North State Journal Vol. 8, Issue 12

Roy Cooper stamps “veto”

the BRIEF this week

Nonprofit would see substantial funding from proposed Senate budget Raleigh

NCInnovation, a nonprofit led by prominent executives to promote regional innovation networks connecting the state’s research universities, industry partners and the private sector, stands to receive a significant boost in the proposed Senate budget that was unveiled Monday.

The funding would be available for drawdown and includes substantial reporting requirements and clawback provisions.

The group says it has already raised more than $23 million in the past two years to fund its staff, overhead and expenses. That would allow nearly all state funding would go to NCInnovation’s core activities, such as commercializing applied research and creating more companies that stay in the state long-term.

NSJ STAFF

House Oversight panel finds millions in suspicious payments to Biden family Washington, D.C.

House Republicans have detailed what they say are concerning new findings about President Joe Biden’s family and their finances. The smoking gun, according to the GOP, is recently obtained financial records connected to the president’s son Hunter Biden, brother James Biden and a growing number of associates who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania.

The GOP panel’s members relied on more than 150 suspicious activity reports as a roadmap to follow what they call the Bidens’ complicated financial money trail. The confidential reports, called SARs for short, are transactions automatically flagged to the government with larger financial transactions. The filing of a SARs report is not evidence on its own of misconduct.

But Rep. James Comer, the committee’s chairman leading the probe, said that other types of financial records obtained through congressional subpoenas and lawsuits have now become the focus of their investigation. The White House dismissed the whole investigation as “yet another political stunt.” THE

Cooper vetoes abortion bill, legislators vow override

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH

— At a “veto rally”

Another member of the State Board of Education departs

Member Amy White has continued to serve past her term’s end date and will be retiring

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — At the close of the State Board of Education’s May 4 meeting, member Amy White announced her intention to resign her seat. White called her service on the board “one of the highlights of my 30-year career of advocacy for students and families across the state of North Carolina.”

“While I could continue to serve in this position until Gov. (Roy) Cooper’s newest appointee is confirmed by both houses of the General Assembly, I have made the decision to announce today my retirement of service to the board to refocus my passion my energy and my time

on the Christian Ministry that I lead,” White told the board members.

White is the executive director of Community of Hope Ministries and she co-chairs the board’s Education Innovation and Charter Schools committee.

Board Chairman Eric Davis expressed shock at the announcement.

Well, Ms. White, let me just say — that’s a stunner. We were not expecting that,” Davis said.

“And yet many of us can share many of the feelings you’ve just expressed of the rewards and challenges of serving on this board.”

Davis also told White she had been a “marvelous member” of the board and that the board will celebrate her service during the June meeting.

White is the second member and Republican to resign from

See SBE , page A2

held in Raleigh on the day before Mother’s Day, North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that reduces the state’s elective abortion limit from 20 weeks down to 12.

The bill is Senate Bill 20, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act. In addition to reducing the elective abortion timeframe, the bill maintains exceptions for the life of the mother, fetal anomalies, incest and rape. Included in the bill are multiple items to support women and families totaling more than $180 million: $75 million to expand access to child care, almost $59 million for foster 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. Crowd estimates for Cooper’s ral-

ly varied from 300 to up to 1,000 as reported by Raleigh outlet ABC 11. Signs printed with the slogans “my body, my choice,” and “abortion is health care” were seen among the crowd.

“Governor Cooper has spent the past week, including Mother’s Day weekend, spreading misinformation about SB 20 in an effort to frighten voters and appease campaign donors.”

House Speaker Tim Moore

NC Senate unveils its budget proposal with faster tax cuts, restrained spending

Business and economic development see over $1.4B investment

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — At a press conference held on May 15, North Carolina Senate Republican leaders unveiled its budget proposal which maintains the same spending level as the version in the House - $29.8 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1 and $30.9 billion the following fiscal year.

In comparison, Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget proposal spends over $3 billion more than the nearly $61 billion two-year budget proposed by lawmakers.

The conference was led by Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) and included Senate Appropriations Chairs Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson), Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) and Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover).

“This is a strong budget that addresses our state’s needs without breaking the bank,” Jackson said in a joint press release. “We increase spending where it is needed, bolster our reserves in light of economic uncertainty, and give money back to the hardworking people of North Carolina.”

“What we have been doing has been working, and this budget is largely a continuation of the responsible spending that has gotten us to where we are today,” said Hise.

Business and economic development is a centerpiece of the Senate’s proposal with $1.425 billion going to the nonprofit NCInnovation; a group established to advance and commercialize applied research at NC universities. Former Truist Bank CEO Kelly King chairs the organization.

Cooper and House leaders included only $50 million for NCInnovation’s work.

“I’m grateful to North Carolina’s legislators for their many months of work,” King said in a statement on the budget proposal.

“NCInnovation’s model will be a game-changer for North Carolina, especially our rural areas that have the human talent but need support

Pro-life supporters from the NC Values Coalition and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America groups held a counterrally across the street from the Bicentennial Mall where the rally was being held.

Before Cooper took the stage, various speakers talked before the governor, including leaders of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and the Black Abortion Defense League, as well as Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat running for governor in 2024.

Upon taking the stage, Cooper renewed his calls to pressure four legislators to uphold his veto.

“If just one Republican in either the House or the Senate keeps a

See ABORTION, page A8

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Gov.

on SB 20 during a rally at Bicentennial Plaza in Raleigh, on May 13, 2023.

Annual Subscription Price: $50.00

POSTMASTER:

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

to press forward on commercializing research outputs.”

Berger indicated the budget would be heard in various committees and would see a floor vote before May 19.

Taxes

The House version reduces the personal tax rate from the current 4.75% to 4.5% for 2024 and 2025 and continues to reduce the rate down to 3.99% after 2026.

The Senate version also drops the current rate to 4.5% next year but continues to drop the rate down each year, reaching a rate of 2.49% after 2029.

Per Senate budget leaders, the cuts will result in $6.6 billion in tax savings for North Carolinians over the next five years.

Salaries

The Senate proposal appropriates $94 million into the Labor Market Adjustment Reserve (LMAR), doubles the LMAR allocation to state agencies and community colleges to 2%, and includes $15 million in LMAR funds for the UNC System.

State employees would get a 5% raise; 2.5% beginning this July and 2.5% the following year. Cooper’s proposal for state employees came in at 8% and the House has called for a 7.5% overall raise; 4.25% in the first year and 3.25% in the second year.

Raises for teachers would be 4.5% over the two-year budget. That’s less than half of what the House budget called for and Cooper called for an 18% raise over the biennium for teachers. Salary supplements for advanced teaching roles of up to $10,000 are also in the Senate’s budget. Under the proposal, average teacher pay will be $59,121 by

2 Timothy 3:4-5

Is the love of pleasure and amusement growing on you — gaining the power and authority over you? Is it dulling the keenness of your zest for spiritual pleasures? Is it making Bible study, prayer, communion with Christ, and meditation upon holy themes — less sweet enjoyments than they once were? Is it making your hunger for righteousness, and for God — less intense? Is it interfering with the comfort and blessing which you used to find in church services, or in Christ’s work?

If so, there is only one thing to do — hurry to return to God, to abandon the pleasure or amusement which is imperiling your soul, and to find in Christ, the joy which the world cannot give, and which never harms any aspect of life.

We must test all our pleasures and amusements by this rule: Are they helping us to grow into Christ-likeness and spiritual beauty?

“All things are lawful — but not all things are profitable. All things are

lawful — but not all things edify.” 1

Corinthians 10:23

Amusements are proper, only so far as they make us better Christians. Whenever they become hindrances to us in our Christian living, or in our progress in sanctification — they are harmful, no matter how innocent they may be in themselves.

Amusements affect your spiritual life and influence you. They may provide great pleasure but what is their influence on you as a Christian?

Are they a means of grace or are they making you careless regarding Christ, and hindering your advancement in spirituality? We ought to be honest enough with ourselves to answer these questions truthfully, and then act accordingly.

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.

the Department of Public Safety. Additionally, the removal of the director of the SBI’s by the governor is changed to require a threefifth approval vote by both chambers of the General Assembly.

Education

The Senate proposal includes education spending of over $17.2 billion for 2023-24 and over $17.6 billion for 2024-25.

A new School Health Personnel Allotment is included that increases funding by $10 million in recurring funds to help public schools hire around 120 more nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists. Nearly $70 million is earmarked for developing and expanding community college courses in high-demand career field areas.

no sense to me to give public schools money for kids they are no longer educating.”

Healthcare

The Senate budget enacts Medicaid expansion and includes a $1.5 billion appropriation in non-recurring funds from the federal “sign-on” bonus for the expansion.

the board in the past year.

In February 2022, board member Todd Chasteen resigned, citing a “trajectory away from education and towards activism” in his resignation letter. Chasteen’s letter also referenced the passage of changes to the state’s social studies standards, which incorporated gender ideology and aspects of Critical Race Theory.

“In full transparency, in February when the board passed Social Studies Standards by a slim majority, standards that many of us concluded, and thousands of parents agreed, were unproductive, regressive, and unhelpful to the students of this wonderful state, it became more difficult to see where I could add value,” wrote Chasteen.

The governor had apparently

the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year. Starting pay for beginning teachers would see an 11% increase, going from $37,000 to $41,000. There are also various bonuses for teachers, including signing bonuses for teachers working in small or low-wealthy counties.

C ooper attacked the proposal on Twitter, calling the teacher raises “pitiful.”

“Senate Republicans propose a pitiful 4.5% raise for teachers spread over 2 years while giving tax breaks and private school vouchers to millionaires,” tweeted Cooper. “Disastrous. My budget proposes a much-needed 18% raise to keep quality teachers in the classroom.”

When asked by a reporter about items in the proposal such as tax changes and pay raises that may give the governor “heartburn,” Berger replied, “I gave up a long time ago trying to read the gover-

appointed Chasteen’s replacement, John Blackburn of Linville, sometime in March 2022. Cooper’s office did not issue a press statement until early April after North State Journal began asking questions about the appointment.

White was appointed to the board for a seven-year term in June 2016 by former Gov. Pat McCrory. Her appointment was up at the end of March this year, but Cooper has yet to nominate her replacement.

Typically, the governor’s choice for the appointment has to be approved by both chambers of the General Assembly, but a resignation does not usually require that approval. However, in White’s case, she announced her resignation beyond her term’s expiration date, which means the governor’s pick to replace her is subject to legislative approval.

nor’s mind.” Top elected officials in the state are also getting a raise.

The governor’s current salary is $165,750. That salary would increase to $198,120 as of July 1 this year and increase to $203,073 in July 2024 - a 22.5% increase over the next two years.

The Council of State would also see pay raises. Current salaries for the Council of State positions are $146,421 and would increase by a total of $21,963 over the biennium under the Senate plan.

Certain executive branch employees as well as judicial employees will also get a raise.

The House budget includes provisions for the appointment and term of the Director of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), whereas the Senate version does not.

Under the House version, the SBI will be its own stand-alone agency and no longer reside under

Both budgets refer to the popular Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) which gives grants to low-income students to attend the private school of their choice.

The House version of the budget increases the OSP’s funding levels, but the Senate version incorporates the expansion of the program to all families contained in a pair of bills currently moving through committees at the legislature.

House Bill 823 and its companion, Senate Bill 406 seek to make all K-12 students in the state eligible for opportunity scholarships using a sliding scale to assign grant amounts based on household income.

The Senate’s budget increases the OSP Fund Reserve by $105 million in FY 2023-24 and $163 million in FY 2024-25.

When asked if the inclusion of the OSP expansion in the budget was going to take dollars away from public schools, Berger said, “For every child that opts for it, that child is not a child being educated in public schools. It makes

legislature in a joint session. The 11 gubernatorial appointees serve eight-year terms.

While the board should have 13 members, one of the at-large seats has remained vacant under Cooper’s tenure, resulting in 12 voting members instead of 13. With the departure of White, that number will drop to 11.

Additionally, White’s retirement means Republicans will only have three members left on the board: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Treasurer Dale Folwell and Olivia Oxendine.

The State Board of Education is a 13-member body with three at-large appointees and eight members representing each of the state’s eight education regions.

The board is made up of the lieutenant governor and the state treasurer, along with 11 other members appointed by the governor who are confirmed by the

A bill filed in the House sought to alter appointments to the State Board of Education, as well as its organizational structure.

House Bill 17 seeks to change State Board of Education members from appointed to elected positions and move the state superintendent as the board’s non-voting

The $1.5 billion includes $370 million for NC Care Initiative between ECU and UNC Health systems including construction of 3 regional health clinics and rightsizing existing parts of their health systems, $96 million for rural loan repayment incentive programs for primary care and behavioral health providers, $60 million for start-up costs and expansion of healthcare programs at community colleges and $20 million for UNC-Pembroke’s new healthcare-oriented programs.

During the press conference, Hise said their proposal “takes a sledgehammer” to Certificate of Need (CON) laws.

A major item described by Hise is the repeal of CON requirements for mobile MRI machines, linear accelerators, physician office-based vascular access for hemodialysis, and kidney disease treatment centers. It also repeals CON laws for ambulatory surgical centers and facilities with MRI machines in counties with a population under 125,000 that do not have a hospital.

Additional increases to Medicaid reimbursements are included for private duty nursing services from $45 per-hour to $52 perhour as well as $15 million in each year of the biennium for the Free and Charitable Clinics to provide care to low-income families and individuals across the state.

Additionally, the Senate budget adds language barring the use of state funds for abortion.

secretary to a voting member as the board’s chairperson.

While the full House did not pass the bill, it may still be viable despite the May 5 crossover deadline.

Crossover is the deadline by which bills need to be passed by their originating chamber to potentially become laws.

There are exceptions to the crossover deadline such as redistricting bills, elections bills, and gubernatorial appointments or nominations. Additionally, bills dealing with or appearing on the reports for the appropriations, finance or rules committees in either chamber are also not subject to crossover.

Per the General Assembly’s website, the last action on House Bill 17 was a referral to the Rules and Operations Committee of the House.

“Lovers of pleasure — rather than lovers of God; having a form of godliness — but denying its power.”

The Wedding at Cana” by Paolo Veronese (1562) is a painting in the collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris.

TAX CUTS from page A1

AP PHOTO

North Carolina state Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, left, speaks at a Legislative Building news conference while Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, center, and Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, watch, Monday, May 15, 2023, in Raleigh

SBE from page A1

“Many of us can share many of the feelings you’ve just expressed of the rewards and challenges of serving on this board.”

State

Board of Education Chair Eric Davis

Motion seeks monetary sanctions on

related to school choice lawsuit

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Sixteen private schools want sanctions placed on the N.C. Association of Educators of $25,000 each, according to a motion filed in the case involving the state’s popular Opportunity Scholarship Program.

The schools, all religious schools, are Bethesda Christian Academy, Cresset Christian Academy, Fellowship Baptist Academy, Gorman Christian Academy, Liberty Christian Academy, Mount Zion Christian Academy, Berean Baptist Academy, Fayetteville Christian School, Trinity Christian School of Fayetteville, Inc., Bal Perazim Christian Academy, Cor -

nerstone Christian Academy, Cumberland County Christian School, Destiny Now Academy, Falcon Christian Academy, Greater Fayetteville Adventist Academy and Riverside Christian Academy.

Six of the schools are located in Durham.

The N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) dropped its lawsuit against the program last month. The lawsuit, Kelly v. State of North Carolina, was originally filed in 2020 by NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly and four other individuals.

I n the filing requesting dismissal of the lawsuit, Christopher Brook, the attorney representing NCAE, wrote “Plaintiffs have consulted with all parties

The motion asks for the “appropriate sanction” to be placed on NCAE by the court by paying $25,337.60 to each of the 16 schools.

regarding costs, and all parties agree that each side will bear their own costs. Defendants reserve the right to pursue costs should Plaintiffs re-file this lawsuit within one year of this filing.”

That agreement to “bear their own costs” is the focus of the motion filed by the 16 schools that

were not parties to the lawsuit but contend they were subjected to targeted harassment for documents and depositions.

The motion seeks recompense for expenses incurred by the schools and cites a legal rule that says, “A party or an attorney responsible for the issuance and service of a subpoena shall take reasonable steps to avoid imposing an undue burden or expense on a person subject to the subpoena.”

That rule also says, “The court shall enforce this subdivision and impose upon the party or attorney in violation of this r equirement an appropriate sanction that may include compensating the person unduly burdened for lost earnings and

for reasonable attorney’s fees.”

The motion, filed by former legislator Paul “Skip” Stam on behalf of the schools, asks for the “appropriate sanction” to be placed on NCAE by the court by paying $25,337.60 to each of the 16 schools.

Early last August, the schools in Durham received subpoenas requesting an extensive list of documents for the school years 2019-20 and 2020-21, according to the motion.

S ome of the documents requested included applications to the schools, admissions criteria, school policies, disciplinary files and all documents that outline a school’s “official religious beliefs.” The subpoenas gave one month for the schools to produce the items to be followed by depositions of school officials.

A r equest to the courts to halt the document production and depositions was denied by a Durham Superior Court judge, resulting in large legal and court fees for at least six of the 12 schools.

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The state’s Local Government Commission (LGC) approved more than $100 million in financing requests from local governments at its May 2 meeting.

The LGC is a statutorily enacted body that examines the spending and debt capacity of more than 1,100 local government units in North Carolina. The LGC is chaired by State Treasurer Dale Folwell and staffed by the Department of State Treasurer (DST).

Approval was given to Washington County for a $20.5 million installment purchase of a consolidated pre-K through 12 campus located in Plymouth. Under the purchase plan, partial payments can be made over time and the county will increase taxes by 4 cents per $100 property valuation to offset costs.

“This state-of-the-art campus will serve 1,000 students from across the county. This is a lowwealth county, and families deserve to send their children to a school offering the best educational opportunities regardless of their ZIP code,” said Folwell. “This vote by LGC members helps to make that goal a reality.”

Projects receiving LGC approval include:

Forsyth County — $ 29.2 million in “two-thirds bonds” was approved for education and parks and recreation projects. Some of the funds will be for capital improvement projects at K-12 schools and community college projects

Lee County — $7.7 million in limited obligation bonds was approved for a new truck driver training facility and refinancing an existing agreement to buy 22 acres of land and existing facilities for use by Central Carolina Community College.

Wayne County — $40 million to build and equip a combined Department of Social Services and Health Department building. Hendersonville — $6.4 million to renovate and improve City Hall and the City Operations Center, and to perform streetscape enhancements.

Knightdale — $3.7 million to build a 10,000-square-foot fire station, scheduled to open in August, and purchase two pumper trucks.

Beech Mountain — $550,000 to renovate the Town Hall and Visi-

tor Center buildings and connect them with an addition.

The LGC also approved seven requests for water and sewer infrastructure financing.

Raleigh — $215 million in bond anticipation notes to perform multiple water and sewer capital improvement projects. The financing is a short-term security that generates interest to help pay for upcoming projects and is paid off later with a larger, future bond.

Henderson (Vance County) — $15.3 million to expand and update the Kerr Lake Regional Water System.

Eden (Rockingham County) — $14.6 million for replacing lines, manholes and other improvements.

La Grange (Lenoir County) — $13.5 million to install lines, replace equipment, add two wells and enhance water distribution, among other improvements.

Hendersonville (Henderson County) — $8.4 million to replace water and sewer mains and pump stations, replace water meters and other work.

Murphy (Cherokee County) — $900,000, to replace 100-year-old water lines.

Moore County — $756,000 to extend sewer lines.

The City of Wilmington staff and elected officials also presented plans to the LGC for a $68 million purchase of the Thermo Fisher Building in the city’s downtown area.

Deputy Treasurer Sharon Edmundson, the LGC secretary and director of DST’s State and Local Government Finance Division, up-

Audit prompts criminal investigation into Carteret EMS station

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Carteret Coun-

ty officials are asking the county sheriff’s office to pursue a criminal investigation after an investigative audit found almost $60,000 in questionable purchases.

State Auditor Beth Wood says her office conducted an investigative audit into the Broad and Gales Creek EMS, which closed down in summer 2022, that showed $59,722 in purchases and checks for the 2021 calendar year lacked supporting business documentation.

dated LGC members on Elizabeth City’s missing 2022 audit. She said the city only recently submitted its 2021 audit.

Statements for the city showed an available general fund balance of only 13.5%. According to the press statement from Folwell’s office, that balance is low for a city with similar general fund expenditures, and it has only enough savings to pay for a little more than one month of spending.

The 2021 audit identified substantial issues, such as 13 material weaknesses in internal controls and financial processes that included a failure to properly account for capital assets and projects as well as overbilling the Coast Guard by more than a half-million dollars for water and sewer fees that the city also failed to report as payable.

The findings also showed management didn’t review compensated vacation absences, resulting in some retired employees still accruing vacation time and some current employees being incorrectly excluded from compensation figures.

Additionally, beginning fund balances for 2021 didn’t match 2020 ending balances in some accounts, and certain procurements were not in compliance with state law and the city’s policies. The City Council apparently was not receiving regular financial reports and many meetings were missing approved meeting minutes reports.

LGC members took no action at the May 2 meeting but did discuss Elizabeth City’s situation and what needs to happen to correct the situation.

The auditors reviewed 88 expenditures totaling $201,894 that were flagged as potential misuse. The breakdown of the expenditures in question included $15,867 in credit card charges, $1,842 in checks written by the former chief of the station and $184,185 in checks written to others.

The audit says Broad and Gales Creek EMS was unable to provide supporting documentation for 69 of the 88 purchases, including $11,676 in credit card charges, $1,842 in checks

“Neither the Broad and Gales Creek EMS Board, nor the County, ensured proper separation of duties existed.”

written by the former chief and $46,204 in checks written to others.

In addition to missing documentation, the audit notes that “Not all purchases were supported” because the Broad and Gales Creek EMS did not have policies in place to require proper documentation be maintained for purchases, checks and payments of various kinds.

“Additionally, neither the Broad and Gales Creek EMS Board, nor the County, ensured proper separation of duties existed to ensure checks were only written to pay for expend itures that supported appropriate business purposes,” the audit states.

State Audit report finding

AP PHOTO

An ambulance with its lights flashing is shown in this file photo.

FILE PHOTO

The town of Plymouth is shown in this file photo.

More than $100M in financing requests approved by state’s Local Government Commission

NCAE

north STATEment

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Sick of the debt ceiling debate?

Balance the budget

IF AMERICANS HAD ELECTED a majority of deficit hawks instead of debt doves to Congress and the White House and kept balancing budgets since 2001, there would be zero federal debt today. No debt means no interest costs. No interest cost means no threat of “default” or bankruptcy.

$600 billion in interest expense could be saved this year alone.

by the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, might decide which programs to fund with $5 trillion of cash tax revenue and at what level.

Interest on the debt has to be paid in full ― period. Interest on debt is always paid first in any financial situation. Interest costs will be $640 billion this year. Subtract $640 billion from $5 trillion of incoming cash tax money ― $4.36 trillion will be left to spend on everything else.

What has to be paid next in order to prevent massive political turmoil? Seniors vote in every primary, general, special and off-year election, while people aged 18-34 show up in large numbers only for presidential elections. Seniors are not usually associated with fiery, violent demonstrations downtown, but they will erupt at the ballot box if Congress cuts any part of the $1.14 trillion spent on Social Security this year.

In 2022, taxpayers paid a record $5 trillion to the IRS. However, the federal government spent $6 trillion. If there ever was a completely avoidable, contrived political issue, the debt ceiling is it.

As long as the federal government pays the full amount of interest on the national debt to all debtholders each month, there will not be any actual or technical “default” on our debt no matter what the breathless news anchors try to tell you.

During World War I, Congress passed the Second Liberty Bond Act to put the brakes on excessive borrowing. Members of Congress used to realize the dangers of excessive debt and interest charges, something which appears to have been lost on most representatives, senators and presidents from both parties for the past 20 years.

A bipartisan pox on all their houses. Voters bear their share of responsibility for continuing to vote for such fiscally challenged people to represent them in government.

The most logical, rational, adult way to resolve this so-called “crisis” is for Congress to pass a budget that falls back to the levels of spending projected by the Congressional Budget Office in 2020 before the pandemic. With a short-term debt ceiling hike, we could balance the budget within the next five years simply by going back to a lower expected growth in spending baseline.

Barring such a mature, common-sense compromise solution, Republicans should hold firm and not pass a debt ceiling extension. Call the bluff of President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats. Make them prioritize federal spending based on the amount of tax dollars flowing to the U.S. Treasury on a monthly basis without recourse to more borrowing.

The markets might reward such courage and leadership with a rebound of biblical proportions.

In 2022, taxpayers paid a record $5 trillion to the IRS. However, the federal government spent $6 trillion, which meant it had to borrow $1 trillion from somewhere to pay the bills.

Apologizing in advance for the numbers to follow, here’s how President Biden, as chief executive under the powers vested in his office

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

CNN got what it asked for with Trump town hall spectacle

EARLIER THIS MONTH, CNN shocked seasoned political observers

and Average Joe and Jane voters alike with the announcement they’d be hosting a primary town hall event in New Hampshire with 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump being the featured participant alongside moderator Kaitlan Collins, who is also the co-host of the network’s weekday “This Morning” program.

$4.36 trillion minus $1.14T trillion leaves $3.22 trillion to pay for everything else.

Next up in terms of prioritization will be all federal health care programs, Medicare/Medicaid, CHIP and ACA which cost $1.4 trillion annually: $3.22 trillion less $1.4 trillion equals $1.82 trillion left to pay for everything else.

National defense in all forms, including veterans’ benefits, clocks in at about $1 trillion annually. We have to defend our borders and interests (oil, democracy and free trade overseas) and take care of our vets, don’t we? $1.82 trillion less $1 trillion leaves $820 billion to pay for everything else.

“Everything else” means all discretionary programs such as housing, welfare, education, environmental protection, energy and NASA, plus inane wasteful projects such as the Bridge to Nowhere and the Steamtown Museum celebrating steam locomotives in the Poconos. Discretionary programs account for $1.7 trillion in spending. Simple math shows every nonmandatory, noninterest, nondefense program would have to be cut at least 50% if the federal government had to operate solely on cash coming in the door in taxes.

We have just lived through two years of government shutdown of many services. Maybe we could do it again.

Otherwise, every program, including all entitlements, would have to be cut at least 20% in order to match up expenses with incoming tax revenues.

We all knew the day of reckoning would arrive one day. Today is just the beginning.

It drew 3.3 million viewers Wednesday night, confirming another Media World reality ― sometimes the spectacle is the point.

CNN and Trump, as many will recall, have had a highly acrimonious relationship since Trump’s time as president, with the struggling “news” outlet reporting one “walls are closing in” Trump story after another that usually turned out to be nothingburgers.

During his time in the Oval Office, Trump sometimes would, in so many words, tell some of their more notorious reporters like Jim Acosta, who frequently talked about the “threat to democracy” that Trump allegedly presented, to shove it.

So naturally, it would only make sense that CNN would pursue Trump for months through his handlers to try and get him to agree to a town hall appearance, right?

As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened, with Trump taking the stage last Wednesday in front of a crowd of Republican and independent voters alike.

Things got off to a rocky start — not for Trump but for Collins. Despite her best efforts, she could not contain Trump’s high energy and eagerness to debunk CNN’s narratives while engaging with and charming the crowd, which he did with relative ease throughout the broadcast.

In essence, Trump dominated the town hall gathering as he often has in these types of public appearances, so much so that what was supposed to be a 90-minute back-and-forth turned out to be just under 70 minutes.

As Puck News senior correspondent Dylan Byers noted after the town hall concluded, ending the broadcast early was not CNN’s original

intention.

“The CNN Town Hall was a 90-minute broadcast, though the network expected the actual event to go as long as 75 minutes,” Byers tweeted. “They stopped less than 70 minutes in. In other words, they could have gone longer if they wanted — which is usually what executives do with big ratings draws.”

In something I’ve rarely seen happen on Twitter, literally every trending item for the U.S. was related to the town hall, with many of them related to boycotting CNN or mocking them, with what was left of their loyal viewers outraged that Trump got the upper hand and a free 70 minutes of campaign airtime in the process.

But not only did the event upset their viewers, it also divided the newsroom. Anchors Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper were visibly upset in comments they made after the show ended, and other media figures in the newsroom let CNN CEO Chris Licht know it that night and the next morning during a conference call.

In Media World, it has sometimes been said that “any press is good press” regardless of how negative it is because it gets your name out there and gets people talking. But at a time when CNN is already cratering viewers, firing troublesome longtime anchors like Don Lemon and frantically making even more lineup changes on top of the ones they made starting last summer, I’d say the massive pushback on their town hall is the absolute last thing they needed at this difficult (for them) time. That said, on one all-important level, CNN came out on top after the town hall.

It “drew 3.3 million viewers Wednesday night, making CNN the mostwatched cable news network of the evening, according to final ratings from Nielsen,” Axios reported, confirming another Media World reality as well — sometimes the spectacle is the point.

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.

Should NC join the majority of the world in enacting humane abortion regulation?

The moral test of government is how the government treats those in the dawn of life, the children and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.

SB 20 BRINGS NORTH CAROLINA abortion regulation in line with most European nations, yet inexplicably it is described as “extreme” by abortion supporters. As a neonatologist, I support SB 20. Until the 1960s, physicians universally acknowledged new life begins at fertilization. The current debate is not about when new life begins ― that is settled science. What is up for debate is at what point can a new life be sacrificed and which lives matter. While I wish SB 20 could save more mothers and infants from the trauma that is abortion, this bill will save many. It is also unique with respect to its exception for life-limiting anomalies. Neonatologists provide care for infants with a variety of lifelimiting anomalies, previously described inaccurately as “lethal” since literature reveals that in all prolonged survival is possible. With regular maternal blood screening for fetal genetic disorders and the use of ultrasound technologies, life-limiting diagnoses are increasingly made prenatally. SB 20 recognizes the lack of informed consent that mothers often experience when making decisions for infants with conditions including trisomy 13, trisomy 18 and anencephaly. Trisomies 13 and 18 refer to genetic disorders with an extra chromosome which lead to variable medical complications. Anencephaly is a condition in which the skull and upper portions of the brain fail to develop.

It is regularly reported by parents in these very desired pregnancies that when a life-limiting condition is discovered it is referred to as “lethal”, and follow-up conversations focus on when to schedule an abortion. SB 20 provides an exception for infants with life-limiting anomalies but requires physicians to use proper terminology and addresses the common failure to inform parents of the potential for life for their infant if pregnancy continues.

Publications report in continued pregnancies with anencephalic babies, most survive to a live birth and live treasured short lives. Infants with trisomy 13 are most often born alive. Trisomy 18 infants have a higher stillbirth rate but are often born alive. Literature for trisomy babies that receive medical care reports survival to 50% at one year for children alive at one month and 20% at 10 years. As social media support groups make parents aware of this potential for life, parents then begin the search for supportive providers who will not

discriminate against their babies. These families deserve more than an abortion appointment. They deserve nondirective counseling including options for continuing pregnancy.

Publications show that in cases of trisomy 18, many physicians know medical care is not futile but believe the lives that result are not meaningful. A survey of trisomy support group families found 93% were told their child was “lethal,” 61% felt pressure to abort and 94% were told their child would die before birth. The fact that many doctors still refer to these conditions as “lethal” speaks volumes. It exposes bias regarding the quality of life, not the ability to survive.

In contrast, family experiences with trisomy children paint a different picture. When asked about a future trisomy pregnancy and their child, 91% would continue the pregnancy, 97% report a positive impact on their family and 91% report their child is happy. For anencephaly, mothers who continued pregnancies have significantly better mental health outcomes compared to those who abort. In another survey of continued anencephaly pregnancies, all mothers stated they had no regrets about their choice. It is rare for parents to hear prenatally from doctors about the potential for life, even if short, with such a child. They hear plenty about lethality and hardships before being asked about abortion scheduling.

SB 20 requires physicians counseling parents to offer informed consent and adhere to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendations: “Perinatal palliative comfort care is one of several options along a spectrum of care, which includes pregnancy abortion and full neonatal resuscitation and treatment, that should be presented to pregnant patients faced with pregnancies complicated by life-limiting conditions.”

Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey said, “The moral test of government is how the government treats those in the dawn of life, the children; those in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” I pray the state of North Carolina passes this test and this bill.

Dr. Martin McCaffrey is a neonatologist practicing in Raleigh and a retired U.S. Navy captain.

North Carolina legislature seeks to break up accreditation monopoly

Nearly 50 nonprofit colleges and universities that have four-year graduation rates of 20% or less still receive accreditation from SACSCOC.

ON APRIL 6, North Carolina state Sens. Michael Lee, Amy Galey and Phil Berger introduced Senate Bill 680, a higher education bill that would prevent the University of North Carolina (UNC) System from being accredited by the same agency for consecutive cycles. That may seem like a mind-numbing bit of insider baseball, but with the introduction of Senate Bill 680, North Carolina legislators may be able to do what once seemed impossible ― break up the outdated regional accreditation monopoly. In doing so, the bill upends the long-standing system of regional monopolies which locks schools into the authority of a geographically assigned, quasi-governmental regulatory agency. With the element of choice comes pressure on the accreditors to stay in their lane of academic quality assurance (and get better at it!) and exercise greater fairness or lose market share.

For most schools, being in an accreditor’s good favor is a matter of financial survival since six regional higher education accreditors currently control access to over $100 billion in student loan funding. Prior to a federal rule that went into effect in 2020, schools could not leave an accreditor that they found capricious, unfair or inappropriately controlling.

But accreditors are imperfect judges of quality and ought to be taken to task. For example, nearly 50 nonprofit colleges and universities that have four-year graduation rates of 20% or less still receive accreditation from SACSCOC. It is not rare to find accredited schools that saddle their graduates with crippling debt, graduate less than one in 10 students on time, or spend more on marketing than financial aid.

It is ludicrous to claim that this oversight authority is working as intended when student loan debt has nearly doubled to $1.76 trillion in just the past decade.

In fact, accreditors have a history of obstructing attempts to improve educational quality or, as is the case with SACSCOC, do not understand the proper role of the governing boards. Earlier this year, the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees passed a resolution requesting that the university accelerate its development of a School of Civic Life and Leadership. In response to media attention, and without reading the board’s resolution, SACSCOC President Belle Wheelan threatened UNC Chapel Hill’s

accreditation and arrogantly stated that the proper role for a member of a governing board should be, “Eyes in, hands off.”

While Dr. Wheelan’s statement displays a dangerous misunderstanding of the proper role of a higher education institution’s governing board, this is not the first time SACSCOC has improperly used its authority.

In the early 2000s, SACSCOC placed one university on probation because it had a standard teaching load of 15 hours per week rather than SACSCOC’s mandated 12 hours. SACSOC’s micromanagement forced the consolidation of class sections, and previously small class sizes grew to 60 or more students. In 2014, an independent investigator hired by UNC to investigate academic misconduct revealed that “more than 3,100 students received irregular instruction in African and Afro-American studies paper classes, where students would not have to attend class or complete any assignments, except one — a paper due at the end of the semester that Crowder, a non-faculty member, would grade extremely leniently.”

In that case, apparently, SACSOC was not only hands off but blind as well.

A recent article published by the Coalition for Carolina Foundation attempts to undermine the legislature’s role in its oversight authority of UNC. “It is always risky to change accreditors, but when politicians are trying to drive an accreditor change … it becomes dangerous,” the article states. However, this claim is simply not true. Legislators are elected to oversee public universities, and since Sen. Berger learned of SACSCOC’s intention to send a warning letter to UNC Chapel Hill, he is adhering to the oath he took upon entering office.

If passed, Senate Bill 680 would not cure all that ails accreditation; that calls for a comprehensive overhaul at the federal level. But given Congress’s gridlock, it may be time to look to the states. North Carolina has a chance to strike a blow against the regional monopoly power that accreditors hold. With their fiefdoms threatened, perhaps individual accreditors will respond by innovating — or be consigned to the dustbin of history, as a better system of quality assurance emerges.

Nick Down is a senior program officer with The American Council of Trustees & Alumni.

COULD IT BE that union bosses are finally waking up to the cold reality that the greatest threat to steel workers, the United Auto Workers, miners, machinists and the Teamsters is the radical climate change agenda of the environmentalists?

The green movement has taken the Democratic Party hostage, and President Joe Biden’s all-in embrace of far-left green policies is wreaking havoc on rank-and-file union jobs.

The United Auto Workers recently announced it would withhold its endorsement of Biden as he runs for a second term.

“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers,” UAW President Shawn Fain recently declared. “The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom” for America’s workers.

My only question: Why did it take five years to figure this out?

What a shock that a union that makes automobiles would have second thoughts about endorsing the reelection of a president who, just a few weeks ago, announced new regulations that are intended to end production of all gas cars within a decade. That’s a death sentence for UAW workers.

Meanwhile, California Democrats have proposed new rules to end the production of nearly 2 million diesel trucks. Has anyone alerted the Teamsters?

These rules would crush unions like Godzilla stomping on a twig. Perhaps the UAW is finally realizing that Biden’s goal is to get all traditional cars and trucks off the road. That’s not going to leave many card-carrying UAW members left to pay dues. Meanwhile, the electric cars and the parts will be made in China and developing countries controlled by Beijing.

To his credit, Biden is only doing what he promised back in 2020. He declared war on energy and the combustible engine — and yet the union bosses endorsed him. Most amazing was the United Mine Workers and some of the Pipefitters unions endorsing Biden. Apparently, they weren’t paying attention to his stated goal of shutting down every coal mine in America along with most oil and gas pipelines.

Talk about selling the rope to your own hangman.

Rank-and-file hard-hat union members are on to this gambit — which is why most private-sector union voters went for former President Donald Trump in the last two election cycles, even as the union bosses endorsed and gave tens of millions of dollars to Hillary Clinton and then Biden.

Even now, as Biden cozies up to the Sierra Club and Greenpeace and places a metaphorical blade at the neck of the blue-collar union workers, the union bosses are reluctant to call for a divorce with “lunch bucket Joe.”

After acknowledging the threat that Biden posed to the livelihoods of tens of thousands of union members, the UAW’s Fain warned that “another Donald Trump presidency would be a disaster.”

How? Union workers saw huge job and wage gains when Trump was president. Fain even muttered some disingenuous mumbo-jumbo about getting behind a “pro-worker, proclimate” agenda for the working class. That’s an oxymoron.

This isn’t complicated. The leftists’ religious pursuit of “zero emissions” leads to a green holy land with no smokestacks, no power plants, no cars, no trucks, no steel mills, copper mines, pipelines, gas stoves, air conditioners, airplanes, nuclear plants, washers and dryers, pesticides, plastics, or cows and other livestock.

Oh — and as we sprint to a new post-industrial-age America, with no need for blue-collar unionized workers. The green “de-growth” movement isn’t about creating prosperity for union workers but about putting them on unemployment lines.

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

It’s good news that the Big Labor bosses are finally expressing some doubts about what the climate change agenda means for hard-hat workers. But if they keep working to elect climate change crazies, the demise of our union workforce will be swift and brutal.

Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

The green movement is a jobs killer; Are unions finally figuring this out?

NATION & WORLD

DeSantis in Iowa warns of GOP ‘culture of losing’

The Associated Press SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Decrying a Republican “culture of losing,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sought Saturday to weaken former President Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP as tornado warnings interrupted a collision of leading presidential prospects in battleground Iowa.

DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign in the coming weeks, briefly flipped burgers and pork chops at an afternoon picnic fundraiser in Sioux Center that drew hundreds of conservatives to the northwest corner of the state. From the podium, the 44-year-old governor highlighted his eagerness to embrace conservative cultural fights and sprinkled his remarks with indirect jabs at Trump.

“Governing is not about entertaining. Governing is not about building a brand or talking on social media and virtue signaling,” said DeSantis, who wore a blue button-down shirt without a tie or jacket. “It’s ultimately about winning and producing results.”

Trump, a candidate since November, had hoped to demonstrate his political strength with a large outdoor rally in Des Moines, the capital, later in the day. He canceled the appearance hours before its scheduled start time due to a tornado warning.

Roughly 200 supporters had gathered at the venue.

“I feel like it’s still Trump’s time,” said Robert Bushard, 76, who said he drove about four hours from St. Paul, Minnesota, to see the former president. Of DeSantis, he said, “He’d be a good president after Trump.”

Republican primary voters across the nation are sizing up DeSantis and Trump, two Republican powerhouses who are among a half dozen GOP candidates already in the race or expected to announce imminently.

Trump is well ahead of his rivals in early national polls, while DeSantis is viewed widely as the strongest potential challenger.

Trump was hoping to return to the comfort of the campaign stage after a tumultuous week.

On Tuesday, a civil jury in New York found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming advice columnist E. Jean Carroll and

ABORTION from page A1

campaign promise to protect women’s reproductive health, we can stop this ban,” Cooper said. “There are four legislators who made these promises, but I think there may be more who know in their hearts and minds that this is bad.”

The four legislators Cooper has singled out were Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) and Reps. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover), John Bradford (R-Mecklenburg) and Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg).

Both Lee and Bradford have publicly pushed back on Cooper’s claims that they promised to protect abortions in the state, with Lee going as far as to call the governor a liar.

Cooper gave the bill a veto stamp and signed it during the rally. He also read the veto message out loud.

“This bill will create dangerous interference with the doctor-patient relationship, leading to harm for pregnant women and their families,” Cooper said. “With its medically unnecessary obstacles and restrictions, it will make abortion unavailable to many women, particularly those with lower incomes, those who live in rural areas, and those who already have limited access to health care.”

In a press release following the rally, Cooper said the bill is opposed by the North Carolina Medical Society, the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians. Reactions from top lawmakers and pro-life advocates were swift and promised an equally fast veto override.

“Governor Cooper has spent the last week actively feeding the public lies about Senate Bill 20 and bully-

awarded her $5 million. A day later, during a contentious CNN town hall, he repeatedly insulted Carroll, reasserted lies about his 2020 election loss and minimized the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

DeSantis has burnished his reputation as a conservative governor willing to push hard for conservative policies and even take on a political fight with Disney, which he highlighted in Sioux Center. But so far, he hasn’t shown the same zest for taking on Trump, who has been almost singularly focused on tearing down DeSantis for months.

On Saturday, DeSantis avoided Trump’s legal entanglements or his falsehoods about the 2020 election, instead highlighting the GOP’s recent string of electoral losses. The Republican Party has struggled in every national election since Trump’s 2016 victory.

“We must reject the culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over,” DeSantis said. “If we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again.”

It’s uncertain whether DeSantis’ political successes in Florida can be replicated on the national stage.

Even before he formally enters the race, he’s already facing questions about his ability to court donors and woo voters.

The Iowa visit, his second in two months, was expected to help

address concerns about his sometimes-awkward personal appeal as he met with Republican officials, donors and volunteers, all under the glare of the national media. But DeSantis devoted little time — at least compared with most of the GOP’s other White House contenders — for selfies or handshakes in Sioux Center, where more than 600 people had gathered to see him at an event billed as a family picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra. DeSantis left most of the politicking to his allied super political action committee, which had set up a table where prospective supporters for his yet-to-be-announced presidential campaign could sign up.

The road outside the museum was flanked with DeSantis 2024 campaign signs.

Trump’s team had expected more than 5,000 to attend the rally at an outdoor amphitheater in downtown Des Moines to collect information on would-be supporters and encourage them to commit to Trump.

Trump’s 2024 Iowa campaign, unlike his rag-tag 2016 second-place Iowa effort, is putting together a more disciplined, data-driven operation. The Saturday event was aimed at encouraging attendees to sign up with the campaign on a website so the campaign could maintain contact with them, keep them posted on how and where to caucus, and recruit campaign volunteers. In a social media post, Trump

promised to reschedule the event. Shortly afterward, the campaign released a list of endorsements from more than 150 Iowa elected officials and activists across all of the state’s 99 counties.

And as they compete for support, the emerging rivalry with DeSantis has turned increasingly personal.

DeSantis has largely ignored Trump’s most egregious jabs, which have included suggesting impropriety with young girls as a teacher decades ago, questioning his sexuality and calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

Trump’s campaign began airing an ad mocking DeSantis for yoking himself to the former president in 2018 when he ran for governor, even using some Trump catchphrases as a nod to his supporters in Florida.

Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., also has aired spots highlighting DeSantis’ votes to cut Social Security and Medicare and raise the retirement age. The group even targeted DeSantis’ snacking habits, running an ad that called for him to keep his “pudding fingers” off those benefits. That was a reference to a report in The Daily Beast that the governor ate chocolate pudding with his fingers instead of a spoon on a plane several years ago.

DeSantis has said he does not remember doing that.

At the same time, the pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, has hired Iowa staff and begun trying to organize support for the governor before a 2024 announcement. The group announced Thursday that state Senate President Amy Sinclair and state House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl would endorse DeSantis’ candidacy. On Friday, it rolled out roughly three dozen more state lawmakers who would endorse him.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst attended DeSantis’ Sioux Center appearance.

After his speech, he spent about 15 minutes shaking hands and making small talk with voters as he maneuvered through the large audience, trailed by reporters, TV cameras and a security detail. He then dashed outdoors to pose with Reynolds and Feenstra while tending to burgers and pork chops at the grill.

Lyle and Sonia Remmerde of Rock Valley managed a handshake. She said DeSantis’ style comes across as “normal.”

“One of the things when you compare Trump and DeSantis, I think DeSantis has — how do you say? — a much more smooth approach,” said Lyle Remmerde, 65. “He’s less abrasive.”

actions would crush provisions to give women more opportunities to choose life, improve safety standards of clinics and stop the barbaric painful practice of partial-birth abortion.”

Fitzgerald also said, “Cooper’s bullish tactics of traveling to districts to pressure Republicans in sustaining his veto are a fool’s errand.”

Four female Republican senators also countered Cooper’s claims ahead of Saturday’s rally.

Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth), Lisa Barnes (R-Nash), Amy Galey (R-Alamance) and Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) stated that his repeated claim that abortions conducted using medication will be “banned after 10 weeks.”

Ukrainian president says counteroffensive won’t aim to attack Russian territory

Berlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that his country is preparing a counteroffensive designed to liberate areas occupied by Russia, not to attack Russian territory.

Speaking during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s goal is to free the territories within its internationally recognized borders.

The Washington Post cited previously undisclosed documents from a trove of U.S. intelligence leaks suggesting that Zelenskyy has considered trying to capture areas in Russia proper for possible use as bargaining chips in peace negotiations to end the war launched by Moscow in February 2022. This would put him at odds with Western governments that have insisted that weapons they provide must not be used to attack targets in Russia.

Asked about the report, Zelenskyy said: “We don’t attack Russian territory, we liberate our own legitimate territory.”

“We have neither the time nor the strength (to attack Russia),” he said, according to an official interpreter. “And we also don’t have weapons to spare, with which we could do this.”

After initially hesitating to provide lethal weapons, Germany has become one of the biggest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, including Leopard 1 and 2 battle tanks, and the sophisticated IRIS-T SLM airdefense system.

Zelenskyy said one reason for his latest visit to allied capitals was to forge a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide Ukraine with the combat planes it needs to counter Russia’s air dominance.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

McConnell opposes blockade of military nominees over Pentagon abortion policy

Washington, D.C. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he won’t support a fellow GOP senator’s blockade of military nominees, backing Democrats and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who have said that the holdup is harming national security.

ing members of the General Assembly,” Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) said in a statement “He has been doing everything he can, including wasting taxpayer money on poorly attended events, to avoid talking about his own extreme views on abortion. I look forward to promptly overriding his veto.”

“Governor Cooper has spent the past week, including Mother’s Day weekend, spreading misinformation about SB 20 in an effort to frighten voters and appease campaign donors,” House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) said in a statement. “The truth is, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act will save unborn lives, protect women, and support families. His veto will be swiftly overridden.”

Moore and Berger indicated the override votes in their respective chambers would take place

Tuesday, May 16, after North State Journal’s weekly print deadline. Based on the bill’s initial passage votes, both chambers have the necessary numbers to override the governor’s veto. The bill passed the House on May 3 down party lines by a vote of 71-46. Cotham, who changed parties last month, voted to pass the bill. The bill passed the Senate the following day by a party-line vote of 29 to 20. Senate Democrats each took turns speaking to the bill, dragging out the final vote by around six hours.

“Gov. Cooper chose Mother’s Day weekend to veto legislation and rally against everything that encompasses motherhood — birth, growing biological and adoptive families, and care for babies,” said NC Values Coalition Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald. “His

“Bill language clearly states that surgical and medical abortions are legal through the first 12 weeks. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved the drugs used for medical abortions if the gestational age is no more than 10 weeks,” the lawmaker’s release says.

The four Republicans also rebutted a claim about the bill requiring three in-person appointments days.

“Two in-person appointments are required for those seeking a medical abortion — one to get informed consent and one to administer the first dose of an abortion-inducing drug,” according to the statement. “The woman can take the second dose of a two-dose abortion-inducing drug regimen at home. A qualified physician is required to schedule an in-person follow-up visit, but the patient is not required to show up. The FDA recommends a follow-up appointment,” but that a woman “would not be penalized if she does not show up to the follow-up appointment.”

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is objecting to the normally routine practice of confirming dozens of military nominations, a move that would force the Senate to hold potentially hundreds of votes to confirm noncontroversial senior military officers. Tuberville has not backed down from his now-monthslong pledge to hold up the nominees over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, which provides travel funds and support for troops and dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal.

“No, I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations,” McConnell told reporters in response to a question about Tuberville’s blockade. “I don’t support that. But as to why, you’ll have to ask Sen. Tuberville.”

A spokesman for Tuberville said McConnell’s comments have not changed his position. The senator has said repeatedly that he won’t budge.

“Secretary Austin thought abortion is more important than his highest-level military nominations,” he said late last month after Democrats tried to call up the nominations on the Senate floor. “Secretary Austin could end the policy today, and I would lift my hold. Secretary Austin has chosen not to do that.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP PHOTO

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey, right, reacts to audience members during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Supporters cheer Gov. Roy Cooper during the Veto Rally for Health Care freedom at Bicentennial Plaza in Raleigh, NC on May 13, 2023.

NBA

Coach K joins NBA as special adviser

Durham Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is coming out of retirement and heading to the NBA. That is, as an adviser — not as a coach. The league said last Wednesday that the Hall of Famer and all-time men’s college Division I coaching wins leader is its new special adviser to basketball operations. He will be present this week at the league’s general managers meeting in Chicago, coinciding with the draft lottery and combine there. Krzyzewski retired after the 2021-22 season with five national championships.

MLS

Meram scores twice as Charlotte FC tops Atlanta United

Atlanta

Justin Meram scored two goals, Karol Swiderski added a penalty kick score and Charlotte FC breezed to a 3 -1 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday night. Charlotte (4 -5-3) took a 1- 0 lead in the 18th minute on a goal by Meram. Ashley Westwood and Jaylin Lindsey picked up assists on Meram’s first goal since scoring in a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids in July of last season while playing for Real Salt Lake. Swiderski’s PK goal came in the 52nd minute following a red card on Atlanta United’s Andrew Gutman. Meram made it 3 - 0 when he took a pass from Kamil Józwiak and scored five minutes later.

Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina and Atlanta United’s Quentin Westberg both finished with one save. Charlotte evened the all-time series at 2-2- 0 and avenged a 3 - 0 home loss to Atlanta United (5- 4 -3) earlier this season. Atlanta United had an 11- 6 advantage in shots, but Charlotte had a 4 -2 edge in shots on target. Charlotte, 3 -1- 0 in its last four matches after posting just one victory in its first eight, returns home to host the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

New-look schedule marks new era for Panthers

NFL embraces technology to produce a more varied and diverse schedule

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE NFL SCHEDULE release has become a major event on the offseason calendar. What used to be a press release memo is now a televised two-hour special, along with a frenzy of activity from social media teams across the league. The schedule’s rise in stature has come at a time when the difficulty in producing it has steadily declined.

“The process has evolved so much,” said NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning Mike North, who has spent more than a quarter century with the league. “Back in the old days, we literally used to build the schedule by hand. We’d select key games for prime time and hang them on the peg board. Then we’d start building the schedule a week at a time.”

Hurricanes, Panthers meet in NHL’s final 4

Teuvo Teravainen should be able to return for the series, perhaps in Game 1

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

RALEIGH — Before the Panthers’ second round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk lamented his team’s reward for beating the powerhouse Bruins in the opening round.

“I guess the prize for knocking off the best team in the league is getting the second-best team in the league now,” Tkachuk said. “Boston did what they did, but Toronto is the one team that was right behind them.”

Somewhere along the way, Tkachuk forgot about the Carolina Hurricanes. Now he will get an up-lose look at the actual second-best team in the NHL in the regular season.

5

schedule. So you patch that hole and then realize in Week 7, ‘Uh oh, the only way to keep going is to take that Sunday game.’” Then there was the fact that teams tend to make big roster decisions at the same time the league was working on the schedule. North recalled the Donovan McNabb trade, Peyton Manning’s decision to sign with Denver, and a certain quarterback who kept fans waiting when he left New England for Tampa, then false started a few times before retiring as events that sent the schedule-makers into a frenzy of moving games on the peg board.

Technology has relegated the old peg board to a storage room, however.

The Panthers, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, were motivated for their series against the Maple Leafs after Toronto fans chanted “We want Florida!” following the team’s first round win over the Lightning, hoping for a matchup with the Panthers instead of the Bruins.

“When the Toronto fans were chanting that, I looked over my wife was like, ‘Careful what you wish for because you’re playing a team that just beat the best team in the NHL,’” Hurricanes center Paul Stastny said in the lead-up to Thursday’s Game 1 of Carolina’s Eastern Conference finals series with Florida at PNC Arena. “I’ve been around long enough, it’s like you don’t want to pick your poison. It doesn’t matter who you play, every team brings different challenges.”

The challenges are plenty for the Hurricanes against the red-hot Panthers. Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners struggled for much of the season after overhauling their roster around the acquisition of Tkachuk. The Hart Trophy finalist, in his first season in Florida, posted 109 points in his first season in Sunrise, scoring 40 goals and finishing tied for fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes with 123.

Number of games Carolina will have on CBS, traditionally the “AFC network” for the NFL

Obviously, the process was riddled with starts and stops.

“You’d get to like Week 6 or 7,” North recalled, “and you’d realize, ‘Uh oh.’ The only way to keep going and finish Week 6 is to go down to Week 15 and take that game you had earmarked for ‘Monday Night.’ So you pull it up just to keep going, and now you’ve compromised the ‘Monday Night’

“The software and hardware have evolved, and we’re doing stuff they never would have envisioned 15 or 20 years ago,” North said. “We can press a button and sort of start over every day.” That was useful this year when Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson made big decisions about their futures late in the offseason and several teams, including the Panthers, brought in new quarterbacks in the draft.

“Not only do you factor in trades, but you also pull in new quarterbacks,” he said. “You have a team like Carolina now making sense going side-by-side on ESPN if Bryce Young is going to be the

Tkachuk has been just as effective in the playoffs, ranking second among players remaining in the postseason with 16 points in 12 games, trailing only Dallas’ Roope Hintz.

The Hurricanes have been disrespected plenty this postseason. They were the trendy pick to be upset in the first round by the Islanders. Then after dispatching New York in six games, many thought the high-octane Devils would have their way with Carolina. That series took just five games.

The Hurricanes aren’t underdogs in the Eastern Conference finals, but Tkachuk certainly gave them some bulletin board material for the teams’ first postseason meeting.

Carolina will need more than just motivation to get by the Panthers — led by two-time Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice — and reach the Stanley Cup finals.

Win the goaltending matchup

Both Frederik Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky

LYNNE SLADKY | AP PHOTO

Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and the Hurricanes will look to advance to the Stanley Cup finals when they face defenseman Brandon Montour and the Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals starting Thursday in Raleigh.

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO Panthers second-round pick Jonathan Mingo, a receiver out of Ole Miss, participates in Carolina’s rookie minicamp on Saturday in Charlotte.

“It doesn’t matter who you play, every team brings different challenges.”

Paul Stastny, Hurricanes center

TRENDING

Za’Darius Smith: The three‑time Pro Bowl pass rusher is being traded to the Browns by the Vikings. Cleveland is sending fifth‑round picks in 2024 and 2025 to Minnesota for Smith, a sixth‑round pick in 2025 and a seventh‑rounder in 2026. Smith will be paired on the Browns’ defensive front with All‑Pro end Myles Garrett. The 30‑year‑old Smith has 54½ career sacks, including 10 last season in the first year of a three‑year, $42 million contract.

Ja Morant:

The Memphis guard was suspended by the Grizzlies after another social media video in which he appears to be holding a gun. The Grizzlies say Morant is suspended from all team activities “pending league review.” Morant was suspended by the NBA for eight games this season after the All‑Star guard was seen on video holding a gun at a club in the Denver suburbs. The league said the March suspension was for “conduct detrimental to the league.”

Kurt Busch:

The former 23XI Racing driver hasn’t given up hope of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series again. The 2004 series champion said he’s steadily improving since a crash in qualifying at Pocono last July that left him with a concussion. Busch announced in October that he was stepping out of the No. 45 car owned by 23XI to continue his recovery. The 44‑year‑old said the program’s ownership has given him the space and time to fully heal before considering a return to the track.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

William Byron picked up his third win of the season and Hendrick Motorsports’ first at Darlington in more than a decade, benefiting from a wreck that took out leaders Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain in the final laps of Sunday’s race. Hendrick hadn’t won at the track “Too Tough To Tame” since Jimmie Johnson went to Victory Lane in 2012. Kevin Harvick finished second, followed by Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace.

Panthers coach Frank Reich accessing quarterback Bryce Young, pictured, after the No. 1 overall pick’s first NFL practice.

NASCAR great and TV analyst Bill Elliott, above, on the end‑of‑race crash involving Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain that cost both a chance at winning at Darlington.

51

Points for Celtics forward and former Duke star Jayson Tatum in Boston’s Game 7 win over the 76ers on Sunday, the most in a Game 7 in NBA history. He broke the record set by Warriors guard Steph Curry, a Davidson alumnus, set two weeks ago when he scored 50.

The Suns fired Monty Williams on Saturday, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he was the overwhelming choice as the coach of the year. Williams won 63% of his games in Phoenix, but three consecutive years of playoff frustration proved too much for the Suns to overlook.

Duke guard Jeremy Roach is returning to the Blue Devils for a fourth season, he announced Monday on social media. The 6‑foot‑1 Roach, who entered the NBA Draft process but left the door open to returning to Duke, averaged 13.6 points last season — a five‑point improvement over the previous season.

A group led by Josh Harris has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion. It is still pending approval of three‑quarters of owners. Harris’ group includes Washington‑area billionaire Mitchell Rales and basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

NFL

NASCAR

MATT KELLEY | AP PHOTO

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

PHELAN M. EBENHACK | AP PHOTO

NBA

MATT YORK | AP PHOTO

“He did every little thing right.”

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

PATRICK SEMANSKY | AP PHOTO

PRIME NUMBER

“You put ’em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

MATT KELLEY | AP PHOTO

Charlotte’s Bryan Battle gets quick knockout at UFC Charlotte

Seven of the 11 fights didn’t make it to the scorecards

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — It took all of 14 seconds for Bryan Battle to win his fight. In another five hours, he got a win that was just as significant.

In his post-event press conference, UFC president Dana White announced the winners of the Performance of the Night bonuses for “UFC Fight Night” on ABC in Charlotte on Saturday: The honors, and $50,000 checks, went to Jailton Almeida, Ian Garry and Carlos Ullberg, who won on the main card, and Matt Brown, who won the final prelim fight on ESPN.

When asked about Battle, who earned one of the fastest wins in UFC history (only 22 bouts in the 30-year history of the organization ended faster), in front of his hometown fans, White said, “Yeah, I mean the crowd behind him, he comes in, gets the knockout.” White then pause and said, “You know, it’s … you know, it’s ridiculous. We’ve got … I’m gonna give him $50,000 too.”

Just like that, Battle, who won “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show competition, earning a six-figure contract with the UFC, earned half that for just over a dozen seconds’ work. “He’s gonna come find you and

f--king hug you after this press conference,” White said to the media member who asked about Battle. “I’m giving him $50,000 too.

So now we’re doing five (bonuses) tonight. I didn’t answer your question, but you just got him another 50 grand. So Congrats. Thanks. I’ll thank you for him.”

Battle leveled Gabe Green in the second fight of the night, earning a knockout victory in front of a crowd of 18,712 fans, most of whom were loudly in support of him.

The night was also a big victory for Charlotte, one of the first host cities in UFC history, which saw lo-

Wake Forest moves to No. 1 in country as postseason baseball approaches

The Deacs hope to follow up on a historic regular season

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

WAKE FOREST baseball

continues to break new ground during the Demon Deacons’ historic 2023 season.

With the postseason just over a week away, the Demon Deacons are at the top of the national polls. Wake Forest moved into the No. 1 spot in the NCAA, Baseball America, D1 and USA Today top 25s, the first time the program has reached the top of the rankings.

The secret behind Wake’s ascent was simple — don’t lose. Wake has won 13 straight weekend series, which covers the entire ACC conference schedule.

The Deacs went 9-0 in ACC series this season with one more to play. The performance put the Demon Deacons as high as No. 2, but it took LSU — which had been No. 1 since the preseason — losing a series at Auburn two weekends ago to open the door for Wake to take the final step. The Deacs then won two of three at Florida State, while LSU lost a second straight series to give the Deacons two straight weeks at the top.

Wake has one series left, at home against Virginia Tech this weekend, before the ACC Tournament in Durham next week.

The Demon Deacons’ two wins

HURRICANES from page B1 have been labeled as playoff failures for their past postseason performances.

Andersen’s reputation is mostly unjustified. He failed to get the Maple Leafs out of the first round in three straight years, watching Toronto’s fourth straight first round exit from the bench before leaving for Carolina. It turns out that wasn’t an Andersen problem.

He’s 32-23 in the playoffs — including 5-0 this year — with a .917 save percentage that’s better than his .915 regular season mark.

Bobrovsky, meanwhile, has been as hot and cold in the playoffs during his career as he’s been in the regular season. His performance

at Florida State also helped Wake achieve another milestone for the program. Wake Forest clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title as well as the overall ACC regular season championship. It’s the fourth time in program history Wake has won the ACC and the first time in 60 years.

“I’m really proud of this ballclub to win the first regular season ACC Championship since 1963,” said coach Tom Walter. “I can’t say enough about our club, the culture they’ve built and how much they care about each other.”

Wake’s win set a program record for conference wins, and the Deacs also lead the country in overall wins, run differential and winning percentage. They became the first team in the nation to hit the 40-win mark last week. Out of the eight times Wake has won 40 games in a year, this is just the second time, and first since 2002, that the Deacs hit the milestone during the regular season, and their next win will set a school record for victories in a season.

Of course, the Deacons have more on their minds than just rewriting the regular season record book.

“We wanted to win the regular season championship and kind of pick out our tournament schedule, which is nice,” said Walter.

“But it’s just one step in the journey. We have to maintain our national seed. We have to play good baseball and stay in the top eight, and as high up in that eight as

in Columbus’ stunning sweep of the Lightning in 2019’s first round was the highlight of his postseason career until he stymied the Leafs this year in the second round. But he also has four different stretches of losing at least four straight playoff games during his career. He has a .904 postseason save percentage for his career, 11 points lower than the regular season. He’s won seven of nine this year but is 24-31 for his career.

To win the series, the Hurricanes will need Andersen — or Antti Raanta — to at least match Bobrovsky.

Aho vs. Barkov

Panthers captain Aleksander

cal fans turn out for the UFC’s fifth trip to the city.

“The gate was $2.09 million,” White reported. “A sellout. The highest attended Fight Night in domestic history.” The fans were treated to plenty of action. Of the 11 fights, seven ended early by knockout or submission.

Almeida submitted heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event, tapping him with a rear-naked choke in 3:43 of the first round.

“This guy looks like a real killer in the heavyweight division,” White said. “This guy looks like he’s going

to be a star.”

Garry earned his bonus with a first-round knockout by head kick of Daniel Rodriguez, ending the fight in 2:57. Ullberg knocked out Ukrainian light heavyweight Ihor Potiera at 2:09, and Brown knocked out “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Court McGee at 4:09 of the first round.

White was pleased with the aggression the bonus winners showed.

“When you think about tonight, whenever we get the opportunity to do prelims on ESPN, main card on ABC, I’m old school. ABC is ‘Wide World of Sports.’ It was a big deal to

me growing up, so it’s kind of special for me when we do these fights.”

Those performances stood in contrast to light heavyweight Johnny Walker, who won a unanimous decision over Anthony Smith in a lackluster co-main event.

“You look at guys like Walker, who really didn’t wow anybody,” White said. “He was put on the comain event to kind of shine tonight. He got a W, so I guess that’s good.”

White was also critical of area referee Larry Carter, who covered some of the early fights, including a controversial bout between female flyweights Mandy Bohm and Kim Ji-yeon.

Kim dominated the action, but Carter took a point from her between rounds for a late hit and another point after the fight was over, for an illegal strike, allowing Bohm to earn a controversial decision win as the crowd booed.

Carter had only worked nine pro fights, according to one online MMA database, and his only previous UFC experience was two early bouts when the UFC came to Raleigh in 2020.

“This arena has been incredible,” White said. “Charlotte’s incredible. It’s a fun place, you know, but you have to understand, when we come to smaller markets like this, there aren’t a lot of fights here, and you know, these guys don’t have a lot of the experience that Vegas and some of these other places have.”

In other fights, Alex Morono submitted Tim Means in the second round on the main card.

Karl Williams won a unanimous decision over Chase Sherman, Douglas Silva de Andrade took a unanimous decision from Cody Stamann on the preliminary card, and Tainara Lisboa submitted Jessica-Rose Clark in the night’s first fight.

possible. It affects who you get matched up with in the Super Regional, and affects your two seed down the line.”

The Deacs continue to dominate on the mound. Wake leads the nation in ERA (2.52), walks and hits per inning (1.02), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.40), hits per nine innings (6.52) and strikeouts per nine (11.9). They also lead the ACC in overall strikeouts (577) and walks per nine innings (2.69). Wake has also held ACC opponents to three or fewer runs in 18 of 26 games.

That doesn’t mean Wake has been a slouch at the plate. The Deacs lead the ACC and are in the top 10 nationally in scoring (9.3 runs per game, sixth), home runs (99, ninth) and walks (326, second). They’re also among the 10best in the nation and second in the league in on-base percentage, slugging and runs scored.

Barkov has taken a back seat to Tkachuk this season, both in the regular season and playoffs. But the 27-year-old center is still one of the most dangerous two-way forwards in hockey.

That said, he’s been on the ice for just six 5-on-5 goals through 12 playoff games, and he’s been on the wrong side of the ledger in possession numbers and expected goals. Barkov is an elite defensive center — his opponents haven’t had much more scoring success than him this postseason — but Florida will have a tough time winning if Barkov doesn’t contribute offensively. His countryman, Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho, has quietly had another solid postseason. He’s tied for the team lead in goals (5)

“We wanted to win the regular season championship. … But it’s just one step in the journey.”

Tom Walter, Wake Forest baseball coach

Nick Kurtz has been one of Wake’s offensive leaders, with 20 home runs, a .360 average and 1.354 OPS. He’s won two ACC player of the week awards, joining Adam Cecere and pitchers Sean Sullivan (two) and Rhett Lowder (three) as ACC weekly award winners. Lowder is 11-0 with a 1.52 ERA on the year. He’s one of just two pitchers in the nation with an

and points (10), and his underlying numbers — unlike Barkov’s — remain positive. Perhaps most impressively, at 5-on-5 Aho has not allowed a high-danger chance in the playoffs and has been on the ice for nine goals and just three against, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

If Aho outperforms Barkov in the conference finals, the Hurricanes have to like their chances of advancing.

Turbo time

It looks like Teuvo Teravainen will be back for the series after missing nine games following surgery for a broken thumb suffered in Game 2 of Carolina’s first round series with the Islanders.

11-0 mark.

Wake can also rely on home run leader Brock Wilken, who has 23 on the year and is closing in on the ACC career record for the long ball, and closer Carmen Minacci, who has 11 saves and is ninth in the nation among active career saves leaders.

All the ingredients are there for a team that has dominated the regular season. Now, Wake hopes to win its first ACC Tournament since 2001 and reach the College World Series for the first time since 1955, when the Deacs won it all.

“This is such a special group,” Walter said. “To see the hard work, emotion and passion they pour into it. … We’ve checked one box, but this club still has a lot of boxes to check.”

“We’re not done for sure,” Kurtz said. “Now we have bigger and better goals to accomplish.”

“I thought for sure I was done,” Teravainen said Monday of his prognosis following the injury, “but the doctors did a pretty good job and it looks like I’m getting back pretty soon, so that’s pretty awesome.”

Teravainen said his thumb — which still looks pretty gruesome — is “fine,” and coach Rod Brind’Amour admitted Monday that even if the Finnish winger is limited offensively, his contributions all around the ice could make a difference.

“You could throw him in for that reason alone,” Brind’Amour said, “but we’ve been pretty good right now with what we’ve got. We haven’t used him in this last series, so guys have stepped up. But if he’s healthy enough to play, he’ll get in there.”

SHAWN KREST | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Charlotte native Bryan Battle celebrates after he knocked out Gabe Green just 14 seconds into their middleweight fight at “UFC Fight Night” at Spectrum Center on Saturday.

BEN MCKEOWN | AP PHOTO

Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder, a right-handed pitcher from Albemarle, is 11-0 this season for the top-ranked Demon Deacons.

Tatum, Martin among NBA conference finals players from NC schools

The Celtics, Heat, Nuggets and Lakers are the four remaining playoff teams

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — Now in his sixth year in the NBA, former Duke standout and current Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has blossomed into one of the league’s premier players. He’s also one of five players in the conference finals with collegiate ties to the state of North Carolina.

Tatum is joined by Miami’s Caleb Martin (NC State) and Omer Yurtseven (NC State), as well as Denver’s Ish Smith (Wake Forest) and Jack White (Duke).

With his 51-point, 13-rebound performance in Boston’s Game 7 win over Philadelphia on May 14, Tatum, passed Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn on the Celtics’ all-time playoff scoring list with 2,059 and moved into eighth place right behind NBA legend Bill Russell (2,673).

Six playoff appearances in six years have elevated Tatum into a full-fledged NBA star. The 25-year-old St. Louis native — who played one season at Duke in 2016-17 — was an MVP candidate this season and averaged 30.1 points 8.8 rebounds per game.

The second-seeded Celtics (5725) will now square off with No. 8 Miami Heat (44-38) for the Eastern Conference crown, while the No. 1 Denver Nuggets (53-29) have home-court advantage over the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) in the Western Conference.

Tatum helped lead Boston to a Game 6 road win in a conference semifinals elimination game against the 76ers, then put on a show in the clinching win.

“To be honest, they had us on the ropes in Game 6 at the end of that third, going into the fourth,” Tatum told reporters after Boston’s Game 7 win. “The game was back-and-forth. The crowd was into it. They had us and we figured out a way to win. It was a great feeling to get that win, to

come back home and have another opportunity.” Now the Celtics face a familiar playoff challenger in the Jimmy

Race teams ask NASCAR for ‘meaningful’ talks on business model

Owners want charters to become permanent

By Steve Reed

The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — The fight between NASCAR and its teams over a new revenue model prompted the owners of 16 chartered organizations to send a letter to NASCAR’s board of directors earlier this month requesting “meaningful dialog” regarding the franchise model system.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, was sent to NASCAR via email on May 1, the same day NASCAR’s exclusive negotiating window expired with both Fox Sports and NBC Sports on a new television package.

The letter essentially represents the entire Cup Series field and acknowledges that conversations with NASCAR have been productive, noting a “tentative acceptance of the economic split of a new media deal.”

But the letter makes clear the main sticking point between the teams and NASCAR remains the charter system, under which each of the 36 cars with a charter are guaranteed a spot in the 40-car Cup Series field each week and a slice of TV package revenue.

The charters, which are worth millions, require renewal. The teams want to make the charters permanent, but NASCAR has balked. That led to the team owners skipping a scheduled April 5 meeting with NASCAR because they were at a “significant impasse” over charters.

PANTHERS from page B1

quarterback. It’s a way to showcase your up-and-coming stars.”

Sure enough, the NFL has placed the Panthers’ home opener against the Saints in prime time as one of two of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” games getting the national spotlight in Week 2. It’s Carolina’s first “Monday Night” game since December 2018 and the first time the home opener has been on “Monday Night” since 2004.

It’s one of two prime time appearances for Young and the Pan-

The teams wrote in the letter that acceptance of “the new media split” was dependent on permanent charters.

“We have seen the market for Charters rise since initially issued, but there is currently no real market due to the uncertainty surrounding the pending renewal process,” the letter states. “In order to continue to invest in our Teams and the sport as a whole, we need to build long term value in our Charter ownership that is stable, predictable, and permanent.”

NASCAR declined to comment on the letter other than noting it was received May 4.

The stock car series in late April began scheduling meetings with individual race teams with NASCAR CEO Jim France and President Steve Phelps. The first meeting was held May 2, a person with knowledge of the meetings told AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.

However, the Race Team Alliance that consists of all 16 chartered teams has made it known that the four-member negotiating committee represents all organizations in negotiations.

The charter system was introduced in 2016 to create a franchise model that protected team owners’ investment in a racing series founded by and independently owned by the France family. The charters can be held, sold and leased to other teams, and they can also be revoked by NASCAR.

The current charters expire at the end of the 2024 season — the same time as NASCAR’s current television package — and the ne -

thers this year. Carolina’s game at Chicago in Week 10 will be part of the league’s “Thursday Night Football” package. The Panthers’ schedule also shows evidence of another major change in the NFL’s model that technology has allowed. In the old days, other than the prime time games, teams knew what network they’d be on. Fox had the NFC package and CBS the AFC. When teams played the opposite conference, the road team determined the network that would carry the game. Not anymore.

gotiating committee told AP last month that NASCAR was unwilling to even discuss making them permanent. The committee is comprised of Jeff Gordon representing Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern, RFK Racing president Steve Newmark, and Curtis Polk, an owner in 23XI Racing and longtime business manager for Michael Jordan.

The four went public last October to reveal the teams found NASCAR’s current economic model unfair with little to no chance of long-term stability. NASCAR, which is run by the son and granddaughter of founder Bill France Sr., vowed to work on a solution.

The letter sent this month said “substantial progress has been made on a framework to address the economic issues.” But it asked NASCAR to explain its position on permanent charters.

“We would like to directly engage in conversations in order to understand (NASCAR’s) concerns. Items that have been mentioned are general concepts about transfer restrictions, protection from bad actors and dealing with material adverse economic changes over time,” the letter says. “We have reviewed these concerns with our outside counsel and others who are well versed in such issues from other leagues, and we are optimistic that by working together we can work through these or any other specific concerns, just as we did successfully at the creation of the charter system.”

The teams said their request is no different than NASCAR’s “desire to pass along ownership of a

“For the first time, every game was a free agent,” said the Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media Hans Schroeder. “All 273 games were up for grabs and could go in any window (on any network).

… You look at a team like Washington, and you could expect 14 of their 17 games to be on Fox. This year, we’re going to have seven Washington games on CBS.”

Similarly, the Panthers see a divergence from the usual steady diet of 1 p.m. Fox Sunday games this year. At least five games (Week 3 at Seattle, Week 6 at Miami, Week 9 against the Colts,

as a competitor, you love the opportunity.”

Of the other four players in the conference finals with connections to N.C. (Yurtseven, Smith and White have played limited roles in their teams’ rotations), Caleb Martin — twin brother to Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin — is the one most likely to make a postseason impact.

The Martin twins both spent two years at NC State (2014-15 and 2015-16) before transferring to Nevada for their final two years of athletic eligibility. To date, their NBA careers have not led to gaudy numbers but instead a reputation for being hard-working, reliable team players and valuable bench depth.

C aleb spent two years with the Hornets as a teammate to his brother before being waived by the team in 2021 and signing a two-year deal with Miami, where his career arc has trended upward ever since.

Much like his brother, he has quietly increased his production all four years in the league and now averages 9.6 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds. In Game 2 of the Heat’s Eastern Conference semifinals appearance against New York, Martin broke out for a 22-point, eight-rebound performance as he logged a season-high 38 minutes on the court.

Butler-led Heat.

“

We’re certainly familiar with them — it’s the third time in four years playing them in the playoffs,” Tatum said. “They’re a very well-coached team and they compete with the best of them. They play hard, they defend, they make plays. They figure out a way to win games. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be highly competitive, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s the best time of the year and we get to play them again, so

Now tasked with guarding Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the Eastern Conference finals, Martin will have to rely on his stringent defense as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra calls his name as one of his best bench options.

It’s going to be a dogfight,” Martin said of his team’s next test. “They’re a great team that can space the floor and shoot the ball well, but we’re just like that as well. So we’re going to continue to be scrappy. Hopefully, it’s our best shooting series and we’re coming in with the mindset to win just like they are, I’m sure. We’re coming to compete.”

“In order to continue to invest in our Teams and the sport as a whole, we need to build long term value in our Charter ownership that is stable, predictable, and permanent.”

Cup Series owners in a letter to NASCAR

strong and robust property to the next generation of the France/ Kennedy family”

“We seek to do the same thing with our families,” they wrote.

The letter was signed by repre -

Week 13 at Tampa and Week 17 at Jacksonville) will be on CBS, and several games either have starts in the 4 p.m. hour or have yet to be determined.

Highlights of the schedule include a season opener at Atlanta, giving the Panthers back-to-back division games to start the schedule. After the Week 3 trip west, they host the Vikings, then go to Detroit before heading to Miami prior to their Week 7 bye. Following the week off, the Panthers host back-to-back games against Houston and Indy. Dallas comes to Bank of America Stadium in

sentatives of 16 different teams, including Hall of Famers Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, Joe Gibbs and Jack Roush. NASCAR maintains that teams receive about 40% of industry-wide generated revenue, but the teams dispute the calculation.

An $8.2 billion media rights deal signed ahead of the 2015 season allots 65% to the tracks, 25% to the teams and 10% to NASCAR, according to the series. NASCAR owns the majority of the venues on the Cup Series schedule, including the crown jewel Daytona International Speedway, and the France family owns NASCAR. The teams have said that sponsorship covers 60% to 80% of their budgets and they need financial relief from NASCAR because they’ve become “full-time fundraisers.”

Week 11, followed by three straight road games before Carolina returns to Charlotte to host Atlanta. The Panthers get a Christmas Eve home game against the Packers and spend New Year’s Eve in Jacksonville before closing out the regular season at home against Tampa. It’s a new-look schedule, with a mixture of networks and start times, fitting for a team that will also be sporting a new look on the field with Young at quarterback. It’s an exciting time, perhaps exciting enough that no one will miss the pegboard.

PAUL SANCYA | AP PHOTO Joe Gibbs, left, speaks with Bubba Wallace last August at Michigan. Gibbs and other team owners are at odds with NASCAR over a new revenue model, specifically the charter system.

STEVEN SENNE | AP PHOTO

Former Duke star Jayson Tatum, right, scored 51 points in Sunday’s Game 7 against the 76ers, leading the Celtics back to the Eastern Conference finals after Boston lost in the NBA finals last year.

“It’s going to be a dogfight.”

Heat forward Caleb Martin on facing the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals

a PSLF form.

WHAT COUNTS AS A QUALIFYING PAYMENT?

A qualifying monthly payment is a payment that you made after Oct. 1, 2007, while you were employed by a qualifying employer.

The 120 qualifying monthly payments don’t need to be consecutive. For example, if you have a period of employment with a non-qualifying employer, you will not lose credit for prior qualifying payments.

WHAT ABOUT THE PAYMENT PAUSE?

Student loan payments are currently paused because of the COVID pandemic. Payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, 60 days after the current Supreme Court case about student loan forgiveness is resolved. If the case hasn’t been resolved by June 30, payments will start 60 days after that.

Borrowers will get credit toward PSLF for payments they would have made during the pause as long as they meet all other qualifications for the program, according to the Education Department. For the qualifying payments to show in your account, you must submit a PSLF form that certifies your employment during the pause.

prices, Americans are holding on to their vehicles longer than ever

The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With new and used cars still painfully expensive, Ryan Holdsworth says he plans to keep his 9-year-old Chevy Cruze for at least four more years. Limiting his car payments and his overall debt is a bigger priority for him than having a new vehicle.

A 35-year-old grocery store worker from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Holdsworth would probably be in the market for a vehicle within a few years — if not for the high cost. For now, it’s out of the question.

“You’re not going to get one for a price you can afford,” he said.

Holdsworth has plenty of company. Americans are keeping their cars longer than ever. The average age of a passenger vehicle on the road hit a record 12.5 years this year, according to data gathered by S&P Global Mobility. Sedans like Holdsworth’s are even older, on average — 13.6 years.

Blame it mainly on the pandemic, which in 2020 triggered a global shortage of automotive computer chips, the vital component that runs everything from radios to gas pedals to transmissions. The shortage drastically slowed global assembly lines, making new vehicles scarce on dealer lots just when consumers were increasingly eager to

buy. Prices reached record highs. And though they’ve eased somewhat, the cost of a vehicle still feels punishingly expensive to many Americans, especially when coupled with now much-higher loan rates.

Since the pandemic struck three years ago, the average new vehicle has rocketed 24% to nearly $48,000 as of April, according to Edmunds.com. Typical loan rates on new-car purchases have ballooned to 7%, a consequence of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive streak of interest rate hikes to fight inflation.

It’s all pushed the national average monthly auto loan payment to $729 — prohibitively high for many. Experts say a family earning the median U.S. household income can no longer afford the average new car payment and still cover such necessities as housing, food and utilities.

Used vehicle prices, on average, have surged even more since the pandemic hit — up 40%, to nearly $29,000. With an average loan rate having reached 11%, the typical monthly used-vehicle payment is now $563.

Faced with deciding between making a jumbo payment and keeping their existing vehicles, more owners are choosing to stick with what they have, even if it

means spending more on repairs and maintenance.

Auto mechanics have been struck by the rising ages and mileages of vehicles that now arrive at the shop in numbers they’d never seen before.

“You see cars all the time in here with 250,000, 300,000 miles,” said Jay Nuber, owner of Japanese Auto Professional Service, a repair garage near downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. “They haven’t been really having major work or anything. They’ve just been doing the (routine) service.”

It doesn’t mean that most owners of older vehicles are necessarily stuck with constant repair bills. One reason people can hold their vehicles for increasingly long periods is that auto manufacturing has improved over time. Engines run longer. Bodies don’t rust as quickly. Components last longer.

Yet the cost of buying either a new or used vehicle is leaving more people with essentially no choice

but to keep the one they have.

“The repair-versus-buy equation changed,” said Todd Campau, an associate director with S&P. Even with rising repair costs, Campau said, it’s still typically more cost-effective to fix an older vehicle than to spring for a purchase.

And with more durable vehicles able to last longer, all of this has created a boom time for auto shops. Through most of last year, Nuber’s Japanese Auto was overwhelmed with customers. It took up to three weeks to get an appointment, whether for repairs or the routine maintenance that older vehicles, in particular, require.

“The phone just kept ringing, and the cars just kept coming,” Nuber said.

S&P predicts that U.S. new vehicle sales will reach 14.5 million this year, from about 13.9 million last year. A big reason is that the supply at dealerships is finally growing. Automakers have also begun to restore some discounts that had long helped keep a lid on prices. The result is that many people who can afford to buy can now do so.

Still, no one is predicting a return to pre-pandemic annual sales of around 17 million anytime soon. Even with discounts, new-vehicle prices are likely to stay much higher than pre-pandemic levels for years to come.

Supreme Court decision could mean pricier pork, bacon

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court on Thursday backed a California animal cruelty law that requires more space for breeding pigs, a ruling the pork industry says will lead to higher costs nationwide for pork chops and bacon.

“While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues, the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in an opinion for the court.

Industry groups have said the law would mean expensive, industry-wide changes even though a majority of the farms where pigs are raised are not in California, the nation’s most populous state, but instead in the Midwest and North Carolina.

A majority of the high court agreed that lower courts had correctly dismissed pork producers’ challenge to the law. Both liberal and conservative justices were a part of the majority, though they were not united in their reasoning.

Gorsuch said the pork producers challenging the law were asking the justices to “fashion two new and more aggressive constitutional restrictions on the ability of States to regulate goods sold within their borders.” The justices declined.

Four justices would have sent the case back to continue in lower courts. Chief Justice John Roberts was joined in that view by fellow conservative justices Samuel Ali-

to and Brett Kavanaugh and liberal Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson.

During arguments in the case in October, liberal and conservative justices underscored the potential reach of the case. Some worried whether greenlighting the animal cruelty law would give state legislators a license to pass laws targeting practices they disapprove of, such as a law that says a product cannot be sold in the state if workers who made it are not vaccinated or are not in the country legally. They also worried about the reverse: How many

state laws would be called into question if California’s law were not permitted?

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that the ruling “affirms states’ important role in regulating goods sold within their borders” and that it “means that California can continue to have in place humane and commonsense standards, instead of the extreme confinement pushed by some pork producers.”

The case before the court involved California’s Proposition 12,

which voters passed in 2018. It said that pork sold in the state needs to come from pigs whose mothers were raised with at least 24 square feet of space, with the ability to lie down and turn around. That rules out confined “gestation crates,” metal enclosures that are common in the pork industry.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa-based National Pork Producers Council sued.

They said that while Californians consume 13% of the pork eaten in the United States, nearly 100% of it

comes from hogs raised outside the state, including in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and North Carolina. The vast majority of sows, meanwhile, are not raised under conditions that would meet Proposition 12’s standards.

Scott Hays, the president of the National Pork Producers Council said in a statement following the ruling that the group was “very disappointed” with the court’s opinion. “Allowing state overreach will increase prices for consumers and drive small farms out of business, leading to more consolidation,” he wrote.

The Biden administration had urged the justices to side with pork producers, telling the court in written filings that Proposition 12 would be a “wholesale change in how pork is raised and marketed in this country” and that it has “thrown a giant wrench” into the nation’s pork market.

Pork producers argued that 72% of farmers use individual pens for sows that do not allow them to turn around and that even farmers who house sows in larger group pens do not provide the space California would require.

They also say that the way the pork market works, with cuts of meat from various producers being combined before sale, it is likely all pork would have to meet California standards, regardless of where it is sold. Complying with Proposition 12 could cost the industry $290 million to $350 million, they said.

“You

Jay Nuber, mechanic

Mechanic Jon Guthrie inspects the underside of a 2014 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck at Japanese Auto Professional Service in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

COUNTY NEWS

Abducted Stanly teenager located in Alabama

The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office officially canceled an Amber Alert for a 16-yearold girl this past Friday after the teenager was found in Montgomery, Alabama.

Authorities located the 16-yearold Stephanie Morton in the home of Duane Howard Bartlett roughly 12 hours after she was last seen leaving South Stanly High School on Thursday morning. Bartlett, who has been charged with felony abduction of a child, is reported to have met Morton over social media. He is currently awaiting extradition back to North Carolina. If you have any information pertaining to this case, please contact the sheriff’s office at (704) 986-3714.

Google Street View car could be visiting Stanly County soon

Last week, the Google Street View car was spotted driving around several North Carolina counties over the course of several days. According to Google, the company is devoting time this year to updating its images of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, and Greensboro, in addition to “smaller cities and towns that are within driving distance.” It would appear that Stanly County could be a potential travel location for the Google vehicle. If you are concerned about encountering one of these Google Street View cars or feel uneasy about it, fear not, as past lawsuits have forced Google to automatically blur identifiable faces and license plates, as well as to launch tools for the public to report content they feel is inappropriate or invades their privacy. Members of the public are even offered an option to blur any images of their homes. For additional information about Google’s Street View technology, please visit https://www.google.com/ streetview/.

A West Stanly softball victory

Top left, West Stanley’s Kristen Smith beats the throw to first base for an infield hit against Wheatmore during the first round of the 2A west softball playoffs at West Stanly High School in Oakboro. Top Right, Lily Honeycutt pitched a one-hitter in a 13-0 win over Wheatmore. Bottom, Lilly Hartsell hits a three-run triple.

Stanly commissioners approve grant funding for six parks and recreation requests

By Jesse Deal North State Journal ALBEMARLE

— At the Stanly County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 15, six municipalities within the county had their funding requests approved for their parks and recreation departments.

With a 4-3 vote from the commissioners, Oakboro, Stanfield, Richfield, New London, Norwood and Badin will receive a combined $45,423 from the county to help with their overall total project costs of $158,378. Oakboro, Stanfield and Norwood are undergoing pickleball court transition projects, while Richfield is updating its playground equipment. Additionally, Badin is adding water, elec-

tricity and sewer functions to its park shelters, while New London is building additional wooden swings for its park.

Chairman Scott Efird — along with Commissioners Peter Asciutto, Bill Lawhon and Trent Hatley — voted for the funding. In contrast, Vice Chairman Mike Barbee and Commissioners Patty Crump and Brandon King voted against it.

The City of Locust requested $10,000 to help with its movie night equipment project totaling $24,235. Because of Efird’s involvement with the city, he recused himself from the Locust vote — which was separated from the other six municipalities — and the measure failed to pass with a 3-3 tally, as his absent yay vote made

“It’ll be a no for me, and it’s not because I don’t support it. It’s just not now.”

the difference. Although it did not pass in its first vote, Locust’s funding request will be revisited in the near future.

“It’ll be a no for me, and it’s not because I don’t support it. It’s just not now,” Crump said of her no votes on the funding. “I would like to just say I don’t feel comfortable voting for these right

now because we just got the budget, and we need to review that over the next month. And when I see in the budget that we are not fully funding the schools and there are still public safety needs, I can’t in good conscience vote for this before we’ve had the discussions.”

In his explanation of his votes, Ascuitto pushed back against budget concerns, citing that the municipalities were counting on the county’s help with their respective projects.

“I don’t understand why we’re having this discussion, if you don’t mind me saying,” he said. “We’ve talked about this. All these municipalities have followed the guidelines and submit-

Driver permit bill becomes law without governor’s signature

The law is the fourth this session to pass into law without Cooper’s signature

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A bill modifying limited provisional licenses became law without Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature.

This is the fourth bill during the current session of the General Assembly to become law without the governor’s signature.

The other bills passing into law without Cooper’s signature include laws on hotel safety issues, rioting and civil disorder penalties, and a law altering the governing structure of schools for the deaf and blind. All three bills have been introduced in the previous legislative session and received vetoes from Cooper.

The enacted legislation is Senate Bill 157, Limited Provisional License Modification. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers; 38-5 in the Senate and 92-15 in the House.

The governor said in a statement about the bill, “I have concerns that this law could make our roads less safe, and I en-

courage the Division of Motor Vehicles and the legislature to monitor its effects closely.”

Thousands of teen drivers were hindered in obtaining their licenses by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a massive backlog statewide at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A temporary fix similar to that in the bill was offered last year but did little to alleviate the backlog issue, prompting lawmakers to make the time period change

permanent during the current session. The bill took effect May 8 and alters the waiting period between going from a learner’s permit to a provisional license down to nine months. Prior to the bill being enacted into law, drivers had to wait 12 months.

Another change in the law will allow non-family members to ride with a driver during the nine-month provisional license timeframe.

Commissioner Patty Crump on Locust’s funding request

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

COMMISSIONERS from page 1

ted everything we did. Now, you’re putting a burden on the municipalities by saying we’re going to wait till whenever to pass it when they’re also trying to work to get their budgets done.”

Crump responded: “It’s not waiting till whenever — it’s waiting a few more weeks so that we can discuss the budget process.”

Next month, the board will listen to a public hearing before hashing out the county’s budget during two workshops.

During the meeting, the commissioners also voted for re-appointments to the Stanly County Economic Development Commission with terms that expire on May 31, 2025.

Phillip Austin (District 1), Steve Bradley (District 2), Wes Morgan (District 3), Greg Underwood (District 4) and Wil Huneycutt (District 5) all received unanimous approval to continue working in their current positions on the commission.

The Stanly County Board of Commissioners is set to hold its next meeting on June 5 in the Gene McIntyre Room at Stanly Commons.

WEEKLY CRIME LOG

♦ GLOVER, KEVIN LARNELL (B /M/48), RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER, 05/15/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ KINDELL, HOLLY RICKERA (B /F/33), FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE, 05/13/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

Lainey Wilson triumphs at Academy of Country Music Awards; Chris Stapleton wins top honor

The Associated Press FRISCO, Texas — Lainey Wilson was seemingly everywhere at the Academy of Country Music Awards, collecting four trophies on a night that saw Chris Stapleton win the entertainer of the year honor.

Wilson performed twice Thursday –- back-to-back –- and delivered heartfelt speeches after her wins, which put her next to fellow winners and country music legends.

She won album of the year for “Bell Bottom Country,” accepting the honor slightly breathless after performing her song “Grease.”

Wilson called the album a “labor of love” and said she wrote 300 songs during the pandemic. She said people often tell her how much the album means to their lives, and she said writing them “saved mine.”

When she won female artist of the year, co-host Dolly Parton handed her the trophy. “I can’t believe I just met Dolly Parton, first of all,” Wilson said.

She gave credit to the female artists who preceded her and the sacrifices she knew they had all made: “I’m up here because of y’all. Because of people like Dolly Parton, paving the way.”

“For the little girls watching this, this stands for hard work,” Wilson said, referencing her trophy. “If you’re going to be a dreamer, you better be a do-er.”

Stapleton owned the stage at the end of the night, winning the ACMs’ top honor.

“I am shocked, truly,” Stapleton said. “By any imaginable metric, I don’t deserve this. … I’ve never thought of myself as somebody who would win this award.”

He dedicated the award to his children at home, saying they sacrifice a lot of time with him and his wife because of his career.

Breathless moments weren’t uncommon during the performance-heavy show. Cole Swindell won the night’s first award, song of the year, for “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” He had just performed the song with Jo Dee Messina. Swindell later won single of the year for the same song. “Thank

you country music fans, that’s all I’ve ever been,” he said. “I don’t know what I ever did to get this fortunate.”

Singer-songwriter HARDY entered the show as the leading nominee and collected four awards.

“Wait in the Truck,” his duet with Wilson, who was the second-leading nominee, won the music event award.

“Thank you Lainey, you absolutely killed it,” HARDY said. He credited her with making people

New top accountant Brian Gaines named in South Carolina after $3.5B error

The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has a new top accountant after a 20-year officeholder resigned amid pressure over a $3.5 billion reporting error.

Brian Gaines will oversee a comptroller general’s office that has received mounting scrutiny from lawmakers who want to dismantle its responsibilities.

Gov. Henry McMaster, who had said he wanted someone removed from “politics,” touted Gaines’ widespread respect at a Friday press conference announcing the appointment. Gaines’ 16-year state government career most recently featured a tenure as director for the South Carolina Department of Administration’s Executive Budget Office.

“His expertise on the budgeting process and experience in state government will allow him to provide a fresh perspective to the Comptroller General’s Office while at the same time allowing for a smooth transition,” McMaster said Friday

in a statement.

The shakeup comes after former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom revealed the state’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report had exaggerated cash balances by double counting the money sent to colleges and universities.

The fallout came swiftly. The $3.5 billion error did not impact the state budget, but a Senate panel’s investigation found that Eckstrom ignored auditors’ yearslong warnings of a “material weakness” around cash reporting.

Eckstrom rejected the findings but announced March 23 he would resign — a move that came as senators garnered the votes necessary to oust him. Lawmakers had begun advancing legislation to let voters decide whether the position would remain an elected official or become a governor-appointed title. The House even voted to cut the annual salary to $1 during a budget debate.

But lawmakers never held a joint assembly to select a replacement. The move gave McMaster the pow-

♦ ROSS, CHRISTOPHER BRYCE (W /M/27), RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER, 05/13/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ BECKY, GEORGE ELLSWORTH (W /M/66), ASSAULT WDW GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, 05/12/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

“His expertise on the budgeting process and experience in state government will allow him to provide a fresh perspective to the Comptroller General’s Office while at the same time allowing for a smooth transition.”

Gov. Henry McMaster

er to tab the next officeholder as soon as the legislative session ended on Thursday.

Gaines committed Friday to carrying out the duties until the General Assembly selects someone new or the term ends in 2027. Republican Sen. Larry Grooms, who spearheaded the investigation, called him “an excellent choice” in a Friday statement.

believe in the song, which references domestic violence and seeking revenge.

“This was a song about real life,” Wilson said. “I didn’t want people to relate to this song, but a lot of them do.”

Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey used the band’s win for group of the year to address recent divisiveness and gun violence. He referenced the party atmosphere of the show but said he also recognized that “there are people obviously hurting in the world right now trying to figure out how to make sense of the divisiveness and shootings and things like that.”

Ramsey continued: “We are most proud to be able to make music for people that are hurting right now. So thank you for including us in the party and allowing us to make music for whoever needs it.”

Garth Brooks and Parton hosted the two-hour awards show, streamed live on Amazon Prime from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco.

The easy banter between Brooks, in his first hosting gig, and Parton carried the show’s early moments. Parton closed out the show with a performance of a song from her upcoming rock album.

A later routine involved the pair video conferencing with Willie Nelson to wish him happy birthday. The country legend recently turned 90, and the ACMs honored him with a performance of Nelson’s hit with Waylon Jennings, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” by Cody Johnson.

Hailey Whitters and Zach Bryan have won best new artist honors.

The General Assembly also declined to pass a sine die resolution dictating the end of the regular session and any issues it might return to address later this year.

Without the resolution, and with a number of GOP priorities left on the table, the governor Friday formally called lawmakers back for an extra legislative session. No South Carolina governor has reconvened the General Assembly for a special session since 2002.

Lawmakers can do whatever they please during the legislative overtime beginning Tuesday, May 16. But the very decision to wrap work without the sine die resolution signals a strong relationship between legislative leaders and the governor.

McMaster repeated calls Friday for lawmakers to pass enhanced penalties for convicted felons who possess guns, limits to bond and new abortion restrictions. The state budget also has yet to be finalized.

McMaster said the widely expected move had been discussed with members of both the House and Senate.

“We knew there were loggerheads on a number of important issues, and that they were running out of time. I wish they’d finished their work,” McMaster said Friday, adding: “They didn’t get there this time.”

♦ BROADWAY, JESSE DAVID (B /M/41), BREAK OR ENTER MOTOR VEHICLE, 05/12/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ PINION, ETHEN ANDREW (W /M/19), COMMUNICATE THREATS, 05/11/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ MEASIMER, RANDY LEE (W /M/32), SECOND DEGREE TRESPASS, 05/10/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ ALLEY, RONALD RICKY (W /M/42), INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A CHILD, 05/10/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ GLENN, JAMES EMMITT (W /M/46), NONSUPPORT CHILD, 05/10/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ LATTA, LLOYD DESHAN (B /M/44), LAR REMOVE/DEST/DEA CT COMPO, 05/10/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

Lainey Wilson performs “Grease” at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The South Korea Imperatives

VISITING SEOUL is always fascinating, and this year it was especially educational.

We joined a Washington Times Foundation delegation in a special briefing by key South Korean intelligence experts. As you might expect, South Korea pays extremely careful attention to Kim Jong Un and the North Korean dictatorship. Their common understanding of Korean language and culture makes them the preeminent analysts of Pyongyang.

Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone.

Based on their briefings, two large but vital projects became obvious.

First, there is an enormous cyber-theft hole in the sanctions regime levied against North Korea. This is providing an astonishing amount of money to the Kim dictatorship to finance its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Second, the recent North Korean missile firings have put renewed emphasis on analyzing the country’s non-nuclear ballistic threat to the Republic of Korea.

Let’s consider each challenge.

We were told North Korea is earning an estimated $1.2 billion a year through cybercrime. This is an enormous funding source for Kim Jong Un’s military research and development program.

There should be an all-out effort by the combined U.S., Korean, and Japanese intelligence services to lock down North Korea’s ability to steal on the internet. If Kim Jong Un can count on more than $1 billion a year in theft, the effect of other sanctions is dramatically weakened. Closing this loophole is vital to slowing down the North Korean military program.

Second, the scale of the North Korean missile program is growing and involves conventional as well as nuclear weapons.

As Time Magazine reported on April 12, North Korea completed a record 68 missile tests in 2022, “and there are no signs that the country plans to let up.”

The magazine reported that in early April, North Korea shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea, which separates the Korean Peninsula from Japan. It was the 12th missile

test this year.

“North Korea has reportedly fired 26 projectiles, including shortrange and intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 11 test launches in just the first three months of this year,” Time Magazine reported.

North Korea could do enormous damage to Seoul with conventional missiles. Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone. The human casualties would be devastating.

The North Korean missile build up requires an extraordinary program of developing missile defenses.

The country which has the best record of defeating missile attacks is Israel. According to Claire Berlinski at the Cosmopolitan Globalist, 469 missiles were recently fired from Gaza targeting Israeli towns and cities. The combination of the Arrow short range defense system, the new David’s Sling medium range defensive system (codeveloped by Rafael Defense Systems and Raytheon), and the Iron Dome computerized control system — which sorts incoming missiles based on the danger they represent — has enabled Israel to defeat an amazing number of missile attacks and saved an enormous number of lives.

North Korea’s missile systems are faster, bigger, and more dangerous than the missiles being fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It will require a joint American-South Korean-Japanese development program to create an anti-missile umbrella over South Korea and Japan (North Korea threatens both). This should be a high priority for the Pentagon. The joint system’s development will yield defensive dividends all around the world as countries such as Iran and others also develop missile capabilities.

Eliminating cybercrime and developing an effective missile defense system will go a long way toward ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and containing the North Korean threat.

A city as beautiful as Seoul — and an ally as steadfast as South Korea (with whom we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of our alliance this year) — deserve the best possible defense.

The Democrats’ debt ceiling position makes zero sense

“IF YOU BUY A CAR,” White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre explained the other day, “you are expected to pay the monthly payment. ... It’s that simple.”

that a Republican president will negotiate in good faith at some undetermined, future time? And not any president, but one who claims a $3.5 trillion inflation-inducing bill “costs zero dollars.” So, not exactly a whiz with numbers.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so.

Is it? Now, obviously, those who argue that the president can cancel millions of student loans by decree aren’t in a position to offer lessons on personal responsibility. The deeper problem with Jean-Pierre’s analogy, though, is that there isn’t a bank on Earth that’s going to keep lines of credit open when a person is compounding unsustainable debt year after year.

Speaking of which, the federal government has already hit the debt limit. The Treasury Department is now relying on “extraordinary measures” that will sputter out by June, at which time we will all be forced to forage for food and barter for medicine. The only thing that can save us from this dystopian hellscape, Jean-Pierre explains, is for Congress to do its “job” and return to regular order.

The White House press secretary is apparently unaware that regular order would entail Senate Democrats passing a bill and then negotiating with House Republicans, who have already passed a bill raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024.

Until this week, Democrats wouldn’t even talk to Republicans on the matter. In the old days, this kind of absolutist position would have every newspaper wringing its hands about GOP “obstructionism” and the dysfunction of the political system. Today, outlets like The New York Times simply pretend Republican bills are apparitions. “Are Republicans Willing to Raise the Debt Ceiling?” asks the editorial board this week.

Does the Times not know that the GOP has already agreed to lift the ceiling? They do. They pretend it isn’t real because it includes “deep cuts in federal spending” (by which they mean a return to last year’s discretionary spending levels, with no cuts moving forward), the reversal of “investments in tax enforcement” (some 80,000 new IRS cops monitoring, among other things, Venmo accounts with more than $600), a rollback of some “green energy” boondoggles, and so on.

And anyway, the Times notes, President Joe Biden has offered Republicans “a reasonable path to resolve the standoff” in which the GOP raises the ceiling without any conditions as Democrats demand, and then Biden will “separately negotiate measures to slow the growth of the federal debt.”

Dear Lord, can you imagine The New York Times editorial board urging Democrats to table their policy concerns and simply trust

But that’s not even the most ridiculous sentence in the editorial. The Times also contends that the debt ceiling “is not a useful mechanism for preventing the federal government from living beyond its means,” when that’s exactly why the law exists in the first place.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so. But even the Times concedes that Washington is “living beyond its means.” So, then, why is it more “reasonable” to negotiate the slowing of spending now, when the ceiling is in view, than a month from now or a year from now when there is no incentive to do anything?

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who for weeks was sending out snarky tweets demanding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy show the country his plan on the debt ceiling, won’t negotiate. And it’s clear that Biden is now pondering invoking the 14th Amendment and simply ignoring the debt ceiling much in the way he ignores the law on a slew of other issues. Such a move would almost surely be overturned by the Supreme Court -- because, as Ilya Shapiro succinctly put it, “a constitutional provision that prevents repudiation of debt doesn’t also somehow authorize limitless new debt.”

Democrats spend their time blaming GOP administration for the preponderance of our debt -- most of which Biden has voted for as a senator or helped shepherd through in the executive branch. No one is innocent on that front, of course, but most of our debt is propelled by constantly expanding entitlement programs, which are treated with a reverence by the left that the Constitution can never attain.

But even if the GOP were culpable for every single dollar of debt and were engaged in blatant hypocrisy, it wouldn’t change the fact that they are objectively correct today in arguing that we need to slow spending and mitigate debt. The arguments used to oppose even a modicum of responsible budgeting do not make any sense.

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 | NEWT GINGRICH

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

SOCCER

Lussi’s goal gives Courage win over OL Reign

Cary Tyler Lussi’s first-half goal powered the North Carolina Courage to a 1-0 win against OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday.

In the 34th minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Courage forward

Rikke Madsen sent a through ball to Lussi just over the halfway line. The forward beat her defender on the fast break and slotted a shot into the far post. North Carolina (33-1), which had 69% of possession in the first half, also had two firsthalf goals called back for offside.

NASCAR

Hendrick driver

Bowman unsure of return from injury

Darlington, S.C.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman said Sunday he had no timetable for a return to the track after fracturing a vertebra in his back in a sprint car accident last month. Bowman missed his third straight race since the injury at Darlington. He said he’s making progress in his recovery and will get X-rays this week that should give him a clearer picture of when he can get back behind the wheel. Bowman said he feels the pain when he sneezes, coughs or laughs, and he worries any hard, jarring movements in the car would be painful.

GOLF Johnson recovers to win LIV Golf

Tulsa in playoff

Broken Arrow, Okla.

Dustin Johnson won a three-man playoff to win LIV Golf Tulsa. Johnson rallied with a birdie on the 18th for a 67 to join a playoff after posting a triple bogey at the 10th hole that had cost him the lead. But he made a 15foot birdie putt from the fringe to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in the playoff to earn his second LIV Golf title since joining the Saudibacked league last year. Smith shot a 61 and Grace shot a 65. Grace made par on the last hole that gave Stinger the team win.

TENNIS

Davidson, winner of 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, dies

Conroe, Texas

Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, died on Friday. He was 79. He won 11 major titles in mixed doubles and two in men’s doubles.

Davidson teamed with Billie Jean King to win eight of his Grand Slam trophies in a career that spanned from the early 1960s to mid-1970s. In 1967, Davidson became only the third player in tennis history to earn all four major mixed doubles titles in the same year, including three with King.

Byron wins at Darlington after Chastain wreck

they would wreck, but, obviously, it happened and we rolled on by.”

The Associated Press

DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway.

Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.

Boom!

Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on a restart with six laps left and held off Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

“We talked about it under the caution,” Byron said of a potential dustup. “I didn’t think that

Chastain and Larson have raced each other tooth-and-nail this season with incidents impacting potential wins at Talladega and Dover heading into the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist — Byron is taking college courses at Liberty University — to know the two might tangle again.

It was a measure of retribution for Byron, who was two laps from victory in this race year a year ago until he was shoved out of the way by eventual winner Joey Logano.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out.”

He got away cleanly from Harvick on the green-white-checkered finish for his third win this season and seventh of his career.

Harvick was second and Chase Elliott third, his best finish since

returning to NASCAR from a broken leg while snowboarding.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

It was the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car and the organization’s first victory at Darlington since Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 race.

It looked like 2021 champ Larson or points leader Chastain had the strongest cars and figured

Commanders’ record sale agreed to by Snyder family, Harris group

Magic Johnson is part of the new ownership group

The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.

The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.

The deal is the largest for a North American professional sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners,” Snyder and his wife, Tanya, said in the statement. “We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said league staff and its finance

committee will review details of the proposed transaction. Owners meet later this month in Minnesota, but they are only expected to get an update on the situation then, with a formal vote expected in the coming months. Snyder has owned the team since 1999, when he bought his favorite boyhood team for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Con-

gress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.

Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013.

“I could not be more excited to

to be there at the end. Instead, Chastain was alongside Larson during a restart and admitted trying to squeeze his competitor against the wall in turn two. Both wound up wrecking.

Larson finished 20th and Chastain, who punched Noah Gragson in a pit-road confrontation a week ago at Kansas, was 29th.

“I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up, we’ve been trading back and forth all day. I wanted to push him up for sure,” Chastain said.

Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels angrily said on the radio, “three races he’s taken us out of.”

“Children,” TV analyst and racing great Bill Elliott said. “You put ‘em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

Larson moved into the lead when Denny Hamlin went to the pits with 30 laps remaining and was in prime position for victory until tangling with Chastain.

“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” winning owner Rick Hendrick said of Chastain. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies.”

Next week is the NASCAR AllStar Open at revamped North Wilkesboro Speedway.

be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders,” Johnson tweeted. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”

Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.

“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward,” Harris said. “We look forward to running a worldclass organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid several offfield controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver picked up his third victory of the season

William Byron won his third race of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

AP PHOTO

Josh Harris, part owner of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Devils, has an agreement in place to buy the NFL’s Commanders.

Griner plays in first WNBA preseason game since detainment in Russia

The Phoenix Mercury star had 10 points and three rebounds in 17 minutes

The Associated Press

PHOENIX — Brittney Griner strolled down the sideline about 1½ hours before the Phoenix Mercury played Friday night, giving hugs and high-fiving her teammates, coaches and opposing players.

Then it was a little stretching, a little shooting and a little agility work to prepare for a basketball game. Just like old times.

“I’m grateful to be here, that’s for sure,” Griner said. “I’m not going to take a day for granted.”

Griner returned to game action for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in December. The seven-time All-Star, who missed the entire 2022 season because of the detainment, finished with 10 points and three rebounds in a

WNBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The 6-foot-9 Griner looked good, especially considering the long layoff, casually throwing down a one-handed dunk during warmups. She stood with her teammates while the national anthem was played and received a loud ovation from the home crowd when she was introduced before tipoff.

“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner said. “It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different.

“Being here today ... it means a lot.”

Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said the anthem and introductions were emotional for the entire team.

“We looked at each other and we just had chills,” Nygaard said. “We were here last year for all of it. I’m getting emotional about it now.

Just to see her back out there — it’s an absolute miracle. It was amazing. It’s giving me chills again.”

West Stanly baseball, softball advance to 3rd round of state playoffs

Three other local schools fell short in the first and second rounds

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

STANLY COUNTY —Two of the eight Stanly County high school baseball and softball teams that reached the state playoffs remain as the tournaments head to the third round.

West Stanly

Once the game started, the 32-year-old Griner immediately went to work, scoring on a turnaround jumper early in the first quarter. A few minutes later, she was fouled on another turnaround and sank both free throws. She even had a cameo with the medical staff in the third quarter. Teammate Sophie Cunningham went down with a knee injury and Griner helped carry her off the court so she didn’t have to put weight on her leg.

“When one of us goes down, we’re always right there,” Griner said. “That’s one thing about this team — we’re always there for each other. We’ve got each others’ backs, big time.”

Griner’s return to the Mercury rekindles hope the franchise can make another run to the WNBA Finals. The former Baylor star helped the franchise win its third title in 2014 and has averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds during her nineyear career. She was runner-up for Most Valuable Player in 2021, when the Mercury also played in the Finals but lost to the Chicago Sky.

In the 2A baseball bracket, the fifth-seeded Colts (243, 11-0 Rocky River) defeated No. 28 West Lincoln (12-14, 8-6 Catawba Valley) 14-0 on May 9 before taking down No. 12 East Rutherford (21-4, 10-2 Mountain Foothills Seven) 3-1 on May 12. R iding a 10-game winning streak, West was set to play at fourth-seeded West Stokes (22-4, 12-0 Mid-State) on Tuesday in a third-round matchup.

In the 2A softball bracket, the fourth-seeded Colts (25-1, 10-0 RRC) used an 11-0 win to move past No. 29 Randleman (7-15, 4-8 Piedmont) before defeating No. 13 Bandys (20-5, 12-2 Catawba Valley) 6-0 in the second round.

The Colts — currently on a 25-game winning streak — were scheduled to host fifth-seeded Maiden (20-3, 13-1 Catawba Valley) in the third round on Tuesday.

The No. 16 Bulls baseball team (13-12, 6-6 Yadkin Valley) edged past No. 17 Swain County (10-10, 9-3 Smoky Mountain) in the opening

round of the 1A state playoffs but suffered a 6-1 loss to top seed Cherryville (23-4, 11-1 Southern Piedmont) in Round 2. The Bulls’ softball team (22-4, 12-0 YVC) — the reigning 1A champions and second-seeded team — blasted No. 31 North Rowan (5-9, 4-8 Central Carolina) with a 17-0 finish before falling 4-1 at home to Uwharrie Charter (14-8, 7-5 Piedmont Athletic) three days later.

In the upset loss, Eagles pitcher Molly Bulla limited the Bulls to just three hits while her team combined for 10 hits off South pitchers Mattie Poulos and Riley Dennis. S outh Stanly, the 2023 YVC regular season and tournament champions, lost two of their final five matchups on the season.

North Stanly

In the 2A baseball bracket, the No. 10 North Stanly Comets (15-11, 10-2 YVC) fell 1-0 to No. 23 Shelby (13-12, 7-5 Southern Piedmont) in the first round.

In the 2A softball bracket, No. 23 North Stanly softball team (12-11, 6-6 YVC) traveled to No. 10 Mount Pleasant (16-10, 7-5 YVC) and lost 12-2.

Gray Stone

No. 25 Gray Stone baseball (7-13, 2-10 YVC) played at eighth-seeded Corvian Community (14-8, 6-1 Metro Eight) in the 1A bracket and was handed a 10-7 loss. O n that same night, the No. 17 Gray Stone softball team (10-10, 5-7 YVC) was hosted by No. 16 Draughn (20-5, 10-2 Western Highlands) and fell 6-2.

Umpire Don Denkinger, left, watches as Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell, right, stretches to catch the ball as Royals batter Jorge Orta steps on first base during the ninth inning in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series in Kansas City, Missouri. Denkinger ruled Orta safe and the Royals went on to win the game and eventually the World Series.

His missed call in the 1985 World Series helped the Royals rally past the Cardinals

The Associated Press NEW YORK — Don Denkinger, a major league umpire for three decades whose blown call in the 1985 World Series overshadowed a career of excellence, died Friday. He was 86.

Denkinger died at Cedar Valley Hospice in Waterloo, Iowa, Denise Hanson, one of his three daughters, said.

Denkinger joined the American League staff in 1969. He worked

four World Series over three decades in the big leagues but was remembered most for a call he didn’t get right.

St. Louis had a 3-2 Series lead over Kansas City and was ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, three outs from the title, when pinch-hitter Jorge Orta led off with a slow bouncer to the right side. First baseman Jack Clark ranged to field the ball and flipped a sidearm toss to reliever Todd Worrell covering the bag.

Denkinger signaled safe but replays showed Worrell caught the throw on the base ahead of the runner. After Steve Balboni’s single, a bunt, a passed ball and an intentional walk, pinch-hitter Dane Iorg looped a two-run single

into right field for a 2-1 walk-off win that forced Game 7. The Royals won 11-0 the following night for the championship.

“Nobody wants to have the call that I did in the World Series,” Denkinger told The Associated Press in 2014. “But I did. And now it’s part of history.”

Major League Baseball did not adopt video review for most calls until 2014.

“I’m not tired of talking about it. I mean, it happened,” Denkinger said. “I just know that if the same thing happened now, they’d get it right on replay and it’d be over with.”

Denkinger kept a framed photo of the infamous play and joined Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, the

Cardinals’ manager in the 1980s, as speakers at the Saint Louis University First Pitch baseball dinner in 2015. Denkinger also spoke at the 2005 Whitey Herzog Youth Foundation dinner.

Denkinger umpired in many of his era’s big games. He worked the plate for World Series Game 7 in 1991, when Minnesota’s Jack Morris pitched a 10-inning shutout to beat Atlanta 1-0. He also worked the plate for the 1978 Yankees-Red Sox tiebreaker game at Fenway Park and for Nolan Ryan’s sixth no-hitter in 1990.

Denkinger is among seven umps to work a pair of perfect games. He was at second base for Len Baker’s gem in 1981 and at first for Kenny Rogers’ perfecto in

1994.

Denkinger was born in Cedar Falls on Aug. 28, 1936. He wrestled while at Wartburg College, served in the U.S. Army and started umpiring in the Alabama-Florida League in 1960. He moved up to the Northwest League the following two seasons, the Double-A Texas League from 1963-65 and the Triple-A International League from 1966-68.

He made his American League debut at third base in Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium on April 8, 1969, and was behind the plate for the first time four days later at Sick’s Stadium in Seattle.

Denkinger worked his first two World Series in 1974 and 1980. His final game was at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium on June 2, 1998, and he retired after the season at age 62 because of an ailing right knee.

He is survived by his wife, the former Gayle Price, and daughters. A funeral is planned for May 19 at St. John Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls.

Don Denkinger, umpire whose stellar career was overshadowed by blown call, dead at 86

PATRICK SULLIVAN | THE KANSAS CITY STAR VIA AP

AP PHOTO

Mercury center Brittney Griner played in her first preseason game since being detained in Russia, scoring 10 points on Friday in Phoenix.

Census rejecting some big-city complaints of 2020 undercounts

The Associated Press

SOME OF THE LARGEST U.S. cities challenging their 2020 census numbers aren’t getting the results they hoped for from the U.S. Census Bureau — an effort by Memphis to increase its official population resulted in three people being subtracted from its count during an initial appeal.

Some successes have come from challenges to totals of “group quarters” — dorms, jails and nursing homes. They were among the most difficult to count as campuses closed and prisons and nursing homes were locked down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Census Bureau created a separate program to handle these challenges.

The Census Bureau has received more than 100 submissions in total for its two challenge programs from cities, towns and villages of all sizes across the U.S.

The challenges won’t affect how many congressional seats each state got during the apportionment process, or the more detailed numbers used for redrawing political boundaries. But new numbers could shape how the federal government distributes $1.5 trillion for transportation, health programs and other funding, which is most pertinent for cities.

State, tribal and local governments have until the end of June to file challenges, and any changes will be reflected in future population estimates that are calculated each year between censuses.

AUSTIN

Austin, determined to be the 11th most populous U.S. city with 964,000 residents, claimed that 7,329 housing units were missed. With an average Austin household size of almost 2.4 people in 2020, that could mean more than 17,500 residents overlooked.

The Census Bureau, however, added only a single housing unit,

and provided little information on its methodology, officials in Texas’ capital said.

“This outcome is incredibly disappointing and disheartening,”

Mayor Kirk Watson said in a letter to the bureau.

City officials plan to meet with Census Bureau officials in the near future to get a more detailed explanation of how bureau officials reached their decision.

BOSTON

Officials in Boston, a hub of higher education, believed the 2020 census missed more than 6,000 students living in university housing and 419 inmates at local jails. The Census Bureau approved

the submission from Boston, which had 675,647 residents in the 2020 census, of which the city claimed 41,776 were students living in student housing.

“It’s no surprise that many of these special populations were miscounted due to the untimely and completely unanticipated emergence of a global pandemic that just happened to perfectly coincide with the 2020 count,” said Susan Strate, senior program manager at the UMass Donahue Institute, which assisted Boston in its challenge.

DETROIT

Detroit filed two challenges. One said the count shortchanged Michigan’s largest city by 8% of its oc-

cupied homes, overlooking tens of thousands of residents. The 2020 census found 639,111 Detroit residents, down from its 2019 population estimate of 670,052.

Detroit succeeded only with its group quarters challenge, adding 1,478 more people in 61 group quarters, said Corey McIsaac, the city’s deputy director of media relations.

MEMPHIS

Memphis launched two challenges, saying the census missed 15,895 residents, and that Memphis grew since 2010, for the first time in 50 years. The 2020 census, however, found 633,104 residents, a drop of 13,785 residents from 2010.

Memphis was unsuccessful in its appeal of its housing count in which the city said more than 10,700 people were missed. The Census Bureau actually subtracted a housing unit and three residents, a result Memphis is disputing. The other challenge deals with misapplied geographic boundaries impacting more than 5,100 people, and is still pending.

“The Census count was wrong,” Allison Fouche, Memphis’ chief communications officer, said in an email. “The gains we have seen in investments in Memphis, especially in the core city, over the last few years tell a different story.”

MILWAUKEE

Wisconsin’s largest city succeeded with its claim that more than 800 jail inmates were missed, part of a challenge organized with other Wisconsin municipalities. Milwaukee’s other appeal is still pending, claiming 16,500 residents were overlooked in houses and apartments, primarily in communities of color. The 2020 census put Milwaukee at 577,222 residents, down about 3% from 2010.

PHOENIX

Phoenix awaits a response to its challenge of its group quarters count, claiming 3,500 people in 192 facilities were missed, according to a letter from Mayor Kate Gallego obtained through a public records request.

The city said two jails were overlooked, along with drug and alcohol treatment centers, a group home for people with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease and a residential facility for juveniles needing mental health treatment.

The census determined that Phoenix was the fastest-growing big city in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020, increasing by 11.2% to 1.6 million residents and making it the fifth most populous U.S. city.

on any objective technical or engineering conclusion about a defect, “but rather conclusory statements regarding hypothesized blockage of the inflator orifice from ‘weld slag.’”

The Associated Press DETROIT — A Tennessee company could be heading for a legal battle with U.S. auto safety regulators after refusing a request that millions of potentially dangerous air bag inflators be recalled.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding that ARC Automotive Inc. of Knoxville recall 67 million inflators in the U.S. because they could explode and hurl shrapnel. At least two people have been killed in the U.S. and Canada, and seven others have been hurt as a result of defective ARC inflators, the agency said.

The recall would cover a large portion of the 284 million vehicles now on U.S. roads, but the percentage is difficult to determine. Some have ARC inflators for both the driver and front passenger.

In a letter posted Friday, the agency told ARC that it has tentatively concluded after an eight-year investigation that ARC front driver and passenger inflators have a safety defect.

“Air bag inflators that project metal fragments into vehicle occupants, rather than properly inflating the attached air bag, create an unreasonable risk of death and injury,”

Stephen Ridella, director of NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation,

wrote in a letter to ARC.

But ARC responded that it no defect exists in the inflators, and that any problems are related to isolated manufacturing issues.

The next step in the process is for NHTSA to schedule a public hearing. It could then take the company to court to force a recall.

“We disagree with NHTSA’s new sweeping request when extensive field testing has found no inherent defect,” ARC said in a statement Friday night.

NHTSA posted documents showing that General Motors is recalling nearly 1 million vehicles equipped with ARC inflators. The recall covers certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia SUVs.

The automaker says an inflator explosion “may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.”

Owners will be notified by letter starting June 25, but no fix is available yet. They’ll get another letter when one is ready.

GM says it will offer “courtesy transportation” on a case-by-case basis to owners who fear driving vehicles that are part of the recall.

The company said that it’s doing the recall, which expands previous actions, “out of an abundance

of caution and with the safety of our customers as our highest priority.” One of the two deaths was a mother of 10 who was killed in what appeared to be an otherwise minor crash in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the summer of 2021. Police reports show that a metal inflator fragment hit her neck in a crash involving a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse SUV. At least a dozen automakers have the allegedly faulty inflators in use, including Volkswagen, Ford, BMW

and GM, NHTSA said. The agency contends that welding debris from the manufacturing process can block an “exit orifice” for gas that is released to fill the air bag in a crash. Any blockage can cause pressure to build in the inflator, blowing it apart and hurling metal fragments, Ridella’s letter says. But in a response to Ridella dated May 11, ARC Vice President of Product Integrity Steve Gold wrote that NHTSA’s position is not based

He wrote that welding debris has not been confirmed as the cause in any of the seven inflator ruptures in the U.S. ARC contends that only five have ruptured while in use, and that “does not support a finding that a systemic and prevalent defect exists in this population.”

Gold also writes that manufacturers must do recalls, not equipment manufacturers like ARC. NHTSA’s recall demand, he wrote, exceeds the agency’s legal authority.

In a federal lawsuit filed last year, plaintiffs alleged that ARC’s inflators use ammonium nitrate as a secondary propellant to inflate the air bags. The propellant is pressed into tablets that can expand and develop microscopic holes if exposed to moisture. Degraded tablets have a larger surface area, causing them to burn too fast and ignite too big of an explosion, according to the lawsuit.

The explosion can blow apart a metal canister housing the chemical, sending metal shards into the cabin. Ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizer and as a cheap explosive, is so dangerous that it can burn too fast even without moisture present, the lawsuit says.

The plaintiffs allege that ARC inflators have blown apart seven times on U.S. roads and two other times in testing by ARC. There have so far been five limited recalls of the inflators that totaled about 5,000 vehicles, including three recalls by GM.

AP PHOTO

The ARC Automotive manufacturing plant is seen, July 14, 2015 in Knoxville, Tenn.

AP PHOTO

Lights from inside buildings illuminate the skyline, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, in Austin, Texas.

Tennessee

company

refuses US request to recall 67 million potentially dangerous air bag inflators

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

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

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor.

Dwight Farmer

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

James Roseboro

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health

Robert Goward True

She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

October 24, 1946 — May 7, 2023

Robert Goward True of New London, NC passed away at his home on May 7, 2023. He was 76.

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

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

Bob was born in Framingham, Massachusetts on October 24, 1946, to John True and Olga Olson. He was smart and hardworking and won a scholarship to Bowdoin College in Maine, where he waited tables in the dining hall to help pay his bills. Right out of college, while driving a taxi and contemplating what to do next, Bob met and married Juliet Elizabeth Burley. They had a daughter and lived on a farm in New Hampshire as a young family, where they had many happy days and funny adventures. They kept goats and named one Ringo because they thought he looked like Ringo Starr.

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran. He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

Mary Morton

July 7, 1935 ~ May 14, 2023

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

Mary Lefler Morton passed away Sunday, May 14th 2023 at her home surrounded by her loved ones.

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

Mary was born July 7,1935 in Anson County to John and Nellie Lefler. She spent most of her working life with Collins & Aikman of Norwood. After retirement she worked as a greeter with Walmart of Albemarle. Mary was a devoted Christain and was a member of Norwood Church of God, which she attended for over 65 years. She was a hard-working mama, grandmother, wife, friend and caregiver for over eight decades. As someone who truly loved people, she enjoyed spending time visiting with family and friends most of all.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty.

In mid-life, Bob reconnected with an old friend from Cornell, Lizette Hardie, and moved to North Carolina to be with her.

Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

Lizette was the love of his life and one of his dearest friends. While their partnership did not last forever, she was important to him and he spoke of her with love and admiration.

Bob’s daughter, Gala, was a constant in his life. They bonded over music, SCUBA diving and travel, and they shared many physical, intellectual, and spiritual characteristics. They disagreed over many things as well, but always remained close. He loved and respected her husband, Morgan. He treasured his grandchildren, Maya and Max. He had many wonderful friends over the years who shared his adventures. In the last years of his life, Bob moved to a little place near a lake where he made friends with kind neighbors who looked out for him, invited him over to watch football games, and shared family dinners with him. Of the many, many pets Bob had over the years, none was more beloved than his little Jack Russell named Shadow. She was his shadow for 14 years, and his heart was broken when she died.

In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his brother, John, and his sister, Joan.

Bob is survived by his daughter, Gala True (Morgan Miller) of New Orleans, LA.; grandchildren, Maya True Miller and Maxwell True Miller; and by several nieces and nephews and their families.

John B. Kluttz

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

G. E. McIntyre

July 15, 1932 ~ May 10, 2023

George Emory “G. E.” McIntyre, Jr., of Norwood, passed away Wednesday morning, May 10, 2023 at Spring Arbor of Albemarle.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

In addition to her parents, Mrs Morton was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Lee Morton, son Ricky Lee Morton, daughter Karen Morton Simpson, grandsons: Richard Lee Morton and James Kevin Simpson, and great grandson, Dalton Reid Tarlton.

She is survived by her granddaughter; Patricia Simpson Tarlton and her husband Rodger Lee Tarlton of the home, greatgranddaughter Shana Leigh Tarlton, Alisa Simpson Hayes and CJ Simpson and two great great grandchildren as well as daughter-in-law Gail Smith Morton, and son-in-law James Reid Simpson.

G. E. was born July 15, 1932 in Stanly County to the late George Emory McIntyre, Sr. and Jeneece Boone McIntyre. He attended Aquadale High School and retired from Carolina Solite, where he was the first person hired when the solite opened. He served in the NC National Guard. He was a faithful member of Aquadale Baptist Church, where he served as deacon.

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

Doris Jones Coleman

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU.

Lorne Rafe Jordan

November 14, 1966 - April 11, 2023

Lorne Rafe Jordan, 56, of Albemarle passed away on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 in Atrium Cabarrus.

When John purchased his first Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

G. E. was an avid gardener and was known for his immaculate lawn. He took great pride and spent many hours making sure the lawn was perfect! He and his late wife, Sybil always had cats, dogs and frequently visiting squirrels and birds on their deck where there was always food put out for them.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his loving wife of 61 years, Sybil Efird McIntyre and their son, Phillip McIntyre.

He is survived by his special family, Danny and Julie Poplin and their daughters, D. J. and Presley Poplin; sister, Bobbie Almond.

Darrick Baldwin

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

Born November 14, 1966 in Sampson County, NC, he was the son of Cleo Ellis Jordan of Albemarle and the late Leslie Ray Jordan. He was a member of Union Chapel United Methodist Church and a former machinist. He was a veteran of the US Army Air Defense Artillery having served in Europe. He is survived by his mother Cleo Ellis Jordan of Albemarle, daughters Lindsey and Brianna, brother Lance Jordan (Shelley) of Locust, and sister Lisa Jordan Watts of Huntersville.

At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.

This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men. John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966. Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.

Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.

Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was selfless, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley.

Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

STATE & NATION

House Republicans pass border security measure as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill last week to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies as illegal immigrants massed along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it.

The legislation passed 219-213, with all present Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and John Duarte of California, voting against it.

The House GOP pointedly voted on the bill the same day as the expiration of Title 42, a public health emergency rule that allowed border authorities to quickly return many who crossed the border illegally. Biden has conceded that the southern border will be “chaotic for a while.”

Republicans have sought to slam Biden for the increase in illegal immigration during his tenure. Passing the bill would ensure House GOP lawmakers can say they did their part to deliver on a campaign promise to secure the border.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the package “the strongest

border security bill this country has ever seen,” saying in a speech on the House floor that “meanwhile, we are seeing a very different record from President Biden.”

The 213-page bill represents a compromise in the Republican conference between mainstream lawmakers, who wanted to focus on beefing up border enforcement, and hardline conservatives, who want to see drastic changes to U.S. asylum and immigration law.

The package would return to many of the same policies pur-

sued by former President Donald Trump, such as building walls along the border. It would also restrict asylum by requiring migrants to cross legally, pay a $50 fee and meet more stringent requirements to show in initial interviews that they have a credible fear of persecution in their home country.

The bill would also scrap a program that has allowed U.S. officials to accept or quickly turn away some migrants from Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. The program is a cornerstone of Biden’s immigration

efforts, allowing migrants from those countries to apply to come to the U.S. for two years legally and work.

A small group of House and Senate lawmakers hopes the House bill could give momentum for a separate package in the works that would incorporate aggressive border enforcement with expanding legal immigration through work visas, as well as potentially a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

“The bill that we’re getting, I think, is a good starting point,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican. “It, by itself, would not get 60 votes to get out of here.”

Any final bill would need bipartisan support to pass the Senate and agreement from House Republicans on significant changes.

Some House lawmakers were already raising concerns about whether agriculture businesses would be disrupted by the bill’s requirement that agriculture businesses verify the immigration status of employees.

In explaining his vote against the bill, Duarte, who represents a district comprised of farmland in California’s Central Valley, said in a statement that the bill would “harm many families that work in our Valley and create difficulties for our food producers.”

Massie, the other Republican to oppose the legislation, made a libertarian argument against a sys-

New NC elections board members sworn in, with photo ID and district map changes ahead

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — A new edition of North Carolina’s State Board of Elections convened Wednesday, a panel now tasked with helping implement a photo voter identification law later this year and administering 2024 general elections under yet-again different legislative and congressional district maps.

The board’s five members — three registered Democrats and two Republicans appointed to four-year terms by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — were sworn in to their positions and picked leaders.

Three members are new to the board — Democrats Alan Hirsch and Siobhan Millen and Republican Kevin Lewis. Democrat Jeff Carmon and Republican Stacy “Four” Eggers were reappointed to another term.

The new board unanimously elected Hirsch as the next chair, succeeding previous Democratic Chair Damon Circosta, who is no longer on the board, along with Republican Tommy Tucker and Democrat Stella Anderson.

Hirsch, the CEO for a small biotechnology firm in Winston-Salem, said he understands the gravity of the board’s role. North

Carolina, the nation’s ninth-largest state by population, has 7.25 million registered voters and often closely contested statewide races.

“This is about the confidence in our election process,” Hirsch told reporters. “Sometimes one side wins, sometimes the other side

wins. But whatever the case is, it needs to be done fairly and with respect for the citizens of this state.”

The board was seated less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court reversed decisions by a former edition of the court that had struck down a 2018 voter ID law

and U.S. House and state legislative seat boundaries approved by the General Assembly.

The 2024 elections will feature races for president, governor, the U.S. House and the legislature among others. The Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling also means the Republican-controlled General Assembly will again redraw legislative and congressional maps later this year.

The board itself has no role drawing maps. But carrying out elections under new boundaries requires the time and energy of state and county election officials to ensure that voters know which districts they live in and that ballots are printed to reflect those changes.

Litigation and new census figures mean candidates have run under different legislative district boundaries every cycle since 2016 and different congressional lines since 2018.

With the voter ID law now enforceable, the board has said work would begin to implement it starting with municipal elections later this year. A federal lawsuit challenging the mandate is still pending, however. State law directs Cooper to appoint board members from a list of nominees provided by the state

tem that tracks people’s immigration status.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, is introducing legislation that would assist border officials and speed up the asylum application process. And Tillis joined with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who accepts committee assignments from Democrats, to push a bill that would resurrect the government’s power to quickly expel migrants, without processing their asylum claims, for another two years.

“It’s clear that the Biden administration, while it had two years to prepare for the end of Title 42, failed to do so,” Sinema told reporters. “And in the last several weeks, I’ve had the unfortunate job of communicating on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly basis, with the sheriffs, the Border Patrol agents, mayors and even the governor of Arizona to figure out how we can prepare to deal with this crisis.” Biden has received countless barbs from Congress, but one Texas Republican key to immigration negotiations, Rep. Tony Gonzales, is already thinking of how to get the president on board.

“Until the president of the United States signs a bill into law, all of this is theater,” said Gonzales, who represents a large swath of border country. “A lot of people are good at political theater. Meanwhile, back in my district, we’re dealing with a real crisis.”

Democratic and Republican parties. No party can have more than three members on the board. Historically, the governor’s party has held the majority of board appointments. Lewis is a Rocky Mount attorney, while Millen is a former attorney from Raleigh who has been involved in nonprofits and voter registration efforts.

Cooper and the Republican legislative leaders fought in court for much of the governor’s first term over the board’s structure.

Hirsch, a former deputy state attorney general and policy adviser for then-Gov. Mike Easley in the 2000s, said it’s important that he and his colleagues avoid partisan acrimony to ensure an orderly election process.

“My hope is that both Republicans and Democrats on the board can agree as much as humanly possible so that we can provide that confidence in the election process that everybody really wants,” he said.

The new board also retained Karen Brinson Bell as executive director for another two years. Brinson Bell has been at the job since 2019, leading the board’s day-to-day operations and to assist boards in all 100 counties.

During Brinson Bell’s tenure, post-election controversies over vote counts and the voting process during the 2020 and 2022 elections were few and far between compared to other states. The 2020 elections played out over COVID-19 restrictions that led to a record number of mail-in absentee ballots being turned in by voters.

AP PHOTO

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., stands center in the House Chamber, Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

Alan Hirsch, right, the new chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, speaks with board member Stacy “Four” Eggers after a board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Raleigh.

Randolph record

Postseason pride

Area high school baseball, softball and girls’ soccer teams have started postseason play. In this photo, Uwharrie Charter Academy softball players greet Molly Bulla as she approaches the plate after hitting a home run during a Class 1-A game last week against Highland Tech. For more local sports, see Pages 5 and 6.

COUNTY NEWS

NC Zoo dedicates ‘Quiet Days’ for guests with sensory issues

The North Carolina Zoo recently announced its list of “Quiet Days” for this year in order for guests with sensory issues to have a more enjoyable experience at the park. The Zoo has been a “certified sensory inclusive venue” since March 2019, after it received accreditation from KultureCity, a worldwide nonprofit recognized for using its resources to revolutionize and effect change in the community for those with sensory needs.

Quiet Days at the Zoo will offer a more sensory-friendly experience for those looking to visit the Zoo on a less crowded day. On these particular days, the Zoo does not allow reservations for large groups or field trips and also turns off all loud music and messaging at the entrances to the park. There will be one dedicated quiet day each month throughout 2023. The scheduled quiet days for 2023 are May 30, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21, and December 19. If you plan to visit the NC Zoo with someone with sensory issues, please visit https://www.nczoo.org/ visit/accessibility-needs for additional information.

Google Street View car visits Asheboro

Last week, the Google Street View car was spotted driving around the Asheboro area over the course of several days. According to Google, the company is devoting time this year to updating its images of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, and Greensboro, in addition to “smaller cities and towns that are within driving distance.” It would appear that this includes Asheboro. If you encountered one of these Google Street View cars last week and felt uneasy about it, fear not, as past lawsuits have forced Google to automatically blur identifiable faces and license plates, as well as to launch tools for the public to report content they feel is inappropriate or invades their privacy. Members of the public are even offered an option to blur any images of their homes.

For additional information about Google’s Street View technology, please visit https:// www.google.com/streetview/.

Incoming RCC president put new jobs on radar

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Dr. Shah Ar-

dalan has been looking for a new venture in education, and he found it with Randolph Community College. He was named as the seventh president of the school last week.

Ardalan will come from Lone Star College-University Park in Houston. He has been president there since 2012.

But RCC wasn’t his only potential destination. Ardalan has been a finalist for at least two other college presidencies over the past several years, including a candidate for a similar position in Wisconsin this spring.

About a week prior to visiting Asheboro for the RCC interview process and tour in April, Ardalan was among three finalists for the presidency of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. That job went to Dr. Kristen Raney, who has been Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.

Ardalan also was exploring other opportunities to leave LSC-University Park. In November 2020, he was identified as one of four finalists for the presidency at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida.

Ardalan has been involved in LSC-University since its infancy. In December, LSC-University

Park celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“We are honored and proud of how our community leaders showed their unwavering support of Lone Star College-University Park,” Ardalan said amid the celebration. “This is the only college in the country built on an open Invitation to Innovate (i2i), which transformed the property into this community’s college.”

That 10-year mark came with quite a bit of fanfare.

“Congratulations to Lone Star College-University Park on achieving this significant milestone,” said Stephen C. Head, Lone Star College chancellor.

“Since its beginning, this campus has laid the groundwork to transform higher education by taking a fresh look at how to best serve its students.”

At the time, Ardalan said, “and

“The RCC Presidential search has been a long and arduous process. I sincerely believe that our efforts were all worthwhile with the hiring of Dr. Shah Ardalan.”

Reynolds Lisk, chair of the search committee

the best is yet to come.” Now, he won’t be directly part of the next phase in Houston.

Even though its enrollment dropped from 11,201 to 10,416 from last spring to this spring, LSC-University Park is considerably larger than RCC – or about five times bigger in terms of enrollment. LSC-University Park offers 57 degrees and certificates.

Ardalan has been involved in a wide range of endeavors in the educational field. He has been on the Board of Trustees of the College Board, a mission-driven, not-forprofit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. That four-year term on the 31-member board runs through 2024. He was one of two board members from Texas when he took the post.

“It is an honor to serve such an esteemed organization as the Col-

Zoo looks to address parking pinch

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — High attendance on some spring days has created parking issues for North Carolina Zoo.

The NC Zoo Council heard details of the situation during last week’s meeting.

Zoo director Pat Simmons said there could be plans to expand parking ahead of opening the new Asia exhibit to relieve some of the parking headaches.

The Zoo has issued the following advisory: “For your safety and guest experience, the Zoo may need to limit parking once the lots are full. We typically reopen the parking lots once guests start leaving and spaces open.”

“For your safety and guest experience, the Zoo may need to limit parking once the lots are full. We typically reopen the parking lots once guests start leaving and spaces open.”

Statement by NC Zoo

Some of the parking pinches have come from contractors for the Asia exhibit using one of the overflow lots. Additional parking was planned as part of the Asia exhibit, so expediting that

could be in the works.

Zoo officials said sunny weekend days logically tend to draw the largest crowds. Carpooling is recommended when possible.

For patrons with options on when to visit, the Zoo typically has lower attendance on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Zoo hours for April through October are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (closing time is 4 p.m. from November through March). Parking is free.

Also, at the Zoo, the baboon habitat reopening is scheduled for May 24.

Then beginning May 29 through early September, a show featuring trained dogs promoting conservation will be among the daily events at the Zoo.

lege Board, which plays a pivotal role in creating pathways for students to pursue higher education,” Ardalan said.

Ardalan was selected among four finalists who visited RCC last month.

In a statement from RCC, Reynolds Lisk, board vice chair and chair of the presidential search committee, said: “The RCC Presidential search has been a long and arduous process. I sincerely believe that our efforts were all worthwhile with the hiring of Dr. Shah Ardalan. … Most importantly though, his passion for student success and empowering his staff and faculty is what makes him the right fit for Randolph Community College.”

Ardalan holds a doctorate in Community College Leadership from the John Roueche Graduate Center at National American University in Austin, Texas. He earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T and received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from UNC Greensboro.

Ardalan’s hiring came with several endorsements. Jay Box, chief leadership innovation officer at Higher Education Innovation, said that Ardalan “is an excellent leader who will continue the tradition of excellence at RCC.”

Gordon Freedman, who advises clients in higher education markets, said Ardalan “built and operated one of the most responsive, responsible and economically-engaged community college campuses in the U.S.” Executive Leadership Associates served as consultants in the hiring process. ELA received more than 80 applications for the position, according to information from RCC.

FILE PHOTO Shah Ardalan is RCC’s new president.

SCOTT PELKEY | RANDOLPH RECORD

WEEKLY FORECAST SPONSORED BY 336-629-7588 CALL OR TEXT

WEDNESDAY May 17

Driver permit bill becomes law without governor’s signature

The law is the fourth this session to pass into law without Cooper’s signature

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A bill modifying limited provisional licenses became law without Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature.

This is the fourth bill during the current session of the General Assembly to become law without the governor’s signature.

The other bills passing into law without Cooper’s signature include laws on hotel safety issues, rioting and civil disorder penalties, and a law altering the

♦ Patsy Marie Johnson Solomon, age 83 of Asheboro, died Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Clapp’s Convalescent Nursing Home in Asheboro.

♦ Fredrick Tibett Meeks, age 90 of Asheboro, died Tuesday, May 9,

governing structure of schools for the deaf and blind. All three bills have been introduced in the previous legislative session and received vetoes from Cooper.

The enacted legislation is Senate Bill 157, Limited Provisional License Modification. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers; 38-5 in the Senate and 9215 in the House.

The governor said in a statement about the bill, “I have concerns that this law could make our roads less safe, and I encourage the Division of Motor Vehicles and the legislature to monitor its effects closely.”

Thousands of teen drivers were hindered in obtaining their licenses by the COVID-19 pan-

2023, at Universal Healthcare in Ramseur.

♦ Thomas “Tom” Lee Hoffman, age 75 of Asheboro, died Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro.

demic, causing a massive backlog statewide at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A temporary fix similar to that in the bill was offered last year but did little to alleviate the backlog issue, prompting lawmakers to make the time period change permanent during the current session.

The bill took effect May 8 and alters the waiting period between going from a learner’s permit to a provisional license down to nine months. Prior to the bill being enacted into law, drivers had to wait 12 months.

Another change in the law will allow non-family members to ride with a driver during the nine-month provisional license timeframe.

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

May 19

Red Cross Blood Drive 2pm – 6:30pm

The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the State Employees Credit Union, located on 318 West Academy Street in Randleman. Come out and donate!

May 20

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!

Community Day at the YMCA 7am – 4pm

♦ Wanda Kay Lucas, age 59 of Asheboro, died Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at her home.

♦ Kimberly Lynn Buckner Smith, age 60 of Asheboro, died Monday, May 8, 2023 at Randolph Hospital after a short illne

The YMCA will be holding a FREE day for the community on May 20! Enjoy a pickleball tournament, group fitness classes, water fitness classes, family swim hours, food trucks, and more! For more information, please visit https:// randolpasheboroymca. com/community-day.

May 21

♦ Garcia, Gairo Arroyo (M, 33), Arrested on charge of Statutory Rape of Child <=15, Indecent Liberties with child, Stat Rape/ Sex Off Def >=6, on 5/10, at 1601 Manor View Rd.

♦ Jones, Nicholas Delane (M, 20), Arrested on charge of Possess Schedule I CS, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, Simple Possess Schedule II CS, Resisting Public Officer, on 5/11, at 5905 Finch Farm Rd.

♦ Russell, Branson Jacob (M, 40), Arrested on charge of DWLR, Aggressive Driving, Speeding, DV Protective Order Viol, on 5/10, at Randolph Co Courthouse.

♦ Elliott, Tyrese Jamal (M, 19), Arrested on charge of Alter/ Remove Serial Number on

Firearm, Carrying Concealed Gun, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, on 5/9, at I-85 SB Mile Marker 109.

♦ Johnson, Trashawn Torrelle (M, 24), Arrested on charge of Possession of Stolen Firearm, on 5/9, at 3831 Zoo Parkway.

♦ Lee, Damon Edward (M, 53), Arrested on charge of Extradition/Fugitive Other State, on 5/9, at Randolph Co Jail.

♦ McClinton, Brittany Tuttle (F, 30), Arrested on charge of Misdemeanor Stalking, on 5/9, at 4226 Bentley Dr.

♦ Bentley, Scott Allen (M, 53), Arrested on charge of Felony Larceny, Possession of Stolen Goods, on 5/8, at Randolph Co

Jail.

♦ Boyd, Brandon Michael (M, 26), Arrested on charge of Assault on a Female, on 5/8, at 548 Patterson Grove Rd.

♦ Brady, Gina Denise (F, 45), Arrested on charge of School Attendance Law Viol, on 5/8, at 4904 Marlbrook Ct.

♦ Dennis, Emory Rose (F, 38), Arrested on charge of Intoxicated and Disruptive, on 5/8, at I-73 Mile Marker 67.

♦ Mack, Sadie Marie (F, 24), Arrested on charge of Second Degree Trespass, Breaking and or Entering, Larceny after Break/ Enter, Possession of Stolen Goods, on 5/8, at Randolph Co Jail.

Sunday Concert –The Castaways 7pm

Come out to Bicentennial Park in Asheboro and listen to music by The Castaways! This event is free to attend and will have food trucks on site! Bring a lawn chair!

May 22

Liberty Town Council Meeting 5:30pm

The Liberty Town Council will hold their next meeting at the Liberty Town Hall, which is located at 239 S. Fayetteville Street.

May 24

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!

“Join the conversation”

A sign for the NC DMV Drivers License Office is pictured.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The South Korea Imperatives

VISITING SEOUL is always fascinating, and this year it was especially educational.

We joined a Washington Times Foundation delegation in a special briefing by key South Korean intelligence experts. As you might expect, South Korea pays extremely careful attention to Kim Jong Un and the North Korean dictatorship. Their common understanding of Korean language and culture makes them the preeminent analysts of Pyongyang.

Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone.

Based on their briefings, two large but vital projects became obvious.

First, there is an enormous cyber-theft hole in the sanctions regime levied against North Korea. This is providing an astonishing amount of money to the Kim dictatorship to finance its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Second, the recent North Korean missile firings have put renewed emphasis on analyzing the country’s non-nuclear ballistic threat to the Republic of Korea.

Let’s consider each challenge.

We were told North Korea is earning an estimated $1.2 billion a year through cybercrime. This is an enormous funding source for Kim Jong Un’s military research and development program.

There should be an all-out effort by the combined U.S., Korean, and Japanese intelligence services to lock down North Korea’s ability to steal on the internet. If Kim Jong Un can count on more than $1 billion a year in theft, the effect of other sanctions is dramatically weakened. Closing this loophole is vital to slowing down the North Korean military program.

Second, the scale of the North Korean missile program is growing and involves conventional as well as nuclear weapons.

As Time Magazine reported on April 12, North Korea completed a record 68 missile tests in 2022, “and there are no signs that the country plans to let up.”

The magazine reported that in early April, North Korea shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea, which separates the Korean Peninsula from Japan. It was the 12th missile

test this year.

“North Korea has reportedly fired 26 projectiles, including shortrange and intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 11 test launches in just the first three months of this year,” Time Magazine reported.

North Korea could do enormous damage to Seoul with conventional missiles. Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone. The human casualties would be devastating.

The North Korean missile build up requires an extraordinary program of developing missile defenses.

The country which has the best record of defeating missile attacks is Israel. According to Claire Berlinski at the Cosmopolitan Globalist, 469 missiles were recently fired from Gaza targeting Israeli towns and cities. The combination of the Arrow short range defense system, the new David’s Sling medium range defensive system (codeveloped by Rafael Defense Systems and Raytheon), and the Iron Dome computerized control system — which sorts incoming missiles based on the danger they represent — has enabled Israel to defeat an amazing number of missile attacks and saved an enormous number of lives.

North Korea’s missile systems are faster, bigger, and more dangerous than the missiles being fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It will require a joint American-South Korean-Japanese development program to create an anti-missile umbrella over South Korea and Japan (North Korea threatens both). This should be a high priority for the Pentagon. The joint system’s development will yield defensive dividends all around the world as countries such as Iran and others also develop missile capabilities.

Eliminating cybercrime and developing an effective missile defense system will go a long way toward ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and containing the North Korean threat.

A city as beautiful as Seoul — and an ally as steadfast as South Korea (with whom we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of our alliance this year) — deserve the best possible defense.

The Democrats’ debt ceiling position makes zero sense

“IF YOU BUY A CAR,” White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre explained the other day, “you are expected to pay the monthly payment. ... It’s that simple.”

that a Republican president will negotiate in good faith at some undetermined, future time? And not any president, but one who claims a $3.5 trillion inflation-inducing bill “costs zero dollars.” So, not exactly a whiz with numbers.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so.

Is it? Now, obviously, those who argue that the president can cancel millions of student loans by decree aren’t in a position to offer lessons on personal responsibility. The deeper problem with Jean-Pierre’s analogy, though, is that there isn’t a bank on Earth that’s going to keep lines of credit open when a person is compounding unsustainable debt year after year.

Speaking of which, the federal government has already hit the debt limit. The Treasury Department is now relying on “extraordinary measures” that will sputter out by June, at which time we will all be forced to forage for food and barter for medicine. The only thing that can save us from this dystopian hellscape, Jean-Pierre explains, is for Congress to do its “job” and return to regular order.

The White House press secretary is apparently unaware that regular order would entail Senate Democrats passing a bill and then negotiating with House Republicans, who have already passed a bill raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024.

Until this week, Democrats wouldn’t even talk to Republicans on the matter. In the old days, this kind of absolutist position would have every newspaper wringing its hands about GOP “obstructionism” and the dysfunction of the political system. Today, outlets like The New York Times simply pretend Republican bills are apparitions. “Are Republicans Willing to Raise the Debt Ceiling?” asks the editorial board this week.

Does the Times not know that the GOP has already agreed to lift the ceiling? They do. They pretend it isn’t real because it includes “deep cuts in federal spending” (by which they mean a return to last year’s discretionary spending levels, with no cuts moving forward), the reversal of “investments in tax enforcement” (some 80,000 new IRS cops monitoring, among other things, Venmo accounts with more than $600), a rollback of some “green energy” boondoggles, and so on.

And anyway, the Times notes, President Joe Biden has offered Republicans “a reasonable path to resolve the standoff” in which the GOP raises the ceiling without any conditions as Democrats demand, and then Biden will “separately negotiate measures to slow the growth of the federal debt.”

Dear Lord, can you imagine The New York Times editorial board urging Democrats to table their policy concerns and simply trust

But that’s not even the most ridiculous sentence in the editorial. The Times also contends that the debt ceiling “is not a useful mechanism for preventing the federal government from living beyond its means,” when that’s exactly why the law exists in the first place.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so. But even the Times concedes that Washington is “living beyond its means.” So, then, why is it more “reasonable” to negotiate the slowing of spending now, when the ceiling is in view, than a month from now or a year from now when there is no incentive to do anything?

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who for weeks was sending out snarky tweets demanding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy show the country his plan on the debt ceiling, won’t negotiate. And it’s clear that Biden is now pondering invoking the 14th Amendment and simply ignoring the debt ceiling much in the way he ignores the law on a slew of other issues. Such a move would almost surely be overturned by the Supreme Court -- because, as Ilya Shapiro succinctly put it, “a constitutional provision that prevents repudiation of debt doesn’t also somehow authorize limitless new debt.”

Democrats spend their time blaming GOP administration for the preponderance of our debt -- most of which Biden has voted for as a senator or helped shepherd through in the executive branch. No one is innocent on that front, of course, but most of our debt is propelled by constantly expanding entitlement programs, which are treated with a reverence by the left that the Constitution can never attain.

But even if the GOP were culpable for every single dollar of debt and were engaged in blatant hypocrisy, it wouldn’t change the fact that they are objectively correct today in arguing that we need to slow spending and mitigate debt. The arguments used to oppose even a modicum of responsible budgeting do not make any sense.

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 | NEWT GINGRICH

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

SOCCER

Lussi’s goal gives Courage win over OL Reign

Cary Tyler Lussi’s first-half goal powered the North Carolina Courage to a 1-0 win against OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday.

In the 34th minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Courage forward

Rikke Madsen sent a through ball to Lussi just over the halfway line. The forward beat her defender on the fast break and slotted a shot into the far post. North Carolina (33-1), which had 69% of possession in the first half, also had two firsthalf goals called back for offside.

NASCAR

Hendrick driver Bowman unsure of return from injury

Darlington, S.C.

Hendrick Motorsports

driver Alex Bowman said Sunday he had no timetable for a return to the track after fracturing a vertebra in his back in a sprint car accident last month. Bowman missed his third straight race since the injury at Darlington. He said he’s making progress in his recovery and will get X-rays this week that should give him a clearer picture of when he can get back behind the wheel. Bowman said he feels the pain when he sneezes, coughs or laughs, and he worries any hard, jarring movements in the car would be painful.

GOLF

Johnson recovers to win LIV Golf

Tulsa in playoff

Broken Arrow, Okla.

Dustin Johnson won a three-man playoff to win LIV Golf Tulsa. Johnson rallied with a birdie on the 18th for a 67 to join a playoff after posting a triple bogey at the 10th hole that had cost him the lead. But he made a 15foot birdie putt from the fringe to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in the playoff to earn his second LIV Golf title since joining the Saudibacked league last year. Smith shot a 61 and Grace shot a 65. Grace made par on the last hole that gave Stinger the team win.

TENNIS

Davidson, winner of 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, dies

Conroe, Texas Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, died on Friday. He was 79. He won 11 major titles in mixed doubles and two in men’s doubles.

Davidson teamed with

Billie Jean King to win eight of his Grand Slam trophies in a career that spanned from the early 1960s to mid-1970s. In 1967, Davidson became only the third player in tennis history to earn all four major mixed doubles titles in the same year, including three with King.

Byron wins at Darlington after Chastain wreck

The Associated Press DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway. Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.

Boom!

Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on a restart with six laps left and held off Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

“We talked about it under the caution,” Byron said of a potential dustup. “I didn’t think that

they would wreck, but, obviously, it happened and we rolled on by.” Chastain and Larson have raced each other tooth-and-nail this season with incidents impacting potential wins at Talladega and Dover heading into the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist — Byron is taking college courses at Liberty University — to know the two might tangle again.

It was a measure of retribution for Byron, who was two laps from victory in this race year a year ago until he was shoved out of the way by eventual winner Joey Logano.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out.”

He got away cleanly from Harvick on the green-white-checkered finish for his third win this season and seventh of his career.

Harvick was second and Chase Elliott third, his best finish since

returning to NASCAR from a broken leg while snowboarding.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

It was the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car and the organization’s first victory at Darlington since Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 race.

It looked like 2021 champ Larson or points leader Chastain had the strongest cars and figured

Commanders’ record sale agreed to by Snyder family, Harris group

Magic Johnson is part of the new ownership group

The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.

The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.

The deal is the largest for a North American professional sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners,” Snyder and his wife, Tanya, said in the statement. “We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said league staff and its finance

committee will review details of the proposed transaction. Owners meet later this month in Minnesota, but they are only expected to get an update on the situation then, with a formal vote expected in the coming months. Snyder has owned the team since 1999, when he bought his favorite boyhood team for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Con-

gress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.

Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013. “I could not be more excited to

to be there at the end. Instead, Chastain was alongside Larson during a restart and admitted trying to squeeze his competitor against the wall in turn two. Both wound up wrecking.

Larson finished 20th and Chastain, who punched Noah Gragson in a pit-road confrontation a week ago at Kansas, was 29th.

“I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up, we’ve been trading back and forth all day. I wanted to push him up for sure,” Chastain said.

Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels angrily said on the radio, “three races he’s taken us out of.”

“Children,” TV analyst and racing great Bill Elliott said. “You put ‘em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

Larson moved into the lead when Denny Hamlin went to the pits with 30 laps remaining and was in prime position for victory until tangling with Chastain.

“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” winning owner Rick Hendrick said of Chastain. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies.”

Next week is the NASCAR AllStar Open at revamped North Wilkesboro Speedway.

be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders,” Johnson tweeted. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”

Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.

“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward,” Harris said. “We look forward to running a worldclass organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid several offfield controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver picked up his third victory of the season

William Byron won his third race of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

AP PHOTO

Josh Harris, part owner of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Devils, has an agreement in place to buy the NFL’s Commanders.

Cougars bounce Patriots with pitcher’s no-hitter

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph had a challenge from in-county rival Providence Grove in the second round of the Class 2-A state playoffs.

The Cougars had the right combination, riding Macie Crutchfield’s no-hitter to Friday night’s 5-0 victory.

Southwestern Randolph (21-

1) had a third-round home game against No. 10 seed Mount Pleasant on Tuesday night.

Ky Perdue went 3-for-3 and scored three runs, while Madison Varner drove in two runs.

Providence Grove pitcher

Emma Mazzarone’s prep career ended despite 13 strikeouts without a walk. The Patriots finished with a 14-9 record.

Providence Grove reached the second round by nipping No. 18 seed West Caldwell 1-0 in eight innings as Mazzarone fired a one-hitter with 19 strikeouts.

Devon Kelly’s two-out double in the eighth drove in Katie Joe Staley.

Meanwhile, Southwestern Randolph secured a 10-0 triumph against No. 31 seed East Davidson in the first round as Caressa King and Maddie Strider blasted home runs. Crutchfield and Alyssa Harris combined to strike out seven batters in the six-inning game.

** No. 29 seed Randleman lost 11-0 at fourth-seeded West Stanly in the first round.

Class 1-A

Fourth-seeded Eastern Randolph and 15th-seeded Uwharrie Charter Academy both won two games in the opening week of the state playoffs.

Eastern Randolph drilled No. 29 seed Bradford Prep 13-0 in the first round as Addie Flinchum had two home runs among her four hits. She drove in six runs.

Ayanna Mears also homered, and Lanie McDaniel had three hits, including a triple.

Eastern Randolph then topped No. 20 seed Starmount 9-0, with Flinchum striking out 15 and walking two in the two-hitter. Skylar Pugh belted a grand slam,

Samuel Asbill

Eastern Randolph, baseball

Asbill gave a strong pitching performance in one of Eastern Randolph’s two road victories last week in the Class 1-A state playoffs.

Asbill, a junior right-hander, was listed for throwing 103 pitches when the Wildcats defeated Mt. Airy.

This marks the second year in a row that the Wildcats have secured two victories in the state playoffs. Before that, they hadn’t won a state-playoff game since 2013.

Wheatmore girls seeded No. 2 in West soccer

Randolph Record

Shutouts help Eastern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter Academy in early rounds of state playoffs.

Mears scored three runs and Ziera Watson scored two runs.

Next for the Wildcats (17-5) was a home date Tuesday vs. No. 12 seed East Wilkes.

UCA opened the playoffs with a

32-0 whipping of Highland Tech as Kenzie Hill and Molly Bulla homered. Hill, Bulla and Kynley Brewer all scored four runs. Bulla struck out 11 without allowing a hit.

UCA’s second victory of the playoffs came with a 4-1 upset at No. 2 seed South Stanly as pitcher Bulla struck out 14 batters and walked four. Hill scored two runs. The Eagles (14-8) were slated for Tuesday’s third-round home game against No. 26 seed North Stokes.

DEFENDING CLASS 2-A state champion Wheatmore holds the No. 2 seed in the West Region for the girls’ soccer state playoffs.

First-round games were slated for Monday night. Winners advance to Thursday’s second round.

Through the regular season, Wheatmore (19-0) outscored opponents 171-8. The Warriors were to match up with No. 31 seed Shelby (9-10) in the first round. No. 17 seed Providence Grove (12-7-2) headed to No. 16 seed Black Mountain Owen (10-6) for the first round.

Randleman (7-8-1) is seeded No. 28, going to No. 5 seed East Gaston (16-1-2) for the first round. Southwestern Randolph (9-9-1) holds the No. 29 seed with a first-round trip to fourth-seeded Hendersonville (14-4).

Class 3-A

Asheboro (9-6-4) owns the No. 17 seed with a first-round game at No. 16 North Henderson (12-5).

Class 1-A No. 18 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy (7-10-2) was to play at No. 15 seed Gray Stone Day School (11-7-1).

Eastern Randolph, UCA slide through first week

Randolph Record

EASTERN RANDOLPH and Uwharrie Charter Academy took different paths to the third round of the Class 1-A state playoffs in baseball.

Each team won twice in the first week of the state playoffs.

No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph (6-17) won two road games, beginning with a 9-5 ousting of No. 12 seed Mount Airy.

Then the Wildcats went to No. 5 seed Hayesville, where Friday night’s game was suspended in the fifth inning. Eastern Randolph ended up with a 5-2 victory when the game concluded Saturday.

Eastern Randolph headed to No. 13 seed Highland Tech on Tuesday.

Second-seeded UCA (16-10) had a smoother time, stopping No. 18 seed Bishop McGuinness 10-4 as Jake Hunter threw five shutout innings.

Earlier in the week, UCA topped No. 31 seed Queen’s Grant 12-5, with Ben Medinger hitting a home run and Brett Smith notching the pitching victory. For the third round, UCA had a home game Tuesday vs. No. 10 seed North Stokes.

Class 2-A

In the first round, Trinity, which reached the regional semifinals last year, lost to No. 17 seed East Gaston by 6-4. The No. 16 seeded Bulldogs (15-11) received two hits from Jake Little. Cade Hill was the losing pitcher.

No. 18 seed Providence Grove lost 1-0 at No. 15 seed Forbush, which scored with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Thomas pitched the complete game for the Patriots (14-11).

No. 29 seed Wheatmore lost 7-0 at No. 4 seed West Stokes. The

Randleman hits at another level in playoff romps

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — As the Class 2-A state playoffs began, Randleman’s baseball team cranked it up a notch.

The Tigers know what it takes this time of the year.

“We’ve got to keep up the energy,” senior second baseman Shawn Miller said. “We all know we’re good enough to be on the field.”

For the two-time defending state champions, the bats have awakened. With Friday night’s power display, it was reminiscent of a season ago – with mostly different guys taking the swings.

“More of what I expected throughout the year,” coach Jake Smith said of the offense. “Hope-

fully, we’re hitting our stride and continue to swing it.”

Five home runs helped in the second-seeded Tigers’ 13-3 victory against 15th-seeded Forbush.

So, confidence could be soaring again for Randleman after a shaky stretch late in the regular season.

The Tigers (22-4) were to meet No. 7 seed East Davidson (20-4) on Tuesday night in the third round.

“It’s something about this time of the year,” Randleman catcher Caleb Dunn said. “We’re confident, and we’re trying to reach our goal.”

The latest power display against Forbush (21-8) began early. Starting pitcher Austin Lemons belted a two-run homer to cap the threerun first inning.

“Every time he gets on the mound, he helps himself,” Smith

“We’re competing even more and getting hits and coming through. Anybody can do the job.”

Randleman senior Hunter Atkins

said.

Lemons worked through five shutout innings, holding Forbush to two hits while striking out seven. By then, the Tigers held an 8-0 lead.

In the fourth, Dunn’s groundrule double knocked in one run. Then Hunter Atkins hammered a full-count pitch over the fence

in center field off reliever Riley Campbell for a grand slam. It was quite the conclusion to a 13-pitch at-bat.

“The joy came really from fighting with two strikes, not really necessarily the grand slam,” Atkins said. “Really fighting with two strikes, no matter where the ball goes. Two strikes and get a big hit like that, I was definitely excited.”

Forbush produced three runs in the sixth with just one hit off reliever Drake Purvis, leaving the bases loaded.

Then with one out in the bottom of the inning, Randleman got going again. Atkins, Seth Way and Lemons hit back-to-back-to-back long balls.

“Those were no-doubters,” Smith said.

Warriors ended up with an 8-14 record.

Top-seeded Burns topped No. 32 seed Southwestern Randolph 108. Eli Gravely drove in four runs, and Adam Cole had three hits and scored two runs for the Cougars (915), who nearly rallied from a 9-2 deficit.

Class 3-A

At Salisbury, Asheboro’s season came to a close with Friday night’s 11-6 loss at No. 10 seed East Rowan. Tanner Marsh scored twice and knocked in two runs for the No. 26 seed Blue Comets (13-12).

Asheboro began the playoffs by winning 13-7 at seventh-seeded Enka, with Cohen Caviness collecting four hits and four runs batted in and Marsh scoring three runs and driving in three runs. Connor Adams was the winning pitcher.

Then, per the script, it was Chesney Welch’s turn, and he hammered a two-run double to right field to end the game via the mercy rule. He has had game-ending hits twice in a four-game stretch.

The production is coming throughout the batting order.

“We’re competing even more and getting hits and coming through,” Atkins said. “Anybody can do the job.”

That has been another encouraging sign. John Kirkpatrick had three hits vs. Forbush.

“I think the bottom of the lineup had real good at-bats,” Smith said of Friday night’s effort.

In the first round last Tuesday, Randleman ripped No. 31 seed Reidsville 17-2. Way and Purvis pitched.

The Tigers have allowed less than 2.5 runs per game this year. The pitching has been a staple.

“They work so hard,” Dunn said. “It’s paying off for them.”

Pitcher Samuel Asbill makes a pitch earlier this season for Eastern Randolph’s baseball team.

Southwestern Randolph pitcher Macie Crutchfield delivers to the plate against Providence Grove.

Bossong golf tournament provides good times as YMCA fundraiser

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The latest version of the Sam Bossong Golf Tournament was deemed another success.

The 23rd annual version took place Friday at Pinewood Country Club. It’s one of four major fundraisers for the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA.

“A lot of this money goes right back into our kids’ programs,” said Patrick O’Hara, executive director and CEO of the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA. “It has been a great fundraiser.”

More than 100 golfers took part. O’Hara said the tournament often raises up to $15,000, with a silent auction a significant part of that.

There were 28 foursomes, which is a large increase from the first tournament more than two decades ago. Spots in the tournament sold out in about 10 days, O’Hara said.

Holding the event in memory of Bossong is appropriate, O’Ha-

ra said, because of the support that Bossong and his family provided to the YMCA and other community projects.

The Asheboro Junior Women’s Club is the host and organizer of the tournament, a role the club has had for the past 22 tournaments.

“They do a lot of work,” O’Hara said of the club’s members.

Gina McKee has been in a primary role overseeing the tournament for 13 years, O’Hara said.

Some area participants have entered the tournament every year it has been held, O’Hara said. It’s deemed a fun springtime tradition for many of the golfers.

“I love this tournament because

it is fun,” O’Hara said.

Support from Chick-fil-A and Beane Signs has been instrumental in assisting the tournament, O’Hara said.

Proceeds go to the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA’s “Invest in People” annual scholarship campaign, Sam Bossong Playground, SplashPad and other youth programs and equipment.

RACING

Causey collects for big win at Caraway Speedway

Randolph Record

SOPHIA – Heath Causey was the winner of the big prize Saturday night by winning the Late Models race at Caraway Speedway. It was part of the David “Lightning” Saunders Memorial, with winnings of $3,000. That included a $1,000 bonus.

Causey was the fastest qualifier and drew the No. 5 starting position.

Causey had to contend with the father-son tandem of Jason York and Jamie York.

Causey went to the front on the 80th lap after a competition caution and held the lead until the end.

Jason York was the runner-up, followed by Brian Rose, Jamie York and Chase Murphy.

Allen Vance was the winner of

the Challengers race after Blake Shupe and D.J. Dean held leads earlier in the race. Brody Duggins was the runner-up, with Smith, Dean and Dante Curtis rounding out the top five.

In Modifieds, Kevin Orland was the winner of the 35-lap race, going ahead on lap 25. Fast qualifier Justice Calabro placed second.

In UCARs, Daniel Hughes was the winner, though not confirmed until a postrace protest was resolved. Ron Mock was second, and Josh Phillips placed third. Justin Smith and Mock won the qualifying heats.

Jon Morton was the winner in the 10-lap Bootlegger event. In Enduros, Barry Hines survived the 50-lap event for the victory.

The next regular racing night for Caraway Speedway comes June 3.

Top, Mark Vancannon tees off during the 23rd annual Sam Bossong Golf Tournament on Friday at Pinewood County Club in Asheboro. Bottom left, golfers warm up on the driving range. Bottom center, here are items for the silent auction.

Bottom right, golfers head toward tees for a shotgun start.

| NORTH STATE

Beane, Snotherly, Everhart excel in regionals

Randolph Record

Gracie Beane of Randleman and Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph were regional individual champions in multiple events in track and field, and they’ll lead the contingent of Randolph County entrants into the state meet this week at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro.

The Class 1-A and 3-A state meets are Friday. Classes 2-A and 4-A are set to compete Saturday.

The top four place finishers in each event from regionals qualified for states. Those in the top eight earned team points.

Asheboro’s Lance Everhart and Trinity’s Dylan Hodges each qualified in two events on the boys’ side.

Here’s a rundown from regionals:

Class 2-A

Friday at Mount Pleasant, Beane was the winner in the high jump and triple jump. Beane cleared the bar at 5 feet, 4 inches, in the high jump, and bounded 35-6 in the triple jump.

Iniyah Mitchell of Randleman captured third place in the shot put (33-9¾).

Southwestern Randolph’s Coley Shiflet (2:28.40) claimed third place in the 800 meters.

In the 1,600, Providence Grove’s Jensen Auman (6:11.02) was fourth. Jensen (13:50.84) ended up seventh in the 3,200.

Randleman, Eastern Randolph, Asheboro and Trinity all had individuals quality for state meets in multiple events.

Peyton Wilson of Wheatmore was fifth in the 400 in 1:00.74. Wheatmore’s Rylee Reidling was seventh in the discus (85-2).

For the boys, Dylan Hodges of Trinity was the runner-up in the high jump at 6-4, one spot ahead of Chase Farlow (6-2) of Randleman. Hodges was the fourthplace finisher in the long jump at 21-10.7.

Zach Hazelwood of Wheatmore was third in the 3,200 in 10:06.57, and Providence Grove’s Robert Burton was sixth in 10:37.88 in the same race.

Randleman’s Amari Ferdna was fifth in the triple jump at 416½. Teammate Landon McGee was seventh in the discus at 117-7.

In the 800 relay, Wheatmore’s Peyton McDevitt, Dakota Ludwick, Danny Craig and Sa’Corey Maryland placed sixth in 1:33.07. Trinity’s Jacob Hodges, Robert Ratliff, Zach Cox and Dominic Payne ran to eighth in 1:33.19.

Trinity had the sixth-place 3,200 relay (9:04.01) with Jose Castillo, Mitchell Marin-Pulido, Riley Foster and Giovanni Jaimes.

Defending 100-meter regional champion Adam Cole of Southwestern Randolph was eighth in the 100 in 11.13 seconds (after the fifth-best time of 10.99 in the prelims). Cole also tried to qualify for states in the 200 but was 10th in 22.73.

Jose Castillo of Trinity was eighth in the 800 (2:09.75).

Teammate Andrew Cox was eighth in the 300 hurdles (43.96).

Class 1-A

Saturday at Mocksville, Snotherly’s winning time in the 1,600 was 5:47.14, barely in front of Union Academy’s Audrey Falcone (5:47.79).

In the 800, Snotherly finished in 2:35.57 for a wider margin on runner-up Falcone. Snotherly placed third in the 3,200 in 14:00.36.

Eastern Randolph’s Mirianna Corea was third in the shot put (32-2¾).

For the boys, Eastern Randolph had the eighth-place 3,200 relay (9:55.44). Allen Loftin was eighth in the discus (111-7).

Class 3-A

Saturday at Salisbury’s East Rowan, Everhart of Asheboro won the pole vault with an effort of 12 feet, 6 inches, and placed second in the high jump at 6 feet.

Teammate Nicolas Chavez was fifth in the pole vault at 9-6. Chavez was also fifth in the 110 hurdles in 15.55, while he placed sixth in the 300 hurdles in 41.87. For the girls, Asheboro’s Rebecca Crowder placed fourth in the high jump at 4-10. Sion Murrain of Asheboro was fifth in the long jump at 16-6. The Blue Comets were fourth in the 400 relay in 50.54 seconds.

COURTESY PHOTO

Heath Causey holds the trophy after winning Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

PJ WARD-BROWN

JOURNAL

Carol New Stevens

April 26, 1942 — May 13, 2023

Carol Lindell New Stevens, 81, passed on May 13, 2023 at the Randolph County Hospice House. She was born on April 26, 1942 to Lannie New and Bettie Ruth Thornton, in Richmond County, VA. Ms. Stevens was a devoted Christian who lived for God all her life. She loved to listen and sing gospel music. She loved all her family, especially her grandchildren. She enjoyed shopping and reading books to pass time. She worked as a cashier at the Salvation Army, and Blue Mist. Carol was married to her husband, Daniel “Dan” Stevens for over 40 years before he passed. She is also preceded in death by her parents, son Jessie Long, and daughters, Wanda Thompson, and Lisa Bowman. She is survived by her children, Bobby Laughlin, Debra Warren (John), and Carol Avery (Cassidy): granddaughters, Maggie Smith (Tyler), Casey Ruiz, Amanda Warren, and Lisa Long, grandsons, John, Michael, and Joseph Warren: great granddaughters, Ashley and Hailey Berrocall, Callie Avery, and Mary, great grandsons, Nathan, and Elijah Smith: and sister, June Kennedy.

Kaslyn Switzer

September 28, 1998 — May 12, 2023

Kaslyn Marie Switzer, age 24, passed away Friday May 12, 2023 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Kaslyn was born on September 28, 1998 in DeRidder, LA and was an employee of Asheboro City Schools. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandmother, Martha Peters and paternal grandfather, Tom Switzer.

Kaslyn is survived by her parents, Thomas and Donna Peters Switzer; siblings, Dusty Switzer (Amber) of Asheboro, Shelby Switzer (Jaimie) of Merryville, LA, Brian Kennedy of DeRidder, LA, Cody Kennedy (Darian) of Asheboro, Jesse Switzer of Asheboro, Mason Sexton (Kelsey Yates) of Asheboro; nieces, Vivian, Bowen, Hattie; nephew, McCoy; grandmother, Darlene Switzer; special friends, Daryn Trogdon (Skyler), boyfriend, Luise Roque, Jr. and his parents Maclaine Martinez and Luis Roque; extended family, Rich and Gwen Switzer, Tony and Vivian Breaux; cousins, Anthony, Krystal, Kayleigh, Ty, Gus, Paige, Brody and numerous aunts, uncles and extended family.

As a tribute to Kaslyn's love for children the family request in lieu of flowers that school supplies and library books be donated to Lindley Park Elementary, Donna Lee Loflin Elementary and Charles W. McCrary Elementary. Other donations can be made to support Ramsuer 343 EMS and Franklinville Fire Department.

Daffie Smith Branson

August 4, 1936 — May 11, 2023

Daffie Smith Branson, age 86, of Asheboro went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at Clapps Nursing Home.

Mrs. Branson was born in Chatham County on August 4, 1936 to Emmett and Lena Smith. She was a member of West Bend United Methodist Church. She championed and sold Tupperware for over 35 years and retired from Community One Bank, formerly First National Bank of Asheboro. Mrs. Branson was an avid gardener and held a well-renowned green thumb, a great hobby she passed down to many generations. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Branson was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Branson, son Randy Branson and sister, Alice Davis. Mrs. Branson is survived by her daughters, Kristie Scherer (Ryan) of Denton, Sandi Branson (Dennis) of Asheboro; son, Robert D. Branson (Angela) of Asheboro; daughter-in-law and husband Tammy Branson Stevens (Bobby) of Randleman grandchildren, Andrew Wilson (Jamie) of Franklinville, Megan Faulkner (Jeremy) of Climax, Lauren Branson Weaver (Grant) of Temple, TX, Kendra Brown (John) of Randleman, Braden and Deacon Scherer of Denton; great grandchildren, Aaron West, Kolby and Grayson Wilson, Luke Faulkner, Anna and Jesse Brown; brothers, Arthur Smith (Martha) of Siler City, Paul Smith (Carol) of Bennett.

Willie "Bill" Dunn

January 13, 1933 — May 11, 2023

Willie “Bill” Harris Dunn, 90 of Asheboro went home to be with his Lord and Savior on May 11, 2023, at Wesley Long Hospital surrounded by his family. Mr. Dunn was born in Montgomery County on January 13, 1933, to Elzavan Aaron Dunn and Laura Jane Hogan Dunn. He retired at the age of 62 from Councill Craftsman Furniture, Denton, NC. He was a loving father and papaw and enjoyed spending time with his family. He enjoyed watching his grandson and greatgrandson play baseball and his granddaughter play softball. He was an avid Alanta Braves Baseball and Nascar fan. He instilled a great work ethic within his family and had an impeccable sense of humor.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Dunn was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Delores Trotter Dunn; granddaughter, Angie Dunn; sisters, Jane Bennett and Lydia Warren; brothers, Lloyd Dunn, Floyd Dunn, Paul Dunn, Lacy Dunn, Lonnie Dunn, and Joe Dunn. He is survived by his daughter, Sherry Saunders and husband Eddie of Asheboro; son Willie Dunn and wife Jeanette of Lexington; grandchildren, Brad Dunn of Mocksville, Brittney Luck and husband Kevin of Asheboro, and Candace Cox of Archdale; great-grandchildren; Sarah Cox, Blaine Cox, Madison Luck, and Mason Luck.

Betty Cockman Bumgarner

January 26, 1936 — May 10, 2023

Mrs. Betty Bumgarner passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 10, at her home after an extended illness.

Betty was born on January 26, 1936, in High Point to the late Fred and Alma Cockman. At the age of twelve, the family moved to the Seagrove area, where she remained until her passing.

In her younger years, Betty could be found gardening and spending time in her memory garden, which was kept for her daughter, Lisa. A humble and kind servant, she spread her love freely preparing meals and special treats for friends, family, and her church. Betty assisted her husband, Gene, in their family’s electronic business (Electronic Service Company in Asheboro, NC) for over twenty years.

One of Betty’s passions was Hospice, which resulted in many years of devoted service by Betty and Gene serving numerous families in the Randolph County area. She lived a life of devotion to her family, friends, and her faith in the Lord Jesus. Betty was a lifelong member of Seagrove Christian Church, serving in various capacities prior to her illness.

In addition to her parents, Betty was preceded in death by her husband Gene and her daughter Lisa.

She is survived by her daughter, Beverly Beck (Stan) and son in law, Strader Briles; grandchildren: Kent Beck (Margaret), Josh Beck, Allison Winters (Drew), and Strader Allen Briles; three great grandchildren: Emerson and Charlotte Beck, and Elise Winters.

Mary Perdue

March 27, 1935 - May 12, 2023

Mary Elizabeth Cooper Perdue, 88, of Asheboro, died Friday, May 12, 2023, at The Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro.

Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at Ridge Funeral Home Chapel, Asheboro; with Pastor Denny Gray and Pastor Bobby Lorton officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Union Community Church Cemetery, Denton.

Born on March 27, 1935, in Randolph County, Mary was the daughter of the late Wilburn and Emma Thompson Cooper. She was retired from Acme-McCrary Corp. and a homemaker. Mary enjoyed cooking and baking and she made the best pound cakes. She loved her dogs and spending time with her family.

In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Carl V. Perdue; son, Carlos Lee Perdue; sisters, Hattie Mae Garner, Wilma Cooper; and brother, Wayne Cooper.

Surviving are her daughters, Debbie Hughes and husband

H.A. of Asheboro, Stacie

Perdue York and husband Scottie of Asheboro, Hope

Perdue of Asheboro; sister, Alice Craven and husband Pete of Asheboro; brother, Ernie Cooper and wife Linda of Salisbury; granddaughters, Dawn Johnson and husband Nathan, Haleigh York and fiancé, Bailey Henderson, Tiffany York, Lexie York; great granddaughters, Emily Johnson and fiancé Brett McElroy, and Natalee Johnson.

Mitchell Brigman

October 28, 1965 — May 9, 2023

Mitchell Craig Brigman, age 57, of Asheboro, passed away Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at his home.

Mr. Brigman was born in Randolph County on October 28, 1965 to Julius and Brenda Brigman. He was employed with Lewis Tree Company.

Mr. Brigman enjoyed fixing things and spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

Mr. Brigman is survived by his wife, Paula VonCannon Brigman; daughter, Brittany Brigman; son Nick Brigman; step-children, Sean Gray of Asheboro, Brandie Holcombe of Surfside Beach, Jacob Smith of Asheboro; grandchildren; sisters, Veronica Craven, Tonya Jones, Brenda Rogers all of Asheboro; brothers, Lynn Brigman, Eddie Brigman, Paul Brigman, Doug Brigman all of Asheboro; many loving nieces and nephews.

Virginia Barbee Stringer

November 21, 1937 — May 4, 2023

Virginia Barbee Stringer passed away at the Levine & Dickson Hospice House in Charlotte, NC on May 4, 2023.

Virginia was born on November 21, 1937, in Carthage, NC to Floyd and Margaret Barbee. The family moved to Asheboro, NC, where Virginia attended Asheboro High School and graduated in 1955. After High School, she attended Sacred Heart Jr. College and Mercy School of Nursing, where she graduated in 1958.

Virginia married Donald L. Stringer on March 7, 1959. They lived in Asheboro, Gastonia, Denton, and Lancaster (SC). She loved living in Denton with Don and raising her two children.

As a nurse, Virginia worked in hospitals (operating room) and as an Industrial Nurse (Burlington Industries and Klaussner Furniture Industries). After her retirement, she taught Nursing Assistant Classes at Randolph Community College.

In addition to her parents, Virginia was preceded in death by her brother Billy and husband Donald. She is survived by two daughters, Donna Lundgren (Cliff) of Denver, NC, and Barbee Gennerman (Kevin) of San Diego, CA, as well as three grandchildren, Graham, Mya, and Addyson.

Dr. Buddy Ray Smith

May 8, 1946 — May 10, 2023

Dr. Buddy Ray Smith, Sr. age 77 of Randleman passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his home. He was born in Alamance County on May 8, 1946 to Clady Ray Smith and Mamie Irene Marley Smith.

Dr. Buddy Smith earned his Doctrine Degree from Bethany Baptist College in Dothan, AL. He was founder and President of Faith Temple Baptist College in Franklinville, NC from 1999 until 2020. He was Pastor for over 25 years at Faith Temple Baptist Church. Dr. Buddy Smith had a compassionate and caring heart and loved his family, friends and church family.

In addition to his parents, Buddy was preceded in death by his brothers, David Smith, Dean Smith, sister, Elaine Smith and brother-in-law Paul Dickey.

Buddy is survived by his wife: Lynda Sparks Smith; children: Wendy Smith Grimsley (Alan) of Randleman, Tammy Smith Arthur (Jerry) of Greensboro and Buddy Smith Jr. of Randleman;

grandchildren: Katie Stillinger (Brandon) of Randleman, Alan Lee Grimsley of Randleman and Brooke Adams of Asheboro; sister, Faye Dickey of Snow Camp; brothers Steve Smith (Carol) of Snow Camp, Jackie Smith (Shirley) of Burlington and many nieces and nephews.

Herbert David Willett

June 18, 1929 — May 10, 2023

Herbert David Willett, age 93 of Asheboro, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at his home.

Mr. Willett was born in Chatham County on June 18, 1929 to Herbert and Daisy Willett. He attended Bonlee School and retired from Coca Cola Bottling Company. In addition to his parents, Mr. Willett was preceded in death by his brother, Donald Willett.

Mr. Willett is survived by his wife, Marjorie Bolton Willett; son, David Willett (Lisa) of Asheboro; granddaughter, Rebecca Willett and fiance Dwight Bray; grandson, Matt Willett and fiancé Tiffany Kristine; great granddaughter, Piper Bray; 2 step great grandchildren.

House Republicans pass border security measure as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill last week to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies as illegal immigrants massed along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it.

The legislation passed 219-213, with all present Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and John Duarte of California, voting against it.

The House GOP pointedly voted on the bill the same day as the expiration of Title 42, a public health emergency rule that allowed border authorities to quickly return many who crossed the border illegally. Biden has conceded that the southern border will be “chaotic for a while.”

Republicans have sought to slam Biden for the increase in illegal immigration during his tenure. Passing the bill would ensure House GOP lawmakers can say they did their part to deliver on a campaign promise to secure the border.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the package “the strongest border security bill this country has ever seen,” saying in a speech on the House floor that “meanwhile, we are seeing a very different record from President Biden.”

The 213-page bill represents a compromise in the Republican conference between mainstream lawmakers, who wanted to focus on beefing up border enforcement, and hardline conservatives, who want to see drastic changes to U.S. asylum and immigration law.

The package would return to many of the same policies pursued by former President Donald Trump, such as building walls along the border. It would also restrict asylum by requiring migrants to cross legally, pay a $50 fee and meet more stringent requirements to show in initial interviews that they have a credible fear of persecution in their home country.

“Until the president of the United States signs a bill into law, all of this is theater.”

Rep. Tony Gonzales

The bill would also scrap a program that has allowed U.S. officials to accept or quickly turn away some migrants from Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. The program is a cornerstone of Biden’s immigration efforts, allowing migrants from those countries to apply to come to the U.S. for two years legally and work.

A small group of House and Senate lawmakers hopes the House bill could give momentum for a separate package in the works that would incorporate aggressive border enforcement with expanding legal immigration through work visas, as well as potentially a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

“The bill that we’re getting, I think, is a good starting point,” said

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican. “It, by itself, would not get 60 votes to get out of here.”

Any final bill would need bipartisan support to pass the Senate and agreement from House Republicans on significant changes.

Some House lawmakers were already raising concerns about whether agriculture businesses would be disrupted by the bill’s requirement that agriculture businesses verify the immigration status of employees.

In explaining his vote against the bill, Duarte, who represents a district comprised of farmland in California’s Central Valley, said in a statement that the bill would “harm many families that work in our Valley and create difficulties for our food producers.”

Massie, the other Republican to oppose the legislation, made a libertarian argument against a system that tracks people’s immigration status.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, is introducing legislation that would assist border officials and speed up the asylum application process. And Tillis joined with Sen. Kyrsten Sine-

New NC elections board members sworn in, with photo ID and district map changes ahead

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — A new edition of North Carolina’s State Board of Elections convened Wednesday, a panel now tasked with helping implement a photo voter identification law later this year and administering 2024 general elections under yet-again different legislative and congressional district maps. The board’s five members — three registered Democrats and two Republicans appointed to four-year terms by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — were sworn in to their positions and picked leaders. Three members are new to the board — Democrats Alan Hirsch and Siobhan Millen and Republican Kevin Lewis. Democrat Jeff Carmon and Republican Stacy “Four” Eggers were reappointed to another term.

The new board unanimously elected Hirsch as the next chair, succeeding previous Democratic Chair Damon Circosta, who is no longer on the board, along with Republican Tommy Tucker and Democrat Stella Anderson. Hirsch, the CEO for a small bio-

technology firm in Winston-Salem, said he understands the gravity of the board’s role. North Carolina, the nation’s ninth-largest state by population, has 7.25 million registered voters and often closely contested statewide races.

“This is about the confidence in our election process,” Hirsch told reporters. “Sometimes one side wins, sometimes the other side wins. But whatever the case is, it

needs to be done fairly and with respect for the citizens of this state.”

The board was seated less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court reversed decisions by a former edition of the court that had struck down a 2018 voter ID law and U.S. House and state legislative seat boundaries approved by the General Assembly.

The 2024 elections will feature races for president, gover-

nor, the U.S. House and the legislature among others. The Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling also means the Republican-controlled General Assembly will again redraw legislative and congressional maps later this year.

The board itself has no role drawing maps. But carrying out elections under new boundaries requires the time and energy of state and county election officials to ensure that voters know which districts they live in and that ballots are printed to reflect those changes.

Litigation and new census figures mean candidates have run under different legislative district boundaries every cycle since 2016 and different congressional lines since 2018.

With the voter ID law now enforceable, the board has said work would begin to implement it starting with municipal elections later this year. A federal lawsuit challenging the mandate is still pending, however.

State law directs Cooper to appoint board members from a list of nominees provided by the state Democratic and Republican parties. No party can have more than

ma, an Arizona independent who accepts committee assignments from Democrats, to push a bill that would resurrect the government’s power to quickly expel migrants, without processing their asylum claims, for another two years.

“It’s clear that the Biden administration, while it had two years to prepare for the end of Title 42, failed to do so,” Sinema told reporters. “And in the last several weeks, I’ve had the unfortunate job of communicating on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly basis, with the sheriffs, the Border Patrol agents, mayors and even the governor of Arizona to figure out how we can prepare to deal with this crisis.” Biden has received countless barbs from Congress, but one Texas Republican key to immigration negotiations, Rep. Tony Gonzales, is already thinking of how to get the president on board.

“Until the president of the United States signs a bill into law, all of this is theater,” said Gonzales, who represents a large swath of border country. “A lot of people are good at political theater. Meanwhile, back in my district, we’re dealing with a real crisis.”

three members on the board. Historically, the governor’s party has held the majority of board appointments. Lewis is a Rocky Mount attorney, while Millen is a former attorney from Raleigh who has been involved in nonprofits and voter registration efforts.

Cooper and the Republican legislative leaders fought in court for much of the governor’s first term over the board’s structure.

Hirsch, a former deputy state attorney general and policy adviser for then-Gov. Mike Easley in the 2000s, said it’s important that he and his colleagues avoid partisan acrimony to ensure an orderly election process.

“My hope is that both Republicans and Democrats on the board can agree as much as humanly possible so that we can provide that confidence in the election process that everybody really wants,” he said.

The new board also retained Karen Brinson Bell as executive director for another two years. Brinson Bell has been at the job since 2019, leading the board’s day-today operations and to assist boards in all 100 counties.

During Brinson Bell’s tenure, post-election controversies over vote counts and the voting process during the 2020 and 2022 elections were few and far between compared to other states. The 2020 elections played out over COVID-19 restrictions that led to a record number of mail-in absentee ballots being turned in by voters.

•

AP PHOTO

Alan Hirsch, right, the new chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, speaks with board member Stacy “Four” Eggers after a board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Raleigh.

Three masked suspects break into Raeford ABC Store

A break-in occurred at the ABC Store located on Flagstone Ln. in Raeford this past Sunday. According to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation has revealed that three suspects used force to break through the glass door of the business and enter the building. It is believed that the suspects stole over $2,000 worth of alcohol before fleeing the scene in an unknown vehicle. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Detective Chavis at (910) 8755111 or leave an anonymous tip at the HCSO Tip Line (910) 878-1100.

Google Street View car could visit Hoke County soon

Last week, the Google Street View car was spotted driving around several North Carolina counties over the course of several days. According to Google, the company is devoting time this year to updating its images of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, and Greensboro, in addition to “smaller cities and towns that are within driving distance.” It would appear that Hoke County could be a potential travel location for the Google vehicle. If you are concerned about encountering one of these Google Street View cars or feel uneasy about it, fear not, as past lawsuits have forced Google to automatically blur identifiable faces and license plates, as well as to launch tools for the public to report content they feel is inappropriate or invades their privacy. Members of the public are even offered an option to blur any images of their homes. For additional information about Google’s Street View technology, please visit https://www. google.com/streetview/.

East Hoke Middle Boys’ soccer heading to Championship

Hoke County to move certain court operations during new courthouse construction

Commissioners to offer support for Juneteenth Festival

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners met Monday, May 15, with various administrative items on the agenda.

The board was presented with a potential Juneteenth Festival plan being put on by Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church.

“Juneteenth is a remind-

er of what enslaved Africans came through and what we can achieve,” said Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church Black History Ministry Chair Tannelaine Wilson. “It is important to remember that we were able to get out of bondage and what it took. The celebration helps each generation to reflect on what more there is to do. We should consider the meaning and evolution of the term freedom. The holiday is relevant to any African diaspora community and its continued struggle. It is important to remember the true mean-

ing of Juneteenth. June 19, 1865, is deeper than a message delivered by General Granger to freed enslaved Africans. It is about the black agency that resulted in the delivery of the message.

“The Juneteenth Committee is seeking support and cooperation to host the 2024 Juneteenth Festival of Hoke County in the county seat. Downtown Raeford is the prime location for the community event. It is accessible to many, neutral, beneficial to merchants and a local economy booster. This is another great opportunity for the community to focus on edu-

cation, community improvement and to highlight our city.”

According to Wilson, partners for the festival include the Hoke County NAACP, which will offer voter registration and Know Your Rights sessions, the Tia Hart Foundation, River Jordan Council on African American Heritage, which will offer genealogy and oral history sessions, and Dominion Christian Academy. There will also be a mobile medical clinic, representation by the North Carolina History Center,

Hoke County Schools Board of Education approves additional employee bonuses

North State Journal

RAEFORD — During their regular monthly meeting, the Hoke County Schools Board of Education approved another round of retention bonuses for their employees. The board unanimously approved the End-ofYear Supplemental and Retention Bonus for all district staff.

The law is the fourth this session to pass into law without Cooper’s signature

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A bill modifying limited provisional licenses became law without Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature.

This is the fourth bill during the current session of the General Assembly to become law without the governor’s signature.

The other bills passing into law without Cooper’s signature include laws on hotel safety issues, rioting and civil disorder penalties, and a law altering the governing structure of schools for the deaf and blind. All three bills have been introduced in the previous legislative session and received vetoes from Cooper.

The enacted legislation is Senate Bill 157, Limited Provisional License Modification. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers; 38-5 in the Senate

and 92-15 in the House.

The governor said in a statement about the bill, “I have concerns that this law could make our roads less safe, and I encourage the Division of Motor Vehicles and the legislature to monitor its effects closely.”

Thousands of teen drivers were hindered in obtaining their licenses by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a massive backlog statewide at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A temporary fix similar to that in the bill was offered last year but did little to alleviate the backlog issue, prompting lawmakers to make the time period change permanent during the current session.

The bill took effect May 8 and alters the waiting period between going from a learner’s permit to a provisional license down to nine months. Prior to the bill being enacted into law, drivers had to wait 12 months.

Another change in the law will allow non-family members to ride with a driver during the ninemonth provisional license timeframe.

“We are excited to be able to provide these bonuses for all Hoke County Schools’ employees,” Board Chair, Angela Southerland said. “We appreciate all of our staff and are so grateful for everything that they do to help our schools, district, and most importantly, our students to be successful.”

The funding for the bonuses comes from the Appropriations Act of 2021, Section 7A.12, the North Carolina General Assembly. This Act created a recurring appropriation to provide funding for LEAs and charter schools in North Carolina to provide salary supplements to teachers and instructional support in their units. Federal ESSER funding will supplement the Appropriations Act monies to enable the district to give certified, full-time employees a bonus totaling $4000, with non-certified, full-time employees receiving $3,000.

The latest enhancement supplement follows a series of employee bonuses distributed by the board earlier this spring. The school board hosted appreciation luncheons for several classified staff groups where bonuses were distributed and employees with 20-plus years of service to the district were recognized. Pri-

or retention bonuses received by these non-certified staff will be subtracted from the total $3,000 amount.

“As a board, it is important to us that all of our employees feel appreciated,” Southern shared. “We plan to continue to look for ways to show the staff that they are valued.”

Interim Superintendent Dr. Shannon Register also noted, “It is important when it comes to the employee recruitment process to be able to provide these types of compensation packages as well.” Register continued, “It is very competitive when it comes to re-

The East Hoke Middle School boys’ soccer team is heading to the Southeastern Conference Middle School Championship following their victory over Hamlet on Monday. The final score was 6-0. East Hoke remains undefeated this season, and the Eagles’ goalie, Marcus Monsanto, has yet to allow a goal all season. Top Left: Giovanni Patterson takes a shot from inside the penalty box that just sails over the crossbar. Bottom Left: Duglas Cruz Mejia enjoys a breakaway late in the game moments before scoring a goal. Right: East Hoke boys coach Jasmyn Riggins rallies the team at halftime.

cruiting high-quality teachers and staff. When potential teachers or employees are considering coming to Hoke County Schools to work, they take a variety of things into consideration, including salaries, supplements, and bonuses. It is im-

perative that we provide these types of things so that we are able to recruit and retain the best staff; after all, our students and families deserve it.”

The End-of-Year Supplemental and Retention Bonuses are set to be distributed to staff on Friday, June 2.

as well as a parade.

“I would like to thank Mt. Pisgah,” said Chairman Thomas Allen, Jr. “They were instrumental in the county recognizing Juneteenth as a county holiday. So this will be the first year we will recognize Juneteenth as a county holiday.”

The board formally recognized Juneteenth as a county-wide holiday last year.

The board then approved the relocation of certain court operations while the new courthouse is under construction.

According to the Commissioners, the downtown parking committee had raised concerns over the fact that during construction, there would be a sizable loss of parking spaces in the downtown Raeford area.

So, to make accommodations, the board approved moving some courthouse activities to the Robert A. Wright Hoke County Agriculture Building. The building will be used for court from Tuesday through Thursday for a sixmonth period once construction starts, and, if needed, the request can be brought back before the board if an extension is required.

“Wherever we can get space for people to get in and out of and for jurors to be able to come and go, we’ll take,” said District Attorney Mike Hardin. “We’ve run court in a lot of places. I’ve run court

in this room. I’ve run court in the City Council room, so we’ll run court wherever we have space to run court. I just want to make sure we take care of the citizens while we’re at it.”

The board was also presented with a report of the total amount of taxes collected up to the month of April.

“The total collected for the month of April, current year, was $216,999.65 at a 96.37% collection rate, compared to the 96.78% rate last year,” said Tax Collector Daphne Graham-Dudley. “The prior years collected was $67,964.26 at a 49.38% rate compared to a 32.91% rate last year.”

In total, the tax revenue collected for the month of April was $284,963.91.

“If you can get me four more percent, I’ll do the rest,” joked Commissioner Harry Southerland.

The board also approved a tax release for previously unpaid property tax.

“We have one release request for the month of May for Komatsu Financial, LP,” said Acting Tax Assessor Mandi Davis. “The total release amount is $2,651.44.”

The release request arose due to the business having been double-listed in Cumberland County as well.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet June 5.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The South Korea Imperatives

VISITING SEOUL is always fascinating, and this year it was especially educational.

We joined a Washington Times Foundation delegation in a special briefing by key South Korean intelligence experts. As you might expect, South Korea pays extremely careful attention to Kim Jong Un and the North Korean dictatorship. Their common understanding of Korean language and culture makes them the preeminent analysts of Pyongyang.

Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone.

Based on their briefings, two large but vital projects became obvious.

First, there is an enormous cyber-theft hole in the sanctions regime levied against North Korea. This is providing an astonishing amount of money to the Kim dictatorship to finance its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Second, the recent North Korean missile firings have put renewed emphasis on analyzing the country’s non-nuclear ballistic threat to the Republic of Korea.

Let’s consider each challenge.

We were told North Korea is earning an estimated $1.2 billion a year through cybercrime. This is an enormous funding source for Kim Jong Un’s military research and development program.

There should be an all-out effort by the combined U.S., Korean, and Japanese intelligence services to lock down North Korea’s ability to steal on the internet. If Kim Jong Un can count on more than $1 billion a year in theft, the effect of other sanctions is dramatically weakened. Closing this loophole is vital to slowing down the North Korean military program.

Second, the scale of the North Korean missile program is growing and involves conventional as well as nuclear weapons.

As Time Magazine reported on April 12, North Korea completed a record 68 missile tests in 2022, “and there are no signs that the country plans to let up.”

The magazine reported that in early April, North Korea shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea, which separates the Korean Peninsula from Japan. It was the 12th missile

test this year.

“North Korea has reportedly fired 26 projectiles, including shortrange and intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 11 test launches in just the first three months of this year,” Time Magazine reported.

North Korea could do enormous damage to Seoul with conventional missiles. Seoul is an extraordinarily modern city of nearly 10 million people and is only 31 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone. The human casualties would be devastating.

The North Korean missile build up requires an extraordinary program of developing missile defenses.

The country which has the best record of defeating missile attacks is Israel. According to Claire Berlinski at the Cosmopolitan Globalist, 469 missiles were recently fired from Gaza targeting Israeli towns and cities. The combination of the Arrow short range defense system, the new David’s Sling medium range defensive system (codeveloped by Rafael Defense Systems and Raytheon), and the Iron Dome computerized control system — which sorts incoming missiles based on the danger they represent — has enabled Israel to defeat an amazing number of missile attacks and saved an enormous number of lives.

North Korea’s missile systems are faster, bigger, and more dangerous than the missiles being fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It will require a joint American-South Korean-Japanese development program to create an anti-missile umbrella over South Korea and Japan (North Korea threatens both). This should be a high priority for the Pentagon. The joint system’s development will yield defensive dividends all around the world as countries such as Iran and others also develop missile capabilities.

Eliminating cybercrime and developing an effective missile defense system will go a long way toward ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and containing the North Korean threat.

A city as beautiful as Seoul — and an ally as steadfast as South Korea (with whom we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of our alliance this year) — deserve the best possible defense.

The Democrats’ debt ceiling position makes zero sense

“IF YOU BUY A CAR,” White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre explained the other day, “you are expected to pay the monthly payment. ... It’s that simple.”

that a Republican president will negotiate in good faith at some undetermined, future time? And not any president, but one who claims a $3.5 trillion inflation-inducing bill “costs zero dollars.” So, not exactly a whiz with numbers.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so.

Is it? Now, obviously, those who argue that the president can cancel millions of student loans by decree aren’t in a position to offer lessons on personal responsibility. The deeper problem with Jean-Pierre’s analogy, though, is that there isn’t a bank on Earth that’s going to keep lines of credit open when a person is compounding unsustainable debt year after year.

Speaking of which, the federal government has already hit the debt limit. The Treasury Department is now relying on “extraordinary measures” that will sputter out by June, at which time we will all be forced to forage for food and barter for medicine. The only thing that can save us from this dystopian hellscape, Jean-Pierre explains, is for Congress to do its “job” and return to regular order.

The White House press secretary is apparently unaware that regular order would entail Senate Democrats passing a bill and then negotiating with House Republicans, who have already passed a bill raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024.

Until this week, Democrats wouldn’t even talk to Republicans on the matter. In the old days, this kind of absolutist position would have every newspaper wringing its hands about GOP “obstructionism” and the dysfunction of the political system. Today, outlets like The New York Times simply pretend Republican bills are apparitions. “Are Republicans Willing to Raise the Debt Ceiling?” asks the editorial board this week.

Does the Times not know that the GOP has already agreed to lift the ceiling? They do. They pretend it isn’t real because it includes “deep cuts in federal spending” (by which they mean a return to last year’s discretionary spending levels, with no cuts moving forward), the reversal of “investments in tax enforcement” (some 80,000 new IRS cops monitoring, among other things, Venmo accounts with more than $600), a rollback of some “green energy” boondoggles, and so on.

And anyway, the Times notes, President Joe Biden has offered Republicans “a reasonable path to resolve the standoff” in which the GOP raises the ceiling without any conditions as Democrats demand, and then Biden will “separately negotiate measures to slow the growth of the federal debt.”

Dear Lord, can you imagine The New York Times editorial board urging Democrats to table their policy concerns and simply trust

But that’s not even the most ridiculous sentence in the editorial. The Times also contends that the debt ceiling “is not a useful mechanism for preventing the federal government from living beyond its means,” when that’s exactly why the law exists in the first place.

If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so. But even the Times concedes that Washington is “living beyond its means.” So, then, why is it more “reasonable” to negotiate the slowing of spending now, when the ceiling is in view, than a month from now or a year from now when there is no incentive to do anything?

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who for weeks was sending out snarky tweets demanding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy show the country his plan on the debt ceiling, won’t negotiate. And it’s clear that Biden is now pondering invoking the 14th Amendment and simply ignoring the debt ceiling much in the way he ignores the law on a slew of other issues. Such a move would almost surely be overturned by the Supreme Court -- because, as Ilya Shapiro succinctly put it, “a constitutional provision that prevents repudiation of debt doesn’t also somehow authorize limitless new debt.”

Democrats spend their time blaming GOP administration for the preponderance of our debt -- most of which Biden has voted for as a senator or helped shepherd through in the executive branch. No one is innocent on that front, of course, but most of our debt is propelled by constantly expanding entitlement programs, which are treated with a reverence by the left that the Constitution can never attain.

But even if the GOP were culpable for every single dollar of debt and were engaged in blatant hypocrisy, it wouldn’t change the fact that they are objectively correct today in arguing that we need to slow spending and mitigate debt. The arguments used to oppose even a modicum of responsible budgeting do not make any sense.

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 | NEWT GINGRICH

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

SOCCER

Lussi’s goal gives Courage win over OL Reign

Cary Tyler Lussi’s first-half goal powered the North Carolina Courage to a 1-0 win against OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday.

In the 34th minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Courage forward

Rikke Madsen sent a through ball to Lussi just over the halfway line. The forward beat her defender on the fast break and slotted a shot into the far post. North Carolina (33-1), which had 69% of possession in the first half, also had two firsthalf goals called back for offside.

NASCAR

Hendrick driver

Bowman unsure of return from injury

Darlington, S.C.

Hendrick Motorsports

driver Alex Bowman said Sunday he had no timetable for a return to the track after fracturing a vertebra in his back in a sprint car accident last month. Bowman missed his third straight race since the injury at Darlington. He said he’s making progress in his recovery and will get X-rays this week that should give him a clearer picture of when he can get back behind the wheel. Bowman said he feels the pain when he sneezes, coughs or laughs, and he worries any hard, jarring movements in the car would be painful.

GOLF

Johnson recovers to win LIV Golf

Tulsa in playoff

Broken Arrow, Okla.

Dustin Johnson won a three-man playoff to win LIV Golf Tulsa. Johnson rallied with a birdie on the 18th for a 67 to join a playoff after posting a triple bogey at the 10th hole that had cost him the lead. But he made a 15foot birdie putt from the fringe to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in the playoff to earn his second LIV Golf title since joining the Saudibacked league last year. Smith shot a 61 and Grace shot a 65. Grace made par on the last hole that gave Stinger the team win.

TENNIS

Davidson, winner of 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, dies

Conroe, Texas Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, died on Friday. He was 79. He won 11 major titles in mixed doubles and two in men’s doubles.

Davidson teamed with

Billie Jean King to win eight of his Grand Slam trophies in a career that spanned from the early 1960s to mid-1970s. In 1967, Davidson became only the third player in tennis history to earn all four major mixed doubles titles in the same year, including three with King.

Byron wins at Darlington after Chastain wreck

The Associated Press DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway. Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.

Boom!

Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on a restart with six laps left and held off Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

“We talked about it under the caution,” Byron said of a potential dustup. “I didn’t think that

they would wreck, but, obviously, it happened and we rolled on by.” Chastain and Larson have raced each other tooth-and-nail this season with incidents impacting potential wins at Talladega and Dover heading into the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist — Byron is taking college courses at Liberty University — to know the two might tangle again.

It was a measure of retribution for Byron, who was two laps from victory in this race year a year ago until he was shoved out of the way by eventual winner Joey Logano.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out.”

He got away cleanly from Harvick on the green-white-checkered finish for his third win this season and seventh of his career.

Harvick was second and Chase Elliott third, his best finish since

returning to NASCAR from a broken leg while snowboarding.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

It was the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car and the organization’s first victory at Darlington since Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 race.

It looked like 2021 champ Larson or points leader Chastain had the strongest cars and figured

Commanders’ record sale agreed to by Snyder family, Harris group

Magic Johnson is part of the new ownership group

The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.

The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.

The deal is the largest for a North American professional sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners,” Snyder and his wife, Tanya, said in the statement. “We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said league staff and its finance

committee will review details of the proposed transaction. Owners meet later this month in Minnesota, but they are only expected to get an update on the situation then, with a formal vote expected in the coming months. Snyder has owned the team since 1999, when he bought his favorite boyhood team for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Con-

gress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.

Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013. “I could not be more excited to

to be there at the end. Instead, Chastain was alongside Larson during a restart and admitted trying to squeeze his competitor against the wall in turn two. Both wound up wrecking.

Larson finished 20th and Chastain, who punched Noah Gragson in a pit-road confrontation a week ago at Kansas, was 29th.

“I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up, we’ve been trading back and forth all day. I wanted to push him up for sure,” Chastain said.

Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels angrily said on the radio, “three races he’s taken us out of.”

“Children,” TV analyst and racing great Bill Elliott said. “You put ‘em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

Larson moved into the lead when Denny Hamlin went to the pits with 30 laps remaining and was in prime position for victory until tangling with Chastain.

“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” winning owner Rick Hendrick said of Chastain. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies.”

Next week is the NASCAR AllStar Open at revamped North Wilkesboro Speedway.

be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders,” Johnson tweeted. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”

Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.

“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward,” Harris said. “We look forward to running a worldclass organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid several offfield controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver picked up his third victory of the season

William Byron won his third race of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

AP PHOTO

Josh Harris, part owner of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Devils, has an agreement in place to buy the NFL’s Commanders.

Griner plays in first WNBA preseason game since detainment in Russia

The Phoenix Mercury star had 10 points and three rebounds in 17 minutes

The Associated Press

PHOENIX — Brittney Griner strolled down the sideline about 1½ hours before the Phoenix Mercury played Friday night, giving hugs and high-fiving her teammates, coaches and opposing players.

Then it was a little stretching, a little shooting and a little agility work to prepare for a basketball game.

Just like old times.

“I’m grateful to be here, that’s for sure,” Griner said. “I’m not going to take a day for granted.”

Griner returned to game action for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges ended with a prisoner swap in Decem-

ber. The seven-time All-Star, who missed the entire 2022 season because of the detainment, finished with 10 points and three rebounds in a WNBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The 6-foot-9 Griner looked good, especially considering the long layoff, casually throwing down a one-handed dunk during warmups. She stood with her teammates while the national anthem was played and received a loud ovation from the home crowd when she was introduced before tipoff.

“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner said. “It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different.

“Being here today ... it means a lot.”

Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said the anthem and introductions were emotional for the entire team.

“We looked at each other and we just had chills,” Nygaard said. “We were here last year for all of it. I’m getting emotional about it now. Just to see her back out there — it’s an absolute miracle. It was amazing. It’s giving me chills again.”

Once the game started, the 32-year-old Griner immediately went to work, scoring on a turnaround jumper early in the first quarter. A few minutes later, she was fouled on another turnaround and sank both free throws.

She even had a cameo with the medical staff in the third quarter. Teammate Sophie Cunningham went down with a knee injury and Griner helped carry her off the court so she didn’t have to put weight on her leg.

“When one of us goes down, we’re always right there,” Griner said. “That’s one thing about this team — we’re always there for each other. We’ve got each others’ backs, big time.”

Griner’s return to the Mercury rekindles hope the franchise can make another run to the

WNBA Finals. The former Baylor star helped the franchise win its third title in 2014 and has averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds during her nine-year career. She was runner-up for Most Valuable Player in 2021, when the Mercury also played in the Finals but lost to the Chicago Sky.

Umpire Don Denkinger, left, watches as Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell, right, stretches to catch the ball as Royals batter Jorge Orta steps on first base during the ninth inning in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series in Kansas City, Missouri. Denkinger ruled Orta safe and the Royals went on to win the game and eventually the World Series.

His missed call in the 1985 World Series helped the Royals rally past the Cardinals

The Associated Press NEW YORK — Don Denkinger, a major league umpire for three decades whose blown call in the 1985 World Series overshadowed a career of excellence, died Friday. He was 86.

Denkinger died at Cedar Valley Hospice in Waterloo, Iowa, Denise Hanson, one of his three daughters, said.

Denkinger joined the American League staff in 1969. He worked

four World Series over three decades in the big leagues but was remembered most for a call he didn’t get right.

St. Louis had a 3-2 Series lead over Kansas City and was ahead

1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, three outs from the title, when pinch-hitter Jorge Orta led off with a slow bouncer to the right side. First baseman Jack Clark ranged to field the ball and flipped a sidearm toss to reliever Todd Worrell covering the bag.

Denkinger signaled safe but replays showed Worrell caught the throw on the base ahead of the runner. After Steve Balboni’s single, a bunt, a passed ball and an intentional walk, pinch-hitter Dane Iorg looped a two-run single

into right field for a 2-1 walk-off win that forced Game 7. The Royals won 11-0 the following night for the championship.

“Nobody wants to have the call that I did in the World Series,” Denkinger told The Associated Press in 2014. “But I did. And now it’s part of history.”

Major League Baseball did not adopt video review for most calls until 2014.

“I’m not tired of talking about it. I mean, it happened,” Denkinger said. “I just know that if the same thing happened now, they’d get it right on replay and it’d be over with.”

Denkinger kept a framed photo of the infamous play and joined Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, the

Cardinals’ manager in the 1980s, as speakers at the Saint Louis University First Pitch baseball dinner in 2015. Denkinger also spoke at the 2005 Whitey Herzog Youth Foundation dinner.

Denkinger umpired in many of his era’s big games. He worked the plate for World Series Game 7 in 1991, when Minnesota’s Jack Morris pitched a 10-inning shutout to beat Atlanta 1-0. He also worked the plate for the 1978 Yankees-Red Sox tiebreaker game at Fenway Park and for Nolan Ryan’s sixth no-hitter in 1990.

Denkinger is among seven umps to work a pair of perfect games. He was at second base for Len Baker’s gem in 1981 and at first for Kenny Rogers’ perfecto in

1994.

Denkinger was born in Cedar Falls on Aug. 28, 1936. He wrestled while at Wartburg College, served in the U.S. Army and started umpiring in the Alabama-Florida League in 1960. He moved up to the Northwest League the following two seasons, the Double-A Texas League from 1963-65 and the Triple-A International League from 1966-68.

He made his American League debut at third base in Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium on April 8, 1969, and was behind the plate for the first time four days later at Sick’s Stadium in Seattle.

Denkinger worked his first two World Series in 1974 and 1980. His final game was at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium on June 2, 1998, and he retired after the season at age 62 because of an ailing right knee.

He is survived by his wife, the former Gayle Price, and daughters. A funeral is planned for May 19 at St. John Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls.

Don Denkinger, umpire whose stellar career was overshadowed by blown call, dead at 86

PATRICK SULLIVAN | THE KANSAS CITY STAR VIA AP

AP PHOTO

Mercury center Brittney Griner played in her first preseason game since being detained in Russia, scoring 10 points on Friday in Phoenix.

Census rejecting some big-city complaints of 2020 undercounts

The Associated Press

SOME OF THE LARGEST U.S. cities challenging their 2020 census numbers aren’t getting the results they hoped for from the U.S. Census Bureau — an effort by Memphis to increase its official population resulted in three people being subtracted from its count during an initial appeal.

Some successes have come from challenges to totals of “group quarters” — dorms, jails and nursing homes. They were among the most difficult to count as campuses closed and prisons and nursing homes were locked down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Census Bureau created a separate program to handle these challenges.

The Census Bureau has received more than 100 submissions in total for its two challenge programs from cities, towns and villages of all sizes across the U.S.

The challenges won’t affect how many congressional seats each state got during the apportionment process, or the more detailed numbers used for redrawing political boundaries. But new numbers could shape how the federal government distributes $1.5 trillion for transportation, health programs and other funding, which is most pertinent for cities.

State, tribal and local governments have until the end of June to file challenges, and any changes will be reflected in future population estimates that are calculated each year between censuses.

AUSTIN

Austin, determined to be the 11th most populous U.S. city with 964,000 residents, claimed that 7,329 housing units were missed.

With an average Austin household size of almost 2.4 people in 2020, that could mean more than 17,500 residents overlooked.

The Census Bureau, however, added only a single housing unit, and provided little information on its methodology, officials in Texas’ capital said.

“This outcome is incredibly disappointing and disheartening,” Mayor Kirk Watson said in a letter to the bureau. City officials plan to meet with Census Bureau officials in the near future to get a more detailed explanation of how bureau officials reached their decision.

BOSTON

Officials in Boston, a hub of higher education, believed the 2020 census missed more than 6,000 students living in universi-

ty housing and 419 inmates at local jails. The Census Bureau approved the submission from Boston, which had 675,647 residents in the 2020 census, of which the city claimed 41,776 were students living in student housing.

“It’s no surprise that many of these special populations were miscounted due to the untimely and completely unanticipated emergence of a global pandemic that just happened to perfectly coincide with the 2020 count,” said Susan Strate, senior program manager at the UMass Donahue Institute, which assisted Boston in its challenge.

DETROIT

Detroit filed two challenges. One said the count shortchanged Michigan’s largest city by 8% of its occupied homes, overlooking tens of

thousands of residents. The 2020 census found 639,111 Detroit residents, down from its 2019 population estimate of 670,052.

Detroit succeeded only with its group quarters challenge, adding 1,478 more people in 61 group quarters, said Corey McIsaac, the city’s deputy director of media relations.

MEMPHIS

Memphis launched two challenges, saying the census missed 15,895 residents, and that Memphis grew since 2010, for the first time in 50 years. The 2020 census, however, found 633,104 residents, a drop of 13,785 residents from 2010.

Memphis was unsuccessful in its appeal of its housing count in which the city said more than 10,700 people were missed. The Census Bureau actually subtracted a housing

unit and three residents, a result Memphis is disputing. The other challenge deals with misapplied geographic boundaries impacting more than 5,100 people, and is still pending.

“The Census count was wrong,” Allison Fouche, Memphis’ chief communications officer, said in an email. “The gains we have seen in investments in Memphis, especially in the core city, over the last few years tell a different story.”

MILWAUKEE

Wisconsin’s largest city succeeded with its claim that more than 800 jail inmates were missed, part of a challenge organized with other Wisconsin municipalities. Milwaukee’s other appeal is still pending, claiming 16,500 residents were overlooked in houses and apartments, primarily in communities of color. The 2020 census put Milwaukee at 577,222 residents, down about 3% from 2010.

PHOENIX

Phoenix awaits a response to its challenge of its group quarters count, claiming 3,500 people in 192 facilities were missed, according to a letter from Mayor Kate Gallego obtained through a public records request.

The city said two jails were overlooked, along with drug and alcohol treatment centers, a group home for people with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease and a residential facility for juveniles needing mental health treatment.

The census determined that Phoenix was the fastest-growing big city in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020, increasing by 11.2% to 1.6 million residents and making it the fifth most populous U.S. city.

the inflator orifice from ‘weld slag.’”

The Associated Press DETROIT — A Tennessee company could be heading for a legal battle with U.S. auto safety regulators after refusing a request that millions of potentially dangerous air bag inflators be recalled.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding that ARC Automotive Inc. of Knoxville recall 67 million inflators in the U.S. because they could explode and hurl shrapnel. At least two people have been killed in the U.S. and Canada, and seven others have been hurt as a result of defective ARC inflators, the agency said.

The recall would cover a large portion of the 284 million vehicles now on U.S. roads, but the percentage is difficult to determine. Some have ARC inflators for both the driver and front passenger.

In a letter posted Friday, the agency told ARC that it has tentatively concluded after an eight-year investigation that ARC front driver and passenger inflators have a safety defect.

“Air bag inflators that project metal fragments into vehicle occupants, rather than properly inflating the attached air bag, create an unreasonable risk of death and in-

jury,” Stephen Ridella, director of NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, wrote in a letter to ARC.

But ARC responded that it no defect exists in the inflators, and that any problems are related to isolated manufacturing issues.

The next step in the process is for NHTSA to schedule a public hearing. It could then take the company to court to force a recall.

“We disagree with NHTSA’s new sweeping request when extensive field testing has found no inherent defect,” ARC said in a statement Friday night.

NHTSA posted documents showing that General Motors is recalling nearly 1 million vehicles equipped with ARC inflators. The recall covers certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia SUVs.

The automaker says an inflator explosion “may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.”

Owners will be notified by letter starting June 25, but no fix is available yet. They’ll get another letter when one is ready.

GM says it will offer “courtesy transportation” on a case-by-case basis to owners who fear driving

vehicles that are part of the recall. The company said that it’s doing the recall, which expands previous actions, “out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of our customers as our highest priority.”

One of the two deaths was a mother of 10 who was killed in what appeared to be an otherwise minor crash in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the summer of 2021. Police reports show that a metal inflator fragment hit her neck in a crash involving a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse SUV.

At least a dozen automakers have the allegedly faulty inflators in use, including Volkswagen, Ford,

BMW and GM, NHTSA said.

The agency contends that welding debris from the manufacturing process can block an “exit orifice” for gas that is released to fill the air bag in a crash. Any blockage can cause pressure to build in the inflator, blowing it apart and hurling metal fragments, Ridella’s letter says.

But in a response to Ridella dated May 11, ARC Vice President of Product Integrity Steve Gold wrote that NHTSA’s position is not based on any objective technical or engineering conclusion about a defect, “but rather conclusory statements regarding hypothesized blockage of

He wrote that welding debris has not been confirmed as the cause in any of the seven inflator ruptures in the U.S. ARC contends that only five have ruptured while in use, and that “does not support a finding that a systemic and prevalent defect exists in this population.”

Gold also writes that manufacturers must do recalls, not equipment manufacturers like ARC. NHTSA’s recall demand, he wrote, exceeds the agency’s legal authority.

In a federal lawsuit filed last year, plaintiffs alleged that ARC’s inflators use ammonium nitrate as a secondary propellant to inflate the air bags. The propellant is pressed into tablets that can expand and develop microscopic holes if exposed to moisture. Degraded tablets have a larger surface area, causing them to burn too fast and ignite too big of an explosion, according to the lawsuit.

The explosion can blow apart a metal canister housing the chemical, sending metal shards into the cabin. Ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizer and as a cheap explosive, is so dangerous that it can burn too fast even without moisture present, the lawsuit says.

The plaintiffs allege that ARC inflators have blown apart seven times on U.S. roads and two other times in testing by ARC. There have so far been five limited recalls of the inflators that totaled about 5,000 vehicles, including three recalls by GM.

The ARC Automotive manufacturing plant is seen, July 14, 2015 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Lights from inside buildings illuminate the skyline, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, in Austin, Texas.

Tennessee company refuses US request to recall 67 million potentially dangerous air bag inflators

Ralph Woodrow Tindall

June 25, 1959 ~ May 11, 2023

Ralph Woodrow Tindall, of Wagram formerly of Raeford, has finished his journey through the valley. He is now resting on that mountain.

His journey through this valley has been quite a journey. His journey started at Burlington Mills while he was in high school. He worked for many years for the Hoke County Sheriff's Department, was an officer at Pinehurst P.D., was Chief of police in Parkton, sergeant, and D.A.R.E. officer in Maxton. After 20 years of service, he retired with the Resorts of Pinehurst.

After his retirement, he worked part-time at Forrest Creek in Pinehurst. Ralph was a volunteer fireman with the Raeford Fire Department, and North Scotland Fire Department in Wagram. He was a member of the Raeford Presbyterian Church where he served as Deacon, Elder, and President of the men of the church.

He is survived by the love of his life, married for 40 years, Linda Stanton Tindall, of Wagram; his children, Sarah Nicole Tindall, of Wagram, and James Walter Tindall, of Wagram; and grandpup, Holly Jane. Memorials may be made to the Raeford Presbyterian Church (P.O. Box 1570 Raeford, NC 28376) and Scotland Regional Hospice. (P.O. Box 1033 Laurinburg, NC 28353).

Joann Harris

January 28, 1944 ~ May 7, 2023

Ms. Joann Harris age, 79 went home to rest with her heavenly father on May 7, 2023. She leaves to cherish her loving memories her children: Stacey S. Harris, Donald A. Harris; brothers, John Isaac (Eleanor), David Thompson (Evelyn); four grandchildren along with a host of other family and friends. Joann will be greatly missed.

Calvin Henry "Bo" McQueen

October 16, 1938 ~ May 6, 2023

Mr. Calvin McQueen, who was affectionately known as “Bo” entered into eternal rest on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Firsthealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, NC.

2-time world champion Doyle Brunson, called the Godfather of Poker, dies at 89

The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Doyle Brunson, one of the most influential poker players of all time and a two-time world champion, died Sunday, according to his agent.

Brunson was 89.

Brian Balsbaugh, Brunson’s agent, posted a statement on Twitter from the family.

“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our father, Doyle Brunson,” the statement read. “He was a beloved Christian man, husband, father and grandfather. We’ll have more to say over the coming days as we honor his legacy. Please keep Doyle and our family in your prayers. May he

rest in peace.”

Brunson, called the Godfather of Poker and also known as “Texas Dolly,” won 10 World Series of Poker tournaments — second only to Phil Hellmuth’s 16. He also captured world championships in 1976 and 1977 and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988.

He wrote a book called “Super System” in 1979, which was one of the first books to delve into poker strategy and created a lasting impact that helped bring many others to the game.

Five-time WSOP winner Scotty Nguyen tweeted that he “can’t believe this day has come - you will always be held high in our

hearts, the man, the myth, the legend & THE GODFATHER of poker baby! Mr Brunson, you made poker what it is baby! thank you for what you give to all of us baby! RIP Mr Doyle Brunson

THE GODFATHER OF POKER.”

His influence carried beyond poker.

“This one is a heartbreaker,” actor James Woods tweeted. “Doyle Brunson, the greatest poker player who ever lived, has cashed in his chips.

“Doyle was so kind and helpful to me. He was gracious to my late dear brother and every friend I introduced him to. A gentleman and a genuine legend.”

AP PHOTO

Doyle Brunson is pictured prior to play at the final table of the World Series of Poker on Nov. 8, 2011, in Las Vegas.

STATE & NATION

House Republicans pass border security measure as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill last week to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies as illegal immigrants massed along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it.

The legislation passed 219-213, with all present Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and John Duarte of California, voting against it.

The House GOP pointedly voted on the bill the same day as the expiration of Title 42, a public health emergency rule that allowed border authorities to quickly return many who crossed the border illegally. Biden has conceded that the southern border will be “chaotic for a while.”

Republicans have sought to slam Biden for the increase in illegal immigration during his tenure. Passing the bill would ensure House GOP lawmakers can say they did their part to deliver on a campaign promise to secure the border.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the package “the strongest

border security bill this country has ever seen,” saying in a speech on the House floor that “meanwhile, we are seeing a very different record from President Biden.”

The 213-page bill represents a compromise in the Republican conference between mainstream lawmakers, who wanted to focus on beefing up border enforcement, and hardline conservatives, who want to see drastic changes to U.S. asylum and immigration law.

The package would return to many of the same policies pur-

sued by former President Donald Trump, such as building walls along the border. It would also restrict asylum by requiring migrants to cross legally, pay a $50 fee and meet more stringent requirements to show in initial interviews that they have a credible fear of persecution in their home country.

The bill would also scrap a program that has allowed U.S. officials to accept or quickly turn away some migrants from Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. The program is a cornerstone of Biden’s immigration

efforts, allowing migrants from those countries to apply to come to the U.S. for two years legally and work.

A small group of House and Senate lawmakers hopes the House bill could give momentum for a separate package in the works that would incorporate aggressive border enforcement with expanding legal immigration through work visas, as well as potentially a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

“The bill that we’re getting, I think, is a good starting point,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican. “It, by itself, would not get 60 votes to get out of here.”

Any final bill would need bipartisan support to pass the Senate and agreement from House Republicans on significant changes.

Some House lawmakers were already raising concerns about whether agriculture businesses would be disrupted by the bill’s requirement that agriculture businesses verify the immigration status of employees.

In explaining his vote against the bill, Duarte, who represents a district comprised of farmland in California’s Central Valley, said in a statement that the bill would “harm many families that work in our Valley and create difficulties for our food producers.”

Massie, the other Republican to oppose the legislation, made a libertarian argument against a sys-

New NC elections board members sworn in, with photo ID and district map changes ahead

The Associated Press RALEIGH — A new edition of North Carolina’s State Board of Elections convened Wednesday, a panel now tasked with helping implement a photo voter identification law later this year and administering 2024 general elections under yet-again different legislative and congressional district maps.

The board’s five members — three registered Democrats and two Republicans appointed to four-year terms by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — were sworn in to their positions and picked leaders.

Three members are new to the board — Democrats Alan Hirsch and Siobhan Millen and Republican Kevin Lewis. Democrat Jeff Carmon and Republican Stacy “Four” Eggers were reappointed to another term.

The new board unanimously elected Hirsch as the next chair, succeeding previous Democratic Chair Damon Circosta, who is no longer on the board, along with Republican Tommy Tucker and Democrat Stella Anderson. Hirsch, the CEO for a small biotechnology firm in Winston-Salem, said he understands the gravity of the board’s role. North

Carolina, the nation’s ninth-largest state by population, has 7.25 million registered voters and often closely contested statewide races.

“This is about the confidence in our election process,” Hirsch told reporters. “Sometimes one side wins, sometimes the other side

wins. But whatever the case is, it needs to be done fairly and with respect for the citizens of this state.”

The board was seated less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court reversed decisions by a former edition of the court that had struck down a 2018 voter ID law

and U.S. House and state legislative seat boundaries approved by the General Assembly.

The 2024 elections will feature races for president, governor, the U.S. House and the legislature among others. The Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling also means the Republican-controlled General Assembly will again redraw legislative and congressional maps later this year.

The board itself has no role drawing maps. But carrying out elections under new boundaries requires the time and energy of state and county election officials to ensure that voters know which districts they live in and that ballots are printed to reflect those changes.

Litigation and new census figures mean candidates have run under different legislative district boundaries every cycle since 2016 and different congressional lines since 2018.

With the voter ID law now enforceable, the board has said work would begin to implement it starting with municipal elections later this year. A federal lawsuit challenging the mandate is still pending, however.

State law directs Cooper to appoint board members from a list of nominees provided by the state

tem that tracks people’s immigration status.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, is introducing legislation that would assist border officials and speed up the asylum application process. And Tillis joined with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who accepts committee assignments from Democrats, to push a bill that would resurrect the government’s power to quickly expel migrants, without processing their asylum claims, for another two years.

“It’s clear that the Biden administration, while it had two years to prepare for the end of Title 42, failed to do so,” Sinema told reporters. “And in the last several weeks, I’ve had the unfortunate job of communicating on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly basis, with the sheriffs, the Border Patrol agents, mayors and even the governor of Arizona to figure out how we can prepare to deal with this crisis.” Biden has received countless barbs from Congress, but one Texas Republican key to immigration negotiations, Rep. Tony Gonzales, is already thinking of how to get the president on board.

“Until the president of the United States signs a bill into law, all of this is theater,” said Gonzales, who represents a large swath of border country. “A lot of people are good at political theater. Meanwhile, back in my district, we’re dealing with a real crisis.”

Democratic and Republican parties. No party can have more than three members on the board. Historically, the governor’s party has held the majority of board appointments. Lewis is a Rocky Mount attorney, while Millen is a former attorney from Raleigh who has been involved in nonprofits and voter registration efforts.

Cooper and the Republican legislative leaders fought in court for much of the governor’s first term over the board’s structure.

Hirsch, a former deputy state attorney general and policy adviser for then-Gov. Mike Easley in the 2000s, said it’s important that he and his colleagues avoid partisan acrimony to ensure an orderly election process.

“My hope is that both Republicans and Democrats on the board can agree as much as humanly possible so that we can provide that confidence in the election process that everybody really wants,” he said.

The new board also retained Karen Brinson Bell as executive director for another two years. Brinson Bell has been at the job since 2019, leading the board’s day-to-day operations and to assist boards in all 100 counties.

During Brinson Bell’s tenure, post-election controversies over vote counts and the voting process during the 2020 and 2022 elections were few and far between compared to other states. The 2020 elections played out over COVID-19 restrictions that led to a record number of mail-in absentee ballots being turned in by voters.

AP PHOTO

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., stands center in the House Chamber, Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

Alan Hirsch, right, the new chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, speaks with board member Stacy “Four” Eggers after a board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Raleigh.

78th anniversary of the end of WWII

Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Commissioners approve expenditures of Opioid Settlement Funds

Walker to reveal gubernatorial race plans this month

Forsyth County

Former U.S. Rep. Mark

Walker is expected to announce his plans to enter next year’s gubernatorial race at an event later this month.

Walker, a Republican who served six years in Congress through 2020, will make the announcement on May 20 at a Christian school in Kernersville.

Walker would enter a Republican primary field that already includes Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and State Treasurer Dale Folwell. On the Democratic side, Attorney General Josh Stein announced his gubernatorial bid in January. Primary elections are scheduled for March.

Current Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is barred by the state constitution from seeking a third consecutive term.

Walker, a former pastor, finished third in the 2022 Republican U.S. Senate primary to eventual general election winner Ted Budd.

Elementary school teacher wins

Kenan fellowship

Forsyth County

The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State University announced the selection of 38 K-12 educators from North Carolina public and charter schools as the 2023-24 Kenan Fellows.

As part of their fellowship, the 2023-24 Kenan Fellows will spend three weeks immersed with local experts in STEM various fields like agriculture, scientific research, and clean energy. They will receive a $5,000 stipend and participate in 80 hours of professional development that focuses on project-based learning, elevating teachers’ voices, and strengthening ties between the school and the local community, as well as peer coaching and mentoring.

Vienna Elementary School

Board approves rezoning request for potential single-family residential development

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

WINSTON-SALEM — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners met Thursday, May 4 with an agenda primarily full of budgetary and funding items.

However, the board first held two public hearings for zoning petitions.

The first request was to rezone 13.71 acres located on the north side of Union Cross Road at its intersection with Thomasville Road from RS-20 to RS-9.

7:00-16:30

“The request is consistent with Legacy Growth Management Plan in that it supports a mixture of housing densities and types and it is consistent with the Southeast Suburban Area Plan Update which recommends single-family residential land use at this location,” said City/County Planning Director Chris Murphy.

Following the hearing, the board

approved the rezoning request.

The second request was to rezone 1.39 acres located on the south side of North Main Street between Cedarwood Trail and Rich Fork Creek from LB to HBL. 17:00-

“Staff does believe that this would not expand the boundaries of existing commercial districts in the area since it is already zoned LB,” Murphy said. “The request would help develop and redevelop an underutilized commercially zoned property and the request is generally consistent with both the Legacy 2030 and the specific land use recommendation of the Area Plan.”

The board also approved the second rezoning request following its hearing.

The board then approved an amendment to the 2022 County, WS/FC Schools, and Forsyth Technical Community College Capital Maintenance 2/3rds Bonds Capital Projects Ordinance to appropriate 2023A General Obligation Net Issue Premium to pay for debt issuance costs.

“What we’ve done is split the debt issuance cost among the three

“I think this cost potential benefit may be out there, and if it works it may be something new and different”

Don Martin

issuances and those let us pay for things like bond counsel, the advertising that is required and then one of the biggest costs frankly are the rating agencies which rate our bonds as we go out to sell in the marketplace,” said County Manager Dudley Watts.

The board also approved a revision to the FY 22-23 Home and Community Care Block Grant County Funding Plan for Older Adults and authorized the execution of necessary documents to submit the revised plan for state approval at the cost of $11,200, an amendment to the agreement between Forsyth County and the Twin City Harm Reduction Collective to appropriate an additional

$29,000, and a resolution authorizing the appropriation of Behavioral Health Funds and execution of associated agreements in FY24 amounting to $4,718,762.

The board also approved the direct expenditure of Opioid Settlement Funds across six programs: Addiction Recovery Care Association, Inc., GreenTree Peer Support Program, Insight Human Services, Twin City Harm Reduction Collective, ATS of North Carolina, LLC, and ASKK, LLC.

There were two additional programs in the initial proposal, Eleanor Health Foundation and Forsyth Medical Center Foundation, but those were pulled out of the agenda item due to differing concerns.

For EHF, the concern, according to Chairman Don Martin, was in regards to a pilot program they are running in the western part of the state and the desire to see how that performs before investing in it.

“I’d like to see some success before we invest,” Martin said. “For only 50 people we’re talking about

See COMMISSIONERS, page 2

AP

Fifth Grade Teacher Trey Nichols was one of teachers chosen. He will use his fellowship to study clean energy and its impact on the heating and cooling industry

North State Journal

FOUR APPLICANTS have filed certificate of need applications with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human services to develop a Medicare-certified home health agency in response to a need determination in the 2023 State Medical Facilities Plan for one Medicare-certified home health agency in Forsyth County.

The four applicants and proposals are as follows: Personal Home Care of North Carolina LLC proposes to develop one Medicare-certified home health agency in Winston-Salem, N.C. — PHC Home Health-Forsyth. The project is expected to cost $65,000 and would be completed in April 2024.

Well Care Home Health of Forsyth Inc. proposes to develop one Medicare-certified home health

agency in Kernersville, N.C. — Well Care Home Health of Forsyth County. The project is expected to cost $100,000 and would be completed in July 2024.

Forsyth Memorial Hospital Inc. and Novant Health Inc. propose to develop one Medicare-certified

home health agency in Clemmons, N.C. — Novant Health Home Care-Forsyth. The project is expected to cost $231,000 and would be completed in July 2024.

Five Points Healthcare of NC LLC proposes to develop one Medicare-certified home health agency in Winston-Salem, N.C. — Aveanna Home Health-Forsyth. The project is expected to cost $115,000 and would be completed in January 2024.

A public hearing for these projects will be held June 16 at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Forsyth County Public Library-Reynolda Manor Branch, 2839 Fairlawn Drive NW in Winston-Salem. Anyone may file written comments concerning this proposal. Comments must be received by the Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section no later than 5 p.m. on May 31.

♦ William Eugene Alderman, 79, of Rural Hall, died May 14, 2023.

♦ Lisa Bright Craig, 48, of Advance, died May 12, 2023.

♦ Arthur “Art” Daniel French, 85, of WinstonSalem, died May 9, 2023.

♦ Louise Young Gossett, 99, died May 14, 2023.

♦ Bryson Jefferson Hall, 29, of Winston-Salem, died May 10, 2023.

♦ Terry Len Hill, 57, of Forsyth County, died May 14, 2023.

♦ Adeline Malissa Richardson Hodge, 109, of Winston-Salem, died May 11, 2023.

♦ Charles Steve Kern, 74, of Advance ,died May 11, 2023.

♦ Patrick Joseph “PJ” Lenihan 74, of WinstonSalem, died May 11, 2023.

♦ Cecil Edward “C.E.” Martin, 81, of Walnut Cove, died May 11, 2023.

♦ Eugenia Fleetwood Maurice, 89, of WinstonSalem, died May 12, 2023.

♦ Casandra Pauls, 53, died May 10, 2023.

♦ Charles Edwin Peterson, 81, of Lewisville, died May 12, 2023.

♦ Patsy Sue Grimes Simcox, 74, died May 11, 2023.

♦ Nancy Sue Ogburn Whitehead, 94, of Winston-Salem, died May 11, 2023.

The Democrats’ debt ceiling position makes zero sense

“IF YOU BUY A CAR,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained the other day, “you are expected to pay the monthly payment. ... It’s that simple.”

Is it? Now, obviously, those who argue that the president can cancel millions of student loans by decree aren’t in a position to offer lessons on personal responsibility. The deeper problem with Jean-Pierre’s analogy, though, is that there isn’t a bank on Earth that’s going to keep lines of credit open when a person is compounding unsustainable debt year after year.

Speaking of which, the federal government has already hit the debt limit. The Treasury Department is now relying on “extraordinary measures” that will sputter out by June, at which time we will all be forced to forage for food and barter for medicine. The only thing that can save us from this dystopian hellscape, Jean-Pierre explains, is for Congress to do its “job” and return to regular order.

The White House press secretary is apparently unaware that regular order would entail Senate Democrats passing a bill and then negotiating with House Republicans, who have already passed a bill raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024.

Until this week, Democrats wouldn’t even talk to Republicans on the matter. In the old days, this kind of absolutist position would have every newspaper wringing its hands about GOP “obstructionism” and the dysfunction of the political system.

Today, outlets like The New York Times simply pretend Republican bills are apparitions. “Are Republicans Willing to Raise the Debt Ceiling?” asks the editorial board this week. Does the Times not know that the GOP has already agreed to lift the ceiling? They do. They pretend it isn’t real because it includes “deep cuts in federal spending” (by which they mean a return to last year’s discretionary spending levels, with no cuts moving forward), the reversal of “investments in tax enforcement” (some 80,000 new IRS cops monitoring, among other things, Venmo accounts with more than $600), a rollback of some “green energy” boondoggles, and so on.

And anyway, the Times notes, President Joe Biden has offered Republicans “a reasonable path to resolve the standoff” in which the GOP raises the ceiling without any conditions as Democrats demand, and then Biden will “separately negotiate measures to slow the growth of the federal debt.”

Dear Lord, can you imagine The New York Times editorial board urging Democrats to table their policy concerns and simply trust that a Republican president will negotiate in

♦ ABRAHAM, ELIZE SEMAJ was arrested on a charge of VAND-PERSONAL PROP at 1888 TRELLIS LN on 5/14/2023 ♦ Ammons, John Buck (M/53) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Controlled Substance-methamphetamine>less Than 1 (F), 2) Poss Marijuana Misd (M),

3) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 4) Fail To Appear/compl (F), 5) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), 6) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 7) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 8) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at 3700 Fraternity Church Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/11/2023 00:49.

♦ BAKER, RAHASAAN KIMYADA was arrested on a charge of VIO. PROTECTIVE ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER STATE/ INDIAN TRIBE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/14/2023

♦ Banks, Virginia Ann (F/25) Arrest on chrg of Assault-simple (M), at 6129 Cain Forest Dr, Walkertown, NC, on 5/12/2023 02:11.

♦ BRODERSON, IRA AUSTIN was arrested on a charge of STALKING at 2200 SHERWOOD DR on 5/15/2023

♦ BROOKS-HAKIM, JANA LA RHYS was arrested on a charge of AWIK/SERIOUS INJURY at 2800 N LIBERTY ST on 5/14/2023

♦ Bryson, Roquita Quiana (F/25) Arrest on chrg of Probation Violation (M), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/12/2023 14:25.

♦ Buchanan, Demetrius Ledon (M/37) Arrest on chrg of 1) 2nd Degree Trespass (M), 2) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 3) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at

COMMISSIONERS from page 1

$374,000. I think this cost potential benefit may be out there, and if it works it may be something new and different.”

The other removal, Forsyth Medical Center Foundation, was due to concerns raised by the board over the lack of adequate charity care to the community and the view that the foundation did not need additional funding.

“I think that Forsyth Medical Center probably started this foundation just so they could be able to get money,” said Vice-Chair Gloria Whisenhunt. “I hate to think that Forsyth Hospital could not come

good faith at some undetermined, future time? And not any president, but one who claims a $3.5 trillion inflation-inducing bill “costs zero dollars.” So, not exactly a whiz with numbers.

But that’s not even the most ridiculous sentence in the editorial. The Times also contends that the debt ceiling “is not a useful mechanism for preventing the federal government from living beyond its means,” when that’s exactly why the law exists in the first place. If the debt ceiling is mechanically lifted without any debate over spending, then it doesn’t really exist. If you want to spend without any limit, just say so. But even the Times concedes that Washington is “living beyond its means.” So, then, why is it more “reasonable” to negotiate the slowing of spending now, when the ceiling is in view, than a month from now or a year from now when there is no incentive to do anything?

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who for weeks was sending out snarky tweets demanding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy show the country his plan on the debt ceiling, won’t negotiate. And it’s clear that Biden is now pondering invoking the 14th Amendment and simply ignoring the debt ceiling much in the way he ignores the law on a slew of other issues. Such a move would almost surely be overturned by the Supreme Court -because, as Ilya Shapiro succinctly put it, “a constitutional provision that prevents repudiation of debt doesn’t also somehow authorize limitless new debt.”

Democrats spend their time blaming GOP administration for the preponderance of our debt -- most of which Biden has voted for as a senator or helped shepherd through in the executive branch. No one is innocent on that front, of course, but most of our debt is propelled by constantly expanding entitlement programs, which are treated with a reverence by the left that the Constitution can never attain.

But even if the GOP were culpable for every single dollar of debt and were engaged in blatant hypocrisy, it wouldn’t change the fact that they are objectively correct today in arguing that we need to slow spending and mitigate debt. The arguments used to oppose even a modicum of responsible budgeting do not make any sense.

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.”

201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/10/2023 23:57.

♦ CALDWELL, JOSHUA ROMELIO was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 2715 DREWRY LN on 5/12/2023

♦ CAPERS, DESHAUN CHRISTIAN was arrested on a charge of DISCH FA/OCC DWELL at 2944 N PATTERSON AV on 5/12/2023

♦ Crater, Timothy Wayne (M/51) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at Glenmore Creek Dr, on 5/13/2023 20:57.

♦ Fogg, Heather Nicole (F/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) Larceny-felony (F), 2) Fraudobt Property (F), 3) Fraud-obt Property (F), 4) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 5) Probation Violation (M), at 2200 Stonecutter Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/11/2023 09:19.

♦ GAINEY, TYREZ KINARD was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/13/2023

♦ GARY, THOMAS EDWARD was arrested on a charge of B&E-VEHICLE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/12/2023

♦ GRAGG, VEDER DALE was arrested on a charge of OFA-FTA-RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/11/2023

♦ GREEN, JUNIOUS RUSSELL was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at 2600 LUDWIG ST/E CLEMMONSVILLE RD on 5/15/2023

♦ HAIRSTON, DERRICK MONTE was

up with $200,000 to help with the opioid addiction problem, especially when I pick up the paper and see the salary that the CEO is making. It hurts me to think about giving $200,000 to a foundation, a hospital, that can afford that kind of money for a CEO.” The board then approved three grant matters, a request for opioid abatement funds in the amount of $91,514 to purchase Naloxone for distribution at no cost to the community, a request for North Carolina Department of Public Safety Grant Fund for $388,884 for a medication-assisted treatment program in the Forsyth County Detention Center and a grant

arrested on a charge of MURDER-FIRST DEG at 725 N CHERRY ST on 5/11/2023

♦ Killion, Timothy Allen (M/41) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F) and 2) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at 1610 Old Hollow Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/12/2023 10:30

♦ Mathur, Shad Michael Chandra (M/32)

Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking/enter-misd (M) and 2) 2nd Degree Trespass (M), at 2810 Knob Hill Dr, Clemmons, NC, on

5/13/2023 13:53

♦ Mccracken, Joseph Bryan (M/37)

Arrest on chrg of 1) Breaking/larc-felony (F), 2) Larceny-felony (F), 3) Larcenyfelony (F), 4) Larceny-felony (F), 5) Poss Cocaine Fel (F), 6) Drugs-poss Sched I (F), 7) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 8) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 9) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 10) Fail To Appear/ compl (M), 11) Fail To Appear/compl (M), 12) Fail To Appear/compl (M), and 13) Fail To Appear/compl (M), at 4441 White Rock Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/13/2023 11:44.

♦ MCLEAN, KENNETH JAMES was arrested on a charge of VIO.

PROTECTIVE ORDER BY COURTS ANOTHER at 1498 FAIRFIELD DR/ BANCROFT ST on 5/14/2023

♦ MOSBY, DESHAWN LEMONTE was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 1157 BURKE ST on 5/12/2023

♦ Potts, Felicia Jane (F/37) Arrest on chrg of Rec/poss Stole Mv (F), at 1570 Old Hollow Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/11/2023 17:36.

agreement between Forsyth County and the North Carolina Department of Transportation for $229,787 to fund the airfield lighting rehabilitation.

The board also approved two ARPA funding requests, the first being an agreement with Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. for $100,000 to fund an eviction diversion program and the second being an agreement with the Centers for Exceptional Children, Inc., for $831,636 to fund its Infant & Toddler Program.

Finally, the board approved six contracts. One with CGL Companies, PLLC, to perform a security and staffing assessment for the

♦ Pyrtle, Patrick Wayne (M/48) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 2701 Edwin Dr/glen Cross Dr, Kernersville, NC, on 5/12/2023 16:17.

♦ RHYNES, DESHANE QUARTEZ was arrested on a charge of BREAKING/ LARC FELONY at 901 SILAS CREEK PW on 5/13/2023 ♦ SALMON, ANTHONY SHAQUN was arrested on a charge of PROBATION VIOLATION at EUCLID ST on 5/13/2023

♦ SANDINO, JOAQUIN ALFONSO was arrested on a charge of COMMUNICATE THREATS at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/12/2023

♦ SHANKS, RUFUS LEE was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 201 N CHURCH ST on 5/13/2023

♦ Sharper, Christopher Jonathan (M/29) Arrest on chrg of Ccw, M (M), at S Main St/nb 52_s Main St Ra, Winston-salem, NC, on 5/10/2023 12:32.

♦ SHERRILL, STERLING JARROD was arrested on a charge of DRUGSPOSS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEMETHAMPHETAMINE>LESS THAN 1at 3100 ROSIE ST/WOODCOTE DR on 5/12/2023

♦ SIMMONS, KEVIN GRADY was arrested on a charge of LARCENY MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS at 193 FAYETTEVILLE ST on 5/12/2023

♦ SMITH, MECHELL LORRAINE was arrested on a charge of ADW - INFLICT INJURY at 911 E FIFTH ST on 5/11/2023

new courthouse, with B3 Security Group LLC for security services at Tanglewood and Triad Parks, with Law Enforcement Services Group, LLC, for pre and post-hire psychological and medical services, with Aramark Correctional Services, LLC, for law enforcement detention center on-site food services, with AT&T/FirstNet, Sprint Solutions, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon Wireless for the purchase of cellular services and equipment, and with Communication Access Partners, Inc., for interpretation services.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet May 18.

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

SOCCER

Lussi’s goal gives Courage win over OL Reign

Cary Tyler Lussi’s first-half goal powered the North Carolina Courage to a 1-0 win against OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday. In the 34th minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Courage forward Rikke Madsen sent a through ball to Lussi just over the halfway line. The forward beat her defender on the fast break and slotted a shot into the far post. North Carolina (33-1), which had 69% of possession in the first half, also had two firsthalf goals called back for offside.

NASCAR

Hendrick driver Bowman unsure of return from injury

Darlington, S.C.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman said Sunday he had no timetable for a return to the track after fracturing a vertebra in his back in a sprint car accident last month. Bowman missed his third straight race since the injury at Darlington. He said he’s making progress in his recovery and will get X-rays this week that should give him a clearer picture of when he can get back behind the wheel. Bowman said he feels the pain when he sneezes, coughs or laughs, and he worries any hard, jarring movements in the car would be painful.

GOLF

Johnson recovers to win LIV Golf Tulsa in playoff

Broken Arrow, Okla.

Dustin Johnson won a three-man playoff to win LIV Golf Tulsa. Johnson rallied with a birdie on the 18th for a 67 to join a playoff after posting a triple bogey at the 10th hole that had cost him the lead. But he made a 15foot birdie putt from the fringe to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in the playoff to earn his second LIV Golf title since joining the Saudibacked league last year. Smith shot a 61 and Grace shot a 65. Grace made par on the last hole that gave Stinger the team win.

TENNIS

Davidson, winner of 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, dies

Conroe, Texas Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, died on Friday. He was 79. He won 11 major titles in mixed doubles and two in men’s doubles. Davidson teamed with Billie Jean King to win eight of his Grand Slam trophies in a career that spanned from the early 1960s to mid-1970s. In 1967, Davidson became only the third player in tennis history to earn all four major mixed doubles titles in the same year, including three with King.

Byron wins at Darlington after Chastain wreck

The Associated Press DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway.

Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.

Boom!

Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on a restart with six laps left and held off Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

“We talked about it under the caution,” Byron said of a potential dustup. “I didn’t think that

they would wreck, but, obviously, it happened and we rolled on by.” Chastain and Larson have raced each other tooth-and-nail this season with incidents impacting potential wins at Talladega and Dover heading into the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist — Byron is taking college courses at Liberty University — to know the two might tangle again.

It was a measure of retribution for Byron, who was two laps from victory in this race year a year ago until he was shoved out of the way by eventual winner Joey Logano.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out.” He got away cleanly from Harvick on the green-white-checkered finish for his third win this season and seventh of his career. Harvick was second and Chase Elliott third, his best finish since

returning to NASCAR from a broken leg while snowboarding.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

It was the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car and the organization’s first victory at Darlington since Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 race.

It looked like 2021 champ Larson or points leader Chastain had the strongest cars and figured

Commanders’ record sale agreed to by Snyder family, Harris group

Magic Johnson is part of the new ownership group

The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.

The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.

The deal is the largest for a North American professional sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners,” Snyder and his wife, Tanya, said in the statement. “We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said league staff and its finance

committee will review details of the proposed transaction. Owners meet later this month in Minnesota, but they are only expected to get an update on the situation then, with a formal vote expected in the coming months.

Snyder has owned the team since 1999, when he bought his favorite boyhood team for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Con-

gress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.

Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013. “I could not be more excited to

to be there at the end. Instead, Chastain was alongside Larson during a restart and admitted trying to squeeze his competitor against the wall in turn two. Both wound up wrecking.

Larson finished 20th and Chastain, who punched Noah Gragson in a pit-road confrontation a week ago at Kansas, was 29th.

“I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up, we’ve been trading back and forth all day. I wanted to push him up for sure,” Chastain said.

Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels angrily said on the radio, “three races he’s taken us out of.”

“Children,” TV analyst and racing great Bill Elliott said. “You put ‘em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

Larson moved into the lead when Denny Hamlin went to the pits with 30 laps remaining and was in prime position for victory until tangling with Chastain.

“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” winning owner Rick Hendrick said of Chastain. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies.”

Next week is the NASCAR AllStar Open at revamped North Wilkesboro Speedway.

be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders,” Johnson tweeted. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”

Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.

“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward,” Harris said. “We look forward to running a worldclass organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid several offfield controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver picked up his third victory of the season

Wins for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car

AP PHOTO

William Byron won his third race of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

Josh Harris, part owner of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Devils, has an agreement in place to buy the NFL’s Commanders.

STATE & NATION

House Republicans pass border security measure as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans passed a sweeping bill last week to build more U.S.-Mexico border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hard-line counter to President Joe Biden’s policies as illegal immigrants massed along the border with the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law. Democrats, who have a narrow hold on the Senate, have decried the aggressive measures in the bill as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden has already promised he would veto it.

The legislation passed 219-213, with all present Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and John Duarte of California, voting against it.

The House GOP pointedly voted on the bill the same day as the expiration of Title 42, a public health emergency rule that allowed border authorities to quickly return many who crossed the border illegally. Biden has conceded that the southern border will be “chaotic for a while.”

Republicans have sought to slam Biden for the increase in illegal immigration during his tenure. Passing the bill would ensure House GOP lawmakers can say they did their part to deliver on a campaign promise to secure the border.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the package “the strongest

border security bill this country has ever seen,” saying in a speech on the House floor that “meanwhile, we are seeing a very different record from President Biden.”

The 213-page bill represents a compromise in the Republican conference between mainstream lawmakers, who wanted to focus on beefing up border enforcement, and hardline conservatives, who want to see drastic changes to U.S. asylum and immigration law.

The package would return to many of the same policies pur-

sued by former President Donald Trump, such as building walls along the border. It would also restrict asylum by requiring migrants to cross legally, pay a $50 fee and meet more stringent requirements to show in initial interviews that they have a credible fear of persecution in their home country.

The bill would also scrap a program that has allowed U.S. officials to accept or quickly turn away some migrants from Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua. The program is a cornerstone of Biden’s immigration

efforts, allowing migrants from those countries to apply to come to the U.S. for two years legally and work.

A small group of House and Senate lawmakers hopes the House bill could give momentum for a separate package in the works that would incorporate aggressive border enforcement with expanding legal immigration through work visas, as well as potentially a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

“The bill that we’re getting, I think, is a good starting point,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican. “It, by itself, would not get 60 votes to get out of here.”

Any final bill would need bipartisan support to pass the Senate and agreement from House Republicans on significant changes.

Some House lawmakers were already raising concerns about whether agriculture businesses would be disrupted by the bill’s requirement that agriculture businesses verify the immigration status of employees.

In explaining his vote against the bill, Duarte, who represents a district comprised of farmland in California’s Central Valley, said in a statement that the bill would “harm many families that work in our Valley and create difficulties for our food producers.”

Massie, the other Republican to oppose the legislation, made a libertarian argument against a sys-

New NC elections board members sworn in, with photo ID and district map changes ahead

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — A new edition of North Carolina’s State Board of Elections convened Wednesday, a panel now tasked with helping implement a photo voter identification law later this year and administering 2024 general elections under yet-again different legislative and congressional district maps.

The board’s five members — three registered Democrats and two Republicans appointed to four-year terms by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — were sworn in to their positions and picked leaders. Three members are new to the board — Democrats Alan Hirsch and Siobhan Millen and Republican Kevin Lewis. Democrat Jeff Carmon and Republican Stacy “Four” Eggers were reappointed to another term.

The new board unanimously elected Hirsch as the next chair, succeeding previous Democratic Chair Damon Circosta, who is no longer on the board, along with Republican Tommy Tucker and Democrat Stella Anderson.

Hirsch, the CEO for a small biotechnology firm in Winston-Salem, said he understands the gravity of the board’s role. North

Carolina, the nation’s ninth-largest state by population, has 7.25 million registered voters and often closely contested statewide races.

“This is about the confidence in our election process,” Hirsch told reporters. “Sometimes one side wins, sometimes the other side

wins. But whatever the case is, it needs to be done fairly and with respect for the citizens of this state.”

The board was seated less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court reversed decisions by a former edition of the court that had struck down a 2018 voter ID law

and U.S. House and state legislative seat boundaries approved by the General Assembly.

The 2024 elections will feature races for president, governor, the U.S. House and the legislature among others. The Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling also means the Republican-controlled General Assembly will again redraw legislative and congressional maps later this year.

The board itself has no role drawing maps. But carrying out elections under new boundaries requires the time and energy of state and county election officials to ensure that voters know which districts they live in and that ballots are printed to reflect those changes.

Litigation and new census figures mean candidates have run under different legislative district boundaries every cycle since 2016 and different congressional lines since 2018.

With the voter ID law now enforceable, the board has said work would begin to implement it starting with municipal elections later this year. A federal lawsuit challenging the mandate is still pending, however.

State law directs Cooper to appoint board members from a list of nominees provided by the state

tem that tracks people’s immigration status.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, is introducing legislation that would assist border officials and speed up the asylum application process. And Tillis joined with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent who accepts committee assignments from Democrats, to push a bill that would resurrect the government’s power to quickly expel migrants, without processing their asylum claims, for another two years.

“It’s clear that the Biden administration, while it had two years to prepare for the end of Title 42, failed to do so,” Sinema told reporters. “And in the last several weeks, I’ve had the unfortunate job of communicating on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly basis, with the sheriffs, the Border Patrol agents, mayors and even the governor of Arizona to figure out how we can prepare to deal with this crisis.” Biden has received countless barbs from Congress, but one Texas Republican key to immigration negotiations, Rep. Tony Gonzales, is already thinking of how to get the president on board.

“Until the president of the United States signs a bill into law, all of this is theater,” said Gonzales, who represents a large swath of border country. “A lot of people are good at political theater. Meanwhile, back in my district, we’re dealing with a real crisis.”

Democratic and Republican parties. No party can have more than three members on the board. Historically, the governor’s party has held the majority of board appointments. Lewis is a Rocky Mount attorney, while Millen is a former attorney from Raleigh who has been involved in nonprofits and voter registration efforts.

Cooper and the Republican legislative leaders fought in court for much of the governor’s first term over the board’s structure.

Hirsch, a former deputy state attorney general and policy adviser for then-Gov. Mike Easley in the 2000s, said it’s important that he and his colleagues avoid partisan acrimony to ensure an orderly election process.

“My hope is that both Republicans and Democrats on the board can agree as much as humanly possible so that we can provide that confidence in the election process that everybody really wants,” he said.

The new board also retained Karen Brinson Bell as executive director for another two years. Brinson Bell has been at the job since 2019, leading the board’s day-to-day operations and to assist boards in all 100 counties.

During Brinson Bell’s tenure, post-election controversies over vote counts and the voting process during the 2020 and 2022 elections were few and far between compared to other states. The 2020 elections played out over COVID-19 restrictions that led to a record number of mail-in absentee ballots being turned in by voters.

AP PHOTO

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., stands center in the House Chamber, Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

AP PHOTO

Alan Hirsch, right, the new chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, speaks with board member Stacy “Four” Eggers after a board meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Raleigh.

MOORE COUNTY

Miss Moore County graces Live After 5 Concert Series

The second Friday evening of the 2023 Live After 5 Concert Series in Pinehurst took place this past weekend, with musical performances by John Norris and The Legacy Motown Revue! These free, family-friendly events offer live music, dancing, children’s activities, and food trucks on the second Friday of the month. The next Live After 5 Concert Series event will take place on August 11.

COUNTY NEWS

Approval sought for new ambulatory surgical facility in Moore County Southern Pines Surgery Center Properties LLC, Southern Pines Surgery Center LLC and Pinehurst Surgical Clinic Realty LLC have filed a certificate of need application with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to develop an ambulatory surgical facility. This new facility – the Southern Pines Surgery Center – will have two operating rooms to be relocated from the Surgery Center of Pinehurst and two procedure rooms. The project is expected to cost $27.8 million and will be completed in January 2026. The public hearing for this project will be held June 13 at 10 a.m. and will take place on the second floor of the Old Historic Courthouse in Carthage. Anyone may file written comments concerning this proposal.

Comments must be received by the Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section no later than 5 p.m. on May 31.

Google Street View car could be visiting Moore County soon

Last week, the Google Street

View car was spotted driving around several North Carolina counties over the course of several days. According to Google, the company is devoting time this year to updating its images of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, and Greensboro, in addition to “smaller cities and towns that are within driving distance.” It would appear that Moore County could be a potential travel location for the Google vehicle. If you are concerned about encountering one of these Google Street View cars or feel uneasy about it, fear not, as past lawsuits have forced Google to automatically blur identifiable faces and license plates, as well as to launch tools for the public to report content they feel is inappropriate or invades their privacy. Members of the public are even offered an option to blur any images of their homes. For additional information about Google’s Street View technology, please visit https://www.google.com/ streetview/.

Board of Education approves traditional calendar for 2024-25 school year

Committee formed to look into potential school uniform policy

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Schools Board of Education met Monday, May 8, with a full agenda of action items, including a vote on an upcoming calendar for the 2024-25 school year. The board’s first report was a proposal for a potential Student Uniform Policy.

According to board member Shannon Davis, who presented the policy, the reason behind looking into the policy is mainly for safety and education.

“It creates cohesion, expectations are removed and a sense of equality is available, children from all socio-economic backgrounds are on a level playing field and it

creates a standard that we are all the same and all worthy of mutual respect,” Davis said. “Individuals not attending schools are easily identifiable, so when we’re off campus and we’re all together as a group, and especially with our elementary students and maybe even our middle-grade students, it helps to keep them all together. Gang colors are non-existent, bullying is minimized, it virtually eliminates dress code violations and the inconsistencies of enforcing them and teachers have more time to focus on teaching because they’re no longer having to monitor that.”

Following the preliminary report, the board appointed a committee composed of Davis, Pauline Bruno, and Philip Holmes to look into the policy and bring a formal proposal back before the board.

“We’re not going to take any action on the uniform proposal today,” said Board Chair Robert Levy. “We are just in the begin-

ning of taking a look at that policy. It’s not going to happen today, and it’s probably not going to happen any time in the immediate future, but we’re beginning to look at that policy.”

The board was then presented with two proposals for the 202425 School Calendar. Previously, the board had requested a potential early-start calendar to be explored, however, the early-start calendar would violate NC School Calendar Law.

“As a school district, we have to model obedience to the law,” Levy said. “There are reasons and things that we might do to do things that we might call ‘civil disobedience,’ but if we get sued, every dollar we give to a law firm is a dollar that we don’t have for our students.”

However, Vice Chair David Hensley, who initially led the charge for a change in the calendar, voiced his support for going against the law.

“The fiduciary responsibility of this board is the education of our children,” Hensley said. “Our fiduciary duty is not to the tourism and travel industry so they can rent a few more cottages out on the outer banks. Our students have a constitutional right, enshrined in our state constitution, for a sound and basic education, and this current North Carolina school calendar is untenable.”

The board ultimately approved a traditional start calendar with Hensley, Holmes and Bruno the dissenting votes.

The board also approved the participation of the Community Learning Center at Pinckney in the Alternative Accountability Model for 2023-2024.

“The amount of money that we spend on education at Pinckney is approximately $26,000 per student,” Hensley said. “I’m an effi-

See CARTHAGE, page 2

Driver permit bill becomes law without governor’s signature

The law is the fourth this session to pass into law without Cooper’s signature

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A bill modifying limited provisional licenses became law without Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature.

This is the fourth bill during the current session of the General Assembly to become law without the governor’s signature.

The other bills passing into law without Cooper’s signature include laws on hotel safety issues, rioting and civil disorder penalties, and a law altering the governing structure of schools for the deaf and blind. All three bills have been introduced in the previous legislative session and received vetoes from Cooper.

The enacted legislation is Senate Bill 157, Limited Provisional License Modification. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers; 38-5 in the Senate and 92-15 in the House.

The governor said in a statement about the bill, “I have concerns that this law could make our roads less safe, and I encourage the Division of Motor Vehicles and the

legislature to monitor its effects closely.”

Thousands of teen drivers were hindered in obtaining their licenses by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a massive backlog statewide at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A temporary fix similar to that in the bill was offered last year but did little to alleviate the backlog issue, prompting lawmakers to make the time period change permanent during the

current session. The bill took effect May 8 and alters the waiting period between going from a learner’s permit to a provisional license down to nine months. Prior to the bill being enacted into law, drivers had to wait 12 months. Another change in the law will allow non-family members to ride with a driver during the ninemonth provisional license timeframe.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:

May 18

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.

ciency person. I believe that we have to make every dollar that we spend on education go as far as we can and get as much value… But this board is proud to spend that additional money on these students.”

The board then awarded a bid to EnviroShield Roofing Services for $411,070 to replace the roofing at Elise, North Moore and Highfalls Schools.

“This board, when we took office, we decided we were going to circle back and revisit all of the capital improvement projects which had been previously costed and approved by the previous board, but the money had not yet been expended for,” Hensley said. “This project was originally budgeted at $1.2 million, and we ended up saving $867,000. I want the public to know that this is making your tax dollars and our precious educational dollars go further. With these savings, and the previous savings from the gyms, there is $7 million in savings, and so rather than getting three gyms airconditioning and new roofs, we’re going to get five gyms, and we think we’ll be able to get an entire school out of trailers.”

The board also appointed Steve Woodward to the Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees following a vote by the board. Woodward received four votes, one from each of Levy, Hensley, Bruno and Ken Benway to win the majority.

In a scathing beration about the Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees, Hensley made a few strong claims about apparent law and ethics violations made by the board.

“Three weeks ago, in preparation for this, I started spending some time on the Sandhills Board of Trustees website, and it is absolutely, remarkably, unsatisfactory the illegal and improper things they’ve been doing for years, maybe as long as a decade.”

Hensley claimed that the board of trustees had been violating the open meetings laws – including lack of notice of meetings, meetings in exclusive country clubs, votes outside of meetings and the destruction of public records – had failed to properly communicate with Moore County Schools and were actively enacting policies to the detriment of MCS.

His support of Woodward, he claimed, was to enact reform with the board of trustees.

Finally, the board designated the English Hall at North Moore High School as the Iris W. Burns English Wing and approved a schedule for review of the School Improvement Plans for Robbins, Aberdeen and Southern Pines Elementary Schools.

The Moore County Schools Board of Education will next meet June 12.

Pinecrest’s Landry wins championship

Pinecrest tennis player, Marshall Landry, won the state 4A NCHSAA State Individual Singles Championship this past Saturday at the Millbrook Exchange Park in Raleigh. Landry beat Lake Norman’s Ellis Klanduch to claim the title. This photo was taken at the conference tournament on April 29 held at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines.

CRIME LOG

May 19

Kiwanis Club Blueberry Sale Fundraiser

12pm

Aberdeen PD, Secret Peeping

♦ RICHARDSON, KELLY RAY, 34, W, M, 5/12/2023, Robbins PD, PWIMSD Schedule I CS, PWIMSD Schedule II CS, Possess Schedule I CS, Maintain Veh/Dwell/Place CS, Possess

Schedule II CS, Possess Drug Paraphernalia

♦ BARNES, ERIC LAMONT, 25, B, M, 5/12/2023, Robbins PD, Assault and Battery, Injury to Personal Property

♦ LANG, BRIANNA SKY, 25, I, F, 5/11/2023, Southern Pines PD, DWI, Fict/Alt Title/Reg Card/Tag, DWLR, License Plate Frame Cover Violation

♦ SANDERS, JACOB WILLIAM, 22, W, M, 5/10/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Possess Drug Paraphernalia

♦ MARTINEZ, SANTOS, 21, H, M, 5/10/2023, Taylortown PD, Resisting Public Officer, Second Degree Trespass, Possess CS Prison/Jail

Premisses

♦ LAMONDS, KATEY ANNE, 24, W, F, 5/10/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Trafficking in Opium/ Heroin, PWIMSD Heroin, Possess Heroin, PWIMSD Schedule II CS, Possess Schedule II CS, Traffick in Methamphetamine, PWIMSD Methamphetamine, Possess Methamphetamine, Possession

Schedule VI CS, PWIMSD Marijuana, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, Possess Drug Paraphernalia, Maintain Veh/Dwell/Place CS, Possess Marijuana Paraphernalia

♦ OWENS, TOMMY, 56, B, M, 5/9/2023, Aberdeen PD, Felony Larceny, Injury to Personal Property

The Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills is launching their 14th annual Blueberry Sale Fundraiser this Friday! This year’s sale benefit the Kiwanis Program for the Children of Moore County, Save the Children Schools Reading Program, Back Pack Pals, S.T.E.A.M., and Piquet Music Competition.

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.

May 20

Moore County Farmers Market

8am – 12pm

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 Saturday morning from 8am until 12pm!

Backyard Bocce Bash

8:30am – 3:30pm

The 16th annual Backyard Bocce Bash to benefit the Sandhills Children’s Center will be held this Saturday at the Pinehurst Polo Field on Highway 5! Get your team of four, pack a tailgate, and join the fun!

DAVID SINCLAIR | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

SIDELINE REPORT

SOCCER

Lussi’s goal gives Courage win over OL Reign

Cary Tyler Lussi’s first-half goal powered the North Carolina Courage to a 1-0 win against OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday.

In the 34th minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Courage forward Rikke Madsen sent a through ball to Lussi just over the halfway line. The forward beat her defender on the fast break and slotted a shot into the far post. North Carolina (33-1), which had 69% of possession in the first half, also had two first-half goals called back for offside.

NASCAR Hendrick driver Bowman unsure of return from injury

Darlington, S.C.

Hendrick Motorsports

driver Alex Bowman said Sunday he had no timetable for a return to the track after fracturing a vertebra in his back in a sprint car accident last month.

Bowman missed his third straight race since the injury at Darlington. He said he’s making progress in his recovery and will get X-rays this week that should give him a clearer picture of when he can get back behind the wheel.

Bowman said he feels the pain when he sneezes, coughs or laughs, and he worries any hard, jarring movements in the car would be painful.

GOLF

Johnson recovers to win LIV Golf Tulsa in playoff

Broken Arrow, Okla.

Dustin Johnson won a three-man playoff to win LIV Golf Tulsa. Johnson rallied with a birdie on the 18th for a 67 to join a playoff after posting a triple bogey at the 10th hole that had cost him the lead. But he made a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe to beat Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in the playoff to earn his second LIV Golf title since joining the Saudi-backed league last year. Smith shot a 61 and Grace shot a 65. Grace made par on the last hole that gave Stinger the team win.

Byron wins at Darlington after Chastain wreck

The Hendrick Motorsports driver picked up his third victory of the season

The Associated Press DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway. Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen.

Boom!

Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on a restart with six laps left and held off Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

“We talked about it under the caution,” Byron said of a potential dustup. “I didn’t think that they would wreck, but, obviously, it happened and we rolled on by.”

Chastain and Larson have raced each other tooth-and-nail this season with incidents impacting potential wins at Talladega and Dover heading into the track “Too Tough To Tame.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist

— Byron is taking college courses at Liberty University — to know the two might tangle again.

It was a measure of retribution for Byron, who was two laps from victory in this race year a year ago until he was shoved out of the way by eventual winner Joey Logano. “It’s pretty amazing,” Byron said. “Things have a way of working out.”

He got away cleanly from Harvick on the green-white-checkered finish for his third win this season and seventh of his career.

Harvick was second and Chase Elliott third, his best finish since returning to NASCAR from a broken leg while snowboarding.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris

Commanders’ record sale agreed to by Snyder family, Harris group

Magic Johnson is part of the new ownership group

The Associated Press ASHBURN, Va. — A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family.

The sides announced the deal in a joint statement Friday, roughly a month after they reached an agreement in principle on the sale for a record $6.05 billion.

The deal is the largest for a North American professional sports franchise, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year. It is still pending approval of three-quarters of owners and other customary closing conditions.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for the sale of the Commanders franchise with Josh Harris, an area native, and his impressive group of partners,”

Snyder and his wife, Tanya, said in the statement. “We look forward to the prompt completion of this transaction and to rooting for Josh and the team in the coming years.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said league staff and its finance committee will review details of the proposed transaction. Owners meet later this month in Minnesota, but they are only expected to get an update on the situation then, with a formal vote expected in the coming months.

Snyder has owned the team since 1999, when he bought his favorite boyhood team for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Congress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.

Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have

owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013.

“I could not be more excited to be a partner in the proposed new ownership group for the Washington Commanders,” Johnson tweeted. “Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washing-

Buescher.

It was the 100th win for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car and the organization’s first victory at Darlington since Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 race.

It looked like 2021 champ Larson or points leader Chastain had the strongest cars and figured to be there at the end. Instead, Chastain was alongside Larson during a restart and admitted trying to squeeze his competitor against the wall in turn two. Both wound up wrecking.

Larson finished 20th and Chastain, who punched Noah Gragson in a pit-road confrontation a week ago at Kansas, was 29th.

“I wanted to squeeze him, I wanted to push him up, we’ve been trading back and forth all day. I wanted to push him up for sure,” Chastain said.

Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels angrily said on the radio, “three races he’s taken us out of.” “Children,” TV analyst and racing great Bill Elliott said. “You put ‘em in a sandbox together and they can’t play.”

Larson moved into the lead when Denny Hamlin went to the pits with 30 laps remaining and was in prime position for victory until tangling with Chastain.

“He doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” winning owner Rick Hendrick said of Chastain. “He’s going to make a lot of enemies.”

Next week is the NASCAR AllStar Open at revamped North Wilkesboro Speedway.

ton-area) community. I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”

Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.

“We look forward to the formal approval of our ownership by the NFL in the months ahead and to having the honor to serve as responsible and accountable stewards of the Commanders franchise moving forward,” Harris said. “We look forward to running a worldclass organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid several offfield controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.

“We look forward to running a world-class organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community.”

Josh Harris, incoming Commanders

owner

AP PHOTO

William Byron won his third race of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

Joseph "Joey" Duane Schoolcraft

June 19, 1961 - December 12, 2016

Joseph “Joey” Duane Schoolcraft, Age 55, of Aberdeen, North Carolina passed on December 12, 2016.

Joey was born June 19, 1961 in Rhode Island; to the late Cecil D. and the late Agnes (Rose) Schoolcraft.

Joey is survived by his daughter Jenna Rose Schoolcraft. He was the brother of John Schoolcraft, James Schoolcraft, Jason Schoolcraft, Darleen Rabbitt, Patti Hein, and uncle to many nieces and nephews.

Joey enjoyed readingspecifically Stephen King novels, playing video games, listening to any type of music, and loved to watch the New England Patriots.

Pauline Staley Martin

May 25, 1923 - May 12, 2023

Pauline Staley Martin, age 99, of Eagle Springs, died Friday, May 12, 2023 in Sanford, NC.

She was born on May 25, 1923 and married William Lynn Martin on September 1, 1940. She was a homemaker and a loving mother and grandmother who enjoyed working in her flower gardens, baking pound cakes, and spending time with family. She was a life-long member of Eagle Springs Baptist Church. She is survived by her children: Sue Parrish, Dale Martin (Paula), Shirley Ferguson (Ernest), David Martin (Tammy), and Dana Martin (Amy), nine grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and one sister, Alice Staley of High Point. She is also survived by four very loved caregivers: Danielle Jennings, Kathy McSwain, Chanda Rice and Emma Sinclair all of Sanford.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Lynn Martin, an infant daughter, Dixie Martin, parents, H.M. and Ethel Staley, brothers, Alfred and John Staley, sister, Lee Hughes and a son-in-law, Thurman Parrish.

Robert "Bobby" Harper Crouch, Jr.

November 13, 1959 - May 13, 2023

Robert “Bobby” Harper Crouch, Jr. 63 of West End, passed away on May 13, 2023 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Born on November 13, 1959 in Highpoint, North Carolina to Peggie Crouch and the late Robert Harper Crouch. In addition to his mother, Peggie Crouch, he is survived by one daughter, Malinda Crouch; one sister, Sandra Holbrook; one brother, Ernest Fred Crouch; and one nephew, Derrick Holbrook.

Carol Lee Kistenmacher Ryun Neubauer

August 25, 1949 - May 12, 2023

Carol Lee Kistenmacher Ryun Neubauer, 73 of Vass, passed away on May 12, 2023 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Born on August 25, 1949 in Tacoma, Washington to the late Fredrick and June Kistenmacher. Carol was a kind, caring, and non -judgmental woman. She opened her home to many over the years, raising so many children as her own. She valued family and the time she had with all her children and grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Jesse Ryun and her second husband, Ralph Neubauer. She is survived by one sister, Christine Ruhl; two brothers, Eric and Fred Kistenmacher; and many children and grandchildren.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert "Bob" F Guenther, III

September 14, 1955 - May 13, 2023

Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert “Bob” F. Guenther III, of West End, N.C., died peacefully on May 13, 2023, surrounded by his loving family after a battle with glioblastoma. He grew up in Elmhurst, Ill., and met his future wife, Joanne, in kindergarten, ultimately reconnecting and dating in high school before eventually marrying. He graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and Rollins College, before going on to serve 22 years in U.S. Army. After his military service, he continued working as a military contractor, with his final position served at People, Technology & Processes, LLC.

Bob adored his family, pets and plants. He could always be found playing with the family dogs or playing in his yard. Always the character, Bob was known to verbally parry with all around him (especially his daughter), always have a cup of coffee in his hand and never be able to sit still for more than five minutes.

Carolyn G. Deese

January 6, 1948 - May 10, 2023

Carolyn G. Deese, 75, of Aberdeen and formerly Sanford, passed peacefully surrounded by her family on Wednesday, May 10th.

Born in Harnett County on Jan. 6, 1948, she was the daughter of the late Lester and Shirley Matthews Carroll. In addition to her parents, Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Ray Deese, sisters Donna Kay Powers, Brenda Carroll, Louise Redwine, and brothers Lane Carroll and Jimmie Holder. Carolyn is survived by her four daughters: Barbara Hall, Cristy Hankins (Gary), Laura Howard (Jeff) and Amanda Savage of the home. She was the loving grandmother of Terri, Matthew, Connor, Lindsey, Trent (Desiree), Katelen, Maddie and Christopher (Randie). She is also survived by her 12 greatgrandchildren, a grand - furbaby “Sophie” and her dear friend Mrs. Lani.

Carolyn had worked many years at The Brass Kettle in Sanford before retiring. She enjoyed spending time at the beach and going pier fishing when she could. Carolyn was a woman that would tell you exactly what she was thinking. If it came to her mind, it came out of her mouth.

Pamela Dawn Kennedy

July 13, 1960 - May 9, 2023

Pamela Dawn Kennedy, 62, died at her home on May 9, 2023.

Pam was born on July 13, 1960 to Charles Kennedy and Betty Kellis Kennedy. She enjoyed animals, spending time with her family and good music. She had a big contagious laugh and warm heart. She will be dearly missed.

She was preceded in death by both of her parents, her youngest sister, Kimberly Yahn and her special fur baby, Ellie Mae.

She is survived by her only child, April Moore; grandchildren, Jessica Robinson and Jason Robinson; one great grandchild, Emery Robinson; two sisters, Cynthia Barber and Lisa Smith.

Memorial donations in Pamela’s name may be Moore County Humane Society 5355 NC Hwy 22 Carthage, NC 28327.

Kenneth Gay Brown

March 21, 1927 - May 8, 2023

Kenneth Gay Brown, age 96 of Pinehurst, NC passed away at FirstHealth Hospice House on May 8, 2023. Kenneth was born in Gadsden, Alabama March 21, 1927 to Alphus Jesse Brown and Margaret Elizabeth Gay.

Ken got his Pilot’s license at the age 16, held instrument and commercial ratings, and owned his own aircraft most of his life. After his service in the Army as 2n Lt. he enrolled at Georgia Tech University. Ken graduated with a Chemical Engineering degree. After Georgia Tech he got his Master’s in Nuclear Engineering at Columbia University. He was invited to Fermi's Lab at Princeton University to participate in seminar with Albert Einstein.

Kenneth is survived by his wife, Virginia “Gina” Brown; son, Michael Scott (Danka) Brown; daughter, Susan Elizabeth Brown and Katherine Gay (Glen) Lawton; step children, J. Henry (Deborah) vanLoon and Frederick C. vanLoon; grandchildren, Jessica Palmer Brown, Ryder Haske and Thomas Woods Lawton; step grandchildren, Hayley E. vanLoon, Stephanie R. vanLoon and Olyvia (Mark) Phillips. Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents; step-father, Harry Artz; son, Stephen Lee Brown; Suzie’s long term friend, Ralph Stewart Gallagher.

John J. "Jack" Hynes, III

January 20, 1945 - May 8, 2023

John J. “Jack” Hynes, III passed peacefully after a brief illness at the Hospice Haven in Rockingham on Monday, May 8th.

Born in Bayonne, NJ on Jan. 20, 1945, he was the son of the late John J. Jr and Agnes (Sims) Hynes. Jack served his country in the U. S. Army. Following his honorable discharge, he returned to Bayonne where Jack met and married Barbara Pawluk on April 2nd, 1970 and the couple raised two sons Keith and Daniel.

Jack was very involved with his sons' activities in the Boy Scouts of America and was involved with the George Washington Council in New Jersey. After his retirement from Verizon, Jack and Barbara moved to Rockingham. He was a quiet and reserved man who enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping and all outdoor activities.

Jack, the loving husband of Barbara Hynes for the last 53 years, is survived by his sons Keith Michael Hynes and Daniel Joseph Hynes. He is also survived by his grandson Keith Michael Hynes, Jr.

Bob is survived by his wife of 47 years, Joanne; daughter, Sandy; siblings Candy Zohbon (John), Tom (Sherri), Keith (Mary Pat) and Guy (Roz); brothers- and sisters-in-law Jim Barry (Cheryl), Judy Laut (Dan Laut), Joe Barry (Debbie) and Jack Barry (Diane); 31 nieces and nephews (and spouses); and 26 great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert F. Guenther Jr., and Jean Guenther.