, of Raeford, NC went to be with his Lord and Savior on May 05, 2023, at the age of 45.

He was born in Cumberland County, NC on December 26, 1977, to the late Cecil and Debora Davis.

Donald loved music, racing, and working as a mechanic.

He is survived by his brother Robert Davis (Mandi), and many other beloved family members.

Edward "Odd" Leon Phillips

May 14, 1956 ~ April 28, 2023

Mr. Edward Leon Phillips, better known as “Odd” went home to be with his Lord and Savior on April 28, 2023, at the age of 66.

Ed was born in Robeson County, NC on May 14, 1956. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edd and Catherine Phillips, and other family members, Patsy Phillips, Roy Tyner, and David Clifton. Ed was a rambunctious child and grew into a stubborn adult. He was very mischievous as a teenager, to the point that he decided to join the Army at the age of 17. He was in the military during the Vietnam era, until he medically retired and became a mechanic. His family was the most important thing to him. He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Tammy Townsend Phillips; daughter, Carrie Jo Zigarelli (Steven), of New Jersey; three grandchildren, Emily, Elizabeth, and Antonio, all of New Jersey; siblings, Billy Fausett, Valerie Moran, Vickey Benedetto, and Scott Benedetto; cousins, George Phillips, Gary Phillips, and Mary Satterfield.

Tracy Beasley

December 22, 1944 ~ May 7, 2023

Tracy (Patsy) Beasley went to be with her Lord and Savior on May 07, 2023, in her home, surrounded by her family.

Patsy was born in Hoke County, NC on December 22, 1944, to the late John Patrick and Sarah Atkinson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Danny Beasley; daughter, Karen Barefoot; two sisters, and a brother.

She was a feisty woman with a lot of life. Her passion was working in her yard and caring for her family. She loved gardening, shopping, yardsales, and traveling.

Patsy is survived by her daughter, Tracey (Danielle) Natale and her husband Jonathon; son in law, Ray Barefoot; grandchildren, Ashley Barefoot, Madison Barefoot, Parker Barefoot, Kinley Taylor, and Nylae Natale; and siblings, Buddy Lee, and Joyce Faircloth.

Deborah Bratcher

June 4, 1957 ~ April 28, 2023

Deborah Bratcher quietly slipped into eternal rest on Friday, April 28, 2023 surrounded by family in the comfort of her home. Deborah had a very kind spirit and to know her was truly to love her. She leaves to cherish her memories; two sons, Darian Bratcher and Eric Bratcher, and two daughters, Sharvero Morrison and Keyonda Bratcher Blue.

Vincent Bernard McAllister

June 4, 1952 ~ April 28, 2023

Mr. Vincent McAllister, affectionately known as "Bernard," entered into eternal rest on Friday, April 28, 2023 at his residence. Bernard was educated in Hoke County public schools and a member of the graduating Class of 1969 from Hoke County High School. He advanced his education via Psychiatry Residency, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals and Physicians, Virginia Commonwealth University(Richmond, VA); ECU School of Medicine (Greenville,NC), UNC-G and NC A&T University (Greensboro,NC), Premedical Curriculum, NCSU; Psychology, BA, UNC Chapel Hill, NC.His brother, Orlando T. McAllister preceded him in death. Bernard leaves to cherish his memories; two brothers, John D. McAllister, Jr., MD (Betty), Jason A. McAllister (adopted) (AsiaMarie); one sister, Marverra S. McAllister-Savage; two nephews, Jarmen R. and Czyz N. Savage; two nieces, Tatia Long (Ashanti); Tolisha S. Dent (Karseem); three aunts; two uncles, and a host of relatives and friends.

STATE & NATION

Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — La -

Joia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden.

He’s provided opportunities for black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.

“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.

Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.

“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.

After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, black voters in South Carolina rallied behind Biden, reviving his White House ambitions by driving his Democratic rivals from the race and ultimately putting him on a path to defeating then-President Donald

Trump. But at the outset of Biden’s reelection bid, the conflicting views among the same voters provide an early warning sign of the challenges he faces as he aims to revive the diverse coalition that proved so crucial to him before.

Black voters formed the heart of Biden’s base of support and any dip in support could prove consequential in some of the

most fiercely competitive states, such as Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Well aware of the challenge, the Biden campaign says it’s confident in its message and is planning to highlight how the president has prioritized issues that are important to black Americans.

“The progress made in the first two years -- whether it’s the historically low black un -

employment rate, unprecedented funding to HBCUs, or halving the black poverty rate in half -- is all at stake in 2024,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in an emailed statement.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote, and expand on its winning 2020 coalition.”

Yet there are some early signs that Biden will have work to do to generate enthusiasm among Black voters for another run.

Biden’s approval rating among black adults has fluctuated over his two years in office. As with most demographic groups, the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds his 58% current approval rating among black adults sitting well below where he began. Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office.

South Carolina provides an early barometer on how black voters are viewing Biden.

After his 2020 campaign was rescued, Biden rewarded the black voters who are decisive in South Carolina Democratic politics by moving the state to the head of the party’s nominating schedule next year. He also followed through with his campaign pledge to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Many younger voters said they aren’t convinced that Biden has delivered on their most important priorities.

“He wouldn’t have been president without us,” said Courtney McClain, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of South Carolina, who voted for Biden in 2020, her first presidential election.

Getting her loans forgiven, both for her bachelor’s degree

and a planned master’s program, is a top priority for her. She applauds Biden’s attempt at a college loan forgiveness program, but is frustrated that the plan is now in doubt after it was challenged in the courts by Republicans.

“So, I definitely think moving forward, if he wants to promise something as large as that, I think he should put the steps in place to make sure that he’s able to go through with that before he just says it out loud,” McClain said.

Biden’s plan, announced last August, is uncertain after the Supreme Court last December said it would deliberate over the program’s future.

Many black voters, especially those in the middle of their careers and beyond, said they already are looking forward to supporting Biden, who they say has a long history of advocating for the black community. Laddie Howard, who owns a business making handcrafted leather goods in Sumter, just west of Columbia, said he would like to see other candidates enter the race but knows that’s not realistic.

“It’s going to be a battle of Biden against whoever emerges from the other side, and everything is so extreme on the other side that, you know, I can’t see many options besides Biden at this point,” said Howard, 52.

Bill seeking to end N. Carolina concealed gun mandate halted

The Associated Press RALEIGH — An effort to do away with the requirement that anyone who wants to carry a concealed handgun get a permit from their local sheriff could be derailed for the two-year legislative session after a House floor vote was cancelled during last week’s “crossover” deadline.

The measure, House Bill 189, had cleared two House committees, but House Speaker Tim Moore referred the bill back to one of those panels last week.

The proposal was backed by gun-rights groups but opposed by gun control advocates as well as the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Senate Leader Phil Berger told reporters that he’s unsure there’s a need to address additional Second Amendment issues at this time after a significant gun-rights law was enacted weeks ago.

Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill ending a requirement that people secure permits issued by sheriffs before a they could lawfully purchase a pistol.

The repeal “was the No. 1 goal of many of the gun-rights groups for a long period of time,” Berger said. “I just don’t know that the timing is right for us at this time to move forward with additional gun legislation.” A sheriffs’ association lobbyist

told House committee members last week that making the concealed permit process optional would make it harder for law enforcement officers to know who in

their communities may be armed.

The bill was among dozens being considered as late as Wednesday, the day before the General Assembly’s self-imposed deadline

designed to separate measures that have a decent chance of becoming law over the next two years from those that don’t. Ideas unrelated to taxes, spending and

some other categories that didn’t pass at least one legislative chamber by Thursday face long odds to advance through the end of 2024.

For nearly 30 years, North Carolina has directed people to obtain a concealed weapons permit if they wish to carry a hidden pistol. The measure would have essentially made it optional by telling people they could carry concealed if they met certain qualifications.

Those included completing a training course, avoiding convictions of felonies or other specific crimes and lacking a mental or physical disability preventing the safe handling of a weapon. The bill also would have lowered the minimum age for concealed carry from 21 to 18.

Twenty-seven states already allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

The National Rifle Association ultimately opposed the bill, saying an amendment during the committee process required a mandatory training and education requirement and “as a result, the bill was no longer constitutional carry,” in a statement.

Critics of the bill say scrapping the permits would lead to more violence and homicides.

North State Journal staff contributed to this report.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with his “Investing in America Cabinet,” in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

An array of pistols are shown in the Dan Wesson display as guests browse firearms at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, April 16, 2023.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote”campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz

Salem Band announces

2023 seasonopening summer concert, Awesome ’80s!

Forsyth County

The Salem Band will open their 2023 season with a concert on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Salem Square with a show titled “Awesome ’80s!: The ’80s are back!” Whitney Houston, Journey, Gloria Estefan and Superman will be there in musical spirit. Plus, music from Oklahoma!, Amadeus, and the dramatic Great Gate of Kiev. Guest vocalist Michael Martinez will sing a jazzy Blue Moon with the band. Preconcert music at 6:45 p.m. by The Salem Band Flute Ensemble.

Food vendors will be on site — bring a lawn chair or blanket. There’s nothing more All-American than enjoying a classic band concert in the town Square — free in Salem Square, Old Salem. The rain date, if necessary, will be Friday, May 26.

Established in 1771, Salem Band is the oldest, continuous mixed wind ensemble in the nation. Eileen Young serves as music director. All concerts are free and open to the public.

NSJ

East Forsyth High School officer used Taser in student ‘disturbance,’ school officials said Forsyth County

A school resource officer at a Triad school used a Taser to de-escalate a “disturbance” Friday, school officials said. Those involved in the disturbance were checked by medical professionals as a precaution, and no injuries have been reported. The school district said the students involved will face disciplinary action.

RiverRun Announces 2023 Awards: Trapped Balloon wins best feature, director

Bad Press take top documentary

North State Journal

THE RIVERRUN International Film Festival today announced the Jury Awards for the 2023 Festival. This year’s festival ran April 13-22 and offered both in-person and virtual screenings. The festival this year presented 174 films representing 34 countries.

“I was thrilled with our film lineup this year, one of the best we have ever offered,” said Rob Davis, RiverRun Executive Director. “It was wonderful to welcome so many faces – both old and new – and host award ceremonies, wonderful panels, and of course so many film screenings.

As always, RiverRun is grateful to all of the incredible people

who make the Festival happen –our staff, volunteers, filmmakers, and, most importantly, all that come out to attend our screenings and events. We had a wonderful time celebrating out Silver Anniversary!”

RIVERRUN 2023 JURY

AWARDS:

N arrative Features: Best Narrative Feature: Trapped Balloon directed by Hiroyuki Miyagawa

Peter Brunette Award for Best Director: Zia Mohajerjasbi for Know Your Place

Best Screenplay of a Narrative Feature: Hiroyuki Miyagawa for Trapped Balloon

Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature: Kamei Yoshinori for Trapped Balloon

Best Performance in a Narrative Feature: Mashiro Higashide

in Trapped Balloon Special Jury Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance: Jacky Jung in B -Side: For Taylor

Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble: Know Your Place

D ocumentary Features: Best Documentary Feature: Bad Press directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker & Joe

Peeler

Best Director of a Documentary Feature: Jesse Rudoy for Dusty & Stones

Special Jury Award for Cinematography in a Documentary Feature: Curren Sheldon for King Coal

N arrative Shorts: Best Narrative Short: Cousins directed by Karina Dandashi

Best Student Narrative Short: Swim Captain directed by

Christina Haley Special Jury Award for Social Impact: Thursday directed by Bren Cukier Special Jury Award for Best International Short Film: Three Grains of Salt directed by Ingrid Chikhaoui

D ocumentary Shorts (RiverRun is an Academy Award qualifying Festival for Documentary Shorts): Best Documentary Short: Oasis directed by Justine Martin Honorable Mention for Innovative Storytelling: Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go directed by Sinda Agha Special Jury Award: Breaking Silence directed by Amy Bench & Annie Silverstein

A nimated Shorts (RiverRun is

WSFCS Board of Education to revisit MOA with FTCC

Local budget request breakdown presented to board

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education met Tuesday, April 25 where they reaffirmed their desire to address concerns with FTCC and discussed next year’s budget.

Superintendent Tricia McManus reaffirmed the district’s intentions to revisit the MOA with Forsyth Technical Community College so that “we can make clear moving forward on all expectations for our high schoolers that are sitting on a college campus and what is and is not acceptable.”

The changes aim to address issues stemming from a Pride celebration held on FTCC’s campus that had drag performers inappropriately dancing on high school students who were attending classes on campus.

“I’m especially glad to hear and see that the MOA will be on our agenda on the May 23 board meeting,” said board member

Steve Wood. “I’m told today by our legal counsel, and that it is our understanding that this is still a matter that is under criminal investigation. So we our limited to some extent as to what we can say, but may I say this. Some may have misconstrued our board silence as consent to the events of March 22, 2023. Please let it be known that that is not the case.

This board wants our parents, our students, our staff, our employees, the taxpayers, the voters, all of our stakeholders in this great institution that we have, that is the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system, to understand that this board under state law does not possess prosecutorial powers or arrest powers or subpoena powers. We must trust our duly elected law enforcement entities and partners to enforce the state laws. We affirm that a revised MOA with Forsyth Technical Community College will be placed on our May 23 board meeting agenda for discussion and action.”

The board was also presented again with the proposed FY 23-24 budget.

“There are three priorities we are focused on as a school system,” McManus said. “Learning, which

“We must trust our duly elected law enforcement entities and partners to enforce the state laws.”

Steve Wood

is instruction that takes place in the classroom and that is around core instruction, opportunities for students, interventions, tutoring, core curriculum, all of that takes place in that instruction bucket and what you’ll see is that there are items within the budget that focus on instruction.

“Next is culture. That is where you’ll see support around counseling, mental health supports, behavioral health supports, anything related to safety, positive learning environments, extra-curricular learning opportunities for students and mentoring.

“Last but not least is talent. That is the recruitment, retention, compensation, development, engagement and wellness of our employees and you will see that within the budget dollars as well.”

PHOTO COURTESY RIVERRUN

A scene from Hiroyuki Miyagawa’s movie Trapped Balloon, which won the Best Narrative Feature award at Winston-Salem’s RiverRun International Film Festival, which was held in late April.

| DAVID HARSANYI

Instead of smearing justices, senators should be asking them for ethics lessons

THE CONCERTED EFFORT by the media and Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court is the most consequential attack on our institutions in memory.

Make no mistake. The “Supreme Court Ethics Reform” hearing this week was meant to discredit the high court and slander justices with innuendo. Nothing else. Democrats are angry because the court happens to occasionally uphold basic constitutional principles of American governance.

The recent hit pieces on Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were shoddy and transparently partisan. They did not uncover any conflict of interest or corruption. They exist to give politicians fodder and hackish outlets like The Washington Post the freedom to contend that the Senate is “consider(ing) strengthening ethics rules for the Supreme Court in response to a cascade of revelations about unreported lavish travel and real estate deals.”

Most Post readers will, no doubt, be unaware that there has been no “unreported” lavish travel or real estate deals. There is one amended note in a financial disclosure by Thomas -- who had no ethical or legal obligation to check in with Democrats whenever he travels. In Politico’s Gorsuch hit, the reporter didn’t even know how to read a basic disclosure form. Everything, including a real estate deal that Gorsuch was allegedly attempting to conceal, was reported.

The fact that the same histrionic coverage did not accompany Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s amended financial disclosures in 2022 nor Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s amended financial disclosures in 2021 nor Justice Stephen Breyer’s long-term travel arrangements, which were often reimbursed by the wealthy Pritzker family, is no accident.

The committee chair, Dick Durbin, contends he merely wants the justices to abide by the ethics rules that Congress has drafted for itself. If they did, it would mean a complete degradation of standards in the court.

Because while there has not been a scintilla of evidence offered by anyone that the originalist justices have altered their judicial philosophy or approach for personal benefit, one could not say that same thing about the leader of the delegitimization effort, Durbin, who, according to a 2014 Chicago Tribune investigation, used his office and power to help enrich his lobbyist wife:

Among the areas of overlap in the Durbins’ careers: her firm getting a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time the senator went to bat for the organization and others like it; a state university receiving funds earmarked by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife was seeking state support for

BOE from page 1

“There are six major funds that the district operates out of,” said Chief Financial Officer Tommy Krantz. “One would be child nutrition, two would be capital, three would be what’s called fund-aid or other, four is federal, five is state and six is local. At the end of the day, when you’re looking at what dollars are available for you to manage in a very general sense is really your local funds.”

According to Krantz, the local funds in 21-22 amounted to around $145,000,000 of which $110,000,000 was spent on salaries and wages. The breakdown of costs from the local budget was 68% for salary, 6% for charter schools, 6% for utility costs, 5% for custodial costs, 2% for maintenance costs, 1% for pupil transport cost, and 12% for other costs.

The proposed FY23 adopted budget amounts to $173,109,466.38 local budget of which, $16,352,641.38 will be the funding request presented to the county.

According to Krantz, the increased request accounts for a 5% average pay increase and increases to retirement, FICA, W/Comp, health insurance, total salary and fringe benefits, classified employee salary adjustments, custodial operations and SRO contracts.

The board finally approved the elementary school camera addition grant project to KNC Technologies for the installation of cameras in 43 elementary schools at a cost of $306,520.76, the annual purchase for the student Chromebook refresh for $3.6 million through ESSER allocation, the schematic approval for East Forsyth High School design, the construction manager at risk selection for East Forsyth High School renovation, and changes to Policy 6161.2 - Internet Safety Policy and Policy 3330 Contract Administration. The WSFCS Board of Education will next meet May 9.

Goods (F) and 2) Ccw (M), at University Pw/oak Summit Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/4/2023

18:42.

♦ ALLRED, JOSHUA MCKENZIE was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 100 HANES MALL BV on 5/5/2023

♦ ARNOLD, SHENECE CANDICE was arrested on a charge of RESISTING ARREST at 100 STAGECOACH RD on 5/3/2023

♦ BAKER, DIAMOND ALEXUS was arrested on a charge of MISUSE OF 911 SYSTEM at 2052 S STRATFORD RD/FRONTIS ST on 5/7/2023

♦ BLACKBURN, TONY RAY was arrested on a charge of BREAKING/LARC-FELONY at 4271 TISE AV on 5/7/2023

♦ Caro, Fernando Cepeda (M/43) Arrest

RIVERRUN from page 1

an Academy Award qualifying Festival for Animated Shorts):

Best Animated Short: The Record directed by Jonathan Laskar Special Jury Award for Docu-

on chrg of Weap-poss By Felon (F), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/5/2023 11:00.

♦ DAVIS, JERRELL BRENT was arrested on a charge of 90-95H3 TRAFF COCAINE at 2721 LUDWIG ST on 5/4/2023

♦ DENTON, ANDREW JAMES was arrested on a charge of FRAUD-OBT PROPERTY at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/6/2023

♦ DIGGS, ANTONIO TAYON was arrested on a charge of SEX OFFENSE-2ND DEG at 2305 CHURCH ST on 5/6/2023

♦ GATEWOOD, CURTIS LEMUEL was arrested on a charge of VAND-REAL PROPERTY at 1525 S BROAD ST on 5/6/2023

♦ Gonzalez Sosa, Pedro Gonzalez (M/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking/larc-felony (F), 2) Possession Marijuana (M), 3) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 4) Ccw (M), 5) Open Beverage (M), 6) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 7) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 8) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 9) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at Nc 74 East, Winston Salem, NC, on 5/8/2023 01:00.

ence Choice Award: Go On, Be Brave directed by Brian Beckman & Miriam McSpadden

Reel South Award:

the same group.

Durbin did not pay a fine or face any repercussions for this conflict of interest. Then again, do you know how many officials the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has issued disciplinary sanctions to since 2007? Zero.

Not Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein, whose husband Richard Blum, an investment banker, made some amazingly prescient trades in the biotech sector during COVID-19.

Not Judiciary Committee member Richard Blumenthal, D-Stolen Valor, and his wife, who happened to trade shares of Robinhood before calling for an investigation and then lie, not surprisingly, about the family’s significant stock ownership.

Not Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, who not only traded health care stock through his and his family’s accounts while pushing to pass a medical bill directly related to that sector but also used his seat to prop up a green energy concern that supported his campaign.

Nor Judiciary Committee member Peter Welch, who was buying stock in a German coronavirus test producer after hearing intelligence briefings on the matter.

Nor Durbin himself, who unloaded investments right after a private meeting with the then-Treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman during the 2008 financial collapse.

After years of slandering members of the court for the purpose of delegitimizing them, Democrats will bring up the fact that the polls show a diminishing trust in the Supreme Court as if it happened in a vacuum or as if they did not intend for this to happen. This is their doing. They are the ones creating the perception of corruption where there is none. And why? Because the Constitution is a hindrance to their agenda. It’s that simple.

Durbin tried to get Chief Justice John Roberts to participate in his partisan clown show, claiming it was time “for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it.” The Supreme Court is an equal branch of the government, not an agency for Durbin to bully. And, outside of impeaching someone, Congress has no power to dictate how it conducts business. If anything, Congress should be looking to the justices to learn how to act decently.

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books - the most recent, “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.”

♦ HALL, ANTHONY MICHAEL was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 1157 BURKE ST on 5/7/2023

♦ Jackson, Monterio Terrell (M/32) Arrest on chrg of Probation Violation, M (M), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/8/2023 09:55.

♦ JONES, PHILLIP STANLEY was arrested on a charge of LARCENY-FELONY at 1200 N TRADE ST on 5/7/2023

♦ Juarezcalat, Ramiro (M/31) Arrest on chrg of Vand-real Property, M (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/3/2023 09:38.

♦ Kilby, Zachary Amadeus (M/25) Arrest on chrg of 1) Poss Cocaine Fel (F), 2)

Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F), 3) Poss Heroin (F), 4) Possession Marijuana (M), 5) Drug Paraphernalia (M), and 6) Drug Paraphernalia (M), at 2471 Lewisvilleclemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC, on 5/6/2023 06:43.

♦ LEGGETTE, KRISEAN LEMARD was arrested on a charge of POSS MARIJUANA FEL at 3712 STONEY GLEN DR on 5/5/2023

ner was I’m the Girl – The Story of a Photograph directed by Thomas Southerland.

♦ LESESANE, CHARLES WILSON was arrested on a charge of ADW - INFLICT INJURY at 2030 E TWENTY-THIRD ST on 5/6/2023

♦ LINVILLE, SCARLET CRAMER was arrested on a charge of LIQUOR-SALE TO MINOR at 199 E SPRAGUE ST/PATRIA ST on 5/7/2023

♦ Mclaurin, Amanda Rose (F/19) Arrest on chrg of Assault-simple (M), at 5160 Reidsville Rd, Walkertown, NC, on 5/3/2023 11:03.

♦ MCRAE, CHRISTOPHER LEVON was arrested on a charge of BREAKING/ LARC-FELONY at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/4/2023

♦ MORALES, RENE ORTIZ was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 800 MEADOW RIDGE CT on 5/3/2023

♦ MURPHY, DERRICK QUAWEE was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 2003 EAST 14 STREET on 5/6/2023

est University. Second place was awarded to Print is Dead: A Documentary About the Decline of the Publishing Industry directed by Aiden Winter-Deely from University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

mentary

Animation: Europe by Bidon directed by Samuel Albaric & Thomas Trichet Special Jury Award for Exper -

imental

Animation: Ecce directed by Margherita Premuroso Kilpatrick Townsend Audi -

RiverRun is pleased to be affiliated with Reel South. Reel South SHORTS, the digital hive of the PBS series Reel South, showcases the best in Southern short-form and is built on partnerships with the South’s regional film festivals. This year’s Reel South Win-

Pitch Fest Awards: The 12th annual RiverRun Pitch Fest was held with college students from four colleges from North Carolina pitching their documentary film projects to a panel of judges in hopes of winning cash prizes. First place was awarded to Types directed by Taylor Rogers from Wake For -

Master Of Cinema Awards: Karen Allen Tom Schulman

Spark Award: Emily Harrold

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA Banchero only

unanimous 1st-team

All-Rookie selection

New York Magic forward and former Duke standout Paolo Banchero was the only player to be unanimously selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He was joined on the first team by former UNC forward Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Kings and Jalen Williams of the Thunder.

They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting. Detroit teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren made the second team, as did Houston teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, along with San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan.

MLB Royals place

Yarbrough on injured list with head fractures

Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City Royals lefthander Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 15day injured list with what was classified as ”head fractures” after taking a 106-mph line drive off the right side of his face Sunday. Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Yarbrough has three non-displaced fractures in different spots around his right eye. ”He’s stable, improving,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. ”He never lost consciousness. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. We don’t think at this time will require surgery. He’s getting further testing and we’ll have a better idea (of his prognosis) in the next 24 hours.”

TENNIS

Alcaraz set to return to No. 1 after retaining Madrid title

Madrid Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to pave the way to reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking. The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open. He converted on his first match point after a hardfought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.

FORMULA ONE

Verstappen keeps

Red Bull undefeated with win in Miami Miami Gardens, Fla.

Max Verstappen kept Red Bull undefeated on the season as the reigning two-time Formula One champion drove from ninth to the victory Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull has won all five races so far this season, and teammate Sergio Perez’s second-place finish in Miami was the fourth 1-2 finish for Red Bull this year. Verstappen has three wins this season, while Perez, the pole sitter in Miami, has two victories. The win was the 38th of his career for Verstappen, who tied Sebastian Vettel for most victories for Red Bull.

Hamlin bumps Larson for lead on final lap to win at Kansas

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had walked out of Victory Lane after winning a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series duel over Kyle Larson with a last-lap pass at Kansas Speedway on Sunday just in time to hear his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, make a bold proclamation.

“He’s the most talented race car driver in the world,” Gabehart was saying.

Awkward, because Gabehart wasn’t talking about his own driver.

“Tells you what he thinks about me,” Hamlin said with a wry grin.

Gabehart was talking about Larson, who was leading in the closing laps on a sizzling day in the heart-

land. But it was Hamlin who was better this time. He spent about 30 laps stalking Larson before making a couple of failed attempts at the lead in the closing laps. Finally, heading onto the backstretch on the final one, Hamlin pulled alongside Larson and made the slightest of contact, sending him bumping into the outside wall and giving Hamlin a clear path to the finish line.

The victory ended a 33-race winless drought for Hamlin dating to last year’s Coca-Cola 600. And along with giving Hamlin a record fourth win at Kansas, it gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 400th win overall in NASCAR’s top series. “I was sideways. He was sideways. I knew it was going to be close whether he could clear me,” Hamlin said. “I was grinding his left side, trying to keep the sidedraft as much as I could. It’s such a super-sensitive part and I hooked him at the end.”

Hamlin said he planned to speak with Larson about the finish at some point. “I was really loose,” Larson said. “He was able to finally get my inside off two. It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.”

So what does Gabehart think of his own driver?

“I’m so proud of Denny to work over — in my view — the most talented race car driver in the world,” he said.

Larson finished second and William Byron, who was two laps down for more than 50 laps during the middle portion of the race, rallied to join his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the top three.

Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth while Ross Chastain rounded out the top five before tempers flew on pit

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

won horse racing’s biggest event in his 16th attempt

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-yearold, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (1915) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.

The colt was in the skilled hands of Javier Castellano, a Hall

of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby.

“I never give up,” Castellano said. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.” Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties.

“He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Jockey Javier Castellano on Mage

Canonero II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971. Going into the backstretch,

road.

Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness on the track, found himself in another heated confrontation Sunday. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.

Gragson put his hands on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping right hook that appeared to connect. Gragson tried to return the punch, but he was pulled away by security and NASCAR officials.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style.

“The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain accepted some of the blame for the spin but didn’t have much to say about the punch.

“I got tight off four for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the race track. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of four.”

Next week the Cup Series goes to Darlington for “Throwback Weekend.”

Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. said. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.’”

Forte, the early favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s.

Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized after being injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won for the fourth time at the track

Jockey Javier Castellano

Denny Hamlin does a burnout as he celebrates after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

AP PHOTO

Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

STATE & NATION

Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — LaJoia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden. He’s provided opportunities for black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.

“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.

Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.

“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.

After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, black voters in South Carolina rallied behind Biden, reviving his White House ambitions by driving his Democratic rivals from the race and ultimate

ly putting him on a path to de

feating then-President Donald

Trump. But at the outset of Biden’s reelection bid, the conflicting views among the same voters provide an early warning sign of the challenges he faces as he aims to revive the diverse coalition that proved so crucial to him before.

Black voters formed the heart of Biden’s base of support and any dip in support could prove consequential in some of the

most fiercely competitive states, such as Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Well aware of the challenge, the Biden campaign says it’s confident in its message and is planning to highlight how the president has prioritized issues that are important to black Americans.

“The progress made in the first two years -- whether it’s the historically low black un -

employment rate, unprecedented funding to HBCUs, or halving the black poverty rate in half -- is all at stake in 2024,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in an emailed statement.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote, and expand on its winning 2020 coalition.”

Yet there are some early signs that Biden will have work to do to generate enthusiasm among Black voters for another run.

Biden’s approval rating among black adults has fluctuated over his two years in office. As with most demographic groups, the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds his 58% current approval rating among black adults sitting well below where he began. Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office.

South Carolina provides an early barometer on how black voters are viewing Biden.

After his 2020 campaign was rescued, Biden rewarded the black voters who are decisive in South Carolina Democratic politics by moving the state to the head of the party’s nominating schedule next year. He also followed through with his campaign pledge to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Many younger voters said they aren’t convinced that Biden has delivered on their most important priorities.

“He wouldn’t have been president without us,” said Courtney McClain, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of South Carolina, who voted for Biden in 2020, her first presidential election.

Getting her loans forgiven, both for her bachelor’s degree

and a planned master’s program, is a top priority for her. She applauds Biden’s attempt at a college loan forgiveness program, but is frustrated that the plan is now in doubt after it was challenged in the courts by Republicans.

“So, I definitely think moving forward, if he wants to promise something as large as that, I think he should put the steps in place to make sure that he’s able to go through with that before he just says it out loud,” McClain said.

Biden’s plan, announced last August, is uncertain after the Supreme Court last December said it would deliberate over the program’s future.

Many black voters, especially those in the middle of their careers and beyond, said they already are looking forward to supporting Biden, who they say has a long history of advocating for the black community. Laddie Howard, who owns a business making handcrafted leather goods in Sumter, just west of Columbia, said he would like to see other candidates enter the race but knows that’s not realistic.

“It’s going to be a battle of Biden against whoever emerges from the other side, and everything is so extreme on the other side that, you know, I can’t see many options besides Biden at this point,” said Howard, 52.

Bill seeking to end N. Carolina concealed gun mandate halted

The Associated Press RALEIGH — An effort to do away with the requirement that anyone who wants to carry a concealed handgun get a permit from their local sheriff could be derailed for the two-year legislative session after a House floor vote was cancelled during last week’s “crossover” deadline.

The measure, House Bill 189, had cleared two House committees, but House Speaker Tim Moore referred the bill back to one of those panels last week.

The proposal was backed by gun-rights groups but opposed by gun control advocates as well as the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Senate Leader Phil Berger told reporters that he’s unsure there’s a need to address additional Second Amendment issues at this time after a significant gun-rights law was enacted weeks ago.

Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill ending a requirement that people secure permits issued by sheriffs before a they could lawfully purchase a pistol.

The repeal “was the No. 1 goal of many of the gun-rights groups for a long period of time,” Berger said. “I just don’t know that the timing is right for us at this time to move forward with additional gun legislation.”

A sheriffs’ association lobbyist

told House committee members last week that making the concealed permit process optional would make it harder for law enforcement officers to know who in

their communities may be armed.

The bill was among dozens being considered as late as Wednesday, the day before the General Assembly’s self-imposed deadline

designed to separate measures that have a decent chance of becoming law over the next two years from those that don’t. Ideas unrelated to taxes, spending and

some other categories that didn’t pass at least one legislative chamber by Thursday face long odds to advance through the end of 2024.

For nearly 30 years, North Carolina has directed people to obtain a concealed weapons permit if they wish to carry a hidden pistol. The measure would have essentially made it optional by telling people they could carry concealed if they met certain qualifications.

Those included completing a training course, avoiding convictions of felonies or other specific crimes and lacking a mental or physical disability preventing the safe handling of a weapon. The bill also would have lowered the minimum age for concealed carry from 21 to 18.

Twenty-seven states already allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

The National Rifle Association ultimately opposed the bill, saying an amendment during the committee process required a mandatory training and education requirement and “as a result, the bill was no longer constitutional carry,” in a statement.

Critics of the bill say scrapping the permits would lead to more violence and homicides.

North State Journal staff contributed to this report.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with his “Investing in America Cabinet,” in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

An array of pistols are shown in the Dan Wesson display as guests browse firearms at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis, April 16, 2023.

“The campaign will work hard to earn every vote”campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz

COUNTY NEWS

Vass man charged after inflicting multiple stab wounds

A Vass man was arrested this past Friday after Moore County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about a stabbing in the 100 block of Creek Bend Drive. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies received the call at 7:50 pm. Upon arrival, deputies found 51-year-old Derrick Terrell Mclean will multiple stab wounds. Mclean was immediately transported to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, though an update on his condition has yet to be provided. After a brief investigation, deputies were able to identify 63-yearold Thomas Junior Shields as the suspect. Shields has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was taken to the Moore County Detention Center, where he was issued a $250,000 secured bond. Shields’ first court appearance is scheduled for May 25.

New teen driver law comes into effect this week

Following the passing of a new bill by the North Carolina General Assembly, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles announced changes to the graduated driver licensing (GDL) program for teens. Effective May 8, teen drivers will be required to have their Level 1 Limited Learner Permit for six months before being able to receive their Level 2 Limited Provisional License. Teen drivers will still be required to be at least 16 years old, log 60 hours of driving time, pass a road test, and show printed proof of insurance in the teen driver’s name. Prior to this new law, teen drivers with a learner permit were required to wait 12 months before advancing to a limited provisional license. According to this new legislation, this six-month requirement will lapse at the end of the year. Beginning on January 1, 2024, this provision will be permanently changed to nine months.

MOORE COUNTY

Play ball!

The Pinecrest Patriots baseball team won their 2023 conference tournament this past Thursday night, beating Southern Lee with a final score of 7-5! The biggest highlights of the game were Connor Tenatti’s third-inning grand slam (his first home run) and a two-run homer from JD Scarborough. The team will now await the state playoff seeding.

Aberdeen to close select roads for parade next Saturday

Preliminary budget draft includes tax rate decrease

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ABERDEEN — The Aberdeen Town Board met Monday, April 24, with preliminary budget discussions as the main focus of the agenda.

The board also held a public hearing to consider approval of an ordinance declaring temporary road closures for the Legacy Lakes Community Parade and Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

“The event is going to be on May 20, 2023,” said Planner Danielle Orloff. “This is an annual event. Last year, if you remember, they hosted it at Legacy Lakes, and then the Special Olympics Torch Run was a separate event that ran down Poplar, and we closed a part of that road for that event. They have decided to combine them this year out in the Legacy Lakes area.”

According to the organizers, the plan is for the parade to complete two laps, with a break in the middle from around 10-10:30 a.m., in order for residents and traffic to pass through.

“They are expecting the parade route to be lined on both sides

Pinehurst Council presented with FY24 Strategic Operating Plan

Council renews contract with Waste Management for Pinewild waste services

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, April 25, with the presentation of the FY24 Strategic Operating Plan as the key item on the agenda.

The council approved the Solid Waste Contract for waste disposal services in the Pinewild community.

“We put this out for bid last fall,” said Assistant Village Manager Jeff Batton. “We put together an RFP and sent it out and solicited three large firms that we felt were capable of providing these services. Republic and Waste Management were the two firms who responded, and Waste Management was the low bid at $24.82 per home per month compared to $26 per home per month for Republic.

“The process we used in putting it out to bid in hopes of enticing competitive bidding was we increased the time frame to

a five-year window, and the reason we did that is that so firms that wanted to provide those services and needed to invest in capital equipment, would be able to recoup that over that period of time. So that was one way we were trying to entice some additional interest in the service.”

The two bids had a $13,000 difference in annual costs, which over the term of the deal, would amount to a difference in the total cost of $65,000.

The council did raise questions over potential concerns relating to the level of service that Waste Management provides.

“There’s always questions about service levels,” Batton said. “Their satisfaction rating last year was 90% out of Pinewild. The kinds of issues they ran into were frankly the same issues that we do as well, such as equipment breakdowns and things of that nature. The difference between us and them in terms of their ability to manage equipment breakdowns is that we have extra vehicles here in town that can respond, whereas Waste Management comes in from out of town to provide the service and doesn’t really have the ability to quickly

with spectators,” Orloff said. “They wanted to get the request in as early as possible so as to give out as much notice to the residents as possible. [They are] requesting the closure from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and this year it’s only going to be on three roads. They are going to start at the Clubhouse, and it’s going to go down Kerr Lake Road, Warren Lake Road, and then back to Legacy Lakes Way and around.”

Following the hearing, the board approved the request.

The board was then presented with the first look at the FY 23/24 budget.

“The biggest change right now is that the prior draft budget that you

pivot other vehicles into Pinewild should they have a breakdown through their routes.”

“Typically, in most cases, if they have an equipment breakdown, what we’ve seen is that they will finish the route, it may be later in the evening when they finish, or they’ll finish it the following day,” said Public Services Director Mike Apke. “Their level of service is a little bit different than ours, but in almost all cases that I can remember, their service is at least completed by the following day.”

Also, according to Batton, the final contract price for the renewal is the same per house cost as the prior contract, but due to the increase in the number of homes being serviced now, the cost is $217,200 more than the previous contract.

The council was also presented with the upcoming Strategic Operating Plan (SOP) for FY 2024.

The SOP will have three Areas of Focus which include: Developing codes and ordinances to protect the character of Village neighborhoods, supporting the business community, and providing a safe and effective multi-modal transportation system.

“In our five-year plan, we have seven Initiative Action Plans,” said Jeff Sanborn. “Those are to design, build, staff and equip Fire State 93, update the Pinehurst Development Ordinance, relocate the Public Services Complex to allow for the redevelopment of Village Place, develop and implement a consolidated multi-modal transportation plan, implement a

were presented with a few weeks ago was based on a $0.43 per $1,000 tax rate, which is $0.06 below our current tax rate,” said Town Manager Paul Sabiston. “We’ve managed to lower that by another penny down to $0.42 per $1,000 and made some other changes to try and keep the tax rate down. It is still over our neutral rate, but it is also lower than our current tax rate of $0.49.

“Is it possible to adopt a neutral rate? Certainly, but we’d have to slash our budget by about $600,000 to $700,000. It’s about $1.50 per penny. Could it happen on paper? Yes, but it would be incredibly difficult to keep up with the costs. It’s the rising costs that we have. The costs for health insurance, the cost for vehicles, the cost for equipment, the cost for supplies, and the cost for just about everything has been going up for the last three or four years pretty substantially.

metropolitan transportation organization with assistance from regional partners, retrofit current athletic fields with synthetic turf, and expand and renovate Give Library/Tuft Archives.”

According to the SOP, the council plans to conduct 33 projects from FY24 through FY28, with the most significant projects identified by Village staff being

DAVID SINCLAIR | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

the construction of pedestrian facilities, stormwater improvements, purchasing of a ladder truck, development of West Pinehurst Park, enhancements to Village Place streetscape, replacement of park lighting at Cannon Park Fields 1 & 2, improvements to the public safety radio, restoration of historical pathways within the Village, resurfacing of Village Green parking lot and the preservation/conservation of

open space in and around Pinehurst.

These projects will amount to $9,234,000 in total costs.

Another key aspect of the SOP is that the projected FY 2024 tax rate will be $0.23, which is $0.08 less than the current rate and $0.005 lower than the inflation-adjusted neutral in response to the statewide property reevaluations.

The Village of Pinehurst Council held their most recent meeting last night.

“They wanted to get the request in as early as possible so as to give out as much notice to the residents as possible.”

Danielle Orloff

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:

May 11

Moore County Farmers Market

9am – 1pm

CRIME LOG

County Sheriff’s Office, Second Degree Kidnapping, Assault on a Female, Communicating Threats

♦ WILSON, BRADLEY TAFT, 51, W, M, 5/4/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Possession of Firearm by Felon (x4), Possess Drug Paraphernalia, Felony

Probation Violation (x2)

♦ ROYAL, NORMAN CARL, 67, W, M, 5/4/2023, Out of County Agency, Driving While

Impaired

♦ MCBRYDE, KEVIN ORLANDO, 25, B, M, 5/4/2023, Aberdeen PD, Felony Larceny, Possess Stolen Goods/Prop, Resisting Public Officer, Misdemeanor Larceny, Resisting Public Officer

“Just like the value of housing and the cost of building a house goes up, the cost of doing business for local governments goes up also. I’d rather try to keep us ahead of the curve instead of having a surprise tax rate in a year or two that we’re not able to afford to get our work done to do what we need to do year in and year out and have to have a sudden increase. I’d rather do it at this time where we can actually lower the existing tax rate and try to provide a break to all those people that are getting their homes valued at a higher rate.”

The board plans to have a draft review of the budget at their May 8 work session meeting, followed by an adoption meeting/public hearing on May 22.

The Aberdeen Town Board will next meet May 22.

Enjoy the Moore County Farmers Market at the Armory Sports Complex, which is located at 604 W. Morganton Road in Southern Pines! Buy local and fresh seasonal produce and products every Thursday morning from 9 am until 1pm!

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 is located at 565 Air Tool Dr., Southern Pines, NC.

May 12

Carthage Farmers Market

2pm – 6pm

Come out and support your local farmers at the brand-new farmers market in Carthage! The market features fresh produce, meats, eggs, and handmade goods! The market will be set up on S. Ray Street in the parking lot across from the post office.

Cosmic Bowling 6pm

Enjoy fun for the whole family at Sandhills Bowling Center! Cosmic Bowling takes place every Friday beginning at 6pm. The cost is $5.50 a game or $17 for two hours of unlimited bowling.

May 13

34th Annual Carthage Buddy Festival

9am – 4pm

Join the Town of Carthage for the 34th annual Buggy Festival! This free festival takes place downtown on Mother’s Day weekend. Enjoy a family-friendly time with fun events, food, and live music!

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA

Banchero only

unanimous 1st-team AllRookie selection

New York

Magic forward and former

Duke standout Paolo Banchero was the only player to be unanimously selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He was joined on the first team by former UNC forward Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Bennedict Mathurin of the Pacers, Keegan Murray of the Kings and Jalen Williams of the Thunder. They were also the top five vote-getters in the rookie of the year balloting.

Detroit teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren made the second team, as did Houston teammates Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, along with San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan.

MLB

Royals place Yarbrough on injured list with head fractures

Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 15-day injured list with what was classified as ”head fractures” after taking a 106mph line drive off the right side of his face Sunday. Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Yarbrough has three nondisplaced fractures in different spots around his right eye. ”He’s stable, improving,” Quatraro said before Monday’s game. ”He never lost consciousness. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. We don’t think at this time will require surgery. He’s getting further testing and we’ll have a better idea (of his prognosis) in the next 24 hours.”

TENNIS

Alcaraz set to return to No. 1 after retaining Madrid title

Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to pave the way to reclaiming his world No. 1 ranking. The 20-yearold Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open. He converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.

Hamlin bumps Larson for lead on final lap to win at Kansas

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won for the fourth time at the track

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had walked out of Victory Lane after winning a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series duel over Kyle Larson with a last-lap pass at Kansas Speedway on Sunday just in time to hear his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, make a bold proclamation.

“He’s the most talented race car driver in the world,” Gabehart was saying.

Awkward, because Gabehart wasn’t talking about his own driver.

“Tells you what he thinks about me,” Hamlin said with a wry grin.

Gabehart was talking about Larson, who was leading in the closing laps on a sizzling day in the heartland. But it was Hamlin who was better this time. He spent about 30 laps stalking Larson before making a couple of failed attempts at the lead in the closing laps. Finally, heading onto the backstretch on the final one, Hamlin pulled alongside Larson and made the slightest of contact, sending him bump-

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin does a burnout as he celebrates after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

ing into the outside wall and giving Hamlin a clear path to the finish line.

The victory ended a 33-race winless drought for Hamlin dating to last year’s Coca-Cola 600. And along with giving Hamlin a record fourth win at Kansas, it gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 400th win overall in NASCAR’s top series. “I was sideways. He was sideways. I knew it was going to be close whether he could clear me,” Hamlin said. “I was grinding his left side, trying to keep the sidedraft as much as I could. It’s such a super-sensitive part and I hooked him at the end.”

Hamlin said he planned to speak with Larson about the finish at some point.

“I was really loose,” Larson said. “He was able to finally get my inside off two. It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.” So what does Gabehart think of his own driver?

“I’m so proud of Denny to work over — in my view — the most talented race car driver in the world,” he said.

Larson finished second and William Byron, who was two laps

down for more than 50 laps during the middle portion of the race, rallied to join his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the top three. Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth while Ross Chastain rounded out the top five before tempers flew on pit road.

Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness on the track, found himself in another heated confrontation Sunday. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.

Gragson put his hands on Chastain, who responded with a sweeping right hook that appeared to connect. Gragson tried to return the punch, but he was pulled away by security and NASCAR officials.

“I’m sick and tired of it,” Gragson said of Chastain’s driving style. “The guy runs into everyone. When you have guys like Chase Elliott and other guys telling you to beat his ass, everyone is just sick of him.”

Chastain accepted some of the blame for the spin but didn’t have much to say about the punch.

“I got tight off four for sure,” Chastain said. “Noah and I have a very similar attitude on the race track. We train together, we prepare together, we know every little bit about each other. I definitely crowded him out of four.”

Next week the Cup Series goes to Darlington for “Throwback Weekend.”

Mage wins star-crossed Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

Jockey Javier Castellano won horse racing’s biggest event in his 16th attempt

The Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After seven deaths raised questions about the future of horse racing, Mage earned a surprising Kentucky Derby victory on Saturday, capping a nerve-rattling day that included two more fatalities ahead of the 149th edition of the world’s most famous race.

Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.

Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-year-old, ran 1¼ miles in 2:01.57.

Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (1915) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.

“He proved today that it didn’t matter,” assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. said.

The colt was in the skilled hands

of Javier Castellano, a Hall of Fame jockey who hasn’t been as in-demand lately. The 45-year-old Castellano snapped an 0-for-15 skid in the Derby.

“I never give up,” Castellano said. “I always try hard to do the right thing. It took me a little while to get there. I finally got it.”

Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado are from Venezuela. Mage joined Canonero II as Derby winners with Venezuelan ties. Canone-

ro II won the Derby and Preakness in 1971. Going into the backstretch, Mage was ahead of just three horses. Castellano and Mage began picking off the competition and on the far turn launched their run.

“Turning for home, he had a lot of heart,” Castellano said. “He’s a little horse with a big heart.”

Two Phil’s stormed to the lead at the top of the stretch. Mage swung to the outside and took aim on the

leader. Mage passed him at the eighth-pole and went on to victory.

“Everything went according to plan,” Delgado Jr. said. “This is the dream I have, a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a note: ‘We’re going to win the Derby next year.’”

Forte, the early favorite, was scratched in the morning with a bruised foot, one of five horses that dropped out in the run-up to the race.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. The colt earned $1,860,000 for the biggest win of his brief career.

Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52.

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out,” said Larry Rivelli, who trains Two Phil’s.

Angel of Empire, the 4-1 favorite, was another half-length back in third in front of a crowd of 150,335 on a warm and partly cloudy day at Churchill Downs. He paid $4.70 to show.

Earlier in the day, Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized after being injured in their races, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at the track in recent days.

AP PHOTO

Mage, second from left, with Javier Castellano aboard, wins the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Carolyn M. Edwards

September 4, 1930 - May 2, 2023

Carolyn Mills Edwards, 92, previously of Aberdeen passed away on Tuesday May 2, 2023 at her home in Cary North Carolina.

Carolyn was born on September 4, 1930 in Anson County North Carolina and grew up there. She graduated from Appalachian State Teachers College in 1953 with a BS, and was licensed to teach Home Economics and General science.

Carolyn and Mark were married in 1953 and moved to Marshville NC after several years of traveling for Mark’s work. They would later move to Aberdeen and lived there for over 40 years. Carolyn worked as a florist, shop clerk, and substitute teacher while raising four children. She loved gardening and produced many competition worthy blooms. She was an accomplished seamstress and quilt maker and continued this hobby throughout her life.

Carolyn hosted an annual Thanksgiving reunion for the Mill’s extended family which often welcomed more than 60 friends and family. These gatherings were a busy and loud affair which brought together families from near and far, and left everyone who attended with happy and enduring memories. Carolyn hid her funny and sometimes stinging wit behind a quiet demeanor and slight stature. She often brought an entire room into shocked silence with a single well-timed comment.

Carolyn is survived by her children and their spouses Gary and Patti Edwards, Gail and Steve Robbins, Jill and David Slater and Holly Edwards and Christy Harrup; grandchildren Marc Edwards and Claire and Matt Runyan; great grandson Colin Edwards; sisters Emma Mills Sherrill and Rebecca “Becky” Mills Creekmore. She is preceded in death by her husband of 60 years Mark O. Edwards; siblings Allie Mills Sigmon, Polly Mills Kasprzak, John Tyson Mills and Edgar Coy Mills.

Joyce Hicks White

October 28, 1939 - April 30, 2023

Joyce Hicks White, passed away April 30, 2023 following a long illness with cancer. She was preceded in death by her husband Larry D. White, her parents, and stepfather, Johnnie Weary.

She is survived by her sister-inlaw, Gaynelle W. Finch, nephews, F. O. Finch III (Heather), Jason D. Finch (Julie) and their children, Brooks and Sarah Opal Finch. Also surviving, special cousins Alma Barker (Ben), Janet Hughes (Phillip) and beloved dog, Gino.

Joyce was born October 28, 1939 to Mary Frances Dickerson and James Richard Hicks in Oxford, NC. She enjoyed her school days in Oxford graduating from Oxford High School in 1958. She was in the first class at UNC Chapel Hill that admitted women as freshmen making lifelong friends there. She began work at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh as a psychiatric social worker, later becoming Director of Admissions.

After retirement she relocated to Southern Pines, NC and volunteered at the ARC of Moore County, Friends of the Southern Pines library, the ARTS Council of Moore Country, Southern Pines Garden Club and Women of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church. She will be remembered for her love of animals and her devotion to family and friends.

The family would like to thank FirstHealth Hospice for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Animal Advocates of Moore County, P.O. Box 3399, Pinehurst, NC 28374.

Frankie Dean Swaim Butler

June 27, 1944 - April 30, 2023

Frankie was born on June 27, 1944 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to the late James Frank Swaim and Mary Hilma Dean Swaim.

Frankie lived life to the fullest and had a spirit unmatched by others. She was an excellent and dedicated nurse, a fierce opponent on the basketball court, an unrelenting advocate for others, and a feisty and fun sister, mother, and friend who always had your back when it counted.

Like the rest of the Dean family, she loved music and harmonized with her sisters as her mother played the piano. Frankie was a proud graduate of Aberdeen High School - Class of 1962 where she excelled especially in basketball and Glee Club. She found her true calling later in life working as a Registered Nurse at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and other hospitals in North Carolina. She was a kind woman who lit up any room she entered. She served as a leader at the Malcolm Blue Jr. Historical Society, a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and a past President of the Moore Area Shag Society. Frankie enjoyed trips to the beach but what made her the happiest was spending time with her grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one sister, Barbara “Bobbie” Kay Swaim Cotten (Andy) and her brother, James “Jay” Frank Swaim, Jr. She is survived by two daughters, Kimberley Butler Wood (Van) and Paula Butler Pope (Tilghman); one sister, Betty Jo Swaim Funderburk (David); four grandchildren, Clark Kelly Wood, Patrick Tilghman Pope, Jr., Claude Harris Pope, and Mary Myres Denning Pope; two nieces, Deana Young Funderburk and Andrea Jay Cotten Hoyle (Ken); one nephew, David Britton “Britt” Funderburk, Jr. (Caren); and two aunts, Betsy Dean Noblett and Laura Dean. Memorial contributions in Frankie’s name may be made to Pinebluff Fire Department at 580 S. Walnut Street, Pinebluff, NC 28373.

Valerie (Val) Anderson

May 4, 1941 - April 28, 2023

Valerie (Val) Anderson, 81, of Vass passed away on Friday April 28, at Quail Haven Healthcare Center in Pinehurst. Val was born in Dover, NJ on May 4, 1941, and graduated from Dover High School. She went to the University of Iowa and was a teacher in Fairfax County VA prior to marriage and raising her children.

Val is survived by her three daughters Dawn, Darcy and Dana. She was the proud grandmother of three grandchildren Tyler, Schuyler and Marlowe.