North State Journal Vol. 8, Issue 22

BRIEF this week

CommScope to add 250 jobs in Catawba County

Raleigh CommScope, a global telecommunications leader, plans to add 250 new jobs with a $60.3 million investment to expand its fiber-optic cable manufacturing operations in Catawba County, state leaders announced Tuesday.

Founded in Hickory, CommScope has led the communications technology space for more than 45 years. The Fortune 500 company began with coaxial cable production for broadband and cable TV and now offers endto-end solutions for wired and wireless networks.

“Connecting every household in North Carolina to high-speed internet is going to take a lot of fiber, and with this expansion CommScope is answering the call not only with American jobs, but North Carolina jobs,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.

NSJ STAFF

Biden administration sues Texas governor over Rio Grande buoy barrier

Austin, Texas

The Justice Department on Monday sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over a newly installed floating barrier on the Rio Grande that is the Republican’s latest aggressive tactic to try to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to force Texas to remove a roughly 1,000-foot line of bright orange, wrecking ball-sized buoys that the Biden administration says raises humanitarian and environmental concerns. The suit claims that Texas unlawfully installed the barrier without permission between the border cities of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico.

The buoys are the latest escalation of Texas’ border security operation that also includes razor-wire fencing, arresting migrants on trespassing charges and sending busloads of asylum-seekers to Democratic-led cities in other states.

“Texas will see you in court, Mr. President,” Abbott wrote in response to the lawsuit.

North Carolina will have new House Speaker following 2024 elections

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — With the 2024 presidential election year approaching and redistricting looming, there has been speculation that House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) may make a bid for Congress. That speculation was strengthened after Moore recently confirmed he will not be seeking another term leading the N.C. House of Representatives next year.

Likely candidates should House Republicans maintain control for the speaker’s role include Majority Leader Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne), Senior Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Rep.

Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), and Rules and Operations Committee Chairman Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell).

During recent interviews about the legislative session, North State Journal asked all three men about their interest in becoming speaker prior to Moore’s announcement. All three showed varying levels of interest.

“Well, first of all, Speaker Moore has been the longest-serving speaker in state history. Along with that, I’ve been the longest-serving Majority Leader in state history,” Bell said in response to the question of interest in the speakership. “And so we’ve worked hand-in-

See HALL , page A3

House Rules Chair on the ‘big bills’ this session, the budget, and 2024

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

terms of not being able to override the governor,” Hall said. “And our members had a lot of goals that we wanted to accomplish that we were not able to accomplish in those two terms when (Gov. Roy) Cooper had the ability to veto without being overridden.”

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Repairs to the governor’s executive mansion will soar to $4.1 million under Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper after another round of upcoming repairs was recently announced costing over $1.6 million.

The mansion, known also as “The People’s House,” was built in 1891 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The mansion, like other homes in the vicinity of Jones and Blount streets in Raleigh, is an example of Queen Anne style Victorian architecture.

Due to the age of the mansion, its upkeep has been costly over the years. In 1973, the General Assembly created the “Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee” to manage The Committee repairs and preservation of the building.

According to the N.C. Department of Administration’s (NCDOA) Communications Director Julia Hegele, CT Wilson Construction was awarded the project worth $1,645,464.

“The repair work that began this month at the Executive Residence is part of scheduled maintenance to uphold the structural integrity and keep the facility safe for guests, staff and residents,” Hegele said in an email to North State Journal. “After years of use and weather exposure, the porches are unsafe due to numerous warped and/or rotting boards.

Hegele also noted “it has been at least 22 years since the exte -

my bills and other members,” Hall said when asked which bills were a priority to him or his caucus.

“From a personal standpoint, the ICE bill. You know, making sure sheriffs cooperate with ICE –that’s something that I have been working on now for… this is term three that I’ve been working on that bill,” said Hall. “We’ve passed it and sent it to the governor two times and he’s been able to veto it and we haven’t been able to override it, but I am confident that this session we’re going to be able to override his inevitable veto.”

rior residence was completely painted,” and “Woodwork must be scraped and repainted as part of repairs making it necessary to wrap the porch in order to capture old led-based paint.”

Per Hegele, NCDOA’s State Construction Office “reviewed designs and is overseeing the work” which she said is scheduled to be completed in mid-September.

North State Journal asked for a list of repairs being completed and their costs but the request was turned down.

“As mentioned previously, we do not share design details nor itemized costs for security purposes,” Hegele wrote in her emailed response.

A records request placed by North State Journal in March 2022 also asked for a list of repairs and their costs, as well as contractor payments going back to the date Cooper first took office in Jan. 2017.

The 2022 request coincided with the annual government and media transparency initiative known as “Sunshine Week.”

Cooper’s NCDOA had refused to fulfill our 2022 records request, with Hegele citing “security concerns” as the reason for the refusal.

“Due to security concerns, we typically do not share publicly repair records and recommendations for the Executive Residence,” wrote Hegele. “Providing specific line items and costs could identify

See MANSION, page A2

legislative session.

“I would say a lot in a short amount of time,” said Hall, who is an attorney by trade with Wilson, Lackey, Rohr & Hall, P.C. located in Lenoir.

“You know, we finally have super majorities again after a couple of

Hall went on to say there were a lot of things they wanted to get done and that they had accomplished a lot of those things and lawmakers were still working on some of them.

“Well, you know, first – I’ll say I’ve dealt with a lot of the important bills this time around – both

The specific bill referred to by Hall is House Bill 10; Require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, which stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill passed the House in March mainly down partisan lines and currently sits in the Senate’s Rules and Operations Committee. Three House Demo-

RALEIGH — Settling into his chair, House Rules and Operations Committee Chair Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) smiled slightly when North State Journal asked what word or phrase might sum up the current

Repairs to executive mansion soar to $4.1M under Cooper

The North Carolina Executive Mansion is featured in this photo.

ELECTIONS from page A1

crats voted in favor of its passage; Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford), Rep. Michael Wray (D-Northampton), and Rep. Tricia Cotham, the former Mecklenburg Democrat who switched parties to Republican in April of this year.

Hall added that the ICE cooperation bill deals with individuals who are in the country illegally but have also been charged with a crime in North Carolina. He noted that the bill was necessary due to sheriffs in a small number of counties who are “simply not even talking to law enforcement at all” regarding those individuals here illegally.

When asked about the “big bills” passed this session, Hall named a few he felt were “tremendously consequential.”

“Number one has to be the prolife bill that we passed,” Hall said. “The bill is the most pro-life piece of legislation that this state has seen in probably 50 years. It was a bill that was heavily worked on and something that I think is going to make sure that North Carolina is a state

Character is what the man IS.

Character is personal. It is not a possession we can share with someone else. We can give a hungry person part of our loaf of bread; we can divide our money with one who needs it; but character is something we cannot give away or transmit. The brave soldier cannot share his courage with the trembling recruit who fights by his side in the battle. The pure, gentle woman cannot give part of her purity and gentleness, to the defiled and hardened woman she meets.

Character is our own — a part of our very being. It grows in us over the years. Acts repeated become habits, and character is made up in the long run, of those habits which have been repeated so often, that they become a permanent part of our lives.

Sow a thought — and you will reap an act;

sow an act — and you will reap a habit;

sow a habit — and you will reap a character;

sow character — and you will reap a destiny!

As the tree falls — so must it lie;

As the man lives — so must he die!

As a man dies — such must he be;

All through the ages of eternity!

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.

MANSION from page A1 potential deficiencies in the historic building as well as materials used for repairs, information that could be exploited to threaten the safety of the residence, its occupants and visitors.”

North State Journal asked the NCDOA for a copy of the policy

with a culture of life. That’s one thing.”

Hall went on to say that his ESG bill (House Bill 750), which was vetoed by the governor and subsequently overridden, was “just the start of what I think of what we need to do on ESG.” ESG refers to Environmental and Social Governance, which Investopedia defines as “a set of standards for a company’s behavior used by socially conscious investors to screen potential investments.”

Under the law, state entities are now prohibited from creating or using ESG criteria or economically targeted investments (ETI) requirements when making employment decisions.

“It [House Bill 750] makes sure that the Treasurer is not investing our state resources based upon some sort of woke idea of capitalism and investing in companies that do things that please the extreme left. So, that’ll that will prevent that,” Hall said.

“So, those are a couple of the big things,” said Hall, adding that the repeal of the pistol purchase permit

was “a big deal” as well.

“We’ve also passed some toughon-crime bills…The anti-rioting legislation – that was the Speaker’s bill,” said Hall. “You know, over the last few years we’ve seen these riots in downtowns like Raleigh and Charlotte and that bill really tries to tamp down on those issues. So, I would say those are probably the big ones thus far in this session.”

The riots that swept across the nation during 2020 were costly. In North Carolina, the total across the state was well over $2 million.

The new law raises the penalty for inciting a riot from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class A1 misdemeanor.

Persons willfully engaging in a riot that results in property damage of $2,500 or more, or serious bodily injury, is now a Class F felony.

Two new penalties are included; a Class E felony for persons to willfully engage in a riot where a death occurs during or because of the riot, and a Class D felony where willful incitement of a riot is a contributing cause to a death occurring because of the riot.

Following the veto override on

the anti-rioting bill, the North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union filed a class action federal lawsuit over the legislation which will take effect in December of this year.

With the budget talks still ongoing, Hall told North State Journal that the current session would not be a “marathon session” but “it’s possible that we go into August.”

“You know, the House has a number of priorities that we’re going to have to see in the budget,” said Hall. “Everybody wants to get out of session and go have a summer, but at the same time, we’re not going to throw away our principles so that we can do that. So if we have to stay here in August, then we’ll stay here in August. But I’m confident that we’ll be able to get a deal done sometime in July.”

Turning to the national stage and upcoming presidential election year, two of Hall’s colleagues – Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) and Majority Leader Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne) - have both endorsed the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Both Saine and Bell are considered to be potential North

Carolina House Speaker candidates alongside Hall.

“Well, I’ll say this. I like Ron DeSantis a lot. I like President Trump a lot,” Hall said.

“I’ve heard from both campaigns and you know what I’m doing right now is waiting to see how this primary unfolds,” said Hall. “I think that all of the folks running should be given ample opportunity to make their case. We’re several months away right now from the first primary, and now it’s ‘wait and see’.”

Hall added that “At this point, what I can say for sure among all of the announced Republicans, is any of them would be better than Sleepy Joe Biden as president of this country.”

Hall, who was considered one of the most eligible bachelors when he first came into the legislature had some bad news for the ladies.

“Well, I don’t know if any hearts are breaking or not, but coincidentally, I got engaged last week, so I am “off the market,” as they say,” the 35-year-old Hall said with a sheepish grin when asked about his bachelor status.

dictating repairs be kept a secret, including any memos or emails directing such a change. NCDOA did not respond to that request.

Five months after the Sunshine Week request was placed, the NCDOA finally provided a bottom-line dollar figure of $2,569,459.

Two years earlier, in Dec.

2020, North State Journal uncovered $2,123,955 million in spending on the mansion since Cooper became governor. The 2020 records request took well over two years (820 days) for the NCDOA to finally comply.

As with the 2022 request, the DOA refused to turn over details of the repairs or the contractors

involved. NCDOA’s Director of Communications was Nan Sanseverino. Like Hegele, Sanseverino denied North State Journal access to the repair records on the basis of “concerns about security.”

No such “security concerns” provisions cited by Hegele and Sanseverino were applied under the McCrory administration

during 2013 when repairs to the mansion were widely reported on by media outlets in the state. At that time, multiple media outlets were able to obtain a detailed list of the contractors involved and of the repairs, including $230,000 for a bathroom fix and mold removal – a mere fraction of the spending under Cooper.

Washington Crossing The Delaware by Emanuel Leutze in 1851.

PHOTO VIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Left, Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln). Right, Reps. Destin Hall and John Bell pose for a photo during an N.C. House session in the old Capitol in Raleigh.

Ballard puts education, Senate record at front of Lt Gov campaign

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

RALEIGH — Deanna Ballard wants to pick up where she left off.

In the final term of her career in the North Carolina Senate, Ballard was instrumental in forming state education policy –both the fight to reopen schools and changes in the state curriculum.

Her campaign announcement highlights her “going toe to toe” with Gov. Roy Cooper and former N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen for months, eventually winning a compromise bill that allowed students back in classrooms fulltime. “I felt like at times I was fighting a bit of a war to get the kids back into the classroom,” Ballard said in an interview with North State Journal on Tuesday.

“It took the effort of our families and parents across the state who just stood up and said, ‘enough is enough’ too – they needed help. They needed a voice.”

Ballard said she met with parents across the state to help determine the path forward that that point.

“We had to get the kids back in the classroom. They were just falling more and more behind, there was no telling how much learning loss would take place even at the end of another school year,” she added.

The legislation would be signed into law in March 2021.

After being double-bunked with fellow state Sen. Ralph Hise in a 2022 primary following court-ordered redistricting changes, Ballard would narrowly lose that race. Despite not serving in the legislature this year, she said she felt she still had val-

ue to add to the state.

“I still feel like I have a lot of value add to the policy work and to serve the citizens of the state. I was eager to jump back in and continue to fight for our parents and our kids all across the state,” Ballard said.

Among the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor are serving on the State Board of Education and the N.C. Community College Board, something Ballard says she’s excited about being an active participant in.

“Lifting up our community colleges, I love our community colleges and really believe in delivering a workforce for the state and being a part of that. I’m told (previous lieutenant governors) just sent proxies more or less, I know how to get things done with these guys,” she said, adding, “I want to continue that good work and deliver on behalf of the people of the state.”

Elon Musk reveals new X logo to replace Twitter’s blue bird

The Associated Press

ELON MUSK has unveiled a new “X” logo to replace Twitter’s famous blue bird as he follows through with a major rebranding of the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year.

The X started appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday, but the bird was still dominant across the smartphone app. In response to questions about what tweets would be called when the rebranding is done, Musk said they would be called Xs.

It’s yet another change that Musk has made since acquiring Twitter that has alienated users and turned off advertisers, leaving the microblogging site vulnerable to new threats, including rival Meta’s new text-based app Threads that directly targets Twitter users.

Musk had asked fans for logo ideas and chose one, which he described as minimalist Art Deco, saying it “certainly will be refined.” He replaced his own Twitter icon with a white X on a black background and posted a picture of the design projected on Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters.

“And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” Musk tweeted Sunday.

The X.com web domain now redirects users to Twitter.com, Musk said.

Musk, CEO of Tesla, has long been fascinated with the letter and had already renamed Twitter’s corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October.

The billionaire is also CEO of rocket company Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly known as SpaceX. He started an artificial intelligence company this month called xAI to compete with ChatGPT. And

in 1999, he founded a startup called X.com, an online financial services company now known as PayPal.

He also calls his son with the singer Grimes, whose actual name is a collection of letters and symbols, “X.”

Musk’s Twitter purchase and rebranding are part of his strategy to create what he’s dubbed an “ everything app “ similar to China’s WeChat, which combines video chats, messaging, streaming and payments.

Linda Yaccarino, the longtime NBC Universal executive Musk tapped to be Twitter CEO in May, posted the new logo and weighed in on the change, writing on Twitter that X would be “the future state of unlimited interactivity — centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking — creating a global marketplace

for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.”

Experts, however, predicted the new name will confuse much of Twitter’s audience, which has already been souring on the social media platform following a raft of Musk’s other changes, including limiting the number of tweets users can read each day.

Wiping out Twitter’s brand name recognition that was built up over 15 years is an “extremely risky move,” because it means Musk is “essentially starting over while its competition is afoot,” said Mike Proulx, a research director at global market research company Forrester.

Twitter users pointed out that few people refer to Alphabet, Google’s parent company since 2015. Facebook renamed itself Meta in 2021, but it hasn’t gotten much traction.

beneficial to the caucus.

She added she had an understanding of the structure of state government and how to navigate it to produce results.

Going back to her focus on education, Ballard said, “I think it’s a big part of my heart. I grew up in a school. My mom was an educator, so I grew up in the school community itself, I know how important each staff individual is and the importance of the classroom.”

A native of Lincoln County, Ballard has settled in Watauga County and says she’s stayed true to a scrappy, blue-collar work ethic that’s taken her from western North Carolina to working in a presidential administration under former President George W. Bush. Since 2009, she has worked with Rev. Franklin Graham at Samaritan’s Purse, expanding the organization’s charitable work across the globe.

“I still feel like I have a lot of value add to the policy work and to serve the citizens of the state. I was eager to jump back in and continue to fight for our parents and our kids all across the state.”

Deanna Ballard

Budd letter to Garland asks for info on CCP ‘intelligence’ centers in U.S. cities

By A.P. Dillon

North State Journal

RALEIGH — North Carolina

Republican Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis are asking questions about Chinese Communist Party “intelligence service centers” operating in U.S. cities.

One of the centers allegedly is operating in Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city.

Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Budd-led letter describes warnings from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) “conducts covert “intelligence and national security operations far beyond China’s borders,” including “illicit, transnational repression schemes” on U.S. soil.”

hand on a lot of issues - don’t always agree, but we’re always able to find an agreement.”

“I’ve enjoyed working with Speaker Moore and enjoyed serving in the capacity of Majority Leader and I think I’ve earned the trust of our caucus; not just our caucus, but also my Democrat colleagues on the other side of the aisle,” said Bell. “It’s no secret if the speaker decides to retire and pursue other options, I would definitely be interested. I’ve had a lot of members in our caucus and also other members within the chamber strongly encourage me to consider that.”

Bell said he would have to “weigh those options and talk with my family” first, but said running for speaker was “definitely” something he’d be interested in.

Saine also noted Moore was the longest-serving House speaker in state history and that anyone running would have “big shoes to fill.”

“My name does get mentioned by my colleagues going, ‘Please consider running for Speaker,’ and folks from outside you know, of course, the lobbyists talk about

it; the Members of the Senate talk about it,” Saine said, adding that “anybody paying attention” to events in Raleigh has probably asked him about it.

“But one - I’m not running,” said Saine. “But I don’t think that anybody truly is at this point. And I really want to see how this shakes out. Until you have that election, my job right now is conference leader. My job is to get us back to a super majority plus some. And that’s really what I’ll be laser-focused on.”

Saine also thinks most of the speculation right now is “good fodder” for “chatter online and the rumor mill.”

The 49-year-old Saine dropped names like Bell and Hall as individuals who may be future speaker candidates. “I’m friends with both of them. We work very well together,” remarked Saine. “We’ve been part of the leadership team management team for quite some time and working well.”

He added it was unlikely there would be a “dog fight to see who becomes speaker” and that things will “naturally kind of play out to some degree,” in a way that will be

“We’d all have different leadership styles,” said Saine. “Pick any three of them and I think they could work for our caucus. And there’s no acrimony in our caucus.”

Saine also mentioned the time commitment of being speaker is something to consider.

“So, I think I would have a good shot at that, but I’m not focused on running for speaker and not sure too for me from a family perspective,” said Saine. “When you’re speaker, you’re traveling across the state all the time because you’re assisting your members.”

Hall, who is the first millennial to hold a top leadership position, also showed interest in the speakership but was more reserved in his remarks, indicating it was too soon to consider the topic yet.

“What I’ll say to that is a number of our members have asked me to consider doing it,” Hall said. “And what I’ve told them is if our current speaker decides that he doesn’t want to come back, that we’ll take a look at it and there’ll be a time and place for that. We are not there at this point.”

“Right now, I’m focused on being a great rules chair,” said Hall.

On July 11, Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08) tweeted about Budd leading an inquiry into the matter and linked to a report by The Daily Caller that outlined a letter sent by Budd and other lawmakers to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland as well as a list of the centers and their locations.

The following day, Tillis tweeted that he was joining Budd in “demanding answers on behalf of North Carolinians.”

Joining Budd and Tillis in the letter are Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas; Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri; Mike Lee and Mitt Romney of Utah as well as Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

According to The Daily Caller, the Chinese Communist Party operates an “intelligence service” called the United Front Work Department which operates “Overseas Chinese Service Centers (OCSCs) out of nonprofits in at least seven U.S. cities.”

The Daily Caller article cites Chinese state-media reports from between 2014 and 2017. Those reports showed OCSCs were located in San Francisco, California; Houston, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Paul, Minnesota; Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri and

Further, the ongoing discovery of additional OCSCs raises the question of whether DOJ’s response sufficiently addresses the threat, particularly because OCSCs have openly operated for several years and their activities have been reportedly documented in Chinese state media and social media posts,” Budd’s letter states.

The letter closes with a request for the DOJ to brief the senators or their staff on the matter.

Additionally, the letter requests answers to five questions posed by the senators by July 31. Questions included probe if the DOJ knows or has assessed whether or not the OCSCs are engaging in illegal activity and if so, what kind of activity and if the DOJ is investigating. The letter also asks what the DOJ is doing to ensure future OCSCs are blocked from operating.

Only one state attorney general so far has apparently initiated an investigation so far - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

North State Journal reached out to N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein’s office as to whether or not Stein was investigating the Charlotte OCSC. Stein has yet to respond to our request.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC)

AP PHOTO

A view of a lap top showing the Twitter signing in page displaying the new logo, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, July 24, 2023.

HALL from page A1

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Lawsuit amended in challenge to North Carolina abortion law

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s 12week abortion limit law has been amended by the plaintiffs following updates to the law made by the General Assembly.

On June 30, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on a single section of Senate Bill 20, which passed into law on May 16 following a veto override. Eagles’ TRO covered the documentation requirement for doctors on the use of abortion-inducing drugs.

Eagles will hold the next hearing on the case on Sept. 21.

A fter the lawsuit was filed, the legislature made some modifications to the new abortion law through another piece of legislation signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper on June 29. House Bill 190 mainly made technical changes, revised verbiage or updated statute citations.

Some changes were more substantive, such as language added to the procedure consent form required in the law to include “specific information for the physician’s hospital admitting privileges, and whether the physi-

Western North Carolina tribe to vote on broader legalization of adult use of marijuana

Jackson County Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will vote in September on legalizing marijuana possession and sales on tribal lands for anyone 21 and older. The Tribal Council agreed last week to place the question of broader use on the ballot during its Sept. 7 general election. The federally recognized tribe in 2021 decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana within its sovereign land of the Qualla Boundary. It also formed a medical marijuana system that includes growing and selling cannabis. A large cannabis dispensary is still under construction. Marijuana use remains illegal in the rest of N.C.

Beech Mountain gets $3 million to replace section of sewer system

Watauga County

The state announced more than $223 million in funding for water and wastewater funding across the state. The money was provided to 60 different projects covering 40 different counties. The town of Beech Mountain in Watauga County will receive up to $3 million in loans to rehabilitate and replace a major portion of its sewer collection system that has caused sanitary sewer overflows at the Pond Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and in watersheds that are classified as water supply sources.

Woman who attempted to destroy funeral home identified

Rutherford County

NC.GOV

A woman who attempted to destroy a funeral home in Mooresboro was identified as Misty Danielle Collins of Blacksburg, SC. Collins was already in custody on unrelated charges in Cherokee County. Police say she caused “senseless damage” to Eggers Funeral Home in early July, returning on multiple occasions, after changing her clothes and hairstyle, to continue the vandalism. She’s charged with breaking and entering, larceny and injury to real property and will be extradited back to the county.

FOX CAROLINA

Man seriously injured trying to make gunpowder at home

Macon County

A man in Franklin, whose name was not immediately released, suffered critical injuries while trying to make gunpowder at home when the substance exploded while he was handling it. The man’s wife called 911 to report the accident, saying, “He blew his hands off. He can’t see.” The FBI and SBI conducted investigations, and the bomb squad performed controlled detonations of several devices they found at the home.

AP

A year after justices’ reversal, N. Carolina judges keep murder, robbery convictions intact Cabarrus County

The murder and robbery convictions of a man in the death of a co-worker seven years ago have been upheld by the state Court of Appeals. Tuesday’s unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel came barely a year after the state Supreme Court reinstated the convictions of David Myron Dover that a majority on that same panel had dismissed. The Supreme Court declared the lower appeals court had gotten it wrong when it declared circumstantial evidence too weak for guilty verdicts related to the death of Arthur “Buddy” Davis in Kannapolis.

Four new casinos, video gambling could be on horizon Rockingham County

Top General Assembly leaders say proposals to authorize up to four new casinos in the state and to legalize video gambling machines are being discussed as this year’s chief legislative session winds down. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said the ideas have yet to reach the level of formal legislation to be voted upon. The state currently has three casinos, operated by two tribes. Proposals would permit casinos that are part of “entertainment districts” in Anson, Nash and Rockingham counties, while the Lumbee Tribe could run a fourth.

AP Short-term Mississippi schools chief hired back in North Carolina

Wake County Wake County school district hired a longtime local and statewide education administrator for its next superintendent. The Wake Board of Education voted for Robert Taylor to begin serving in the role on Oct.

1. Taylor was chosen last year as state education superintendent in his home state of Mississippi, but the state Senate there voted against his confirmation in March. The Wake school district has close to 200 schools, over 159,000 students and an annual budget of more than $2 billion.

AP

Man who killed father arrested in Virginia Bertie County

A man accused of killing his father has been located and arrested in Virginia. Police in Chesterfield, VA arrested McKenzie Watford of Colerain, who was wanted in the April 9 murder of Tony Watford. The elder Watford was found dead in his home and was the third murder in the area in a five-day span. Watford has been charged with first-degree murder and larceny of a dog. He is being held until he can be extradited to North Carolina.

Drinking to be allowed on section of Corolla Beach

WITN

Currituck County Beachgoers will be able to drink alcohol on a section of Corolla Beach after the Currituck County Commissioners voted to create an area that permits it. The Corolla Light Resort Social District will cover a section of beach near the Oceanfront Grille on Franklyn Street. People will need to buy drinks from a restaurant or bar in the district and must have them in a cup 16 ounces or smaller that has a logo of the district on it.

13 NEWS NOW

Two towns get grants for sewer improvements

Columbus County

As part of a statewide wastewater funding that tops $223 million, two towns in Columbus county received grants. The town of Brunswick in Columbus County will receive up to $2 million in grants for their Water System Resiliency Improvements Phase 2 project to install a new elevated tank addressing water pressure issues, install fire hydrants, and abandon two wells that are being replaced. The town of Fair Bluff in Columbus County will receive up to $3 million in grants for their 2023 Gravity Sewer Improvements project to rehabilitate nearly 50-year-old sewer lines, manholes, and service laterals to reduce inflow and infiltration.

NC.GOV

cian accepts the pregnant woman’s insurance.”

Additionally, reporting requirements regarding the performing of surgical or medical abortion were changed from three days to 30 and another section dropped the time period of “70 days” related to ascertaining

the gestational age of an unborn child prior to distribution of abortion-inducing drugs.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Dr. Beverly Gray, updated their complaint by acknowledging the changes made to the abortion law by House Bill 190 (cited

as “the Act” in the amended complaint) have resolved some of their issues in their initial filing but state two challenges remain intact and Gray was adding a new allegation.

“As a result of the changes to the Act, many of Plaintiffs’ original claims have been resolved.

However, (1) Plaintiffs maintain their due process challenges to the IUP Requirement; (2) PPSAT maintains its due process and equal protection challenges to the Hospitalization Requirement 1; and (3) Dr. Gray adds to the Amended Complaint allegations about the vagueness of the Induction Abortion Ban,” the amended complaint states.

The “IUP Requirement” referred to by the plaintiffs is the law’s required documentation of an “intrauterine pregnancy” prior to an abortion procedure.

“The IUP Documentation Requirement will harm patients by preventing them from accessing medication abortion before an intrauterine pregnancy can be seen on ultrasound,” the plaintiff’s amended complaint claims. “This may delay patients’ access to abortion care, unnecessarily exposing them to increased medical risk, or compel them to consider a procedural abortion, even though for some patients, medication abortion offers important advantages over procedural abortion.”

The plaintiffs continue to object to the “hospitalization requirement” in the law that states certain allowable abortions provided after the 12-week limit have to be conducted in a hospital instead of an abortion center. That requirement, unless blocked, will go into effect on Oct. 1.

Gray’s allegations about the “vagueness of the Induction Abortion Ban,” include a “lack of clarity” on whether a hospital can conduct an abortion using medications for “a rape or incest survivor” after the 12-week limit.

State Board of Elections approves ID’s for students, public employees

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

—

RALEIGH

The N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) has approved certain student and public employee ID’s for use in voting in upcoming 2023 municipal elections and 2024 general elections. Following the ruling by the N.C. Supreme Court, an identification method that contains a photograph will be required at the polls in all upcoming elections.

“We are grateful to all institutions that applied to have their identification cards approved for voters for the 2023 municipal elections,” NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a statement. “This gives voters additional options when casting their ballot.”

In a press release, the NCSBE cited approval of 99 ID cards that include a photo from across the state for voting purposes. The approved cards include all UNC System schools, a number of private higher education institutions, county governments, and charter schools. IDs for six institutions were not approved for the upcoming 2023 municipal elections because the ID submitted lacked the legal requirement of an expiration date. According to the NCSBE, those entities can re-apply during the next application period for the 2024 elections.

A full list of the newly approved IDs can be found on the NCSBE website under press releases.

The approved student and public employee IDs are in addition to the other accepted forms of photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport.

“We strongly encourage members of the media and advocacy groups to provide accurate information to voters about the photo ID requirement, including the available exceptions,” Brinson Bell said. “This new process should not discourage or prevent any eligible individual from voting and having their ballot counted. The State Board and county boards of elections are here to assist any voter who needs an ID or has questions about this law.”

“All voters will be allowed to vote with or without and ID,” the NCSBE press release states. “If an in-person voter does not provide an acceptable ID, the voter may fill out a Photo ID Exception Form and vote a provisional ballot or vote a provisional ballot and bring an acceptable ID to the county board of elections office by the day before the county canvass.”

Additionally, a person electing to vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot or complete a Photo ID Exception Form for Absentee Voting. The photocopy will be mailed in a special envelope to protect the voter’s personal information. Both of the exception forms can be found on the NCSBE’s website. In the near future, free photo ID will also be available through county boards of election.

AP

Fayetteville’s Wahconah Group Partners with Israeli Tactical Product Manufacturer

Cumberland County

WLOS

State Rep. Ben Moss won’t run for labor commissioner in 2024 Richmond County State Rep. Ben Moss says he won’t run for labor commissioner next year after all but will instead seek reelection to the General Assembly. Moss made the announcement. He unveiled a run for commissioner last December. But the two-term Richmond County Republican now says his time “is best spent focusing on being present with my family and continuing my service” to constituents. Announced candidates for commissioner include GOP Rep. Jon Hardister of Guilford County and Charlotte city council member Braxton Winston, a Democrat. Current GOP Commissioner Josh Dobson announced last year that he wouldn’t seek a second fouryear term. AP

The Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation announced a partnership between Fayetteville-based Wahconah Group Tactical Services Division and Hagor Industries, an Israeli manufacturer of tactical and outdoor textiles. The companies will jointly manufacture and market Hagor’s products in the United States. Initially,

north STATEment

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

MARK TWAIN IS ATTRIBUTED as saying in his own inimitable humorous, acerbic and somewhat cavalier manner: “Everyone complains about the weather ― but no one does anything about it.”

Let’s do something about it. Now. Today. Right here in America.

If the far-left really wants to put America on the path to zero carbon emissions, there is one ― and only one ― way to do it right now.

Go to 100% nuclear power electricity generation by 2033.

prevailing winds come from the Atlantic Ocean but also because 83% of their electricity comes from nuclear power plants.

If France can do it safely, America can do it safely. Ever hear of a Chernobyl in France? Mais non.

France has the cleanest air in the world partly due to the fact 83% of their electricity comes from nuclear power plants.

Adopting Twain’s somewhat glib way of stating the obvious, a nonscientific, apolitical person might look at the whole issue of energy and the environment this way:

“I don’t know much about chemistry, global warming or politics ― or care about them really. All I want is heat and A/C for my home at the cheapest possible price and have food delivered somewhere nearby so I can feed my family.

As long as I can get to and from work easily without having to sit around for hours charging up my car battery, especially if I am in the middle of nowhere heading to the beach for a vacation, I don’t care where energy comes from.

I really don’t want anyone insulting me or my intelligence by saying I am too stupid to understand why we need to shut down every carbon energy source to address what they consider to be an “existential threat” to mankind.

If President Joe Biden and Energy Czar John Kerry think global warming is such an “existential threat,” why don’t they organize a mass demonstration in Tiananmen Square and “demand” the Chinese communists stop issuing permits to build two new coal-fired plants every week as they are doing today? America could cut its carbon emissions to zero and it won’t mean a thing unless China and India at least stop increasing their carbon output each year.

Please don’t even think about sending more of my taxpayer money to clean up their mess! China has stolen enough US jobs and technology and put enough of my friends out of business to be able to pay for their own cleanup and not get our money to do it for them through the Paris Accords.

Nuclear energy doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide or anything which can be claimed to damage the ozone layer or foster global warming. If C02 is what you are worried about, nuclear is your answer.

France has the cleanest air in the world partly due to the fact

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

If you hate Big Oil companies, support nuclear power. They would be out-of-business as soon as every car, home and business hooks up to a nuclear energy power source. No more Exxon Valdez oil spills. No more BP oil drilling platforms exploding in the Gulf of Mexico.

America going 100% nuclear means never having to think about what OPEC does with their oil production ever again. Going full-bore nuclear would dry up American money going to any foreign nation with oil reserves. Malcontent Islamic fundamentalist-led nations such as Iran would no longer be able to fund terrorist activities around the globe if democratic nations go nuclear.

Westinghouse Electricity recently announced plans to start building smaller nuclear reactors, the AP300, at a cost of $1 billion per unit which could provide energy for the needs of 300,000 households annually. The Shearon Harris nuclear plant near Raleigh began operation in 1987. It cost over $5 billion in today’s inflation-adjusted dollars to build.

The new nuclear plants would be a bargain by comparison.

Offer a full tax deduction in the first year to power companies that build each reactor. Once the cost of a reactor is fully amortized, the cost of producing the energy is darn near zero. We just need to make sure our political leaders stop selling our US uranium supplies to Russia like President Obama and Hillary Clinton did.

If you are worried about where to store spent nuclear fuel, let’s ask Elon Musk to ferry spent nuclear fuel into outer space in his SpaceX rockets. Heck, if anyone can figure out how to land spent rocket boosters on a 300 x 160-foot drone boat in the ocean, they sure can figure out how to dispose of spent nuclear fuel by rocket. Launch them off islands previously used for atomic tests such as Bikini Atoll if you are worried about fallout ― there have been 2121 atmospheric, subterranean and underwater nuclear weapon tests since 1945 and we are still here, aren’t we?”

The outrage mob comes for Jason Aldean

IT WOULD NOT BE A DAY ending in “y” without the activist left finding something over which to get outraged.

Try That in a Small Town refers to the feeling of a community where we took care of our neighbors.

Sure enough, that’s what happened after country music singer Jason Aldean released the video earlier this month for his song “Try That in a Small Town,” a tune with a message that revolves around how “small-town” America takes care of its own despite the insanity of what’s going on in the world, like police being spat upon, “old ladies” being carjacked at red lights, radical leftists burning the U.S. flag and/or rioting and destroying entire city blocks in the name of “social justice.”

Aldean was accused by his critics, including Shannon Watts from the “Moms Demand” pro-gun control group, of “racism” because some of the authentic news footage used in his video showed black protesters in the streets and black men trying to rob stores.

What those critics left out of their rants, though, was the numerous clips shown of white people behaving badly, like a woman who was screaming in the face of a police officer, another lighting an American flag on fire, and a man who threw what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail at a courthouse.

The Washington Post was also quick to point the finger at Aldean, reporting that the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee where the video was filmed was once the scene of the 1927 lynching of a black teenager, Henry Choate, by a white mob.

Left out of their story, of course, was the fact that Tacklebox, the production company behind the video, said in a statement that Aldean had nothing to do with the selection of the courthouse for the video. The company also noted that it was a “popular filming location” in the Nashville area that had previously been used by the Lifetime Movie channel and the Paramount Network among others.

But in this day and time, scoring cool points by appearing “woke” and in tune with the concerns of so-called progressives is more important to media outlets and left-leaning political commentators, all of who continue to smear Aldean and his defenders as “pro-lynching” even though the

song had nothing to do with that and despite the fact that the video has resonated with people of all colors and backgrounds who are fed up with what some have called the demise of common sense, decency, responsibility, and respect.

“Try That in a Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief,” Aldean wrote in a statement in response to the outcry.

“Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night,” he went on to say.

“But the desire for it to – that’s what this song is about.”

Contrast the outrage mob’s unhinged reaction to Aldean’s song with their defensive reactions to far-left groups like Occupy Wall Street, Antifa, and Black Lives Matter literally lighting up city streets during their “protests,” and I think you’ll see they pretty much made Aldean’s point for him.

Fortunately, Aldean’s song now sits at the one spot on the iTunes chart, so it appears he’s gotten the last laugh on his detractors, which goes to show that when The Usual Suspects crank up their campaigns to cancel someone, the best way to counter them is by showing strong support for their target when the situation calls for it.

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.

Let’s stop complaining about the weather and do something about it!

Ukraine, inner cities, and character attacks

The true concern is the absolutely specious link between a hawkish foreign policy and apathy about domestic concerns.

TUCKER CARLSON RECENTLY interviewed a bevy of Republican presidential candidates in Iowa. Despite the fact that polls show that nearly zero Americans consider the war in Ukraine to be a top voting priority, Carlson spent a disproportionate share of his time grilling the candidates over their position on Ukraine.

He took the position that favoring additional aid to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia amounted to taking money out of the hands of poverty-stricken Americans in inner cities; as he asked Mike Pence, “Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years. Our economy has degraded. The suicide rate has jumped. Public filth and disorder and crime have exponentially increased. And yet your concern is that the Ukrainians, a country most people can’t find on a map, who’ve received tens of billions of U.S. tax dollars, don’t have enough tanks?”

This same line of logic was utilized by Sen.

J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, who spoke at the Turning Point USA conference in Florida. “There’s no issue that these people with the Ukrainian flags in their bio are more obsessed with, they call it entitlement reform but what they’re saying is they want to cut Social Security... so we can send more money to Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine,” Vance said. Never mind the fact that this is patently untrue: Those with Ukraine flags in their Twitter bios are highly likely to favor massive governmental expenditures domestically. Never mind the fact that Vance himself used to be a proponent of entitlement reform.

The true concern is the absolutely specious link between a hawkish foreign policy and apathy about domestic concerns. Ukraine has become a litmus test not because many Americans care about it as a top issue; it has become a top issue because many commentators and politicians now make the argument that if you wish to spend a dollar in Ukraine to fend off Russian predation, you must be unconcerned about the suffering of American citizens here at home. There are several problems with this logic.

All roads lead to Joe Biden

THERE ARE TWO major congressional investigations underway.

First off, the basic notion that pouring government money into inner cities somehow cures them of their problems is belied by 60 years of trying just that strategy, to massive failure. In most cases, we’d be better off not spending government dollars on boondoggle programs, no matter where else we spend money.

Then there’s the argument that isolationist foreign policy somehow results in greater American prosperity — that American citizens would be better off if we simply allowed Russia to march into Kyiv. This argument is disconnected from reality. It has no logical limits — why not let China take Taiwan or Russia take Poland?

What’s the limiting principle? But it also ignores the fact that American citizens have real interests abroad: The Ukraine war has disrupted supply lines in resources ranging from platinum and titanium to grain and oil; Russia’s routine threats against its neighbors and expansionism in regions ranging from Africa to Syria threaten American allies and strengthen America’s enemies, who further threaten American economic and security interests; China, buoyed by a soft Western response, would presumably move toward a full-scale Taiwan invasion.

Hawkishness is not allied to domestic poverty; in fact, hawkishness in the aftermath of World War II helped protect the safety of the oceans and the skies, thus leading to the greatest outpouring of prosperity in history. But regardless of what you think of America’s support for Ukraine, it is dishonest to suggest that those who seek to fund Ukraine are universally apathetic about their fellow Americans. That implication is yet another symptom of our broken and polarized politics, in which nuanced arguments are ignored in favor of character attacks.

Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.”

Much of the hot air is coming from Washington

BABY, IT’S HOT OUTSIDE.

Right on cue, a New York Times headline links this surge in temperatures to “climate change.”

Temperatures have climbed to well over 100 F in Las Vegas, Arizona, much of Texas, and New Mexico in recent weeks. In Phoenix, the heat wave is the worst since 1974.

Is The New York Times right? Is this climate change? Of course, yes. The climate on Earth has been changing since the Big Bang created this giant rock orbiting the sun.

We had multiple ice ages and heat waves long before we had coal mines, gas-guzzling automobiles and air conditioning. Or human-made CO2 emissions. Or human-made anything. The biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions has been Mother Nature. Forest fires and volcano eruptions have been some of the leading causes of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. The forest fires in California last year and Canada this summer have undone almost all the “progress” in reducing carbon emissions from the green energy fad.

Instead of outlawing cars, how about better forest management?

You’ve probably heard some of the preposterous scaremongering from politicians and the media. CNN declared in big, bold letters that “global temperatures are likely highest in at least 100,000 years.”

According to whom? “One scientist told CNN.” Gee, that sounds authoritative.

Yet other major news outlets, including the Washington Post “factcheckers,” assured us this was true.

Huh? Does any sane person think anyone has scientifically reliable daily temperature data from 1,000 years ago, let alone 100,000 years ago? Is it really beyond doubt that the temperature this summer is hotter than in, say, July 90,000 B.C.?

Joe Biden used influence peddling as vice president to enrich his family and ensure that he would personally have a comfortable life outside of office.

The first is looking into the Biden family’s potentially criminal money-making activities.

The second is investigating the various federal law enforcement efforts to protect the Bidens from scrutiny while aggressively trying to destroy former President Donald Trump.

The striking thing to me is that President Joe Biden is at the heart of both stories.

Biden is the center of the money-making schemes. Hunter Biden is just a bagman for the family enrichment program. No one gave money to Hunter Biden because of his skills, and no one is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for his paintings because he is the next Van Gogh or Monet. If his name was Hunter Jones, he would likely be an unemployed starving artist (or in jail).

The President is also at the center of corrupting the federal law enforcement system. While Hunter Biden is the one being protected, he has no real ability or influence to get federal agencies to break their own rules — or in many cases obstruct justice on behalf of protecting President Biden and his family.

And it is increasingly apparent this is exactly what is happening.

Two IRS whistleblowers recently testified that the DOJ stymied the investigation into Hunter Biden’s potential tax crimes. According to their testimony, political appointees and highranking officials in the DOJ refused to bring some serious charges against Hunter Biden. The DOJ reportedly barred IRS investigators from reviewing crucial communications related to their case — and they even sabotaged IRS efforts to interview Hunter Biden during the investigation by tipping off Joe Biden’s political transition team.

Then, of course, the same DOJ offered Hunter Biden a sweetheart, no-jail-time, plea deal for refusing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million for two years and lying on a federal firearms purchasing form.

Naturally, DOJ officials — including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland — have dismissed these allegations of bias and protectionism as politically motivated and fake.

Much of the elite corporate media has happily accepted this position.

They ignore that the IRS is under the Department of the Treasury — a separate agency of the federal government. Its law enforcement

powers are, by design, separate from the DOJ and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The corporate media happily accepts the DOJ — and therefore Biden White House — view of the world.

This isn’t isolated behavior from the Biden-loyal establishment.

Recall, long before the IRS investigation began, a cabal of former intelligence officials tried to convince the country that the information on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop (which revealed a great deal of his potential lawbreaking) was Russian disinformation.

We now know that those 50 former officials were at best profoundly wrong -- and at worst intentionally trying to deceive the American people. The elite corporate media prefers the first version of the narrative.

There’s been little-to-no official inquiry into why Hunter Biden received the gift of a diamond from a Chinese oligarch, why the widow of the former mayor of Moscow paid him $3.5 million, or why he was appointed to the board of a Ukrainian oil & gas company with no experience in that (or any) field. There’s no big federal investigation into the millions of dollars Biden family members have received from people in Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and China.

Hunter Biden should probably have been arrested years ago — and for far more than tax evasion. It is easy to get lost in the numerous stories of shady deals, extravagant gifts, and foreign influence schemes.

That’s exactly why we must remember one important truth: None of this is about Hunter Biden.

President Joe Biden’s DOJ isn’t protecting Hunter Biden out of any compassion for a recovering drug addict — or even simply because he’s a member of the first family. Joe Biden isn’t even trying to protect his own reputation.

The truth is: Joe Biden used influence peddling as vice president — and probably as a senator — to enrich his immediate family members and allies — and to ensure that he would personally have a comfortable life outside of office. Throughout much of this, Hunter Biden was his bagman. If all Hunter Biden’s dirty dealings became public, everyone would learn just how involved “the Big Guy” was every step of the way.

Joe Biden is not protecting his son. He’s protecting himself.

One of my favorite climate change “fact-checkers,” Steve Milloy, who runs the blog JunkScience, has noted in a brilliant rebuttal that “reliable satellite temperature data for the planet didn’t even exist a century ago.”

But what we do know well is that the planetary temperature over the past 25 years shows no trend line toward extreme heat waves despite this year’s scorcher.

Then, if we look at the thermostat data climate researchers at the Heartland Institute have documented, the famous heat wave of the mid1930s was at least on par with the current surge in temperatures and probably worse.

This begs the question: Was the 1930s heat blast due to “human-made climate change,” too?

That would be a virtual impossibility. The yearslong oppressive heat blasts during the Great Depression happened before 90% of the global CO2 emissions were belched into the Earth’s atmosphere. We also know that death rates from extreme weather conditions have rarely, if ever, been lower than they are today.

That’s because what is different now than at any other time in history is we have refrigeration and air conditioning and cars and airplanes (to take us north during the summertime). Those on the Left have everything upside down. They think it’s cars and planes and air conditioners and fossil fuels that are heating the planet. Wrong — these are the things that keep us cool, even when the thermostat hits 112 in Tucson.

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

NATION & WORLD

House passes resolution to show support for Israel after Democrat’s comments about ‘racist’ state

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House last week passed a Republican-led resolution reaffirming its support for Israel with strong bipartisan approval — an implicit rebuke of a leading Democrat who called the country a “racist state” but later apologized.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, passed with over 400 lawmakers backing the measure. It did not mention Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., by name, but was clearly a response to her recent remarks about the Jewish state. The measure was drafted soon after she criticized Israel and its treatment of Palestinians at a conference.

Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, walked back the comments the next day, insisting her comments were aimed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not the state of Israel. “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” Jayapal said in a statement. “I do, however, believe that Netanyahu’s extreme rightwing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.”

The GOP-led effort highlighted the divide among House Democrats over Israel, with younger progressives adopting a more critical stance toward the longtime U.S. ally than party leaders.

“If there’s anybody in the Democrat party that does not think that antisemitism is bad, then I think this puts them on the record,” Pfluger said.

Some progressive Democrats boycotted Herzog’s address. The same handful voted against the resolution.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. — the only Palestinian-American in Congress — who did not attend the address, criticized the resolution as normalizing violence against those living in the occupied West Bank.

“We’re here again reaffirming Congress support for apartheid,” Tlaib said during floor debate on the resolution. “Policing the words of women of color who dare to speak up about truths, about oppression.”

Over at the White House, Herzog sought to assure President Joe Biden that Israel remains committed to democracy amid deepening U.S. concerns over Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul his country’s judicial system and ongo-

ing settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

Top Democratic leaders in the House also reaffirmed their support for Israel ahead of the vote, responding Sunday to Jayapal’s comments with a blistering joint statement.

The statement — from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and members of his leadership team — declared that “Israel is not a racist state.” It also said America’s long-held commitment to “a safe and secure Israel as an invaluable partner, ally and beacon of democracy in the Middle East is ironclad.”

Hours later, more than 40 House Democrats, including a large group of Jewish members, issued a separate letter also condemning Jayapal’s comments.

“Any efforts to rewrite history and question the Jewish State’s right to exist, or our historic bipartisan relationship, will never succeed in Congress,” the group, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said Monday night.

Most Democrats supported the GOP resolution, even as they accused Republicans of playing politics.

“These are straightforward things that we should be supporting,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who is Jewish, told reporters. “But I certainly questioned the intentions of the Republicans by putting it on the floor. I wish their intentions were genuine.”

Schultz also called out House Republicans’ efforts to condemn Jayapal’s comments with a vote but their refusal to disinvite Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from a hearing Thursday despite comments he made about the COVID-19 virus being engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

“That type of vile messaging and statements should never be given those world’s largest platforms to fan the flames of conspiracy theories and racial and ethnic and religious hate,” she said. More than 100 Democrats have signed a letter as of late Tuesday calling for Republican leadership to remove him from the panel.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and committee chair Jim Jordan, who is holding the hearing, have so far refused to disinvite Kennedy. Both said while they disagree with his comments, taking him off a panel about censorship would be contrary to the point Republicans are trying to make.

US navy secretary says Australian multination military exercise demonstrates unity to China

Canberra, Australia

U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said Friday that the major multination military training exercise launched in Australia sends a message to China that America’s allies are cooperating to defend their security and democratic values.

Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia but has expanded this year to 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.

Del Toro and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, welcomed ever-closer closer bilateral military ties as they launched the exercise at a Sydney naval base.

“The most important message that China can take from this exercise and anything that our allies and partners do together is that we are extremely tied by the core values that exist among our many nations together,” Del Toro told reporters.

“We are prepared to actually operate together in defense of our national security interests and in defense of the core values that we all share,” he added. Marles said more than 800 military vehicles will cross a single mobile wharf to be deployed at the Queensland state coastal town of Bowen during the two-week exercise.

“It’s going to be the most significant logistics exercise that we will see between Australia and the United States in Australia since the Second World War,” Marles said.

Chinese spy ships have been shadowing Talisman Sabre exercises since 2017.

The Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — An extensive reorganization of Iowa’s state government to streamline services is complete and already translating into improvements after just three months, Gov. Kim Reynolds said, even as some continue to worry that the massive transition consolidates the governor’s power and diminishes accountability.

Reynolds proposed the alignment as one of her top priorities at the beginning of the year, envisioning the shrinking of departments from 37 to 16 and the elimination of more than 500 positions. She signed the bill into law on April 4 after it passed in the Legislature without any substantive changes.

The 16 beefed-up agencies are now fully operational, Reynolds said, and already seeing “measurable outcomes.”

“I think it’s sometimes difficult to grasp the size and scope of this undertaking, especially with such an aggressive timeline,” Reynolds said Tuesday. “The most compelling reasons why alignment is the right thing to do for Iowans are the early success stories that we’re hearing across state government.”

Reynolds also unveiled a new state logo with the tagline “Freedom to Flourish,” which she said will bring all of the departments together under one unified brand and communicate “a motivating message that in Iowa, you can reach your potential.”

WHAT ARE THE CORE DEPARTMENTS?

The administration touts the reorganization as an effort to eliminate redundancies across the agencies by allowing areas with commonalities to be housed under the same roof and be subject to consistent oversight, technologies and procedures.

In particular, the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has absorbed many of the licensing services that had been in other departments. The director, Larry Johnson, said Tuesday that

they have already seen dramatic cuts in case backlogs and in the average response time to requests.

Johnson said they have a “leaner and more efficient” process after they took “talented, passionate, hardworking public servants who were doing similarly situated work as their counterparts in other departments, put them together, questioned the process with the goal of improving our services.”

The Division of Labor, Division of Workers’ Compensation, and Civil Rights Commission have also been folded into Johnson’s department.

The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services both ballooned in size and scope as well.

Each department has their own director to oversee all operations within the new agency’s scope. That director is appointed by the governor and serves at her pleasure, the new law specifies.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

The state said the reorganization is projected to save more than $200 million over the next four years, largely by eliminating the

roughly 500 positions that had been unfilled.

Kelly Garcia, the director of health and human services, said divisions were doing overlapping work for years before the consolidation.

They “were duplicative or disparate, they were disjointed,” Garcia said. “I saw Iowans getting stuck in our system, getting shuffled around and sometimes really poor outcomes.”

Reynolds and her department heads also pointed agencies as a “one-stop shop” for services, where before Iowans might have had to visit multiple agencies for one issue.

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS?

Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that a smaller number of political appointees now have greater power, with more breadth and depth to their agencies.

“There isn’t a person in this room who doesn’t want a responsive, streamlined government,” said state Sen. Pam Jochum, who is now the leader of the Democratic caucus, during debate. “In my hum-

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds

ble opinion, what we are putting at risk is oversight and accountability. What I believe is happening is a government that will be less responsive to everyday Iowans.”

The director of the Department of Corrections, as compared with members of a localized board, now has authority over the operations that serve more than 30,000 individuals. Across the state, community and county leaders had questioned how effective the program will be when they lack control over their own services.

The law also gives the state’s attorney general more authority, specifying that departments cannot seek outside legal counsel and that the attorney general can prosecute any case on behalf of the state, even if a county attorney doesn’t request such an intervention. In particular, the law asserts that the attorney general alone should investigation allegations of election misconduct.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

All Iowans are likely affected in some way by the state government reorganization, shifting where they go or who they contact for the services they need.

More than 2,600 state employees transitioned to a new department as part of the reorganization, Reynolds said Tuesday. She reported that the department heads have regularly communicated with employees to ensure a smooth transition, and many have had or will have the opportunity to advance and take on new responsibilities.

Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Britain, Canada and Germany are taking part in this year’s exercise that ends on Aug. 4. The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are attending the exercise as observers.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

US Supreme Court asked to set aside ruling that blocks construction on Mountain Valley Pipeline

Charleston, W.Va.

The fate of a controversial natural gas pipeline in West Virginia may rest with the U.S. Supreme Court, as the state appealed a lower court’s ruling that temporarily blocked construction despite a Congressional order clearing the way for the project.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey argued that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, lacked jurisdiction to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

“The Mountain Valley Pipeline is vital to the survival of American energy independence and affects thousands of jobs in West Virginia — its completion is also critical to our national security, the urgent need is for it to be completed as soon as possible,” Morrisey said.

Legislation addressing the pipeline was part of a bipartisan bill to raise the debt ceiling.

Environmentalists have argued that Congress overstepped its authority by enacting the law, saying it violates the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution.

The pipeline’s operators say the project is already substantially complete and that only 3 acres of trees need to be cleared.

PRESS

AP PHOTO

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speaks during a news conference, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

AP PHOTO Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reacts before signing a bill that creates education savings accounts, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

Iowa’s overhaul of state agencies is already showing results, governor says

“The most compelling reasons why alignment is the right thing to do for Iowans are the early success stories that we’re hearing across state government.”

Charlotte FC wins Leagues Cup opener on PKs

Charlotte FC came from behind twice in the second half, then won a penalty shootout to earn two points in its opening match in the Leagues Cup. The fourth annual showdown between teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX sent Charlotte to Dallas for its first of two group stage matches.

After trailing to FC Dallas 1-0 at halftime, Karol Swiderski scored for Charlotte in the 61st minute. Dallas responded with a goal in the 75th, and Charlotte’s Bob Bender tied the game in the 90th minute to earn a 2-2 tie and send the contest to penalty kicks. Swiderski and Bender scored, while Kristijan Kahlina saved Dallas’ first two shots to give Charlotte a 2-0 lead in PKs. After Brandon Cambridge and Dallas’ Jesus Ferreira exchanged goals, Patrick Agyemang clinched the win by burying his PK for Charlotte.

Morehead City faces Bismarck in Battle of the Motorboaters

The Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League and the Bismarck Larks of the Northwoods League are changing their team names for one night only. Each will be known as the Motorboaters The name celebrates The Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament in Morehead City, while Bismarck celebrates pontooning down the Missouri River.

When the two team owners found out someone else had the same idea for a rebrand, they decided to see whether motorboating fast on the open ocean or a lazy trip down a river is superior. The teams will hold their Motorboaters nights this weekend—Bismarck on July 27 and Morehead City on July 28, and each team will donate 10% of the proceeds of t-shirt sales celebrating their form of motorboating (Built for Speed in Morehead City, Built for Comfort in Bismarck) to the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the North Dakota Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers in the 1st annual Battle of the Motorboaters.

New faces for UNC basketball on B3

Chapel Hill smashes first-ever international soccer showcase

Wrexham-Chelsea exhibition brings full house to Kenan

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

USUALLY THE HOME of the Carolina Tar Heels football team, the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium instead welcomed two international guests under its lights last Wednesday as it played host to two of the biggest names in the soccer world – Chelsea FC, one of the top team’s of the English Premier League, and Wrexham AFC, the star of the American sports documentary series, “Welcome to Wrexham.”

In front of a sold out crowd of 50,596, the two UK clubs played an exhibition match as part of the Florida Cup Series, an annual club association football friendly exhibition competition held in the United States.

“It was really nice, the full stadium,” said Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. “Thank you

to all the fans here in North Carolina. I was happy to be here and we really enjoyed the game.”

It isn’t often that international soccer arrives in North Carolina, and it’s perhaps an even bigger rarity that it has landed in Chapel Hill. In fact, this was the first time Kenan Stadium had ever hosted an international soccer game.

But Carolina proved it was ready and the event was a total success.

“What an outstanding event,” said UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham through a UNC Communications post. “The ability to welcome more than 50,000 people to Kenan Stadium – many of whom have never been to Chapel Hill – is incredibly special for our University, town and community. Thank you to both teams for allowing us to share in a great game and experience.”

Despite the 90+ degree weather and added humidity, Kenan filled out with raucous soccer fans eager to see two of Europe’s most popular teams.

the community.”

UNC soccer coach Grant Porter

“We’ve been in town the last few days and the amount of people with Wrexham shirts on or Wrexham caps has blown us all away really,” said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson. “It’s great to see really and we hope all of our supporters over here can continue following us in this journey next season.

“We had a good tour around the university, looked around at all the facilities and had a great talk here about the history of the university which I think was great for our lads to hear that because in England and Wales, you don’t have the kind of sporting facilities at universities as you’ve got here. I think the lads were shocked,

Chelsea/Wrexham latest example of Triangle’s sporting successes

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

THE TRIANGLE is proving to be a premier destination for major sporting events in North Carolina as, yet again, another massively successful venture happened right within its borders.

It was the second time this year that one of the area’s local universities transformed its college football stadium into a brand new venue for an event never before seen in the area.

In February, it was the NHL heading outdoors as the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Washington Capitals for the NHL’s Stadium Series in Carter-Finley Stadium and this time, it was Kenan Stadium hosting a FC Series match between two of Europe’s most popular clubs in Chelsea FC and Wrexham AFC.

Putting on these events is an undertaking of massive proportions because the facilities aren’t readily available, they have to be assembled.

In Raleigh, it was the creation

and sustentation of ice at Carter-Finley Stadium and in Chapel Hill, it was the laying of 100,000 square feet of fresh sod on the artificial turf of Chris Smith Field.

“This is a first on this field since we’ve been artificial,” said UNC’s

Director of Athletic Grounds and Turf Management Casey Carrick.

“But we’ve been to Bank of America in Charlotte and helped with a couple of those flip-overs so it’s not a new process to us, but it is new for Kenan.

well we all were, when we saw the size of the stadiums. Not just this one, but the basketball arena and everything. It really is incredible and I can see why so many topclass athletes have come through this system.”

The event had the full support of the UNC community, including head football coach Mack Brown who saw the event as only a net positive for the university.

“The benefits are obvious,” said UNC Football head coach Mack Brown who eagerly gave his approval for the conversion of the stadium. “We have wonderful soccer programs and to bring two of the top international programs in here – that I’m learning about how popular they are in our world – is really cool for our soccer teams and I can imagine our college players being around the international players is going to be really cool as well.

“Secondly, it’s a great revenue producer for the university and we’re always looking to get more money. We’ve got 28 sports and we’ve gotta support those sports, so I thought it was an unbelievable opportunity there. Thirdly, anytime you can bring this many people into your community and have them shopping and buying stuff, I just thought it was a

See SHOWCASE, page B4

“The sod is specifically made for applications like this. It’s a four month process to grow the sod at the farm. It’s grown on plastic so the depth of it is pretty consistent and uniform throughout the whole thing. It weighs 17 pounds a square foot so it’s very heavy. There’s a couple of machines out here that push it together really tight and make the seams almost unnoticeable and so once it’s in place it really doesn’t go anywhere.”

According to Carrick, the sod that Chelsea and Wrexham played on is the same one utilized in various NFL stadiums.

The sod was laid one week prior to the match and was ready for game day with no issues.

“When we heard it had only been put down last week, I think everybody was a little bit nervous, but it played incredibly well,” said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson. “You’ve got to give the grounds staff and the technology so much credit for that. For it to knit together so quickly, it was amazing. We all thought it was going to cut up, but it didn’t. It was a fantastic playing surface, so credit to everybody involved.”

If you build it, they will come.

That’s proving to be a non-debatable truth in an area hungry

See EVENTS, page B3

“It benefits our players and everyone in

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

A sellout crowd of over 50,500 fans enjoyed a FC Series match between Chelsea and Wrexham at University of North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen celebrates his goal in the 3rd minute against Wrexham during a FC Series match at University of North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

TRENDING

Alex Highsmith: Coming off a breakout season, the outside linebacker and former Charlotte 49er signed a new contract that will keep him with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the next five seasons. The two sides announced the deal on Wednesday, a week before the team reported to training camp. The 25-year-old Highsmith was in the final year of his rookie contract and this will extend it through 2027. A third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Highsmith has played in 49 career games, starting 38. He has 179 tackles, 110 of them solo stops. He led the team with a career-high 14 1/2 sacks last season.

Danyer Cueva:

The Texas Rangers’ minor league shortstop was taken to a hospital as a precaution after taking a knee to his head while playing for Class A Down East in the Carolina League. The team said Cueva had full feeling and movement in all his extremities when he was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The 19-yearold from Venezuela was diagnosed with a concussion and cleared to be discharged.

Kemba Walker:

The former Charlotte Hornet and NBA All-Star is headed to Europe. AS Monaco signed Walker for the upcoming season, which will mark Walker’s first playing stint in the EuroLeague. The 6-foot guard was a three-time All-Star in Charlotte and in his first season in Boston in 2019-20. But the 33-year-old Walker has missed significant time ever since with knee issues. He played just nine games with Dallas last season. Walker has averaged 19.3 points in a 12-year NBA career. That followed him powering Connecticut to the 2011 NCAA championship.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

Wrexham’s Paul Mullin after the team won for the first time on its U.S. tour, over the L.A. Galaxy. Wrexham lost 5-0 to Chelsea in Chapel Hill to open the tour

The Carolina Panthers and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young agreed to a fouryear contract. The fully guaranteed deal is worth a reported $37.9 million. The team’s announcement of the deal comes just days before the Panthers were to report to training camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina. All of Carolina’s draft picks are now under contract. The Panthers traded up with the Chicago Bears to get Young, giving them a potential long-term solution at quarterback.

Former NC State pitcher Carlos Rodon on blowing a kiss to Yankee fans that booed him after giving up 6 runs in two innings.

PRIME NUMBER

Number of ACC football, men’s and women’s basketball games that will be broadcast on The CW each year through 2026-27. The network got the rights from Raycom and will air 13 football games, 28 men’s basketball games and nine women’s games this season starting with Pitt vs. Cincinnati on Sept. 9. The CW will air ACC men’s basketball doubleheaders every Saturday in December, January and February and women’s games on Sundays.

SWIMMING

The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a oneyear $1.675 million deal, bringing him back to the team for the second time in three seasons. The 27-year-old DeAngelo, had 10 goals and 41 assists for Carolina in 2021-22. Carolina traded him to Philadelphia last summer The Flyers waived him earlier this month.

Former NC State swimmers Ryan Held (pictured) and Justin Ress won bronze in the 4x100 Free relay on the first day of competition at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan. Both will compete in the 50 freestyle later this week. Current Wolfpack swimmers Ross Dant (800 freestyle) Katharine Berkoff (women’s 50 and 100 backstroke) and Hunterville’s Baylor Nelson (4x200 freestyle relay) will also compete this week.

Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane at Pocono Raceway a year after his win was thrown out. It’s his record seventh at Pocono and 50th in his Cup Series career. Hamlin passed Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon for most wins at the track. Hamlin had his win stripped a year ago for aerodynamics violations.

DERIK HAMILTON | AP PHOTO

NHL

JOHN MINCHILLO | AP PHOTO

NFL

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

“I guess it was the best reaction I could give, but better not to give a reaction I guess,”

FRANK FRANKLIN II | AP PHOTO

“It’s not often you get to do your job living in L.A. a few days”

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

MICHAEL CONROY | AP PHOTO

Addition by addition: Tar Heels look to build chemistry from assembled talent

UNC adds five transfers as part of significant roster turnover

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

PENN STATE, ARIZONA, Hawaii, Virginia Tech, UAB and Georgetown.

Those aren’t the members of some new conference expected to be created in the next round of realignment. They are the landing spots of the seven 2022-23 Tar Heels that hit the transfer portal following the season.

Frustrated by a year when team chemistry seemed choppy and playing time was maddeningly sparse for young players, coach Hubert Davis saw half of his roster decide to transfer, including star guard Caleb Love, role players Puff Johnson, D’Marco Dunn, Justin McKoy and Dontreez Syles, and freshmen Tyler Nickel and Will Shaver.

“I know that we were disappointed,” Davis said of the 202223 season, which saw the Heels start the season ranked No. 1 and go on to miss out on an NCAA Tournament bid. “Going into last year, we had hopes and expectations and dreams of what we could become. And at the end of the day, for a number of reasons, we just didn’t reach our full potential.”

The transfers out, plus the expired eligibility departures of super senior Leaky Black and grad

transfer Pete Nance, left an enormous crater in the UNC roster, leaving Davis scrambling to fill the gaping holes. Which leads us to the next potential realigned super conference: Stanford, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Louisville and Brown. Those are the schools where the transfers Davis brought in for the upcoming season played last year.

With seven headed out and five entering, the revolving door of the transfer portal overwhelmed all

other classic means of roster transition. In addition to the two departing veterans to try their luck in the NBA (one of which, Nance, was an incoming transfer last year), the Heels add two recruited freshmen, one of whom reclassified to enter college early.

“In the past, you could predict what a team is going to look like next year and the year after that,” Davis said, “and what it’s going to look like at this time. And you could recruit in a way knowing

that this person will be here, this person is going to be gone. You can no longer do that.”

In the midst of all that dust getting kicked up, there are four recruited players who return to the roster after playing last year— Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington.

“This is his last year,” Davis said of Bacot, putting a comedic emphasis on the word “is”. Bacot, who set the school’s career rebounding record last season, will likely set the scoring mark this year, which will be his fifth for the Tar Heels.

“I’m really excited to see that type of ‘I only have one year left’ mentality out there on the floor,” Davis said of the big man, who he has criticized at times for his lack of intensity.

Davis also expects to see Trimble and Washington up their intensity as they return to the roster as elder statesmen.

“Jalen and Seth came back because they wanted to be here,” Davis said. “They didn’t want to go.”

He praised Trimble’s athleticism and said the guard has the potential to be the top defender in college basketball. He also praised Washington for “living in the weight room” during the offseason.

Each of the incoming transfers are expected to fill crucial roles.

Cormac Ryan is a grad transfer from Notre Dame, a veteran of the ACC wars.

“Cormac, his ability to shoot the basketball, be able to score. He’s also a playmaker,” Davis said. “”He’s an incredible defender.”

Jae’Lyn Withers, a forward who arrives from Lousiville, has three years of ACC experience.

“Every time that we played Louisville, the one person I was worried about was him, because of his size and his athleticism,” Da-

“There’s a drive that’s coming from different directions”

Hubert Davis

vis said. “He can score inside, he can run the floor, he can rebound, he can shoot the ball from three. Defensively, he can guard one through five.”

Harrison Ingram is a small forward who spent two years at Stanford and is a former McDonald’s All-American.

“I love multiple playmakers,” Davis said. “It’s nice to have somebody with that size and that type of skill level and athleticism that can do a number of things out there on the floor.”

West Virginia forward James Okonkwo and Borwn guard Paxson Wojcik round out the incoming transfer class.

The team also adds five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau, who reclassified to graduate high school early, as well as four-star forward Zayden High.

The big question is how all these parts will blend on the court and in the locker room. Last year’s squad returned nearly the entire roster, then struggled to mesh on the floor and off.

So far, Davis likes what he’s seen.

“There’s a sense of urgency and competitiveness and a drive that’s coming from different directions, but all meeting in the same place,” he said.

Hopefully that place will be significantly more comfortable than Chapel Hill was last season.

ACC commissioner denies involvement in Northwestern hazing

Jim Phillips repeats statement on controversy at commissioner’s forum

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

ACC COMMISSIONER Jim Phillips briefly addressed the lawsuit filed against him for his alleged responsibility for the hazing scandal at Northwestern.

Two former members of the Northwestern football team identified as John Doe 2 and John Doe 3 filed suits last week naming Phillips, who was athletics director for the school at the time. The John Doe plaintiffs who named Phillips as a defendant were members of the football team from 2018-22. Phillips left Northwestern to replace John Swofford as ACC Commissioner in 2021.

The complaints allege “longstanding issues involving hazing and bullying that takes on a sexual and/or racist tone” and accuse former football coach Pat Fitzgerald of enabling “a culture of racism and/or other microaggressions” on the football team. The school ended Fitzgerald’s tenure as coach when reports of the hazing scandal first surfaced earlier this summer. Attorneys have said misconduct extended to other sports as well.

Shortly after the suits were filed, Phillips released a statement, saying, “This has been a difficult time for the Northwestern University community, a place that my entire family called home. Over my 30-year career in intercollegiate athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes.

“Hazing is completely unacceptable anywhere, and my heart goes out to anyone who carries the burden of having been mistreated. Any allegation that I ever condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct against student-athletes is absolutely false. I will vigorously defend myself against any suggestion to the contrary.”

Tuesday’s commissioner’s forum in Charlotte, which annually opens the ACC’s football media days, was the first public appearance by Phillips since the suits were filed. Phillips addressed several issues facing the league and college sports during his opening statement, which lasted more than 28 min-

EVENTS from page B1

and capable of hosting high-end sporting events. Each event this year has not only been embraced by the local communities, but they’ve been events that have been sought out by national and even international crowds as well. Even the training sessions for

Atlantic

football

utes of the 53-minute forum. As he concluded his remarks and was about to take questions from the assembled media, Phillips said, “I’d like to address the ongoing matter at Northwestern. I’m sure some of you have questions.”

Phillips said that he “released a statement last week,” then repeated much of what was said in that statement.

“This is a very difficult time for the Northwestern community, and my heart goes out to any person who carries the burden of mistreatment or who has been harmed in any way,” he said. “During my 30-year career in college athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes.”

Phillips then concluded his statement by saying, “As you know, with this matter in litigation, I’m unable to share anything more at

Wrexham were met with huge turnouts at Wakemed Soccer Park despite the heat and humidity and the fact that it was, again, just a practice.

“The open training session was fantastic,” Parkinson said. “It was a great chance to engage with all the supporters, both the Wrexham and Chelsea ones. It’s been enjoy-

this time. I’d be happy to address your questions about the ACC and ACC football.”

The media did not have any follow-up questions regarding the Northwestern situation, instead focusing on the other issues Phillips addressed in his remarks.

Outside of the Northwestern hazing accusations, Phillips covered a number of topics in his forum. The commissioner addressed the reports that several member schools were considering leaving

able. All around the area we’ve interacted with fans and that’s been a real pleasure. And it’s not even just these major events either. Smaller events such as Major League Crickets tournament in Morrisville and the Savannah Bananas stop at DBAP earlier this month have been met with tons of buzz and sold out

the league over financial concerns.

“I’m well aware of the stories and narrative surrounding our members, about our financials” Phillips said. “These are not new.”

Phillips said that the league has worked out most of the issues some members may have had after discussing the matter thoroughly at the league meetings earlier this year.

“I’m proud that our presidents and chancellors continue to have healthy and honest conversations about working together,” he said. “The league is healthy. It just is. And certainly, there’s rumblings. Again, we all saw what happened in the springtime. But the group has come together in a way, to me, that demonstrates they want to work together to find solutions.”

Phillips admitted that the league is in third place, behind the SEC and Big Ten—the two confer-

crowds as well.

Add in the legalization of sports betting in North Carolina with the recently approved House Bill 347, and even more avenues of revenue and tourism have started to open up for the area, especially with PNC Arena already slated to be one of the locations with an onsite sports book.

ences that member schools were reported to be considering leaving the ACC to join. He said that it was “a good position” to be in, “but we want to close the gap.”

“Are we chasing a dollar amount, or are we chasing success?” Phillips said. “I think there is a difference. Chasing a dollar amount takes you down a different path.”

Phillips also called for a federal solution to NIL issues, calling the current situation a “race to the bottom” and a “patchwork of inconsistent state laws.” Phillips criticized schools that use collectives as a way to essentially pay players for attending the school—including many league members—for circumventing the intent of NIL rules.

“There’s a need to reaffirm that the student-institution relationship is just that,” he said. “Our athletes are students, not employees.”

The Triangle is not only home to some of the greatest college sports in the country, but it’s proven itself to also be a perfect stage for some of the world’s top sports and teams as well. It’s a diverse area with a common love, sports, and that should be all the evidence organizers need to start working to bring even more events to the area.

NELL REDMOND | AP PHOTO

Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips answers a question during an NCAA college football news conference at the ACC media days in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Phillips says he never “condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct” against athletes as Northwestern’s athletics director in the wake of that school’s hazing scandal, which has led to at least three lawsuits and the firing of

coach Pat Fitzgerald.

AP PHOTO

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis embraces Armando Bacot (5) as he leaves the game after his fourth foul against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Winston-Salem, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

“My heart goes out to any person who carries the burden of mistreatment”

Jim Phillips

Akshay Bhatia, 21, wins his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship

Wake Forest native breaks through at age 21

The Associated Press

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Akshay

Bhatia birdied the closing hole in regulation, then capitalized in sudden death when Patrick Rodgers found a divot in the fairway to win his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Wake Forest native, who turned pro at 17, earned full status on tour and a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He had been playing under special temporary membership since his runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open in March.

“It’s obviously been a really tough road. I’ve had a lot of up, a lot of down. A lot of good, a lot of bad,” Bhatia said. “But I knew I was going to get here. It was just matter of time. For it to happen this year with special temporary membership and now to get to play all these events and to get it done today was, I can’t even describe it.”

Bhatia converted a birdie from about 15 feet on the par-4 18th hole at Tahoe Mountain Club to finish with 40 points under the modified Stableford scoring system that awards five points for eagle and two for birdie while deducting a point for bogey and three for double bogey. The slender lefthander had nine points on Sunday. He made double bogey on the par4 fifth hole, then made six birdies without a bogey from there.

That was good enough to match

Rodgers, who missed a birdie attempt from roughly the same distance on the 18th. Rodgers scored six points in the final round, with one birdie and two bogeys on the back nine for zero points. In the playoff, Rodgers’ tee shot

on the 18th settled in a divot and he chunked his approach. His pitch was well short and he two-putted for bogey. Bhatia left his birdie putt just short and tapped in for the victory.

“I knew that if I got into a po -

sition like this, I could do it. I’ve done it at every level. Man, that felt uncomfortable out there,” Bhatia said. “That putt on 18 in regulation was just, man, it’s a crazy feeling. I as telling my caddie, like, your brain and everything, you can feel

“It was just a matter of time.”

Akshay Bhatia on his first PGA win

all this adrenaline, all this shakiness. It’s pretty crazy.”

Rodgers remains winless in 246 PGA Tour starts. The 31-yearold former Stanford star failed to convert a 54-hole lead for the fifth time.

“I felt like I had control of the tournament. I had a putt to win, which was nice. So, bummer result,” Rodgers said. “Kind of a crummy break there in the playoff. In the middle of the fairway to drive it in a divot. But that’s just the way it goes. I’ll come back stronger.”

Two European tour players tied for third in the co-sanctioned event. Julien Guerrier made 10 birdies on Sunday to score 20 points and finish with 37 alongside Jens Dantorp, who had 15 points in the final round.

Ryan Gerard, also a special temporary member, was fifth with 36 points. He totaled just six points over the final two rounds.

Bhatia largely struggled his first three years after bypassing college to turn pro. He won in the Bahamas on the Korn Ferry Tour at the beginning of 2022 but still fell short of earning a PGA Tour card.

Now he’s eligible for some of the richest events in golf, including the PGA Championship.

“For it to all come to fruition, play with some of the best players in the world, play some of the greatest events in the world, and to win on the PGA Tour ... it’s a great feeling,” Bhatia said. “Because (of) job security now I can kind of, not free wheel, but I know how to win. I know I can do it against some of the best players in the world.”

Adley Rutschman leads spectacular Orioles turnaround

Baltimore went from worst to first in 14 months that started when catcher arrived on team

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN talks about the day like it is ancient history, even though many people listening probably have shirts that are older.

“I remember seeing this field for the first time,” the Oregon native says, as he prepared for his first All Star Game, located close to his home, at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

Rutschman turns and points up. “We were sitting in the upper deck there in right field. I saw Adrian Beltre hit an opposite field home run that day. I was eight years old. … I remember it so vividly, because it’s one of those core memories.”

It took place a mere 17 years ago, but while that time span is a drop in the bucket for many of the baseball writers listening, it was enough time for the eight-yearold Rutschman to develop into one of baseball’s biggest up and coming stars, on one of the year’s most exciting teams.

Rutschman made his MLB debut last year, on May 21. At the time he was called up, the Baltimore Orioles were in last place in the American League East after a long period of tanking to save money and develop young players. They had the third worst record in the American League and had given up 37 more runs than they scored.

In the 14 months since, Baltimore has gone 128-92 for a .582 winning percentage, the fourth best mark in all of baseball. They’ve scored 71 more runs than their opponents, and they’ve called up some of the top minor league prospects in the sport as the young Orioles make an improbable run toward the postseason, rekindling a baseball interest in the Inner Harbor that had been beaten into submission by years of losing.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson joined Rutschman on the big club

SHOWCASE from page B1

no-brainer. A win-win-win from all angles.”

In addition to the obvious economic impact on the local community, the two clubs also combined to make a charitable donation with

in late August of last year. Promising pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in early April. Since then, the O’s have called up their top infield prospect in Jordan Westburg, their top outfielder in Colton Cowser, and they’re showing signs that they may call up current top prospect Jackson Holliday by the end of the season.

It’s an exciting time in Baltimore.

“There’s lots of talent coming up,” Rutschman said. “Every day, it feels like someone new is coming up.”

Of course, it all started with Rutschman, already one of the top catchers in MLB. He was described as “Captain America” by his fellow participants in this year’s All Star Home Run Derby and lived up to the hype, blasting homers from both sides of the plate in an impressive per-

a portion of all ticket sales going to the UNC Children’s Hospital.

Soccer has been growing exponentially in the Triangle for years and there was perhaps no better place to showcase it than on the campus of the team that has hoisted a combined 23 NCAA Champi-

formance, with his dad throwing him pitches.

While the Orioles’ turnaround can be traced to Rutschman’s arrival, it’s clearly not a one-man show in Baltimore, and a big reason for that is the fact that the second-year backstop is a team guy through and through, careful not to accept any praise without deflecting it to the guys around him.

“He’s a guy that hits for power, gets on base,” said fellow Orioles All-Star Austin Hays. “He’ll also pass the bat to the next guy in the lineup. He’s not trying to do it all himself. He’s a great team guy. You see it with the pitchers. They always have a smile on their face every time he’s coming off the mound. After innings, he always greets them on the line, even if he’s leading off the inning. He has to have that moment with his

onship trophies.

“The exposure and just to feel it in real time will just be unbelievable for our guys that are around in the summer,” said men’s soccer coach Grant Porter. “It’s awesome for them, but it’s also great for our local soccer community. It benefits

pitcher before he gets ready to hit.

The way he handles himself inside the clubhouse makes him special.”

It seems to be an attitude that’s contagious and has spread across the Orioles’ locker room.

“I think it’s just one of those tings that has been slowly building for us as a team,” he said of the Orioles’ success this season.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a great clubhouse with great guys who are excited to play every day. … It’s so not individualized. It’s a true team atmosphere. If someone has a bad day, another guy picks him up. It never feels like you’re on your own.”

Rutschman wasn’t on his own in Seattle, as the Orioles sent a total of four players to the AllStar Game, matching the team’s total number of All-Stars since 2018. It’s the first time Baltimore has had multiple players selected

our players and everyone in the community.”

“Trust me, we are going to use this in recruiting,” said women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance.

“This is a recruiting weapon. We’re going to make hay out of this every way we can.

since 2016, which, as Rutschman will tell you, was a long, long time ago.

“It was awesome,” he said. “The team meeting we had where everyone got announced. It was electric. Everyone was fired up. It means so much to have that many guys going this year. We’re all so close. It’s just a cool experience we can share together—getting on the jet together, sitting there just smiling at each other like, ‘Are we really doing this?’”

Two weeks after the All-Star appearance, the Orioles took three of four from the Rays to move into first place in the American League East, with the best record in the American League. Even though the jet has arrived back from Seattle, Rutschman and his teammates are still smiling and asking the same question.

“Are we really doing this?”

“This is an additional feather in our cap. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve contributed to the growth of the game not just in the community but also nationally and to some extent internationally. I think we’re a part of the conversation.”

SCOTT AUDETTE | AP PHOTO

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, left, embraces relief pitcher Felix Bautista after they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in a baseball game Sunday, July 23, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

TOM R. SMEDES | AP PHOTO

Akshay Bhatia holds the championship trophy after winning the Barracuda Championship golf tournament at the Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, Calif., Sunday, July 23, 2023.

$2,481,477,415

$113,498,562

Salesforce CEO shares predictions for AI and the future of work

The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff has become something of a vanishing breed during the nearly quarter century he has been running the company that pioneered the concept of selling software as an online subscription. While Benioff remains in charge at Salesforce, other billionaire founder/ CEOs such Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Larry Page and Netflix’s Reed Hastings have all stepped away from groundbreaking companies born during the 1990s.

$0

FED from page B5

pher Waller, a key member of the Fed’s board, said he needed to see further evidence of smaller price increases before he would be sure inflation is slowing. Until then, Waller said, two more quarter-point rate hikes would likely be “necessary to keep inflation moving toward our target.”

Waller expressed concern that the Fed might be “headfaked” by temporary slowdowns in inflation, only for prices to resurge again, which previously occurred in mid2021 and the fall of 2020.

Likewise, Lorie Logan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said she favored a rate hike at last month’s meeting, when the Fed kept rates unchanged after 10 straight increases. Speaking before the latest inflation report, Logan suggested that more increases were needed.

Some economists caution that inflation’s drop from above 9% to 3% was the relatively easy part. Getting it down to 2% will be harder and take longer. Average incomes haven’t kept up with rising prices for the past two years, and workers may keep pushing for sharp wage increases. Higher pay would boost Americans’ ability to spend and potentially perpetuate inflation.

Yet many other experts say they think the recent mild inflation readings can be sustained. Rental cost increases, which have already fallen, should decline further as more apartment buildings are completed.

Even though the Fed’s policymakers collectively predicted in June that they would raise their benchmark rate twice more this year, many economists think that after this week’s hike, the officials will hold rates steady when they next meet in September. And after that, inflation may be moving close enough to the Fed’s target that they forgo any further hikes.

In a question-and-answer session last week, Waller held out the possibility that a second rate hike could be skipped if inflation came in as low in the next two months as it had in the most recent government report.

Used car prices, while still much higher than before the pandemic, fell in June and are expected to ease further. The costs of furniture, appliances and clothing are slowing, too. Restaurant prices, while still high, are rising more slowly.

But economists have expressed a few ongoing concerns. A potential strike at UPS could slow freight shipping and revive shortages and lift prices. Workers in other industries, such as airlines and automakers, are also pushing for higher pay, which could keep wage pressures elevated.

And achieving a soft-landing, after inflation had spiked so high, is notoriously difficult. But the economy has broken new ground many times since the pandemic.

“We are in uncharted territory.” said Riccardo Trezzi, founder of Underlying Inflation, a consulting firm, and former economist at the Fed and European Central Bank. “We have to be able to say, ‘We don’t know.’”

Benioff, 58, isn’t ready to leave Salesforce yet, even though he has amassed an $8 billion fortune and just went through a challenging stretch that might have caused many CEOs to head for the exit. In January, Benioff decided to lay off 8,000 Salesforce employees after overseeing a pandemic-driven expansion that included a nearly $28 billion acquisition of the popular workplace tool Slack and then grappled with an investor backlash triggered by a nearly 50% drop in the company’s stock price last year. The shares have recovered most of their losses so far this year on the strength of a revived revenue growth. The Associated Press recently sat down with Benioff for an interview that has been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: How does the landscape look to you as the pandemic fades into the rearview mirror?

A: When I look back at 2019, we had really gone through three huge waves of technology: cloud computing, mobile and social. And now we are going into the fourth

wave, which is probably the most important one in AI (artificial intelligence), which is not just the most important technology of our lifetime, but probably the most important in any lifetime. It’s going to be a new world of technology that’s as exciting as all the other worlds put together.

Q: Is this on the scale of the development of nuclear bombs back in World War II?

A: Technologies are never good or bad, it’s what we do with them that matters. Nobody wants a Hiroshima moment to understand how dangerous AI is. We

In this undated photo provided by Salesforce, CEO Marc Benioff poses for a photo.

holder approach — companies, governments, non-governmental organizations and others to put together the guidelines for this technology.

Q: Have you been surprised or alarmed by how quickly things seem to be advancing since the release of the ChatGPT bot late last year?

“None of us are really ready for this because none of us have had this experience before.”

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff

want to be able to kind of get our heads around the tremendous consequences of the technology that we are working with. And that’s going to require a multi-stake-

A: We are moving from the generative ChatGPT phase, which is phase one, into a stage where we are about to see agents that are quite alive and aware and able to take these kinds of massive actions. These are called multimodal agents, that is they can move from text to speech to video. And then we are going to move into something that is maybe more multisensory, where these agents are going to be more aware of us and we are going to be more aware of them. None of us are really ready for this because none of us have had this experience before. We are on the threshold of a dramatic change in the way we work with computers. We are going to work side by side with them. And, in many cases, they are going to augment or extend what we have been doing. They are going to be taking actions without our knowledge.

Q: Salesforce is one of many tech companies that now allow employees to work remotely at least a few days a week. How has the pandemic changed the nature of work?

A: We are all using technology to find more freedom in our lives. Things are back to normal, but people do go to the office less. And that is not going to change. We are never going back to they way it was.

UPS teamsters and workers hold a rally, Friday, July 21, 2023, in Atlanta, as a national strike deadline nears.

AP PHOTO

UPS workers set to strike as talks resume this week

The Associated Press NEW YORK — As the deadline to reach a new contract nears, a potential UPS strike feels closer than ever.

Negotiations broke down earlier this month and unionized workers have been holding rallies and practice pickets across the country. The Teamsters, which represent more than half of the company’s workforce, will resume talks with UPS on Tuesday. That leaves less than a week to come to an agreement before the current contract expires at the end of the day on Monday, July 31. The union has authorized a strike and Sean M. O’Brien, a fiery leader elected last year to lead the union, has vowed to do so if their demands aren’t met.

“We’re sending a message... all 340,000 of our members are united and ready to fight,” O’Brien said last week.

UPS’s unionized workers still seethe about a contract they feel was forced on them in 2018, and say that the company delivers millions more packages every day than it did just five years ago. The Teamsters are calling for better pay, particularly for part-time employees, and im-

proved working conditions. UPS has maintained that it already offers “industry-leading pay and benefits,” but says it’s prepared to increase that compensation. In a Friday update, the company said it aimed “quickly to finalize a fair deal that provides certainty for our customers, our employees and businesses across the country.”

If negotiations are unsuccessful the deliveries that Americans have come to rely on, particularly since the pandemic began in 2020, could be vastly disrupted. Such an impasse hasn’t been seen since 1997, well before delivery of everyday items from dog food to prescription drugs became the norm, when a walkout by 185,000 workers crippled UPS.

Much of the union’s demands comes down to better pay and improved working conditions.

Annual profits at UPS in the past two years are close to three times what they were before the pandemic. The company returned about $8.6 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks in 2022, and forecast another $8.4 billion for shareholders this year.

The Teamsters say frontline UPS workers deserve some of that windfall. A sticking point in negotiations

has been wage increases for parttime workers, who make a minimum of $16.20 an hour.

“People want their packages yesterday with the emergence of the e-commerce. So it’s a very demanding job,” O’Brien said, pushing back on the salary statistics that UPS shares. “Everybody doesn’t realize what it takes to get these packages on the truck. And a lot of our part timers... work for poverty wages.”

In addition to addressing parttime pay, the union wants to eliminate a contract provision that created two separate hierarchies of workers with different pay scales, hours and benefits. Driver safety, particularly the lack of air conditioning in delivery trucks, is also in the mix.

Before contract talks broke down on July 5, with both sides blaming each other for walking away from the bargaining table, tentative agreements were made on several issues — including installing air conditioning in more trucks. UPS said it would add air conditioning to U.S. small delivery vehicles purchased after January 1, 2024. Existing vehicles wouldn’t get that upgrade, but the union said they will have other additions like fans and air vents.

The 24 million packages UPS ships on an average day amounts to about a quarter of all U.S. parcel volume, according to the global shipping and logistics firm Pitney Bowes. As UPS puts it, that’s the equivalent of about 6% of nation’s gross domestic product.

Higher prices and long wait times are all but certain if there is an impasse. A strike also threatens to extend lingering supply chain troubles.

“Something’s got to give,” Thomas Goldsby, logistics chairman in the Supply Chain Management Department at the University of Tennessee, told The Associated Press. “The python can’t swallow the alligator, and that’s going to be felt by all of us.”

UPS said this month that it will temporarily begin training nonunion employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike.

Beyond shipping and supply implications, a union win at UPS could have significance for organized labor across industries. UPS’s contract talks arrive amid other prominent labor campaigns at Apple, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and other companies — as well as the current writers and actors’ strikes seen in Hollywood.

2024 Ford Mustang

pasture

By Jordan Golson North State Journal

LOS ANGELES — The car market is changing so quickly, it’s challenging to keep up — even for an expert. Electric cars are in and gas-guzzling, impractical oldschool rides are out. Or are they?

Growing exceptionally longin-the-tooth, both the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are done after 2023, leaving the Ford Mustang as the only muscle-slash-pony car left. But Ford isn’t just keeping the Mustang around while Stellantis and GM eye an electric muscle car future. Instead, we have a new seventh-generation Mustang, with new tech and performance features, which Ford hopes will appeal to a younger, more diverse audience. It just might work, too.

Ford says the Mustang is the best-selling sports car of the last decade (cumulatively, not across individual years), and sees enough oomph left to invest a not insignificant amount of money in the Seventh-gen car. It’s not a clean sheet design, which would be prohibitively expensive for a nameplate that will sell perhaps 50,000 vehicles per year, but Mustang is perhaps the most iconic brand Ford has, sitting atop the company’s subbrand pyramid with Bronco and the F-Series of pickups, and this long-nosed pony isn’t yet ready to put out to pasture.

The biggest change is to the interior, where Ford has installed a pair of crisp and clear 13-inch screens. On the right is the infotainment touchscreen, which Ford repeatedly pointed out is angled 10 degrees to the left for a more driver-centric cockpit. The company has adopted Epic’s Unreal Engine to display some gorgeous renders of the Mustang on its status screens, though the company whiffed a bit because the on-screen ‘Stang doesn’t match the car you’re sitting in. I nudged Ford reps about this, hoping they’ll match screen and car soon, and I also suggested that they add Fortnite-style Easter eggs like, perhaps, a surprise Rulo-

lph-themed car for Christmas or a big Jack-o-lantern on Halloween.

Perhaps the biggest surprise-and-delight moment is the various instrument cluster display modes, with different options for Normal, Sport, or Track driving — plus a special screen replicating the old Fox Body dash cluster from the late 80’s Mustangs that I grew up with, complete with green backlighting when the headlights are turned on. It’s wonderfully silly to bring back such an iconic dashboard, and a terrific use of a digital display.

There are two main variants of the Mustang, largely based around what’s under the hood. First, there’s

a terrific 2.3-liter, 315-horsepower four-cylinder turbo (EcoBoost, in Ford marketingspeak) that comes over from the wickedly fun and now-cancelled Ford Focus RS.

Fun fact: you only have to go back 13 years, to the 2010 model year, to find a Mustang GT that makes 315 horsepower from its big V8. This EcoBoost Mustang is no slowpoke, and was the focus of the assembled press’s first day with the new Mustang. With the optional active exhaust fitted, it’s one of the best-sounding four-cylinder engines I’ve ever heard, and definitely the best at this price point.

The Mustang GT swaps that for a 480-horsepower V8 that sounds terrific, is very speedy, and is the only way to get a manual transmission — but it’s not the one I would get.

The EcoBoost Mustang has more than ample power, and I would rather put the money towards all manner of upgrades that will make life more fun than a big V8 will. The Performance Package, available on either car, adds Brembo brakes, extra stiffening elements, extra aerodynamic bits, and, crucially, an electronic drift brake designed with direct input from the drifting experts at Vaughn Gittin Jr.‘s RTR.

It’s wildly fun and surprisingly easy to use, so long as you don’t mind wearing out your tire’s treadwear warranty far faster than necessary. The drift brake is an electronic parking brake, but with an old-style handle rather than a push-button. Turn on the proper track-only modes and you can lock up the rear wheels and start a slide with the briefest yoink. Best kept to race tracks (or deserted parking lots), it’s far more fun and far more safe than an impromptu drag race. Nonetheless, a drift brake-

equipped Mustang will probably appear on a TikTok near you sliding beautifully sideways right into a Walmart parking lot light pole.

It’s not that the GT or it’s big V8 engine isn’t great — it is. But by the time you check all the option boxes that you should check, you’re approaching Mustang Dark Horse territory. Dark Horse is a new, performance trim sitting above the GT, and with an almost identical engine and accompanying performance figures, although the Dark Horse does get to the psychologically important 500-horsepower figure.

I’m reviewing Dark Horse separately (Ford had the press test them at separate events), but to me it’s clear that the new Mustang comes down to two optimal setups: an EcoBoost engine with as many go-faster options as you can afford (Performance Pack highly recommended), or just go all the way and get the Dark Horse, lest you opt for the GT and turn green with envy when the faster and more mischievous night pony gallops past at your next track day.

After testing both on the world-famous canyon roads north of LA, and getting time with the EcoBoost on a deceptively challenging autocross course, I can say with certitude that the smaller engine is the better buy. It’s lighter, handles better, and (not that you care, particularly, if you’re buying this car) is a bit kinder to your wallet at the fuel pump. And it still sounds great.

To be sure, the GT is a good time, with the big V8 letting out an angry bellow at the slightest twitch of the throttle (and with a 7,500 rpm redline). But by the time you go GT, you really ought to go big or go home. Dark Horse is waiting in the shadows, ready and waiting.

PHOTOS

COURTESY FORD

This pony isn’t quite ready to be put out to

takes the box office crown and ‘Oppenheimer’ soars in a historic weekend

The Associated Press

“

BARBENHEIMER “ didn’t just work – it spun box office gold. The social media-fueled fusion of Greta Gerwig’s “ Barbie “ and Christopher Nolan’s “ Oppenheimer “ brought moviegoers back to the theaters in record numbers this weekend, vastly outperforming projections and giving a glimmer of hope to the lagging exhibition business, amid the sobering backdrop of strikes. Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” claimed the top spot with a massive $155 million in ticket sales from North American theaters from 4,243 locations, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (as well as every Marvel movie this year) as the biggest opening of the year and breaking the first weekend record for a film directed by a woman. Universal’s “Oppenheimer” also soared past expectations, taking in $80.5 million from 3,610 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, marking Nolan’s biggest non-Batman debut

TAKE NOTICE

and one of the best-ever starts for an R-rated biographical drama.

It’s also the first time that one movie opened to more than $100 million and another movie opened to more than $80 million in the same weekend. When all is settled, it will likely turn out to be the fourth biggest box office weekend of all time with over $300 million industrywide. And all this in a marketplace that increasingly curved towards intellectual property-driven winner takes all.

The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon may have started out as good-natured competition between two aesthetic opposites, but, as many hoped, both movies benefitted in the end. Internationally, “Barbie” earned $182 million from 69 territories, fueling a $337 million global weekend. “Oppenheimer” did $93.7 million from 78 territories, ranking above “Barbie” in India, for a $174.2 million global total.

The only real casualty was “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckon-

ing Part I,” which despite strong reviews and a healthy opening weekend fell 64% in weekend two. Overshadowed by the “Barbenheimer” glow as well as the blow of losing its IMAX screens to “Oppenheimer,” the Tom Cruise vehicle added $19.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $118.8 million.

“Barbenheimer” is not merely counterprogramming either. But while a certain section of enthusiastic moviegoers overlapped, in aggregate the audiences were distinct.

Women drove the historic “Barbie” opening, making up 65% of the audience, according to PostTrak, and 40% of ticket buyers were under the age of 25 for the PG-13 rated movie.

“It’s just a joyous time in the world. This is history in so many ways,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution. “I think this marketing campaign is one for the ages that people will be talking about forever.”

“Oppenheimer” audiences meanwhile were 62% male and 63% over the age of 25, with a somewhat surprising 32% that were between the ages of 18 and 24. Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” scored well with critics with 90% and 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively, and audiences who gave both films an A CinemaScore. And social media has been awash with reactions and “takes” all weekend – good, bad, problematic and everywhere in between – the kind of organic, event cinema, watercooler debate that no marketing budget can buy.

“The ‘Barbenheimer’ thing was a real boost for both movies,” Goldstein said. “It is a crowning achievement for all of us.”

“This is a phenomenon beyond compare,” said Rich Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, in a statement. “Around the world, we’ve seen sellouts at 4:00 a.m. shows and people travelling hours across borders to see ‘Oppenheimer’ in IMAX

70mm.”

This is the comeback weekend Hollywood has been dreaming of since the pandemic. There have been big openings and successes

– “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” among them, but the fact that two movies are succeeding at the same time is notable.

“It was a truly historic weekend and continues the positive box office momentum of 2023,” said Michael O’Leary, President & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “People recognized that something special was happening and they wanted to be a part of it.”

And yet in the background looms disaster as Hollywood studios continue to squabble with striking actors and writers over a fair contract.

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were the last films on the 2023 calendar to get a massive, global press tour. Both went right up to the 11th hour, squeezing in every last moment with their movie stars. “Oppenheimer” even pushed up its London premiere by an hour, knowing that Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Cillian Murphy would have to leave to symbolically join the picket lines by the time the movie began.

COUNTY NEWS

State Board approves student and public employee ID cards in upcoming elections

The State Board of Elections has approved almost a hundred student and employee ID cards for use in the upcoming 2023 municipal and 2024 primary and general elections in North Carolina. With the passage of Voter ID laws in North Carolina, voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in the state starting with the municipal elections this fall. While most voters will simply show their driver’s license, others will have to get a newly approved ID, which includes student IDs and public employee IDs for many educational institutions and government agencies. “We are grateful to all institutions that applied to have their identification cards approved for voters for the 2023 municipal elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections. “This gives voters additional options when casting their ballot.” Voters who vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot or complete a “Photo ID Exception Form” for absentee voting. If an inperson voter does not provide an acceptable ID, the voter may fill out a form and vote a provisional ballot. Voters can also vote with a provisional ballot and bring an accepted ID to the county board of elections office by the end of the day.

A full list of approved voting IDs can be found here: https:// www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voterid/faq-voter-id.

Tornado damage to Pfizer plant unlikely to cause supply shortages, FDA says

The Associated Press RALEIGH — Most of the destruction from a tornado that tore through eastern North Carolina and struck a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant affected its storage facility, rather than its medicine production areas, the company said Friday.

The drugmaker’s ability to salvage production equipment and other essential materials could mitigate what experts feared would be a major blow to an already strained system as the United States grapples with existing drug shortages.

“We do not expect there to be

Two injured after plane crashes at Boy Scout camp

Stanly County Journal

NEW LONDON — A small plane carrying a student pilot and an instructor crashed in New London on Monday afternoon just minutes after takeoff from the Stanly County Airport.

Officials say the two passengers were treated and taken to Atrium Health Cabarrus after sustaining injuries ranging from mild to serious in nature.

According to flight tracking data, the plane was a fixed-wing single-engine with the tail number N98134 and departed the airport around 4:26 p.m.

After experiencing sudden engine failure, the plane went down at 4:30 p.m. and landed in a field at Boy Scouts of America’s Camp Barnhardt, located at 44184 Cannon Road.

While the passengers initially attempted to return to the airport, they reportedly aimed for a field upon realizing they lacked enough time to make it back safely. The crash site is approximately one mile north of the Stanly County Airport.

Officials from the United States Air Force Fire Department, Badin Volunteer Fire Department and Stanly County Sheriff’s Office each responded to the scene.

Officials say the two passengers were treated and taken to Atrium Health Cabarrus after sustaining injuries ranging from mild to serious in nature.

“We do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system.”

Robert Califf, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner

any immediate significant impacts on supply given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf said Friday. An EF3 tornado touched down Wednesday near Rocky Mount, ripping the roof off a Pfizer factory responsible for producing nearly 25% of the American pharmaceutical giant’s sterile injectable medicines used in U.S. hospitals, according to the drugmaker. Pfizer said Friday that a warehouse for raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines awaiting release had endured most of the damage to its 1.4 million square foot plant. An initial inspection by the compa-

ny found no major damage to its medicine manufacturing areas, and all 3,200 local employees are safe and accounted for.

Parts of roofs were ripped open atop its massive buildings. The Pfizer plant stores large quantities of medicine that were tossed about, said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.

“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” Stone said.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said staff are rush-

See PFIZER, page 2

Stanly County Sheriff’s Office investigate shooting of City Lake Park kayaker

North State Journal

ALBEMARLE — Over the weekend, a 36-year-old Albemarle resident, Candice Hodgson, was shot in the leg while kayaking out on Long Lake at City Lake Park. Hodgson was subsequently transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Around 11:41 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Albemarle Police Department and the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office sent officers out to City Lake Park, located at 815 Concord Road in Albemarle, to investigate a report of a gunshot wound.

The SCSO is currently conducting an investigation into this incident and has stated that “any and all possibilities are being investigated.”

Multiple witnesses on scene indicated in statements to law en8 5 2017752016 $1.00

The North Carolina Highway Patrol, Federal Aviation Administration, and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the cause of the crash.

Gov. Roy Cooper tours damage of the tornado that damaged a Pfizer plant and numerous homes across Nash and Edgecombe Counties on Sunday, July 23, 2023. Read more about the incident on page 2.

WEDNESDAY 7.26.23 #297

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Stanly County Journal ISSN: 2575-2278

Gene therapy eyedrops restore sight, could help millions

The Associated Press

MIAMI — Dr. Alfonso Sabater pulled up two photos of Antonio Vento Carvajal’s eyes. One showed cloudy scars covering both eyeballs. The other, taken after months of gene therapy given through eyedrops, revealed no scarring on either eye.

Antonio, who’s been legally blind for much of his 14 years, can see again.

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The teen was born with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over his body and in his eyes. But his skin improved when he joined a clinical trial to test the world’s first topical gene therapy. That gave Sabater an idea: What if it could be adapted for Antonio’s eyes?

This insight not only helped Antonio, it also opened the door to similar therapies that could potentially treat millions of people with other eye diseases, including common ones.

Antonio’s mom, Yunielkys “Yuni” Carvajal, teared up think-

ing about what Sabater did for her son.

“He’s been there through everything,” she said in Spanish during a visit to the University of Miami Health System’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “He’s not only a good doctor but such a good human being and provided us with hope. He never gave up.”

The family came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2012 on a special visa allowing Antonio to get treatment for his condition, which affects around 3,000 people worldwide. He had surgeries to remove scar tissue from his eyes, but it grew back. Antonio’s vision kept getting worse, eventually deteriorating so much that he didn’t feel safe walking around.

At one point, Carvajal told Sabater about the experimental gene therapy gel for Antonio’s skin lesions. He contacted drugmaker Krystal Biotech to see if it could be reformulated for the boy’s eyes.

Suma Krishnan, co-founder and president of research and development for the Pittsburgh-based company, said the idea made sense

and “it didn’t hurt to try it.”

Antonio’s condition is caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce a protein called collagen 7, which holds together both skin and corneas. The treatment, called Vyjuvek, uses an inactivated herpes simplex virus to deliver working copies of that gene. The eyedrops use the same liquid as the skin version, just without the added gel.

After two years, which included testing the drug in mice, the team got “compassionate use” approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and permission

from university and hospital review boards. Last August, Antonio had surgery on his right eye, after which Sabater started treating him with the eyedrops.

Krishnan said they were cautious, frequently watching to see that it was safe.

Antonio’s eye recovered from the surgery, the scarring didn’t return and there was significant improvement each month, Sabater said. Doctors recently measured the vision in Antoni’s right eye at a near-perfect 20/25.

This year, Sabater began treating Antonio’s left eye, which had even more scar tissue. That one is also steadily improving, measuring close to 20/50, which Sabater said “is pretty good vision.”

Sabater, director of the Corneal Innovation Lab at the eye institute, said gene therapy eyedrops could potentially be used for other diseases by changing the gene delivered by the virus. For example, a different gene could be used to treat Fuchs’ dystrophy, which affects 18 million people in the U.S. and accounts for about half the nation’s corneal transplants.

The prospect of treating more conditions this way is “exciting,” said Dr. Aimee Payne, a dermatology professor at the University of Pennsylvania who isn’t involved in the research. The approach “delivers gene therapy that really addresses the root cause of disease.”

Dr. Alfonso Sabater, left, examines Antonio Vento Carvajal’s eyes accompanied by his mother, Yunielkys Carvajal, right, Thursday, July 6, 2023, at University of Miami Health System’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.

stanlyjournal.com

CRIME LOG

♦ CALDWELL, WILLIAM JAMES (B /M/56), RESISTING

PUBLIC OFFICER, 07/24/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ FEASTER, MARION DAJUAN (B /M/30), ASSAULT INFLICT SERIOUS INJ (M), 07/24/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ CRUMP, JUAWANN MARQUIS (B /M/28), ASSAULT ON FEMALE, 07/23/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ MARTINEZ PUENTES, MAYBELLINE NATALIA (A /F/22), SIMPLE ASSAULT, 07/23/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ MATA, KERIN ALFREDO COREAS (U /M/30), ASSAULT ON FEMALE, 07/23/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ NEWKIRK, FREDDRICK (B /M/35), DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED, 07/22/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ WHITLEY, JOSEPH ROBERT (W /M/20), FINANCIAL CARD THEFT, 07/22/2023, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

♦ REED, MICHAEL DALE (W /M/32), SIMPLE ASSAULT, 07/20/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ POLK, MICHEAL JOSEPH (B /M/26), POSSESSION OF STOLEN FIREARM, 07/19/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

♦ MARTIN, LATONIA

MICHELLE (B /F/51), MOTOR VEHICLE RENTAL FRAUD, 07/18/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff’s Office

PFIZER from page 1

ing products to nearby sites for storage and identifying sources to rapidly replace raw materials lost in the storm. The drug company says it is also exploring alternative manufacturing locations across its U.S. network to fill gaps in production while the North Carolina site remains closed for repairs.

The FDA’s initial analysis iden-

SHOOTING from page 1

forcement that they heard shots fired from the opposite side of City Lake Park; initial statements also speculated that the incident may have been an incidental result of someone target shooting.

The sheriff’s office released a further statement: “Additional information has been received from a number of witnesses which indicate a dark-colored truck and

tified fewer than 10 drugs for which Pfizer’s North Carolina plant is the sole source for the U.S. market, Califf said. The Rocky Mount plant produces anesthesia and many other drugs needed for surgeries but does not make or store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine or the Comirnaty and Paxlovid treatments. Medications produced at that facility alone account for nearly 8%

trailer were parked on the side of City Lake Dr., and an individual was seen operating a four-wheeler both on the roadway as well as in the field of the attached picture. We are currently seeking information regarding the identity of this individual.”

SCSO detectives are seeking assistance from the public and asking anyone with any information regarding this incident to please call 704-984-2312.

of all sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

The FDA said it will complete in the coming days a more extensive evaluation of the products that might be affected and the current domestic supply of those medications. “Many weeks’ worth” of the destroyed drugs should be available in Pfizer’s other warehouses, Califf said.

The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, where part of Rocky Mount is located, said on Facebook that they had reports of three people injured in the tornado, and that two of them had life-threatening injuries.

A preliminary report from neighboring Nash County said 13 people were injured and 89 structures were damaged, WRAL-TV reported.

“He’s not only a good doctor but such a good human being and provided us with hope. He never gave up.”

Yunielkys Carvajal

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The press’s war against free speech

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

HAVE WE GOTTEN to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech?

Apparently so.

Consider the reaction of journalists — people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech — to Louisiana-based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.”

The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14. But no final judgment in the case has been entered, and, whatever the ultimate result, the wisdom of government speech suppression — and the bizarre and outspoken support thereof by large parts of the press — remain continuing issues.

Doughty’s 155-page opinion cites allegations that White House and other government officials have “significantly encouraged” and “coerced” social media firms Facebook, Google and Twitter to suppress information not just occasionally but repeatedly, and often in peremptory and threatening tones. Those allegations have been backed up by the “Twitter Files” investigations of liberal writers Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.

The bewailing at this opinion came in loud and clear. The Washington Post, as columnist Mary Katharine Ham pointed out, lamented that Doughty’s decision could “undo years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.”

The New York Times worried that Doughty’s decision “could force government officials ... to refrain from notifying the platforms about

troublesome content,” and “could curtail efforts to combat disinformation.”

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. No less than Henry Kissinger argued that the release of the Papers would weaken the government’s ability to conduct diplomacy and de-escalate the Vietnam War.

The Post’s Katharine Graham and the Times’ Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr. rejected these weighty concerns and risked prosecution because they felt the public had a right to the information. The current proprietors are Jeff Bezos and Sulzberger’s grandson, who evidently take a different view.

That view is that the press has a responsibility to cooperate with the government to suppress what the government considers “disinformation” or “misinformation.” Thus a writer in the left-wing Nation argues that speech must be suppressed in the interest of “preserving goodfaith discourse in the name of public health and the preservation of democracy.”

But Doughty’s decision does not prevent the government from speaking, as it does every day. It seeks to prevent the government from stamping out other people’s speech. And often, it turns out that the speech is right and the government’s position wrong.

A prime case in point — and an example of partisan politics — were the successful efforts to get willing allies in the press to discredit and suppress the New York Post’s October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. Antony Blinken, then of the Biden campaign and now secretary of state, encouraged the promulgation of a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claiming the story “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

That was hogwash, as was the Russian

collusion hoax many signers had peddled. But most press outlets suppressed mention of the Post’s accurate story. The New York Times only got around to confirming its accuracy in March 2022 in the 24th paragraph of a 38-paragraph story.

The press also happily colluded in government efforts to suppress information about COVID-19. A prime example is the theory that the virus came from a lab leak in China, which in March 2020 emails National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins called “a very destructive conspiracy” and his nominal subordinate Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized as “a shiny object that will go away.” Their attempts to discredit a theory that might have reflected badly on research they sponsored prevailed for some time, but it is considered, in columnist Robby Soave’s words, “now extremely likely,” although it will probably never be confirmed because of Chinese government obfuscation.

In any case, the lab leak theory was better founded than The New York Times’ characterization, in a July 5 story, that the theory that “Covid-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease” is a “debunked claim.”

In the press reaction to Doughty’s decision, you can detect laments that many Americans no longer accept the word of elite experts in the FBI, the intelligence agencies or the public health authorities. But you don’t find any acknowledgment that often that word has not proved good.

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

COLUMN

| JILL HOMAN

Legislature right to say women’s sports are for women

Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women –especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE will vote to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. This new law, which prohibits biological male students from participating in teams designated for females, women, or girls on the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, serves as a commonsense blueprint for other states looking to protect women’s privacy and their place on the field.

Across the country, there are increasingly more stories of biological female athletes being displaced or defeated by biological males who identify as female or are in the midst of transitioning.

Most notably is the story of Riley Gaines, a former 12-time AllAmerican swimmer at the University of Kentucky. Gaines was subjected to unfair treatment when she was forced to face biological male

Lia Thomas in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming National Championships in the 200-yard freestyle event. Gaines actually tied Thomas for fifth place in the finals, yet was handed the sixth-place trophy for the photo op by the NCAA representative.

Thomas swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swim Team from 2017 to 2020, where he (at the time) placed near the bottom of the ranks. Thomas then joined the Women’s Swim Team in 2021 where, as a 6’1” biological male, she eventually won a national championship in the 500-freestyle event.

Gaines has used this experience as a platform to advocate on behalf of herself, and women across the country, who have dedicated their lives to their sport.

Though Gaines has gained momentum in the media for bravely sharing her story, unfortunately, her experience is not unique.

Chelsea Mitchell, a track-and-field athlete from Canton, Connecticut, saw several state and regional title opportunities stripped from her while competing against two transgender female athletes in the 55-meter dash.

Since 2013, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has allowed transgender athletes to compete in women and girls’ sports. In 2017, two transgender female students began competing in the Women’s Track and Field competition, and as a result, those transgender female runners took home 15 women’s state track championship titles. The previous year, those titles were won by nine different females.

Mitchell sued the CIAC alongside three other athletes, asking the court to bar Connecticut from allowing biological males from competing in women’s sports and effectively deleting all athletic records set by

transgender athletes. The case is set to be reheard by a New York-based federal appeals court in 2023.

Notably outspoken on this issue is Caitlyn Jenner, someone who knows a thing or two about competing at the highest levels as a male athlete, transitioning, then participating in sports as a transgender female.

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, won the Olympic gold medal in 1976, when he (at the time) competed in the decathlon – setting a men’s world record in the process which held for four years. Having transitioned nearly 40 years later, Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women – especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

That’s why Jenner recently launched the Fairness First PAC – a political action committee that will “put parental rights at the forefront of education and keep boys out of women’s sports.”

“We cannot let biological boys compete in women’s sports. It would ruin women’s sports,” Jenner explained. As if to emphasize the differences, Jenner added, “A year after hormone replacement therapy, I could still hit the golf ball 300 years.”

Title IX was enacted in 1972, protecting Americans from discrimination in any school or other educational program on the basis of sex. According to the Department of Justice, before Title IX, “women were often excluded from or had only limited access to educational programs.” This includes sports.

Now, centuries of fighting for women’s equality are being erased by the inclusion of biological men in women’s athletic competitions.

It is imperative we protect women and girls from losing out on an opportunity to earn state and national titles, scholarship opportunities, or even simply having a level playing field to pursue her best on the athletic fields.

The North Carolina General Assembly and previously U.S. House of Representatives took a positive step in preserving the rights of women and girls across the country by passing common sense legislation to keep women in women’s sports. I am hopeful states around the country will follow suit.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Jill Homan is president of Javelin 19, a real estate investment & development firm, and a mother of a four-year old son and a six-yearold daughter.

SIDELINE REPORT

CAA changes its conference name

The Colonial Athletic Association has changed its name to the Coastal Athletic Association. The association of schools located in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard announced the name change on Thursday to reflect its recent expansion, with members spanning from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The league will still be referred to as the CAA and it will continue to use the same conference logo. In the past two years, the CAA has added five new members, including Campbell and NC A&T to push its membership to 14, the highest in its nearly 40-year history. Elon and North Carolina-Wilmington are also in the league.

Courage earn big Challenge Cup victory

AP

The North Carolina Courage remained unbeaten in the UKG Challenge Cup, earning 3 points after a 6-0 win against the Washington Spirit. The Courage keep their unbeaten streak in the UKG Challenge Cup with 14 games in hand. After a scoreless first half, Brittany Ratcliffe scored off a cross from Tyler Lussi. Not five minutes later Frankie Tagliaferri added a goal.

Substitute Olivia Wingate took a cross from Tess Boade and scored. Two minutes later, Boade tapped in a goal. Brianna Pinto hit a banger from outside the 18 yard box to score, and Narumi Miura finished the scoring with a shot off a deflection.

NBA approves sale of Hornets

Denny Hamlin gets his record 7th victory at Pocono and 50th of his NASCAR Cup Series career

The Associated Press LONG POND, Pa. — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane Sunday at Pocono Raceway a year after his first-place finish was thrown out, giving him a track-record seven wins and 50 overall in his Cup career.

Hamlin also gave Toyota its 600th NASCAR victory.

Hamlin passed Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon — for the second straight year — for most wins at the tri-oval track. Hamlin and his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had their 1-2 finishes stripped a year ago by NASCAR for aerodynamics violations.

NSJ

The NBA Board of Governors reportedly approved the sale of the Charlotte Hornets, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The sale, which was negotiated earlier this year, ends Michael Jordan’s 13year reign as majority owner of the team. A group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin will take over the franchise. The sale, which was purchased at a $3 billion valuation, will be completed over the next two weeks, according to Wojnarowski.

Plotkin was a minority owner under Jordan, while Schnall was a minority owner of the Hawks. Jordan will keep a minority ownership stake in the team.

ESPN Death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001

Daytona 500 picked as NASCAR’s most pivotal moment

To mark NASCAR’s 75th season, The Associated Press interviewed 12 key contributors to the industry on multiple topics.

According to the survey, Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 is the most pivotal moment in the history of NASCAR. Earnhardt’s death robbed a family of its patriarch and the industry of the greatest stock car star of his era. Earnhardt’s death also forced NASCAR to finally get serious about safety. The racing legend known as the Intimidator was a Kannapolis native. He won 76 races over his career and was a seven-time Cup Series champion.

That made Hamlin the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because

of an oversized fuel tank.

But he does know the way to victory lane in the No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin and Kyle Larson bumped and battled over the final laps before the three-time Daytona 500 winner pulled away on the final restart and won with the caution flag out, leading a sold-out crowd — Pocono’s largest since 2010 — to shower Hamlin with boos.

“I love it,” Hamlin said. “They can boo my rock out of here in a few years.”

Pocono paints rocks outside the garage to honor of some of NASCAR’s greats, such as Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at New Hampshire, was second and Tyler Reddick third. Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

Larson faded to 21st and blasted

Hamlin for making contact late in the race that sent the No. 5 Chevrolet up the track and cost him a shot at racing for the win.

“I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything, anything, I’ve ever done on the racetrack,” Larson said. “I can count four or five times where he had to reach out to me. At some point, you’ve got to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”

Helmet toss

Austin Dillon chucked his helmet at former teammate Tyler Reddick’s car after the two were involved in a wreck. Dillon’s Ford slammed into the wall and its passenger side crumpled. Dillon threw his helmet as he walked off the track.

“I was just trying to hit him,”

Dillon said. “They’re going probably 65. If I had started at the front of the car, I might have got him at the door.”

Caught in the undertow

Joey Logano’s rough race ended with a bumpy ride to pit road. Logano, who won the first stage, later hit the wall, blew four tires and finished 35th. The Team Penske driver criticized NASCAR for the jittery ride to the pits in his Ford and said the tow truck caused additional damage to the car.

“You get this long, horrible ride back. It’s rough,” Logano said. “Your head’s bouncing around in there. It’s stupid. It’s just really dumb that we can’t just put four tires on a truck. I saw a whole bunch of them earlier today. ... It’s not fun for anybody.”

NFL owners unanimously OK the Commanders sale to Josh Harris; Dan Snyder fined $60M on the way out

The Associated Press BLOOMINGTON, Minn. —

NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.

“We are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of the city, to win championships and really excite the fans again,” Harris said in a news conference after the vote.

The purchase by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports club. Harris, like Snyder and Commissioner Roger Goodell, grew up in the Washington metro area as an avid fan of the team.

“He has a remarkable business record, not just in finance but also now in sports, and I think he’s a person who cares deeply about not just his assets but at least more importantly his communities,” Goodell said.

Harris’ investment crew also includes David Blitzer, with whom he co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Washington-area businessman Mitchell Rales and more than a dozen others. The unusually large ownership group needed and received league finance approval for a deal that shattered the $4.35 billion Walmart heir Rob Walton paid last year for the Denver Broncos.

The special meeting for the Commanders sale was conducted at the same hotel adjacent to the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis where Walton’s group gained formal control of the Broncos. Johnson raved about the approval of the sale on Twitter —

“truly the biggest achievement in my business career,” he tweeted — shortly before Harris posed for photos with a Commanders helmet and accepted well wishes from Goodell and others.

“They want to put that franchise where they believe it belongs, where it’s respected not just in the community but worldwide,” Goodell said. “They’re committed to that.”

Their biggest immediate challenge 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 more than a year ago, a consequence of the number of offfield controversies swirling around the team. The site of RFK Stadium, the club›s previous home in the capitol city, has significant backing as the place for the new venue.

“It’s going to take awhile to un-

pack what really makes sense,” Harris said. “As far as RFK, I understand it’s the spiritual home of the history of the Commanders.

Bringing the fans back is a major priority after Washington ranked last in the league in attendance in 2022 and second-to-last in 2021.

“I’ve had many sleepless nights, and I will have many sleepless nights. I’m going to sweat this,” Harris said. “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington. I know what I’ve got to give.”

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line under caution to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Long Pond, Pa.

SCOTT STRAZZANTE | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE VIA AP

Josh Harris, leader of a group buying the Washington Commanders, poses with a team helmet after NFL owners voted to approve the sale in Bloomington, Minn., Thursday, July 20, 2023.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON COMMAND -

ERS owner Dan Snyder sexually harassed a team employee and oversaw team executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs, and he has agreed to pay a $60 million fine, the league announced Thursday.

The NFL released a 23-page report detailing the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder’s conduct just minutes after its owners unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. The fine represents 1% of the sale price; Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, for $800 million.

The investigation was led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White and conducted by her law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. The league had pledged to make the findings of the probe public.

Investigators concluded that Washington withheld $11 million in revenue that should have

been shared with other teams, an amount the report suggests may have been far greater. White’s firm was unable to reach a conclusion about tens of millions of additional dollars that may have been withheld in part because Snyder and the team did not cooperate fully with the investigation, according to the report.

The report concluded that Snyder sexually harassed former team employee Tiffani Johnston, allegations that Johnston first made last year in front of a House committee. Snyder placed his hand on Johnston’s thigh at a team dinner and pushed her toward his car as they were leaving the restaurant, the report said.

“The findings do speak for themselves. In both cases, it’s inappropriate, it’s wrong, it doesn’t match our values,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference in Minnesota after NFL owners voted.

Snyder has denied Johnston’s allegations and repeated that denial in an interview with White’s investigators. He only agreed to speak with investigators for one

Albemarle student-athlete awarded NCHSAA Heart of a Champion honor

Miles Gregory has played on Bulldogs’

football, wrestling and track teams

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

ALBEMARLE

sport athlete in football, wrestling and track, he also excels academically in the classroom. He’s a two-time All-Conference selection in football and a state qualifier in both wrestling and track. He’s the epitome of what it means to be a student-athlete.”

hour, the report said. Investigators spoke with Johnston several times and “found her to be highly credible,” the report said, and her account was corroborated by witnesses and other evidence. The investigation also substantiated claims by another former employee, Jason Friedman, who told the House about financial improprieties.

“Dan Snyder has been forced to sell the team he said he would never sell, pay a massive fine to the NFL and there now exists an extensive public record of his personal wrongdoing and the misconduct that occurred under his leadership,” attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent Johnston and Friedman, said in a statement. “We are proud of our clients’ courage in coming forward publicly and working tirelessly to hold Mr. Snyder accountable.”

The report also concluded that a former team executive improperly took possession of a photograph of Johnston from a calendar shoot of the team’s cheerleaders. Johnston was wearing lingerie in the photo, which had not been edited “to fully cover inadvertent exposures.” Investigators found insufficient evidence to show Snyder was personally involved in that incident.

White’s firm did not conclude whether Snyder was personally aware of the financial misdeeds, but witnesses told investigators that Snyder repeatedly pressured team employees to improve its financial performance, telling them, “every dollar matters.”

— A local athlete recently received a prestigious honor from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Albemarle student-athlete

Miles Gregory was named as one of the 24 recipients for the 2022-23 Heart of a Champion Award, which recognizes student-athletes who meet a high level of academic criteria, athletic involvement and sound character.

Award winners have participated in at least one varsity sport and remained ejection-free during the school year while also displaying “outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship,” per the NCHSAA guidelines for the award.

The Heart of a Champion Award is part of a program offered by the NCHSAA Student Services Division and sponsored by the North Carolina Farm Bureau.

“I am honored to receive the Heart of a Champion Award from the NCHSAA.”

During the deciding process, each NCHSAA member school has the opportunity to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for recognition, using student application questionnaires and personal evaluations from school officials — such as the principal or athletic director — to choose the school’s representative.

Miles Gregory

“I am honored to receive the Heart of a Champion Award from the NCHSAA,” Gregory said in a social media statement.

“Humbled and inspired by the stories and accomplishments of my peers. Thank you to my parents, teachers, and coaches for all the support.”

Now a rising senior, Gregory has played on the Bulldogs’ football, wrestling and track teams with success in each of the three sports, landing All-Yadkin Valley Conference in football and making it to the wrestling state finals tournament.

Stanly County Schools addressed his recent award: “In addition to Miles being a three-

A selection committee then reviews all submitted nominations to determine the award recipients.

“We are always looking for ways to highlight student-athletes who exhibit good sportsmanship and role model the character traits we hope all student-athletes learn through education-based athletics,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker. “We are proud of the achievements of this select group of student-athletes, both on and off the field. Now, more than any other time, our society needs young people, such as this group of award winners, who exhibit what it means to have the ‘heart of a champion’ and who are dedicated to excellence in sportsmanship and citizenship.”

Harman unstoppable in drama-free British Open win at Hoylake

The Associated Press HOYLAKE, England — Brian Harman turned back every challenge in the British Open, from big names to bad weather, and took his place among major champions Sunday with a victory that was never seriously in doubt at Royal Liverpool.

Harman twice responded to a rare bogey with back-to-back birdies, leaving everyone else playing for second. He closed with a 1-under 70, making an 8-foot par putt on the last hole for a six-

shot victory.

At age 36, he is the oldest firsttime major winner since Sergio Garcia was 37 when he won the Masters in 2017. That wasn’t a surprise. Not many would have seen this coming at the start of the week.

Harman had gone 167 tournaments over six years since his last victory in the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. This is only his third title in his 12 years on the PGA Tour.

And then the avid outdoorsman made winning golf’s oldest championship look as easy as shooting fish

in a barrel.

Masters champion Jon Rahm birdied his last hole for a 70 to make it a four-way tie for second with Tom Kim (67), Sepp Straka (69) and Jason Day (69).

That turned out to be the B-flight.

Harman took the lead on Friday morning with the second of four straight birdies early in the second round. He never trailed over the final 51 holes, leading by five shots after the second round and five shots after the third round. There was one anxious moment

early on Sunday in a steady rain.

Harman hit his drive into a gorse bush left of the fairway on the par5 fifth hole and had to take a penalty drop. It led to his second bogey of the round.

Rahm, playing in the group ahead, looked to get one of those breaks that fall to major winners. His drive had landed between bushes, allowing for a shot just short of the green and a birdie.

The lead was down to three shots. The rain wasn’t stopping. The rest of the links, along with the pressure that comes with Sunday at

a major, was still ahead of him.

Harman drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth, a 25-foot birdie putt on the next hole and he was on his way.

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo shot three under par on Sunday to finish in a sixth-place tie with Rory McIlroy, who has now gone 10 years since last winning a major. Former Wake Forest golfer Cameron Young shot two over par on Sunday to fall into an eighth place tie with India’s Shubhankar Sharma. Western Carolina’s J.T. Poston, a Hickory native, finished in a tie for 41st place.

Commanders’ Dan Snyder fined $60 million for sexually harassing employee, financial improprieties

United States’ Brian Harman walks up the 18th fairway and reacts to the crowd during the final day of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Sunday, July 23, 2023.

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder walks off the field before the start of an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, Nov. 15, 2010, in Landover, Md.

911 workers say centers are understaffed, struggling to hire and plagued by burnout

The Associated Press EMERGENCY CALL CENTER workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout, according to a national survey released Tuesday.

The survey conducted by the National Emergency Number Association in conjunction with Carbyne, a cloud technology company focused on emergency services, polled about 850 workers from 911 call centers across the country. It found that many were experiencing burnout, handling more frequent call surges and felt undertrained. The findings show the widespread nature of staffing problems that have been laid bare in some communities in recent years.

In St Louis this month, callers tried desperately to report that a woman was trapped in her car under a fallen tree but said they couldn’t get through for nearly half an hour. During the same storm in the suburbs, it took a woman 45 minutes to report that her 5-yearold son had been badly hurt by a tree falling on their home. He died, but he was alive when his mother started calling 911, according to a family spokeswoman. Meanwhile, in New York City, panicked callers this month tried to report a Department of Transportation truck that had caught fire and exploded, but said they received busy signals or were sent to voicemail.

Nationwide staffing shortages that in many cases mirror the

shortages in police departments and law enforcement agencies have led to longer wait times or trouble reaching operators at centers around the country, according to experts.

“The numbers we’re seeing right now are really alarming. It was a major impetus of why we did this study. I knew it was going to be high, but 82% of respondents said their centers were understaffed,” said Karima Holmes, vice president and head of public safety at Carbyne and former director of the Office of Unified Communications in Washington, D.C.

“People are not coming to the job because of people turning away from wanting to have public safety careers,” Holmes said. “But you add to that issues with lower pay, dealing with increased call volumes and people feeling burned out, and it becomes difficult to get people into the profession.”

The survey was released at an online national conference of 911 leaders to discuss possible solutions to the staffing crisis and other issues faced by emergency response centers.

Brian Fontes, CEO of NENA, said the group has been advocating for national legislation to change the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ classification of 911 workers from office or clerical workers to protected service workers like other emergency responders. The change would boost morale by more accurately describing the role of 911 workers and open doors locally to

include those workers in benefits programs offered to police and others, he said.

Holmes said she also thinks the technology upgrade could draw more young people to the industry.

Some other findings in the survey include:

1. About 38% of those surveyed said they were not well prepared to handle active shooter calls. About 25% said the needed more training around mental health calls.

2. About 75% of respondents said the high-stress nature of the job was the major factor in staffing

shortages, while about 65% said low pay was a significant deterrent. Fontes said that although pay varies widely, he had heard from workers at a center where new hires had left to work at a fast food restaurant for higher pay.

3. About 53% of workers said they experience high volumes of misdials at their center. NENA officials said many of those misdials come from programs or features on phones, tablets and other smart devices that are meant to do things like detect crashes or falls, or allow easy con-

At least two Democrats have already launched bids for governor, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.

The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in 2024, an unexpected move for the popular Republican that gives Democrats real hope of reclaiming the battleground state’s top elected office during a presidential election year.

Sununu, who took office the same year Donald Trump entered the White House, said in an interview that the nation’s toxic political climate had no impact on his decision. But he decried Trump’s impact on the GOP and vowed to use his political capital to help Trump’s Republican rivals in the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary over the coming weeks and months.

“They call it ‘public service,’ not ‘public career,’” said Sununu, who has also decided against runs for president and the U.S. Senate in recent months. Turning to the 2024 presidential primary, he said, “I’m gonna be an aggressive proponent of everybody else (besides Trump) and a proponent of the Republican Party. Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party. He might be our nominee, but he doesn’t represent the future. He’s yesterday’s news.”

While Sununu, 48, intends to play an outsized role in state and national politics through the 2024 election, his decision gives Democrats reason to be optimistic about winning the governorship for the

first time Sununu took office in 2017.

“Before Sununu, the Democrats had a lock on the governor office for a dozen years. Sununu changed all that,” said University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala. “He would have been the significant favorite had he decided to run for a fifth term. For the first time since 2016, we will be more likely to see a competitive race for governor. Democrats will have their best shot in a while.”

Already, several high-profile Republicans have signaled interest in succeeding Sununu.

Chuck Morse, former Republican president of the New Hamp -

shire Senate and a former U.S. Senate candidate, announced his campaign for governor shortly after Sununu announced his decision in an email to supporters.

Morse said in a statement that he’s proud to have worked with Sununu “to put together a conservative, pro-jobs, pro-growth, family first economic agenda that has made New Hampshire the envy of New England and the nation.”

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte may also be joining the field of candidates. She said “the battle to ensure that New Hampshire keeps our Live Free or Die spirit must continue” and teased the announcement of “some big news in the coming days.”

New Hampshire is still considered a swing state, but no Republican presidential contender has carried the state since George Bush in 2000. Trump, who is seeking the GOP nomination for a third time and leads early primary polls in the state, lost New Hampshire by 7 points in the 2020 general election.

A popular governor who made the rounds on national talk shows this year, Sununu announced in June that he would not seek the presidency in 2024. He argued that Republican candidates with “no path to victory must have the courage to get out” of their party’s increasingly crowded primary to prevent Trump from being reelected.

He told The Associated Press that Trump has “no chance of winning” the presidency in 2024. “He’s going to drag everybody else down with him as he has year after year after year,” he said.

Sununu said he plans to campaign with several Trump rivals in the weeks ahead, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd.

National Democrats cheered the news.

Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper predicted “a nasty, extreme and expensive Republican primary for governor” featuring several supporters of what has become known as the `Make America Great Again’ movement.”

“Not only have Granite State voters consistently rejected that type of division and chaos, but af-

nection to emergency services. For example, some 911 call centers experienced a 30% increase in misdials between May and June after a new feature was added to Android phones that connected users to emergency services if a button on the side of phones was pushed five times in rapid succession. Phones and devices rattling around in bags or dropped to the ground were calling 911 many times without users even knowing, which can take up a line and valuable time from operators who have to figure out whether the calls are legitimate.

ter four terms of Sununu’s failures on worsening problems — like the housing crisis, attacks on public education and harmful abortion restrictions — they know it’s time for a change,” she said.

Sununu previously irked Washington Republicans by deciding against a U.S. Senate bid in 2021.

They had hoped he could defeat Hassan, the Democratic incumbent, and help them retake the chamber in the 2022 midterms.

Instead, Sununu won reelection by more than 15 points last year, and said he could have a bigger and more direct impact as governor than as a senator. In a nod to the slow speed of politics in Washington, he said he didn’t want to spend the next six years “sitting around having meeting after meeting, waiting for votes to maybe happen.”

Sununu, whose father was governor from 1983 to 1989 and later served as White House chief of staff under President George H.W. Bush, was the youngest top executive in the country when he took office in 2017 at age 42. During his tenure, the easy-going politician known for folky manners was praised for his pro-business policies, efforts to combat inflation and his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republican Governors Association Chair and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement praising Sununu after his announcement, saying he “never backed down from a challenge.”

“He made it a priority to deliver balanced budgets, lower taxes, improve education, and address substance use disorders for New Hampshire citizens,” she said. “And, thanks to Governor Sununu’s leadership, New Hampshire now ranks number one in the nation for personal freedom.”

AP PHOTO

An ambulance moves through Union Square with its lights flashing and siren sounding during the coronavirus pandemic, Monday, April 13, 2020 in New York.

AP PHOTO

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu takes part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.

New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu won’t seek reelection in 2024

STATE & NATION

Grassley releases full FBI memo with unverified claims about Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley released an unclassified document that Republicans claim is significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden as they delve into the financial affairs of the president and his son, and revive previously debunked claims of wrongdoing.

Grassley of Iowa has been working alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as Republicans deepen their probe of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, ahead of the 2024 election. Comer had issued a subpoena for the document from the FBI.

While lawmakers on the Oversight Committee have already been able to partly review the information, this is the first time the full document — which contains raw, unverified information — is being made public. Called an FD-1023 form, it involves claims a confidential informant made in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s alleged business dealings when he served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Top Republicans have acknowledged they cannot confirm whether the information is true.

“The American people can now read this document for themselves,” Grassley said.

The document adds to information that had widely aired during Donald Trump’s first impeach-

ment trial, which involved Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. It was also the subject of a subsequent Department of Justice review that Trump’s Attorney General William Barr launched in 2020 and closed later that year.

Grassley’s office said the FBI told the senator the document was related to an ongoing matter.

White House spokesman Ian Sams said, “It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years.”

“These claims have reported-

ly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility,” he said. “It’s clear that congressional Republicans are dead-set on playing shameless, dishonest politics and refuse to let truth get in the way.”

In the four-page document, the confidential informant claims to have been involved in various meetings some years earlier, in 2015 or 2016, with officials from the Burisma energy company looking to do business in the United States. The informant claims

being told by Burisma officials about their relationship and dealings with Hunter Biden.

One company official said they kept Hunter Biden on the Burisma board because they believed through “his dad” it could protect them from all kinds of problems, the informant claimed.

In another instance, a top company official suggested payment of $5 million to each of the Bidens as the company sought to have Ukraine’s prosecutor general at the time, Viktor Shokin, removed from office, according to the document.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the document released by Republicans “records the unverified, secondhand, years-old allegations” that were already shown to be not true during the 2019 impeachment hearings.

After lawmakers reviewed a redacted document in June, Raskin had said “Congress thoroughly reviewed and debunked” similar allegations that Giuliani had made.

“As the FBI explained, the allegations were also thoroughly investigated by Donald Trump’s own Justice Department,” Raskin wrote. That assessment was closed in August 2020 after eight months of investigative efforts, he said, and “found insufficient evidence” to warrant further investigation.

But Comer said in response: “The American people must be able to read this record for themselves. I thank Senator Grassley

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings

The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts.

Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race.

Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices.

While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, liberals also are talking about bringing new challenges to school choice, voter ID, the 12-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for

most public workers and other laws backed by Republicans.

“When you don’t know the extent of the battle you may have to fight, it’s concerning,” said attorney Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. “It’s very concerning.”

Some issues could take years to reach the court, said liberal attorney Lester Pines, who like Esenberg has argued numerous times before the state Supreme Court.

Unlike under the conservative majority, Pines said the new liberal court will be unlikely to rule on cases before lower courts have heard them.

“They’re not going to do it,” Pines said.

There is already a pending case challenging Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War era abortion ban, and a circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that it can proceed, while also calling into question whether the law actually bans abortions.

The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. Protasiewicz all but promised to overturn the ban by repeatedly speaking out for abortion rights, winning support from Planned Parenthood and others.

“When you’re a politician and you’re perceived by the voters as making a promise, and you don’t keep it, they get angry,” Esenberg said.

There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election.

The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in 2018 and 2022 and Joe Biden in 2020.

Protasizewicz declared those maps to be “rigged” and said during the campaign they should be given another look. Democrats also hope for new congressional maps improving their chances in the state’s two most competitive House districts, held by Republicans.

“What we want to see is maps

for providing much needed transparency.”

Grassley said while the FBI had released a redacted version to lawmakers, he was able to provide a fuller document because whistleblowers made it available to him.

Comer’s panel held a hearing this week with two Internal Review Service whistleblowers who have claimed Justice Department interference as they tried to probe Hunter Biden’s financial affairs. They said they were unaware of the document.

The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower claims. Department policy has long told prosecutors to take care when bringing charges with political overtones so close to an election.

A recovering addict, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor charges over his finances after years of failing to pay taxes. Republicans have denounced the agreement with federal prosecutors as a “sweetheart deal.”

The top prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, has said he is willing to testify before the House panel once he is legally able to share information with Congress without violating the longstanding department policy of discussing an ongoing investigation.

Testimony from Justice Department officials could come after Hunter Biden appears for his plea hearing this week.

that are fair and that represent the will of the people and the actual make up of their state,” Democratic strategist Melissa Baldauff said.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. The outgoing conservative court came within one vote of overturning Biden’s win in 2020. The new court will be in control to hear any challenges leading up to the election and in the months after.

A national Democratic law firm filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to undo a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling last year banning absentee ballot drop boxes. The case could make its way to the state high court before the 2024 presidential election.

Other sticky issues that have garnered bipartisan criticism, including powers of the governor, also could come before the new court.

Evers surprised many with a veto this year putting in place a school spending increase for 400 years. Republicans said a challenge was likely.

In 2021, the court struck down three of Evers’ previous partial vetoes but failed to give clear guidance on what is allowed.

A Wisconsin governor’s veto power is expansive and used by Republicans and Democrats, but the new court could weigh in on whether it should be scaled back. Esenberg, who brought the previous case challenging Evers’ veto powers, said he expected another legal challenge in light of the 400year veto.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden walks with his grandson Beau Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, left, from Marine One upon arrival at Fort McNair, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Washington.

AP PHOTO

Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, right, holds hands with Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, left, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, blocked from view at far right, at a watch party in Milwaukee, on April 4, 2023.

Randolph record

Gov. Roy Cooper visits tornado damage

Gov. Roy Cooper tours damage of the tornado that damaged a Pfizer plant and numerous homes across Nash and Edgecombe Counties on Sunday, July 23, 2023. Read more about the incident on page 2.

Candidates secure spots for November ballot

By Bob Sutton North State Journal

Hayworth joins RCC Board, Lisk elected

Chair

Last Thursday, the Randolph County Partnership for Children Executive Director Lisa Hayworth was sworn in as the newest member of the Randolph Community College Board of Trustees in the Martha Luck Comer Foundation Conference Center. Hayworth, who replaced John Freeze as the Randolph County School Board’s appointee, is a former RCC employee who has worked as the College’s Chief Examiner for the GED program and the Director of the Archdale Campus. Reynolds Lisk was also elected board Chair, replacing long-time member F. Mac Sherill, and James Gouty was elected Vice Chair. All of this took place during the first board meeting since newly-hired President Dr. Shah Ardalan began his tenure with the school. “I see a bright future for the college and the county,” said Ardalan. “I’m blessed to have such a great team.”

Seagrove man charged for animal cruelty

A Seagrove man is facing multiple animal cruelty charges following a joint investigation by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and Randolph County Animal Services.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Criminal Investigations Unit found ample evidence to issue a warrant and arrest

Keontai Javon McKenzie last Thursday. McKenzie has been charged with felony killing an animal by starvation, as well as five additional misdemeanor counts for cruelty to animals. Mckenzie was taken to the Randolph County Jail, where he was served his outstanding warrants and given a $5,000 secured bond. Randolph County Animal Services has since seized all of the dogs on McKenzie’s property.

ASHEBORO — There will be five candidates for three spots on the City of Asheboro City Council.

Candidates to file by Friday’s deadline are Eddie Burks, Jane Hughes Redding, Charles Swiers, Harry Okeke and Joey Trogdon. Burks, Redding and Swiers are incumbents.

** For the Asheboro City Schools Board of Education, the candidates are incumbents Gidget Kidd, Ryan Patton and Gwenn Williams, along with Melissa Calloway and Todd Dulaney.

** Mayor Filmore York will run unopposed in Liberty. Greg Carpenter and incumbent Don Herndon are the filers for Liberty town commissioner.

** In Franklinville, Priscellia Dunn and L. McKay Whatley are running for town commissioner.

** Ramseur mayor Vicki Caudle will be opposed by Hampton Spivey for that position. J.C. Parrish and Tresa Cheek Hatchell will try to retain their spots as Ramseur town commissioners, while Jay Hubbard is also running.

** In Randleman, Mike Dawkins, Marty Leonard and Kim Grooms Keaton are running for al-

derman at-large positions. Others on the ballot will be Steve Grooms Jr. (Ward 1), Renee Bryant (Ward 1), Lee Hinson (Ward 4) and Kimmy Williams (Ward 4).

** In Seagrove, incumbents Homer Beheler and Carol Kim will be on the ballot for town commissioner.

** In Staley, the mayor candidates are incumbent Karen Scotton and Michelle Hooker-Ravenell.

Five commissioner candidates are Renee Harrelson, Steven Rollins, Lori Lynn Langley-Hankins, Sherri Martin and Faye Johnson.

Races in High Point and Thomasville include a limited number of

Randolph County residents.

** High Point’s mayoral candidates are Victor Jones, Cyril Jefferson, Abdul Rashid (Richard) Siddiqui and Gene Kininmonth.

The at-large candidates for High Point City Council are Sam Carr, Shazia Iqbal, Orel Henry, Britt W. Moore, Amanda Cook, Willie H. Davis and Kenneth Jabari Harper Jr. In Ward 3, Monica Peters and Rizwan Bahadur are running.

** Thomasville City Council candidates are Ronald Fowler, Eric Kuppel, Paul Widener Peters, Lisa Shell, Payton Williams and Dana Skeen Lomba.

NC Zoo working to secure funding to rebuild aviary

By Scott Pelkey North State Journal

ASHEBORO — The Aviary at the North Carolina Zoo is set to be demolished, but the Zoo is working on securing funds and putting together plans to rebuild.

With its 93 species of birds, hundreds of tropical plants, and an environment that mimics the tropical rainforest, the Aviary has been a guest favorite since it first opened in 1982.

In January 2022, the Zoo announced that the Aviary would be closing due to a potential threat of Avian Flu, leaving many guests with the impression that this closure would be temporary. However, during the closure, a team of engineers was brought in to conduct an inspection of the building, and their findings were not promising.

“The aviary is a very humid en-

vironment; it’s a very rough environment,” said Debbie Zombeck, the chief curator of birds at the N.C. Zoo and the aviary’s supervisor, in an interview last year.

After 40 years, it seems that the building has reached the end of its lifecycle.

Engineers found drainage, foundation, and HVAC issues and ultimately concluded that renovations would not be financially viable for the Zoo. Fears surrounding aviation flu at the time, coupled with the engineers’ assessment, led to the unpopular decision to permanently close and take down the habitat in April 2022.

Because the response from the public was overwhelmingly negative, the Zoo administration and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources quickly began working secure funding to both demolish the old aviary and, in the future, rebuild.

“Once the demolition drawings are complete, Zoo staff will work next on the bid process for a contractor to remove the building.”

Villa

Diane

The Zoo has hired REI Engineers to work on demolition drawings.

“Once the demolition drawings are complete, Zoo staff will work next on the bid process for a contractor to remove the building,” said Diane Villa, Director of Communications and Marketing.

In March 2023, Governor Roy Cooper introduced his 2023-25 budget proposal, which includes $60 million for the “Zoo Aviary re -

placement,” but the budget has not been passed.

“The aviary has been an integral part of the N.C. Zoo for decades,” said Senator David Craven, Jr. “It was a unique experience that provided an experience that provided visitors an up-close-and-personal look at birds and tropical plants.

While no timeline has been announced, sources familiar with the Zoo say a new aviary may not open until at least 2030.

“Should the funding come through, the new aviary design process will begin,” said Villa. “It will take time, noting that the North Carolina Zoo is in the process of building the Asia region as a priority, but staff are excited to begin establishing criteria for the birds and the guest experience. As it is early in the planning and funding phases, it is difficult to set a timeline for when the new aviary will be completed.”

“Join

Randolph Board of Education recognizes educator award

RCS local budget fully funded

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Schools Board of Education met Monday, July 17, with primarily recognitions and informational items presented.

The board opened the meeting by welcoming Randolph County Schools’ new public information officer, Amber Ward, who joined the staff following Tim Moody’s retirement after nearly 10 years of service to the county.

“She’s going to be good,” said Board Chair Gary Cooke. “She’s one of us. We’ll miss Tim, though. He did a great job.”

The board was presented with an update on their FY 2023-24 local budget.

“The county commission approved our budget on the 19th of June,” said Superintendent Stephen Gainey. “I’m very excited to announce that they approved everything we asked for in our local budget. It was $1,428,000, and it was all current expense requests. Our annual current expense request funding has increased by $6,588,974 since the end of the 2013-2014 school year. So that’s a pretty big jump.

“What’s equally exciting is that over the last ten years, our current expense funding has averaged an increase of $658,897.40 per year, and last year at this time, it was

“I just want to congratulate Dr. Good for earning this great honor named after Ms. Lynda Petty, who was one of the all-time great people that’s ever been associated with our school system.”

Superintendent Stephen Gainey

$573,000. It has not only gone up considerably, but we’ve significantly increased the average. I’m very excited about that.”

An important time from the approved budget that Gainey also pointed out was the increase in classified supplements.

“One of the special items in that budget request was increasing our classified employee supplements,” Ganey said. “So now when we start this school year, our classified supplements will have risen from 2.5% to 5.25%.

The board also recognized Shanna Good, a math interventionist at Trinity Middle School, who was named an NCCAT Honored Educator Scholar for Randolph County.

“Shanna Good has been named a 2023-2024 Lynda Petty Honored Educator Scholar,” Gainey said. “With this scholarship, she gets to go to a program

of her choice at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The scholarship will cover all expenses for instruction, program material, food, lodging, travel to and from and cost of substitute teachers. She also receives a $250 monetary gift to use on supplies in her classroom.

I just want to congratulate Dr. Good for earning this great honor named after Ms. Lynda Petty, who was one of the all-time great people that’s ever been associated with our school system.”

According to the NCCAT website, the Randolph County scholarship “honors the late Lynda Petty, who dedicated her life to improving public education for the children of Randolph County. Mrs. Petty, known as the “First Lady of NASCAR,” supported the Randolph County community in many ways, but most commendably, she served as a local leader in education. During her lifetime, Lynda served as a school volunteer, and from 1984 to 2000, served as a member of the Randolph County Board of Education, including taking on the role as its Chairperson for seven years.

NCCAT’s Lynda Petty Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.”

“Lynda did a lot for this school board,” Cook said. “She wasn’t on here when I came on, but her mark was here.”

The Randolph County Schools Board of Education will next meet August 21.

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

July 27

ZooKeepers Baseball Game 7pm

Come out to McCrary Park for a game between the hometown ZooKeepers and the Boone Bigfoots! To purchase tickets, please visit https://zkbaseball. square.site/shop/7.

July 29

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!

♦ Shelby Jean Johnson Tate, age 85 of Randleman, died July 19, 2023 surrounded by her family at her home.

♦ Tonya Lynne Rigsbee Clifton, age 52 of Randleman, died July 15, 2023 at her home surrounded by her family.

Tornado damage to Pfizer plant unlikely to cause supply shortages, FDA says

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — Most of the destruction from a tornado that tore through eastern North Carolina and struck a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant affected its storage facility, rather than its medicine production areas, the company said Friday.

The drugmaker’s ability to salvage production equipment and other essential materials could mitigate what experts feared would be a major blow to an already strained system as the United States grapples with existing drug shortages.

“We do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf said Friday.

An EF3 tornado touched

♦ Jones, Joseph (M, 32), Arrested on charge of nine counts of Animal Cruelty, on 7/19, at 110 Seneca Rd.

♦ Lambert, Branson (M, 23), Arrested on charge of Assault Gov Official/Employee, on 7/19, at 811 New Century Dr.

♦ Pate, Deborah (F, 35), Arrested on charge of First Degree Trespass, on 7/19, at 398 Browns Crossroads Rd.

♦ Wall, Charity (F, 33), Arrested on charge of nine counts of Cruelty to Animals, on 7/19, at 110 Seneca Rd.

♦ Williamson, Caitlin (F, 26), Arrested on charge of Simple

“We do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system.”

Robert Califf, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner

down Wednesday near Rocky Mount, ripping the roof off a Pfizer factory responsible for producing nearly 25% of the American pharmaceutical giant’s sterile injectable medicines used in U.S. hospitals, according to the drugmaker. Pfizer said Friday that a ware-

Assault, on 7/19, at 6640 Brantley Gordon Rd.

♦ Allen, Chad (M, 43), Arrested on charge of Litter Public/Private Places, Fict/Alt Title/Reg Card/ Tag, on 7/18, at Tom Hill Rd & Lane Dr.

♦ Anderson, John Jr. (M, 48), Arrested on charge of Possess Meth, Possess Drug Paraphernalia, Resisting Public Officer, on 7/18, at 5407 Clyde King Rd.

♦ Benedict, Jill (F, 41), Arrested on charge of Possess Meth, on 7/18, at 1106 Timbal Ct.

♦ Dale, Stacy (F, 47), Arrested on charge of Possess Marijuana

house for raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines awaiting release had endured most of the damage to its 1.4 million square foot plant. An initial inspection by the company found no major damage to its medicine manufacturing areas, and all 3,200 local employees are safe and accounted for.

Parts of roofs were ripped open atop its massive buildings. The Pfizer plant stores large quantities of medicine that were tossed about, said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.

“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” Stone said.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said staff are rushing products to nearby sites for storage and identifying sources to rapidly replace raw materials lost in the storm. The drug company

Paraphernalia, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, on 7/18, at 3001 Interstate Hwy 73/74.

♦ Dzumba, Robert II (M, 34), Arrested on charge of Break/ Enter Trailer/Aircraft, Felony Larceny, Possession of Stolen Goods, on 7/18, at 405 Worth St.

♦ Johnson, Mikalah (F, 29), Arrested on charge of Possess Marijuana Paraphernalia, Possess Marijuana up to 1/2oz, on 7/18, at 3001 Interstate Hwy 73/74.

♦ Soriano, Antwain (M, 30), Arrested on charge of Assault on a Female, Simple Assault, on 7/17, at 811 New Century Dr.

Asheboro Public Library End of Summer Party 1pm – 3pm

Come out to the Asheboro Public Library for their End of Summer Party! This event is free and open to the public and will include pizza and a movie! Ages 12+ and no registration is required.

ZooKeepers Baseball Game

7pm

Come out to McCrary Park for a baseball game between the hometown ZooKeepers and the Wilson Tobs! To purchase tickets, please visit https://zkbaseball. square.site/shop/7.

August 1

2023 Kids Summer Movies – Hotel Transylvania

10am, 1pm, 7pm

Come out to the Sunset Theatre in Asheboro and watch Hotel Transylvania: Transformania! Tickets to the matinee showings are $5 per person and at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The evening show is at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8 per person. All tickets include a small drink and a popcorn.

August 2

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!

County School System

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The press’s war against free speech

HAVE WE GOTTEN to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech?

Apparently so. Consider the reaction of journalists — people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech — to Louisiana-based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.”

The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14. But no final judgment in the case has been entered, and, whatever the ultimate result, the wisdom of government speech suppression — and the bizarre and outspoken support thereof by large parts of the press — remain continuing issues.

Doughty’s 155-page opinion cites allegations that White House and other government officials have “significantly encouraged” and “coerced” social media firms Facebook, Google and Twitter to suppress information not just occasionally but repeatedly, and often in peremptory and threatening tones. Those allegations have been backed up by the “Twitter Files” investigations of liberal writers Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.

The bewailing at this opinion came in loud and clear. The Washington Post, as columnist Mary Katharine Ham pointed out, lamented that Doughty’s decision could “undo years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.” The New York Times worried that Doughty’s decision “could force government officials ... to refrain from notifying the

platforms about troublesome content,” and “could curtail efforts to combat disinformation.”

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. No less than Henry Kissinger argued that the release of the Papers would weaken the government’s ability to conduct diplomacy and de-escalate the Vietnam War. The Post’s Katharine Graham and the Times’ Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr. rejected these weighty concerns and risked prosecution because they felt the public had a right to the information. The current proprietors are Jeff Bezos and Sulzberger’s grandson, who evidently take a different view.

That view is that the press has a responsibility to cooperate with the government to suppress what the government considers “disinformation” or “misinformation.” Thus a writer in the left-wing Nation argues that speech must be suppressed in the interest of “preserving good-faith discourse in the name of public health and the preservation of democracy.”

But Doughty’s decision does not prevent the government from speaking, as it does every day. It seeks to prevent the government from stamping out other people’s speech. And often, it turns out that the speech is right and the government’s position wrong.

A prime case in point — and an example of partisan politics — were the successful efforts to get willing allies in the press to discredit and suppress the New York Post’s October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. Antony Blinken, then of the Biden campaign and now secretary of state, encouraged the promulgation of a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claiming the story “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

Legislature right to say women’s sports are for women

THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE will vote to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. This new law, which prohibits biological male students from participating in teams designated for females, women, or girls on the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, serves as a commonsense blueprint for other states looking to protect women’s privacy and their place on the field. Across the country, there are increasingly more stories of biological female athletes being displaced or defeated by biological males who identify as female or are in the midst of transitioning.

Most notably is the story of Riley Gaines, a former 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky. Gaines was subjected to unfair treatment when she was forced to face biological male Lia Thomas in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming National Championships in the 200-yard freestyle event. Gaines actually tied Thomas for fifth place in the finals, yet was handed the sixth-place trophy for the photo op by the NCAA representative.

Thomas swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swim Team from 2017 to 2020, where he (at the time) placed near the bottom of the ranks.

Thomas then joined the Women’s Swim Team in 2021 where, as a 6’1” biological male, she eventually won a national championship in the 500-freestyle event.

Gaines has used this experience as a platform to advocate on behalf of herself, and women across the country, who have dedicated their lives to their sport.

Though Gaines has gained momentum in the media for bravely sharing her story, unfortunately, her experience is not unique.

Chelsea Mitchell, a track-and-field athlete from Canton, Connecticut, saw several state and regional title opportunities stripped from her while competing against two transgender female athletes in the 55-meter dash.

Since 2013, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has allowed transgender athletes to compete in women and girls’ sports. In 2017, two transgender female students began competing in the Women’s Track and Field competition, and as a result, those transgender female runners took home 15 women’s state track championship titles. The previous year, those titles were won by nine different females.

Mitchell sued the CIAC alongside three other athletes, asking the court to bar Connecticut from

allowing biological males from competing in women’s sports and effectively deleting all athletic records set by transgender athletes. The case is set to be reheard by a New York-based federal appeals court in 2023.

Notably outspoken on this issue is Caitlyn Jenner, someone who knows a thing or two about competing at the highest levels as a male athlete, transitioning, then participating in sports as a transgender female.

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, won the Olympic gold medal in 1976, when he (at the time) competed in the decathlon – setting a men’s world record in the process which held for four years. Having transitioned nearly 40 years later, Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women – especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

That’s why Jenner recently launched the Fairness First PAC – a political action committee that will “put parental rights at the forefront of education and keep boys out of women’s sports.”

“We cannot let biological boys compete in women’s sports. It would ruin women’s sports,” Jenner explained. As if to emphasize the differences, Jenner added, “A year after hormone replacement therapy, I could still hit the golf ball 300 years.”

Title IX was enacted in 1972, protecting Americans from discrimination in any school or other educational program on the basis of sex.

According to the Department of Justice, before Title IX, “women were often excluded from or had only limited access to educational programs.” This includes sports.

Now, centuries of fighting for women’s equality are being erased by the inclusion of biological men in women’s athletic competitions.

It is imperative we protect women and girls from losing out on an opportunity to earn state and national titles, scholarship opportunities, or even simply having a level playing field to pursue her best on the athletic fields.

The North Carolina General Assembly and previously U.S. House of Representatives took a positive step in preserving the rights of women and girls across the country by passing common sense legislation to keep women in women’s sports. I am hopeful states around the country will follow suit.

Jill Homan is president of Javelin 19, a real estate investment & development firm, and a mother of a four-year old son and a six-year-old daughter.

That was hogwash, as was the Russian collusion hoax many signers had peddled. But most press outlets suppressed mention of the Post’s accurate story. The New York Times only got around to confirming its accuracy in March 2022 in the 24th paragraph of a 38-paragraph story.

The press also happily colluded in government efforts to suppress information about COVID-19. A prime example is the theory that the virus came from a lab leak in China, which in March 2020 emails National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins called “a very destructive conspiracy” and his nominal subordinate Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized as “a shiny object that will go away.”

Their attempts to discredit a theory that might have reflected badly on research they sponsored prevailed for some time, but it is considered, in columnist Robby Soave’s words, “now extremely likely,” although it will probably never be confirmed because of Chinese government obfuscation.

In any case, the lab leak theory was better founded than The New York Times’ characterization, in a July 5 story, that the theory that “Covid-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease” is a “debunked claim.”

In the press reaction to Doughty’s decision, you can detect laments that many Americans no longer accept the word of elite experts in the FBI, the intelligence agencies or the public health authorities. But you don’t find any acknowledgment that often that word has not proved good. Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

DAVID MALIN, ASHEBORO

THE PEOPLE OF RANDOLPH COUNTY were led to believe that the tax revaluation would be revenueneutral. We were told that the tax rate would be adjusted to compensate for the increased market value of the houses.

Nearby is a chart of a random sample of 16 properties in the city and the county. Each one has increased property taxes.

The increase in taxes is anywhere from 9.2% to 49.2% higher!

Am I mistaken in my belief that the revaluation was to be revenue-neutral?

The quote from the board was “we will look at what is a “Revenue Neutral Rate” ― the revenue that would have been available if there had been no re-val. Past history confirms that at the end of this process, some people will pay less tax than before and some will pay more.”

It seems like 100% will pay more. Is there anyone whose property taxes went down? The evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

You know if the taxes went up $100 there would be little kickback but 50% increases? $650 a year on some homes!

Is there any plan to do anything different? Will a special meeting be called to address this? Or has it been set in stone and the taxpayers just need to lump it?

It does not sit well, having the County Commissioners lie to the residents of Randolph County.

David Malin lives in Asheboro

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

COLUMN | JILL HOMAN

SIDELINE REPORT

CAA changes its conference name

The Colonial Athletic Association has changed its name to the Coastal Athletic Association. The association of schools located in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard announced the name change on Thursday to reflect its recent expansion, with members spanning from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The league will still be referred to as the CAA and it will continue to use the same conference logo. In the past two years, the CAA has added five new members, including Campbell and NC A&T to push its membership to 14, the highest in its nearly 40-year history. Elon and North Carolina-Wilmington are also in the league.

Courage earn big Challenge Cup victory

AP

The North Carolina Courage remained unbeaten in the UKG Challenge Cup, earning 3 points after a 6-0 win against the Washington Spirit. The Courage keep their unbeaten streak in the UKG Challenge Cup with 14 games in hand. After a scoreless first half, Brittany Ratcliffe scored off a cross from Tyler Lussi. Not five minutes later Frankie Tagliaferri added a goal.

Substitute Olivia Wingate took a cross from Tess Boade and scored. Two minutes later, Boade tapped in a goal. Brianna Pinto hit a banger from outside the 18 yard box to score, and Narumi Miura finished the scoring with a shot off a deflection.

NBA approves sale of Hornets

Denny Hamlin gets his record 7th victory at Pocono and 50th of his NASCAR Cup Series career

The Associated Press LONG POND, Pa. — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane Sunday at Pocono Raceway a year after his first-place finish was thrown out, giving him a track-record seven wins and 50 overall in his Cup career.

Hamlin also gave Toyota its 600th NASCAR victory.

Hamlin passed Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon — for the second straight year — for most wins at the tri-oval track. Hamlin and his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had their 1-2 finishes stripped a year ago by NASCAR for aerodynamics violations.

NSJ

The NBA Board of Governors reportedly approved the sale of the Charlotte Hornets, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The sale, which was negotiated earlier this year, ends Michael Jordan’s 13year reign as majority owner of the team. A group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin will take over the franchise. The sale, which was purchased at a $3 billion valuation, will be completed over the next two weeks, according to Wojnarowski.

Plotkin was a minority owner under Jordan, while Schnall was a minority owner of the Hawks. Jordan will keep a minority ownership stake in the team.

ESPN

Death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001

Daytona 500 picked as NASCAR’s most pivotal moment

To mark NASCAR’s 75th season, The Associated Press interviewed 12 key contributors to the industry on multiple topics.

According to the survey, Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 is the most pivotal moment in the history of NASCAR.

Earnhardt’s death robbed a family of its patriarch and the industry of the greatest stock car star of his era.

Earnhardt’s death also forced NASCAR to finally get serious about safety.

The racing legend known as the Intimidator was a Kannapolis native. He won 76 races over his career and was a seven-time Cup Series champion.

That made Hamlin the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because

of an oversized fuel tank.

But he does know the way to victory lane in the No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin and Kyle Larson bumped and battled over the final laps before the three-time Daytona 500 winner pulled away on the final restart and won with the caution flag out, leading a sold-out crowd — Pocono’s largest since 2010 — to shower Hamlin with boos.

“I love it,” Hamlin said. “They can boo my rock out of here in a few years.”

Pocono paints rocks outside the garage to honor of some of NASCAR’s greats, such as Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at New Hampshire, was second and Tyler Reddick third. Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

Larson faded to 21st and blasted

Hamlin for making contact late in the race that sent the No. 5 Chevrolet up the track and cost him a shot at racing for the win.

“I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything, anything, I’ve ever done on the racetrack,” Larson said. “I can count four or five times where he had to reach out to me. At some point, you’ve got to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”

Helmet toss

Austin Dillon chucked his helmet at former teammate Tyler Reddick’s car after the two were involved in a wreck. Dillon’s Ford slammed into the wall and its passenger side crumpled. Dillon threw his helmet as he walked off the track.

“I was just trying to hit him,”

Dillon said. “They’re going probably 65. If I had started at the front of the car, I might have got him at the door.”

Caught in the undertow

Joey Logano’s rough race ended with a bumpy ride to pit road. Logano, who won the first stage, later hit the wall, blew four tires and finished 35th. The Team Penske driver criticized NASCAR for the jittery ride to the pits in his Ford and said the tow truck caused additional damage to the car.

“You get this long, horrible ride back. It’s rough,” Logano said. “Your head’s bouncing around in there. It’s stupid. It’s just really dumb that we can’t just put four tires on a truck. I saw a whole bunch of them earlier today. ... It’s not fun for anybody.”

NFL owners unanimously OK the Commanders sale to Josh Harris; Dan Snyder fined $60M on the way out

The Associated Press BLOOMINGTON, Minn. —

NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.

“We are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of the city, to win championships and really excite the fans again,” Harris said in a news conference after the vote.

The purchase by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports club. Harris, like Snyder and Commissioner Roger Goodell, grew up in the Washington metro area as an avid fan of the team.

“He has a remarkable business record, not just in finance but also now in sports, and I think he’s a person who cares deeply about not just his assets but at least more importantly his communities,” Goodell said.

Harris’ investment crew also includes David Blitzer, with whom he co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Washington-area businessman Mitchell Rales and more than a dozen others. The unusually large ownership group needed and received league finance approval for a deal that shattered the $4.35 billion Walmart heir Rob Walton paid last year for the Denver Broncos.

The special meeting for the Commanders sale was conducted at the same hotel adjacent to the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis where Walton’s group gained formal control of the Broncos. Johnson raved about the approval of the sale on Twitter —

“truly the biggest achievement in my business career,” he tweeted — shortly before Harris posed for photos with a Commanders helmet and accepted well wishes from Goodell and others.

“They want to put that franchise where they believe it belongs, where it’s respected not just in the community but worldwide,” Goodell said. “They’re committed to that.”

Their biggest immediate challenge 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 more than a year ago, a consequence of the number of offfield controversies swirling around the team. The site of RFK Stadium, the club›s previous home in the capitol city, has significant backing as the place for the new venue.

“It’s going to take awhile to un-

pack what really makes sense,” Harris said. “As far as RFK, I understand it’s the spiritual home of the history of the Commanders.

Bringing the fans back is a major priority after Washington ranked last in the league in attendance in 2022 and second-to-last in 2021.

“I’ve had many sleepless nights, and I will have many sleepless nights. I’m going to sweat this,” Harris said. “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington. I know what I’ve got to give.”

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line under caution to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Long Pond, Pa.

SCOTT STRAZZANTE | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE VIA AP

Josh Harris, leader of a group buying the Washington Commanders, poses with a team helmet after NFL owners voted to approve the sale in Bloomington, Minn., Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Chase Murphy was a trophy winner in Late Models on Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

Mackenzie Roach

York, Murphy win in Late Models features

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Jason York and Chase Murphy were winners in the Late Models class Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

Twin features were held in many classes.

York had the fastest qualifying time and went on to win the first race in the division. Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeremy Mayfield placed fifth in the first race and 10th in the second race.

Murphy moved to the front at the beginning of the second race and went on to win.

Camden Thomas was the runner-up in both races. York, the track’s points leader, was fourth in

the second race.

In Challengers, Allen Vance had a wire-to-wire victory in the first race, but that result was later overturned.

The second race involved a scrap between Vance and Brody Duggins following a wreck, which wrapped up with Duggins’ car on top of Vance’s car. Vance’s actions in the ensuing scuffle resulted in his disqualification and wiped out all his results for the night.

Matthew Smith was the original runner-up in the first Challengers feature, but his car failed inspection. So Duggins, who was third in the first race, was moved to the top spot on that rundown of results. The second race standings

Hill finds new college home

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Hunter Hill arrived to play summer baseball with the Asheboro ZooKeepers while representing North Carolina Wesleyan.

When he leaves, he’ll be heading to another college.

Hill, a former Uwharrie Charter Academy pitcher, is transferring to Division II Belmont Abbey.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I was happy to move up the ladder.”

Hill pitched for two seasons for Division III N.C. Wesleyan without a loss on his record. The time in his first season with the ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League has given him confidence that he can be successful at a higher level.

“It’s a good test,” he said. “Trying to be competitive and see what I got.”

Hill posted a 7-0 record with a 5.05 earned run average in 14 appearances as a sophomore for N.C. Wesleyan, which had a 36-10 record and won the USA South Conference regular-season and tournament titles to reach the Division III NCAA Tournament. That followed Hill’s freshman season when he was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

ZooKeepers coach Korey Dunbar, who was aware of Hill during recruiting when he was on the staff of Division II Barton, said the pitcher has become a more powerful pitcher.

“Hunter has changed his body completely since high school,” Dunbar said.

The transfer process was a challenge because Division III regulations differ from the higher levels. That meant it was up to Hill to spread the word in the form of self-promotion.

“It was kind of a headache,” he said.

Hill, a right-hander, said he had interest from a few Division II teams.

Hill, a former player for Randolph County Post 45, said he was hoping to play in 2022 with the ZooKeepers, but he didn’t make those arrangements in time to be considered for a roster spot.

“This year, I took it as soon as I could,” he said. “I’ve loved it here.”

Hill was a starting pitcher for N.C. Wesleyan, but mostly has been logging bullpen innings for Asheboro.

“I was on an innings count for the summer,” he said.

Dunbar said Hill has fit in on the pitching staff. He entered this week with a 1-0 record and 10 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings.

“Division II, Division III, for me, that kind of goes out the door,” Dunbar said. “It doesn’t matter where they’re from.”

There has been a pressure situation in an unusual form for Hill on the mound at McCrary Park. That came in a June game against the Holly Springs Salamanders.

The ZooKeepers held a 4-2 lead when Hill pitched the eighth inning. With two Salamanders on the base, team general manager Melissa Godwin, in an effort to rile up the crowd, announced on the public address system that a strikeout of Holly Spring’s Nolan Watson would ignite 10 T-shirts being thrown into the stands as a giveaway.

Hill came through with the strikeout.

“I can’t let everybody down,” Hill said of his thoughts. “That’s one of the coolest strikeouts I’ve had.”

showed Blake Shupe in first place and Nicolas Graham in second.

In 602 Modifieds, Jaxon Casper captured first place in both features. Second place in both races went to Josh Lowder, and third place belonged to Justice Calabro each time.

There were a pair of 10-lap UCARs races, with Steven Collins winning the first and Justin Smith prevailing in the second.

In Bootleggers, Jon Morton won both races, with the 10-lap events having identical results for all the entrants. Bentley Black had a pair of second-place finishes.

In U.S. Legends, Josh Lowe was the winner after leader Neal Dulin’s crash. London McKenzie placed second. The Bandoleros’ victory went to Rylan Lowder.

The next race night for Caraway Speedway comes Aug. 5 and will include a Demo Derby plus class racing in Challengers, UCARs and Bootleggers.

Randleman, softball

Roach played her final season with the Tigers in what was a softball career that began as a freshman.

She was listed as an infielder and pitcher. The Tigers were off to a strong start to this past season, with victories in three of their first four games before fading to a 7-16 record.

Roach also was selected as an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference performer in girls’ swimming.

** During the summer, we recognize seniors from the past school year.

ZooKeepers deal with curves late in season

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record ASHEBORO — Highs and lows, comings

and goings.

That sums up what the Asheboro ZooKeepers have been going through lately.

Ending with Sunday’s game, the ZooKeepers were 3-2 during a week’s time.

Saturday night’s 12-1 whipping of the Holly Springs Salamanders at McCrary Park came with numerous highlights, including the first home run for Lleyton Lackey.

The game was reduced to seven innings by the mercy rule, with Win Scott firing a four-hitter.

Then Sunday, the ZooKeepers won 8-0 at Holly Springs, with Danny Thompson throwing five shutout innings and combining with four relievers – including Randleman product Matt Kemp –

on a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

Zack Beach homered, and Dylan Driver had three hits.

Yet it’s generally hard to figure out who might be the main contributors with a revolving roster. Once a 34-player roster, there were 28 listed players Friday night, with more early departures likely.

The ZooKeepers lost shortstop Alex Lodise, who came a couple of weeks into the season and left with a couple of weeks remaining. It was quite an offseason for Lodise, who transferred from North Florida to Florida State and batted .368 with the ZooKeepers.

Another infielder, Tanner Thomas of Longwood, played just six games with Asheboro.

First baseman Tyler McPeak, the only position player from the team selected for last week’s CPL All-Star Game, has played sparingly recently as he deals with ailments. He did

have a ninth-inning game-tying hit in the All-Star Game.

The ZooKeepers are down to three remaining home games –Thursday and Saturday, and then again Aug. 1.

Jared Beebe homered and drove in five runs, and Jay Dillard also homered among his four hits and knocked in four runs as the ZooKeepers thumped the High Point-Thomasville HiToms 12-6 at Finch Field in Thomasville on Thursday night after the leaguewide two-day All-Star break. Hunter Hill, who’s from Asheboro, logged 4 1/3 innings as the ZooKeepers’ starting pitcher and gave up six runs on 10 hits. Kemp worked an inning in relief in his first game of the year with the team.

On Friday night, Asheboro and the HiToms both stranded 14 runners, but High Point-Thomasville was boosted by Austin Dearing’s two-run homer in a 5-1 victory at McCrary Park. Dallas Callahan had two of the ZooKeepers’ six hits but struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Asheboro starting pitcher Ethan Snyder struck out 10 batters in five innings.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Randleman’s Mackenzie Roach heads out of the batter’s box with a hit during a softball game this spring.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Asheboro ZooKeepers outfielder Carter French reaches for second base on a slide earlier this season. French plays for North Carolina during the college season.

COURTESY PHOTO Hunter Hill

COURTESY PHOTO

Hayes backtracks to Post 45, carves new path

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO – Braylen Hayes didn’t anticipate being back with Randolph County Post 45 this summer, but he’s glad that opportunity existed.

It’s turning out to be a good thing for Post 45 despite his unexpected availability.

The former standout outfielder for Randleman didn’t make it to the finish line in his first college season at UNC Greensboro.

“Just having too much fun in college. It went downhill and ended up not having the best grades,” Hayes said. “It was all on me. It’s good, though, I’m going to get back right.

Hayes is the center fielder and bats third in the lineup for Post 45, which will be the host team for the American Legion’s Southeast Regional next week at McCrary Park.

So this is a summer to regroup for Hayes, who has committed to attend Guilford Tech and play a season with that junior college team.

He was lined up to play for the Asheboro ZooKeepers, a summer college team in the Coastal Plain League. But when grades interfered and he dropped off the UNCG roster, he wasn’t eligible for that because he wasn’t in a college program.

“It was pretty hard,” Hayes said.

“It was just weird. I had never had to go through anything like that.

Had to figure out.”

And he needed a summer baseball destination.

“Would have had a crap summer, no baseball would be rough,” he said.

Fortunately for him, he’s young enough – just turning 19 – for another season of American Legion baseball. He also played for Post 45 last year.

Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said Hayes is a big part of the team.

“We know the things he can do,” Pugh said. Hayes said he’s a much better player than last summer.

“Making more contact on balls, hard contact,” he said. “Knowing the strike zone a lot better from seeing pitching at the D-I level.”

Things didn’t go as Hayes planned at UNCG. “I didn’t play the best in the fall. I was struggling a little bit,” he said. “Going from seeing alright arms, to really good arms really fast. It was just a huge jump. At the time, I wasn’t ready for it.”

When the 2023 season began, he was a reserve, gaining more playing time a few weeks into the season. Hayes batted .250 in nine games, including three starts. He was 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.

Yet his time with the Spartans didn’t go for naught. That has been evident with Hayes’ throws from the outfield.

“UNCG, they’ve got a great throwing program,” he said. “My arm has gotten so much stronger.”

Hayes was on three high school state championship teams – one at Uwharrrie Charter Academy and two at Randleman. In 2022, he shared Player of the Year honors in the Piedmont Athletic Conference with teammate future Boston Red Sox draft pick Brooks Brannon.

Now Hayes wants to turn the detour into something good after the Guilford Tech season.

“Go to a bigger D-I, hopefully,” he said.

Asheboro players make unique marks in soccer showcase

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

BROWNS SUMMIT — Ashe-

boro’s Calvin Smith and Cristian Ortiz each did something no other players in the North Carolina EastWest All-Star Game could claim.

They were issued the only yellow cards during the boys’ soccer game on July 18 at MacPherson Stadium.

“They were both kind of tactical,” Smith said of the infractions.

“They weren’t cynical.”

Those moments aside, the duo from Asheboro embraced the opportunity to compete in the showcase for Class of 2023 standouts. They played for the West team.

The East scored two early goals, and those held up for a 2-1 victory.

Smith was assessed his yellow card shortly after the midway mark of the first half. Ortiz was hit with a yellow card in the game’s final 15 seconds when he stopped an East breakaway.

“The situations that we were in,” Ortiz said. “Had to do it.”

Ortiz said he was never issued a yellow card while playing for the Blue Comets. He said Smith was an unlikely recipient of a yellow card as well.

The West looked overmatched early in the game, with the East scoring twice in the first 13½ minutes. The tone eventually changed.

“It took us a few minutes to wake up,” Smith said. “I feel we controlled the last 60 (minutes).”

The West scored with about 11 minutes left. Smith was credited with an assist on a goal from Brock Gramann of Charlotte Providence.

“We started coming back,” Ortiz said. “It made it more interesting.”

Smith said he was “a little bit exhausted” based on several days of training and other North Carolina East-West All-Star Game activities in Greensboro and the game.

The girls’ soccer game ended with the East winning 6-2. That marked the most goals for a team in the history of the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls.

Basketball

Gracyn Hall of Randleman and Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph played for the West in the July 17 girls’ game at the Greensboro Coliseum. The East won 7468. Hall had six points in 18 minutes off the bench, making two of her four attempts from the field to go with two free throws. Snotherly was 1-for-4 with two points.

Football

In last Wednesday’s game at Jamieson Stadium on the Greensboro Grimsley campus, the East posted a 14-0 victory.

Keno Jones of Northern Nash threw a touchdown pass and was named the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Shamar Sutton of Northeastern and Avery Gaby of East Duplin scored the touchdowns. Lee County’s Dayreon Jennings was named the Defensive MVP.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Braylen Hayes takes a swing for Post 45 this summer.

PHOTOS BY PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Gracyn Hall of Randleman takes a shot in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls’ basketball.

BOB SUTTON | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Braylen Hayes will play next year for Guilford Tech.

NC EAST-WEST ALL-STAR GAMES

West player Cristian Ortiz of Asheboro makes a move on East’s Alexander Walker of Wilmington Laney during last Tuesday night’s game at MacPherson Stadium.

Calvin Smith of Asheboro heads the ball over an East player during last Tuesday night’s game at MacPherson Stadium.

Nancy Ann Hawkins Tarlton

January 19, 1939 — July 21, 2023

Mrs. Nancy Ann Hawkins

Tarlton, 84, of Randleman passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family.

Mrs. Tarlton worked in the textile industry and retired from Universal Fibers in Asheboro. She was preceded in death by her first husband of 25 years Gene Pugh, her second husband of 25 years, David Tarlton, her son Mitchell Pugh, and eight brothers and sisters. She is survived by 2 sons, David "Buddy" Pugh (Gina) of Asheboro and Richard "Todd" Pugh (Erin) of Randleman. She has 3 grandchildren, Matthew Pugh (Brittany) of Sophia, Katie Harrelson (Duncan) of High Point and Alec Pugh of Chapel Hill. She has 6 great grandchildren, Emma, Aeva, Colton, Caden, Mary and Will.

Nancy was an active member of Berean Memorial Baptist Church in Sophia for 30 years where she served as the church secretary and Ladies Ministry Leader until her death. She loved going to church, singing in the choir, and serving God any way she could.

Nancy loved to spend time with her family and friends. It was a rare occurrence that she didn’t have a visitor or a person checking in with her by phone. Nancy embodied compassion, kindness, and was a friend to all.

Paul Norman Small

March 15, 1938 — July 21, 2023

Paul Norman Small, 85, passed away July 21, 2023 at his home surrounded by his loved ones. He was born March 15, 1938 to Henry Milton Small and Vera (Yow) Small.

Paul was a proud veteran of the US Army Honor Guard. He was a hard worker and held positions at Gulf Tank Farm and Holiday Tours, but his passion was the family farm where he was Owner/Operator of P&J Farms in Randleman for 30+ years. Paul was known to be a man of his word and had a tender heart. He was also a firm believer of doing things right the first time – a trait which he instilled in his children. He enjoyed going to cow sales, attending family get-togethers, and spending many retirement hours riding his four-wheeler around the farm. He loved his family dearly and was extremely proud of his children. Mr. Small attended Friendship Baptist Church of Level Cross for the last several years.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jessie Small; his children Scott (Starr) Small of Greensboro, Kim (Danny) Davis of Asheboro, Jennifer (Brandon) Laughlin of Randleman; grandchildren, Ashley (Michael) Smith of Gibsonville, Justin Pennington (Melissa McBride) of Gibsonville, Hillary (Aaron) Pritchard of Asheboro, Jacob Davis in Alaska, Haven (Corey) Sarvis of Asheboro, Logan Laughlin, Aislyn Laughlin; five great-grandchildren; Sisters, Hazel (John) Lamb of Randleman, Lyde Small (sisterin-law) of Randleman; several nieces and nephews; and his faithful, four-legged companionDaisy. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by brothers, Earl Small, LJ Small, an infant brother; and sister, Helen Hutchins.

Bobby Lee Trogdon

June 8, 1957 — July 19, 2023

Bobby Lee Trogdon, 66, passed away July 19, 2023 at Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro, NC. He was born June 8, 1957 to Dalton Trogdon and Nora (Alberty) Trogdon.

Mr. Trogdon was the Owner/ Operator of Bobby’s Electrical in Franklinville. He was formerly employed with Klaussner Furniture. Bobby was a happy-golucky person with a giving heart. His love of the outdoors started as a young man when he would show horses. He enjoyed fishing and watching western movies.

He is survived by his daughters, Carolyn Trogdon of Asheboro, Laura Trogdon of Franklinville: son, Dakota Trogdon (Melissa) of Randleman: grandchildren, Celina Robinson (Patrick), Braxton Trogdon, Toby Williamson, Brandon Williamson, Benjamin Trogdon: great-grandchildren, Alister Robinson, Raelynn Robinson: brother, Dalton Trogdon, Jr. of Franklinville: and sister, Cindy Laughlin (Jessie) of Franklinville. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his sister Betsy Trogdon.

Catherine "Cathy" Mills Davis

September 25, 1951 — July 19, 2023

Catherine "Cathy" Mills Davis, 71, of Seagrove, passed away on July 19, 2023, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Cathy was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 25, 1951, to Donald and Helen Boggs Mills. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dalton Davis and sister Carla.

Cathy is survived by her sons Kevin Battle (Angie) of Perrysburg, OH and Mark Battle of Huron, OH; daughter Dawn Brahma of Columbus, OH; sister Darlene Ard of Orlando, FL; stepchildren Lee Davis, Amy Hill, Sharon Pugh, Karen Lineberry and Teresa White ; five grandchildren, and twelve step grandchildren.

Frits Siesling

November 28, 1961 — July 18, 2023

Frits Siesling, age 61, of Randleman passed away on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at the Randolph Hospice House.

Mr. Siesling was born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada on November 28, 1961 to Ron and Rinske Siesling. Frits loved the outdoors and enjoyed hiking. He was an avid bird lover and birdwatching enthusiast, especially hummingbirds. He also enjoyed playing golf, traveling, and panning for gold. A true Canadian, Frits was a hockey fan (Go Leafs Go!) and a connoisseur of pure maple syrup. Most importantly, Frits loved and cared deeply for his family, his two dogs Gracie and Riley and cat Sherlock Holmes. He is survived by his wife, Amber Siesling; parents, Ron and Rinske Siesling of Barrie, Ontario; siblings, Frank Siesling (Olga) of Midhurst, Ontario, John Siesling of Barrie, Ontario, and Eileen Dube (Ken) of Oro Medonte, Ontario; niece, Christina Siesling of Barrie, Ontario; and nephews, Drake Siesling (Christy) of Barrie, Ontario and Aiden Dube of Oro Medonte, Ontario.

Jack Edwin White

April 12, 1954 — July 17, 2023

On the morning of July 17th, 2023, Jack Edwin White, 69, of Asheboro North Carolina went home to be with his Lord and Savior. Jack was a dedicated 20year veteran of the United States Army. After retirement from the Army, he served 20 years with the Secretary of State of Illinois. Jack loved telling stories. He was also a published author. Jack loved God and sharing the gospel. Along with his love of the Lord he loved his family. He was a loving husband and father. He was happily married to his wife Ann for 48 years. In his free time, he liked to listen to gospel music and travel scenic roads. He was a member of Hilltop Baptist Church of Asheboro.

In addition to his parents, father- William Henry (Hank) White, mother- Dorothy Wilblin White of Carrollton, Ohio, he was preceded in death by his brother, Glen White (Ruth) Angleton, Texas, and his sister, Claire Mc El Roy (Ray) of Minerva, Ohio. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Judy Ann White, his daughter, Penny Pratt (Clint) of Randleman, North Carolina, his son, Larry White of Asheboro, North Carolina; his brothers, Tom White (Elaine) of Carrollton, Ohio and Steve White (Cindy) of Carrollton, Ohio.

Melynda Anne King Wilson

January 9, 1965 — July 15, 2023

Melynda Anne King Wilson, age 58, of Asheboro passed away on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at her home.

Ms. Wilson was born in Randolph County on January 9, 1965 to Don and Elda Moffitt King. She was a graduate of Southwestern Randolph High School, retired from Energizer, was a member of Asbury Baptist Church, and was preceded in death by her father. Melynda loved to garden and work in her flowers. She was a wonderful mom and Mimi. Melynda was a professional Goodwill shopper and an animal lover.

She is survived by her daughter, Sarah Wilson Mclane (Christian) of Salisbury; son, Adam Wilson (Sabrina) of Sophia; grandchildren, Everleigh Mclane, Nixon Mclane, and Wesley Wilson; mother, Elda Moffitt King; brother, Brandon King; and her faithful canine companion, Promise.

Tim Presnell

April 5, 1957 - July 15, 2023

"Tim" John Kenneth Presnell, 66, of Asheboro, completed his race on earth and entered Heaven on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at his residence.

A native of Randolph Co., NC, Mr. Presnell was born April 5, 1957, the son of the late Galen Boyd and Nora Bell Williamson Presnell. Tim's natural glow would light a room when he entered and had a laugh that was contagious. He had a big heart and was very helpful to others. He loved his elderly friends, and his two dogs. More than anything else Tim's main goal in life was spreading the word of Jesus. Everything he did was for God. We are positive he has indeed heard, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

In addition to his parents. Mr. Presnell was preceded in death by his brother, Cliff Lamb.

Survivors include his siblings, Sadie "Penny" Maness (David), Mitch Presnell (Suzie), Marty Presnell (Lori), Eloise Boyd, Larry Lamb (Bonnie), Linda Cole (Clinton); honorary daughters, Elizabeth Gregg (David), Heather Voncannon (David); and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews that were very loved by him.

Darrell Lucas

July 16, 1943 - July 17, 2023

Eugene "Darrell" Lucas, 80, of Asheboro, passed away Monday, July 17, 2023, from complications due to the MRSA virus. He died peacefully with family by his side at Cone Health Moses Cone Hospital.

Darrell was born on July 16, 1943, in Randolph Co., NC. Darrell was a well known builder in Asheboro for many years and also loved farming on the side. No one would ever know if he was feeling down because he always carried a smile and wanted to put others before himself.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eldon Dale Lucas and Bertha Mae Williamson Lucas; brothers, Johnny Ray Lucas and Earl Lee Lucas; one grandson, Matthew "Junior" Lucas.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Clara Mae Cheek Lucas; sons, Bobby Lucas and his wife Patricia; Brian Lucas, Darren Lucas and his wife Amy and their three children, Zachary, Alex, and Olivia; his siblings, Gertrude Marshall, Betty Seabolt and husband Richard, Nancy Jean VonCannon, Dorothy Lucille Collinson, Paul R. Lucas, Shirley Dean Luck and husband Bobby, Don Wayne Lucas, Steve Lucas, and Leisa Gail Hurley.

Archie Quinton

Ritter

July 20, 1935 ~ July 18, 2023

Archie Quinton Ritter, age 87, of Asheboro passed away July 18, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family.

He was born July 20, 1935 in Robbins, North Carolina the son of the late Lloyd Taylor Ritter and Maggie Williams Ritter. He is also preceded in death by his Son, Christopher Lee Ritter; brothers, James Ritter and Bobby Ritter; sisters, Lanice Parrish, Leona Frye, Dot Ritter, Beckey Sierra, Brenda Ritter, Shirley DeHart, Maudie Brady, Ruby Ritter and Lynn Bullins Ritter; and great grandbaby, Blaiden Richardson. Archie was employed with Randolph County Schools until his retirement. He was a member of Antioch Baptist Church and a man of faith. He enjoyed fishing, playing the harmonica, spending time gardening and bird watching. Most of all he loved spending time with his family and close friends.

Left to cherish his memory are his devoted wife, Judy Ritter; son Jeffrey Ritter, Daughters, Lisa Easterday, Loretta Stanley, and Crystal Cummings; grandchildren, Beverly Kindley, Chad Richardson, Christian Richardson, Brandon Ritter, Eathen Stanley, Felicia Lineberry, Christopher Woodell, Bradley Cox, Joshua Lambert and Marissa Cummings; 14 great grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and numerous other family and friends.

STATE & NATION

Grassley releases full FBI memo with unverified claims about Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley released an unclassified document that Republicans claim is significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden as they delve into the financial affairs of the president and his son, and revive previously debunked claims of wrongdoing.

Grassley of Iowa has been working alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as Republicans deepen their probe of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, ahead of the 2024 election. Comer had issued a subpoena for the document from the FBI.

While lawmakers on the Oversight Committee have already been able to partly review the information, this is the first time the full document — which contains raw, unverified information — is being made public. Called an FD-1023 form, it involves claims a confidential informant made in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s alleged business dealings when he served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Top Republicans have acknowledged they cannot confirm whether the information is true.

“The American people can now read this document for themselves,” Grassley said.

The document adds to information that had widely aired during Donald Trump’s first impeach-

ment trial, which involved Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. It was also the subject of a subsequent Department of Justice review that Trump’s Attorney General William Barr launched in 2020 and closed later that year.

Grassley’s office said the FBI told the senator the document was related to an ongoing matter.

White House spokesman Ian Sams said, “It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years.”

“These claims have reported-

ly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility,” he said. “It’s clear that congressional Republicans are dead-set on playing shameless, dishonest politics and refuse to let truth get in the way.”

In the four-page document, the confidential informant claims to have been involved in various meetings some years earlier, in 2015 or 2016, with officials from the Burisma energy company looking to do business in the United States. The informant claims

being told by Burisma officials about their relationship and dealings with Hunter Biden.

One company official said they kept Hunter Biden on the Burisma board because they believed through “his dad” it could protect them from all kinds of problems, the informant claimed.

In another instance, a top company official suggested payment of $5 million to each of the Bidens as the company sought to have Ukraine’s prosecutor general at the time, Viktor Shokin, removed from office, according to the document.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the document released by Republicans “records the unverified, secondhand, years-old allegations” that were already shown to be not true during the 2019 impeachment hearings.

After lawmakers reviewed a redacted document in June, Raskin had said “Congress thoroughly reviewed and debunked” similar allegations that Giuliani had made.

“As the FBI explained, the allegations were also thoroughly investigated by Donald Trump’s own Justice Department,” Raskin wrote. That assessment was closed in August 2020 after eight months of investigative efforts, he said, and “found insufficient evidence” to warrant further investigation.

But Comer said in response: “The American people must be able to read this record for themselves. I thank Senator Grassley

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings

The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts.

Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race.

Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices.

While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, liberals also are talking about bringing new challenges to school choice, voter ID, the 12-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for

most public workers and other laws backed by Republicans.

“When you don’t know the extent of the battle you may have to fight, it’s concerning,” said attorney Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. “It’s very concerning.”

Some issues could take years to reach the court, said liberal attorney Lester Pines, who like Esenberg has argued numerous times before the state Supreme Court.

Unlike under the conservative majority, Pines said the new liberal court will be unlikely to rule on cases before lower courts have heard them.

“They’re not going to do it,” Pines said.

There is already a pending case challenging Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War era abortion ban, and a circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that it can proceed, while also calling into question whether the law actually bans abortions.

The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. Protasiewicz all but promised to overturn the ban by repeatedly speaking out for abortion rights, winning support from Planned Parenthood and others.

“When you’re a politician and you’re perceived by the voters as making a promise, and you don’t keep it, they get angry,” Esenberg said.

There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election.

The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in 2018 and 2022 and Joe Biden in 2020.

Protasizewicz declared those maps to be “rigged” and said during the campaign they should be given another look. Democrats also hope for new congressional maps improving their chances in the state’s two most competitive House districts, held by Republicans.

“What we want to see is maps

for providing much needed transparency.”

Grassley said while the FBI had released a redacted version to lawmakers, he was able to provide a fuller document because whistleblowers made it available to him.

Comer’s panel held a hearing this week with two Internal Review Service whistleblowers who have claimed Justice Department interference as they tried to probe Hunter Biden’s financial affairs. They said they were unaware of the document.

The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower claims. Department policy has long told prosecutors to take care when bringing charges with political overtones so close to an election.

A recovering addict, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor charges over his finances after years of failing to pay taxes. Republicans have denounced the agreement with federal prosecutors as a “sweetheart deal.”

The top prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, has said he is willing to testify before the House panel once he is legally able to share information with Congress without violating the longstanding department policy of discussing an ongoing investigation.

Testimony from Justice Department officials could come after Hunter Biden appears for his plea hearing this week.

that are fair and that represent the will of the people and the actual make up of their state,” Democratic strategist Melissa Baldauff said.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. The outgoing conservative court came within one vote of overturning Biden’s win in 2020.

The new court will be in control to hear any challenges leading up to the election and in the months after.

A national Democratic law firm filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to undo a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling last year banning absentee ballot drop boxes. The case could make its way to the state high court before the 2024 presidential election.

Other sticky issues that have garnered bipartisan criticism, including powers of the governor, also could come before the new court.

Evers surprised many with a veto this year putting in place a school spending increase for 400 years. Republicans said a challenge was likely.

In 2021, the court struck down three of Evers’ previous partial vetoes but failed to give clear guidance on what is allowed.

A Wisconsin governor’s veto power is expansive and used by Republicans and Democrats, but the new court could weigh in on whether it should be scaled back. Esenberg, who brought the previous case challenging Evers’ veto powers, said he expected another legal challenge in light of the 400year veto.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden walks with his grandson Beau Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, left, from Marine One upon arrival at Fort McNair, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Washington.

AP PHOTO

Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, right, holds hands with Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, left, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, blocked from view at far right, at a watch party in Milwaukee, on April 4, 2023.

HOKE COUNTY

Last week, the Hoke County Board of Elections their swearing-in ceremony for the upcoming board that will oversee the municipal elections in Hoke County this November. Left to

COUNTY NEWS

Hoke County Sheriff’s Office to host Youth Day event this August

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a Youth Day event for kids in the county who are between the ages of 8 and 14. According to the sheriff’s office, this event will include fun and creative outdoor and indoor activities, including basketball, water activities, and more. Youth Day is free and open to the public. Registration forms can be found at the sheriff’s office, which is located at 429 E. Central Avenue in Raeford. Applications for participation are due by Friday, July 28. For additional details, please contact Capt. Lewis at (910) 815-5111.

State Board approves student and public employee ID cards in upcoming elections

The State Board of Elections has approved almost a hundred student and employee ID cards for use in the upcoming 2023 municipal and 2024 primary and general elections in North Carolina. With the passage of Voter ID laws in North Carolina, voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in the state starting with the municipal elections this fall. While most voters will simply show their driver’s license, others will have to get a newly approved ID, which includes student IDs and public employee IDs for many educational institutions and government agencies. “We are grateful to all institutions that applied to have their identification cards approved for voters for the 2023 municipal elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections. “This gives voters additional options when casting their ballot.” Voters who vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot or complete a “Photo ID Exception Form” for absentee voting. A full list of approved voting IDs can be found here: https://www.ncsbe. gov/voting/voter-id/faq-voter-id.

Hoke County elections: Raeford City Council only race on 2023 ballot

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

RAEFORD – The single contest for Hoke County in this year’s 2023 municipal election is set.

Candidate filing wrapped up on Friday, July 21, and voters in Raeford will head to the polls on Tues-

day, Nov. 7, with three seats on the city council on the ballot.

A total of nine candidates will make their case to voters. The candidates who filed are Johnny Boyles, Charles Tapp, Shirley Hart, Cathy Brown, Shelley Wilburn, Ricky Sandy, Jackie McKinnon-McQueen, Josh Bain

and David Conoly.

Absentee ballots for November’s election will be available by Friday, Oct. 6, and early in-person voting begins on Thursday, Oct. 19. The voter registration deadline for this year’s election is Friday, Oct. 13. Voters will also be required to show photo identification to cast a ballot.

A total of nine candidates will make their case to voters. Absentee ballots for November’s election will be available by Friday, Oct. 6, and early in-person voting begins on Thursday, Oct. 19.

North State Journal

RAEFORD – Last Friday, a Hoke County man and woman were arrested after engaging in an armed robbery in Raeford, which resulted in a high-speed chase.

According to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began at roughly 3:45 p.m. after deputies received a report about an armed robbery in the 200 block of Ben Austin Road.

Dominick Wick, the victim of the robbery, suffered minor injuries during the incident and had several items stolen from him. Wick told officers that a man with dreads in a blue hoodie, who was driving a dark gray dodge charger, fired a weapon into his car before fleeing the scene.

Shortly after deputies received the suspect description from the victim, they encountered the suspect’s vehicle. The suspects then led deputies on a high-speed chase, which fortunately ended without injuries or further incident.

The 28-year-old DaVontae Xavier Grace and Jalissa Danny Dixon, 25, were arrested and taken to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office.

Grace was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm in an enclosure to incite fear, and possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition, Grace was also cited by the North Carolina Highway Patrol for several traffic violations. He is currently being held on a $125,000 secured bond.

Dixon was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony conspiracy. She is currently being held on a $75,000 secured bond.

At this time, the investigation into this incident is still considered ongoing. If anyone has any additional information regarding this case, please contact Lt. Sullivan at (910) 8755111.

Dominick Wick, the victim of the robbery, suffered minor injuries during the incident and had several items stolen from him.

North State Journal

RAEFORD – Last Friday, a Hoke County man and woman were arrested after engaging in an armed robbery in Raeford, which resulted in a high-speed chase.

According to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began at roughly 3:45 p.m. after deputies received a report about an armed robbery in the 200 block of Ben Austin Road.

Dominick Wick, the victim of the robbery, suffered minor injuries during the armed robbery and had several items stolen from him. Wick told officers that a man with dreads in a blue hoodie, who was driving a dark gray dodge charger, fired a weapon into his car before fleeing the scene.

Shortly after deputies received the suspect description from the victim, they encountered the suspect’s vehicle. The suspects then led deputies on a high-speed chase, which fortunately ended without injuries or further incident.

The 28-year-old DaVontae

Xavier Grace and Jalissa Danny Dixon, 25, were arrested and taken to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office.

Grace was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm in an enclosure to incite fear, and possession of a firearm by a felon. In addi-

right: Gene Shelnutt, Emily Weidner, Lornette McCaskill, Linda Revels, Chassidy Chavis, and Walter Blue.

2 arrested after armed robbery and high-speed chase in Raeford

Tornado damage to Pfizer plant unlikely to cause supply shortages, FDA says

tion, Grace was also cited by the North Carolina Highway Patrol for several traffic violations. He is currently being held on a $125,000 secured bond.

Dixon was charged with robbery with a dangerous weap-

on and felony conspiracy. She is currently being held on a $75,000 secured bond. At this time, the investigation into this incident is still considered ongoing. If anyone has any additional information regarding this case, please contact Lt. Sullivan at (910) 875-5111.

Gene therapy eyedrops restore sight, could help millions

The Associated Press

MIAMI — Dr. Alfonso Sabater pulled up two photos of Antonio Vento Carvajal’s eyes. One showed cloudy scars covering both eyeballs. The other, taken after months of gene therapy given through eyedrops, revealed no scarring on either eye.

Antonio, who’s been legally blind for much of his 14 years, can see again.

The teen was born with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over his body and in his eyes. But his skin improved when he joined a clinical trial to test the world’s first topical gene therapy. That gave Sabater an idea: What if it could be adapted for Antonio’s eyes? This insight not only helped Antonio, it also opened the door to similar therapies that could poten-

tially treat millions of people with other eye diseases, including common ones.

Antonio’s mom, Yunielkys “Yuni” Carvajal, teared up thinking about what Sabater did for her son.

“He’s been there through everything,” she said in Spanish during a visit to the University of Miami Health System’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “He’s not only a good doctor but such a good human being and provided us with hope. He never gave up.”

The family came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2012 on a special visa allowing Antonio to get treatment for his condition, which affects around 3,000 people worldwide. He had surgeries to remove scar tissue from his eyes, but it grew back. Antonio’s vision kept getting worse, eventually deteriorating so much that he didn’t feel safe walking around.

At one point, Carvajal told Sa-

“He’s not only a good doctor but such a good human being and provided us with hope. He never gave up.”

Yunielkys Carvajal

bater about the experimental gene therapy gel for Antonio’s skin lesions. He contacted drugmaker Krystal Biotech to see if it could be reformulated for the boy’s eyes.

Suma Krishnan, co-founder and president of research and development for the Pittsburgh-based company, said the idea made sense and “it didn’t hurt to try it.”

Antonio’s condition is caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce a protein called collagen 7,

which holds together both skin and

corneas. The treatment, called Vyjuvek, uses an inactivated herpes simplex virus to deliver working copies of that gene. The eyedrops use the same liquid as the skin version, just without the added gel.

After two years, which included testing the drug in mice, the team got “compassionate use” approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and permission from university and hospital review boards. Last August, Antonio had surgery on his right eye, after which Sabater started treating him with the eyedrops.

Krishnan said they were cautious, frequently watching to see that it was safe.

Antonio’s eye recovered from the surgery, the scarring didn’t return and there was significant improvement each month, Sabater said. Doctors recently measured the vision in Antoni’s right eye at a

near-perfect 20/25. This year, Sabater began treating Antonio’s left eye, which had even more scar tissue. That one is also steadily improving, measuring close to 20/50, which Sabater said “is pretty good vision.”

Sabater, director of the Corneal Innovation Lab at the eye institute, said gene therapy eyedrops could potentially be used for other diseases by changing the gene delivered by the virus. For example, a different gene could be used to treat Fuchs’ dystrophy, which affects 18 million people in the U.S. and accounts for about half the nation’s corneal transplants.

The prospect of treating more conditions this way is “exciting,” said Dr. Aimee Payne, a dermatology professor at the University of Pennsylvania who isn’t involved in the research. The approach “delivers gene therapy that really addresses the root cause of disease.”

Gov. Roy Cooper tours damage of the tornado that damaged a Pfizer plant and numerous homes across Nash and Edgecombe Counties on Sunday, July 23, 2023.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The press’s war against free speech

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

HAVE WE GOTTEN to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech?

Apparently so.

Consider the reaction of journalists — people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech — to Louisiana-based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.”

The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14. But no final judgment in the case has been entered, and, whatever the ultimate result, the wisdom of government speech suppression — and the bizarre and outspoken support thereof by large parts of the press — remain continuing issues.

Doughty’s 155-page opinion cites allegations that White House and other government officials have “significantly encouraged” and “coerced” social media firms Facebook, Google and Twitter to suppress information not just occasionally but repeatedly, and often in peremptory and threatening tones. Those allegations have been backed up by the “Twitter Files” investigations of liberal writers Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.

The bewailing at this opinion came in loud and clear. The Washington Post, as columnist Mary Katharine Ham pointed out, lamented that Doughty’s decision could “undo years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.”

The New York Times worried that Doughty’s decision “could force government officials ... to refrain from notifying the platforms about

troublesome content,” and “could curtail efforts to combat disinformation.”

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. No less than Henry Kissinger argued that the release of the Papers would weaken the government’s ability to conduct diplomacy and de-escalate the Vietnam War.

The Post’s Katharine Graham and the Times’ Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr. rejected these weighty concerns and risked prosecution because they felt the public had a right to the information. The current proprietors are Jeff Bezos and Sulzberger’s grandson, who evidently take a different view.

That view is that the press has a responsibility to cooperate with the government to suppress what the government considers “disinformation” or “misinformation.” Thus a writer in the left-wing Nation argues that speech must be suppressed in the interest of “preserving goodfaith discourse in the name of public health and the preservation of democracy.”

But Doughty’s decision does not prevent the government from speaking, as it does every day. It seeks to prevent the government from stamping out other people’s speech. And often, it turns out that the speech is right and the government’s position wrong.

A prime case in point — and an example of partisan politics — were the successful efforts to get willing allies in the press to discredit and suppress the New York Post’s October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. Antony Blinken, then of the Biden campaign and now secretary of state, encouraged the promulgation of a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claiming the story “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

That was hogwash, as was the Russian

collusion hoax many signers had peddled. But most press outlets suppressed mention of the Post’s accurate story. The New York Times only got around to confirming its accuracy in March 2022 in the 24th paragraph of a 38-paragraph story.

The press also happily colluded in government efforts to suppress information about COVID-19. A prime example is the theory that the virus came from a lab leak in China, which in March 2020 emails National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins called “a very destructive conspiracy” and his nominal subordinate Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized as “a shiny object that will go away.” Their attempts to discredit a theory that might have reflected badly on research they sponsored prevailed for some time, but it is considered, in columnist Robby Soave’s words, “now extremely likely,” although it will probably never be confirmed because of Chinese government obfuscation.

In any case, the lab leak theory was better founded than The New York Times’ characterization, in a July 5 story, that the theory that “Covid-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease” is a “debunked claim.”

In the press reaction to Doughty’s decision, you can detect laments that many Americans no longer accept the word of elite experts in the FBI, the intelligence agencies or the public health authorities. But you don’t find any acknowledgment that often that word has not proved good.

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

COLUMN

| JILL HOMAN

Legislature right to say women’s sports are for women

Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women –especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE will vote to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. This new law, which prohibits biological male students from participating in teams designated for females, women, or girls on the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, serves as a commonsense blueprint for other states looking to protect women’s privacy and their place on the field.

Across the country, there are increasingly more stories of biological female athletes being displaced or defeated by biological males who identify as female or are in the midst of transitioning.

Most notably is the story of Riley Gaines, a former 12-time AllAmerican swimmer at the University of Kentucky. Gaines was subjected to unfair treatment when she was forced to face biological male

Lia Thomas in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming National Championships in the 200-yard freestyle event. Gaines actually tied Thomas for fifth place in the finals, yet was handed the sixth-place trophy for the photo op by the NCAA representative.

Thomas swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swim Team from 2017 to 2020, where he (at the time) placed near the bottom of the ranks. Thomas then joined the Women’s Swim Team in 2021 where, as a 6’1” biological male, she eventually won a national championship in the 500-freestyle event.

Gaines has used this experience as a platform to advocate on behalf of herself, and women across the country, who have dedicated their lives to their sport.

Though Gaines has gained momentum in the media for bravely sharing her story, unfortunately, her experience is not unique.

Chelsea Mitchell, a track-and-field athlete from Canton, Connecticut, saw several state and regional title opportunities stripped from her while competing against two transgender female athletes in the 55-meter dash.

Since 2013, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has allowed transgender athletes to compete in women and girls’ sports. In 2017, two transgender female students began competing in the Women’s Track and Field competition, and as a result, those transgender female runners took home 15 women’s state track championship titles. The previous year, those titles were won by nine different females.

Mitchell sued the CIAC alongside three other athletes, asking the court to bar Connecticut from allowing biological males from competing in women’s sports and effectively deleting all athletic records set by

transgender athletes. The case is set to be reheard by a New York-based federal appeals court in 2023.

Notably outspoken on this issue is Caitlyn Jenner, someone who knows a thing or two about competing at the highest levels as a male athlete, transitioning, then participating in sports as a transgender female.

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, won the Olympic gold medal in 1976, when he (at the time) competed in the decathlon – setting a men’s world record in the process which held for four years. Having transitioned nearly 40 years later, Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women – especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

That’s why Jenner recently launched the Fairness First PAC – a political action committee that will “put parental rights at the forefront of education and keep boys out of women’s sports.”

“We cannot let biological boys compete in women’s sports. It would ruin women’s sports,” Jenner explained. As if to emphasize the differences, Jenner added, “A year after hormone replacement therapy, I could still hit the golf ball 300 years.”

Title IX was enacted in 1972, protecting Americans from discrimination in any school or other educational program on the basis of sex. According to the Department of Justice, before Title IX, “women were often excluded from or had only limited access to educational programs.” This includes sports.

Now, centuries of fighting for women’s equality are being erased by the inclusion of biological men in women’s athletic competitions.

It is imperative we protect women and girls from losing out on an opportunity to earn state and national titles, scholarship opportunities, or even simply having a level playing field to pursue her best on the athletic fields.

The North Carolina General Assembly and previously U.S. House of Representatives took a positive step in preserving the rights of women and girls across the country by passing common sense legislation to keep women in women’s sports. I am hopeful states around the country will follow suit.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Jill Homan is president of Javelin 19, a real estate investment & development firm, and a mother of a four-year old son and a six-yearold daughter.

CAA changes its conference name

The Colonial Athletic Association has changed its name to the Coastal Athletic Association. The association of schools located in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard announced the name change on Thursday to reflect its recent expansion, with members spanning from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The league will still be referred to as the CAA and it will continue to use the same conference logo. In the past two years, the CAA has added five new members, including Campbell and NC A&T to push its membership to 14, the highest in its nearly 40year history. Elon and North Carolina-Wilmington are also in the league.

Courage earn big Challenge Cup victory

AP

The North Carolina Courage remained unbeaten in the UKG Challenge Cup, earning 3 points after a 6-0 win against the Washington Spirit. The Courage keep their unbeaten streak in the UKG Challenge Cup with 14 games in hand. After a scoreless first half, Brittany Ratcliffe scored off a cross from Tyler Lussi. Not five minutes later Frankie Tagliaferri added a goal.

Substitute Olivia Wingate took a cross from Tess Boade and scored. Two minutes later, Boade tapped in a goal. Brianna Pinto hit a banger from outside the 18 yard box to score, and Narumi Miura finished the scoring with a shot off a deflection.

NBA approves sale of Hornets

NSJ

The NBA Board of Governors reportedly approved the sale of the Charlotte Hornets, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The sale, which was negotiated earlier this year, ends Michael Jordan’s 13-year reign as majority owner of the team. A group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin will take over the franchise. The sale, which was purchased at a $3 billion valuation, will be completed over the next two weeks, according to Wojnarowski.

Plotkin was a minority owner under Jordan, while Schnall was a minority owner of the Hawks. Jordan will keep a minority ownership stake in the team.

ESPN

Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, July 23, 2023,

Denny Hamlin gets his record 7th victory at Pocono and 50th of his NASCAR Cup Series career

The Associated Press

LONG POND, Pa. — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane Sunday at Pocono Raceway a year after his first-place finish was thrown out, giving him a track-record seven wins and 50 overall in his Cup career. Hamlin also gave Toyota its 600th NASCAR victory.

Hamlin passed Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon — for the second straight year — for most wins at the tri-oval track. Hamlin and his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had their 1-2 finishes stripped a year ago by NASCAR for aerodynamics violations.

That made Hamlin the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because

of an oversized fuel tank.

But he does know the way to victory lane in the No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin and Kyle Larson bumped and battled over the final laps before the three-time Daytona 500 winner pulled away on the final restart and won with the caution flag out, leading a sold-out crowd — Pocono’s largest since 2010 — to shower Hamlin with boos.

“I love it,” Hamlin said. “They can boo my rock out of here in a few years.”

Pocono paints rocks outside the garage to honor of some of NASCAR’s greats, such as Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at New Hampshire, was second and Tyler Reddick third. Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

Larson faded to 21st and blasted

Hamlin for making contact late in the race that sent the No. 5 Chevrolet up the track and cost him a shot at racing for the win.

“I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything, anything, I’ve ever done on the racetrack,” Larson said. “I can count four or five times where he had to reach out to me. At some point, you’ve got to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”

Helmet toss

Austin Dillon chucked his helmet at former teammate Tyler Reddick’s car after the two were involved in a wreck. Dillon’s Ford slammed into the wall and its passenger side crumpled. Dillon threw his helmet as he walked off the track.

“I was just trying to hit him,”

Dillon said. “They’re going probably 65. If I had started at the front of the car, I might have got him at the door.”

Caught in the undertow

Joey Logano’s rough race ended with a bumpy ride to pit road. Logano, who won the first stage, later hit the wall, blew four tires and finished 35th. The Team Penske driver criticized NASCAR for the jittery ride to the pits in his Ford and said the tow truck caused additional damage to the car.

“You get this long, horrible ride back. It’s rough,” Logano said.

“Your head’s bouncing around in there. It’s stupid. It’s just really dumb that we can’t just put four tires on a truck. I saw a whole bunch of them earlier today. ... It’s not fun for anybody.”

The Associated Press BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.

“We are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of the city, to win championships and really excite the fans again,” Harris said in a news conference after the vote.

The purchase by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports club. Harris, like Snyder and Commissioner Roger Goodell, grew up in the Washington metro area as an avid fan of the team.

“He has a remarkable business record, not just in finance but also now in sports, and I think he’s a person who cares deeply about not just his assets but at least more importantly his communities,” Goodell said.

Harris’ investment crew also includes David Blitzer, with whom he co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Washington-area businessman Mitchell Rales and more than a dozen others. The unusually large ownership group needed and received league finance approval for a deal that shattered the $4.35 billion Walmart heir Rob Walton paid last year for the Denver Broncos.

The special meeting for the Commanders sale was conducted at the same hotel adjacent to the Mall of

America in suburban Minneapolis where Walton’s group gained formal control of the Broncos. Johnson raved about the approval of the sale on Twitter — “truly the biggest achievement in my business career,” he tweeted — shortly before Harris posed for photos with a Commanders helmet and accepted well wishes from Goodell and others.

“They want to put that franchise where they believe it belongs, where it’s respected not just in the community but worldwide,” Goodell said. “They’re committed to that.”

Their biggest immediate challenge 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 more than a year ago, a consequence of the number of off-field controversies swirling around the team. The site of RFK Stadium, the club›s previous home in the capitol city, has significant backing as the place for the new venue.

“It’s going to take awhile to unpack what really makes sense,” Harris said. “As far as RFK, I understand it’s the spiritual home of the history of the Commanders. Bringing the fans back is a major priority after Washington ranked last in the league in attendance in 2022 and second-to-last in 2021.

“I’ve had many sleepless nights, and I will have many sleepless nights. I’m going to sweat this,” Harris said. “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington. I know what I’ve got to give.”

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line under caution to win a NASCAR

in Long Pond, Pa.

NFL owners unanimously OK the Commanders sale to Josh Harris; Dan Snyder fined $60M on the way out

Commanders’ Dan Snyder fined $60 million for sexually harassing employee, financial improprieties

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON COMMAND -

ERS owner Dan Snyder sexually harassed a team employee and oversaw team executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs, and he has agreed to pay a $60 million fine, the league announced Thursday.

The NFL released a 23-page report detailing the findings of an independent investigation into Snyder’s conduct just minutes after its owners unanimously approved the sale of the Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. The fine represents 1% of the sale price; Snyder bought the team, then known as the Redskins, for $800 million.

The investigation was led by former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White and conducted by her law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. The league had pledged to make the findings of the probe public.

Investigators concluded that Washington withheld $11 million in revenue that should have been shared with other teams, an

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder walks off the field before the start of an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, Nov. 15, 2010, in Landover, Md. AP PHOTO

amount the report suggests may have been far greater. White’s firm was unable to reach a conclusion about tens of millions of additional dollars that may have been withheld in part because Snyder and the team did not cooperate fully with the investigation, according to the report.

The report concluded that Snyder sexually harassed former team employee Tiffani Johnston, alle -

gations that Johnston first made last year in front of a House committee. Snyder placed his hand on Johnston’s thigh at a team dinner and pushed her toward his car as they were leaving the restaurant, the report said.

“The findings do speak for themselves. In both cases, it’s inappropriate, it’s wrong, it doesn’t match our values,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news con-

ference in Minnesota after NFL owners voted.

Snyder has denied Johnston’s allegations and repeated that denial in an interview with White’s investigators. He only agreed to speak with investigators for one hour, the report said.

Investigators spoke with Johnston several times and “found her to be highly credible,” the report said, and her account was cor-

roborated by witnesses and other evidence. The investigation also substantiated claims by another former employee, Jason Friedman, who told the House about financial improprieties.

“Dan Snyder has been forced to sell the team he said he would never sell, pay a massive fine to the NFL and there now exists an extensive public record of his personal wrongdoing and the misconduct that occurred under his leadership,” attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent Johnston and Friedman, said in a statement. “We are proud of our clients’ courage in coming forward publicly and working tirelessly to hold Mr. Snyder accountable.”

The report also concluded that a former team executive improperly took possession of a photograph of Johnston from a calendar shoot of the team’s cheerleaders. Johnston was wearing lingerie in the photo, which had not been edited “to fully cover inadvertent exposures.” Investigators found insufficient evidence to show Snyder was personally involved in that incident.

White’s firm did not conclude whether Snyder was personally aware of the financial misdeeds, but witnesses told investigators that Snyder repeatedly pressured team employees to improve its financial performance, telling them, “every dollar matters.”

Harman unstoppable in drama-free British Open win at Hoylake

The Associated Press HOYLAKE, England — Brian Harman turned back every challenge in the British Open, from big names to bad weather, and took his place among major champions Sunday with a victory that was never seriously in doubt at Royal Liverpool.

Harman twice responded to a rare bogey with back-to-back birdies, leaving everyone else playing for second. He closed with a 1-under 70, making an 8-foot par putt on the last hole for a six-

shot victory.

At age 36, he is the oldest firsttime major winner since Sergio Garcia was 37 when he won the Masters in 2017. That wasn’t a surprise. Not many would have seen this coming at the start of the week. Harman had gone 167 tournaments over six years since his last victory in the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship.

This is only his third title in his 12 years on the PGA Tour.

And then the avid outdoorsman made winning golf’s oldest championship look as easy as shooting fish

in a barrel.

Masters champion Jon Rahm birdied his last hole for a 70 to make it a four-way tie for second with Tom Kim (67), Sepp Straka (69) and Jason Day (69).

That turned out to be the B-flight.

Harman took the lead on Friday morning with the second of four straight birdies early in the second round. He never trailed over the final 51 holes, leading by five shots after the second round and five shots after the third round. There was one anxious moment

early on Sunday in a steady rain.

Harman hit his drive into a gorse bush left of the fairway on the par5 fifth hole and had to take a penalty drop. It led to his second bogey of the round.

Rahm, playing in the group ahead, looked to get one of those breaks that fall to major winners. His drive had landed between bushes, allowing for a shot just short of the green and a birdie.

The lead was down to three shots. The rain wasn’t stopping. The rest of the links, along with the pressure that comes with Sunday at

a major, was still ahead of him.

Harman drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth, a 25-foot birdie putt on the next hole and he was on his way.

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo shot three under par on Sunday to finish in a sixth-place tie with Rory McIlroy, who has now gone 10 years since last winning a major. Former Wake Forest golfer Cameron Young shot two over par on Sunday to fall into an eighth place tie with India’s Shubhankar Sharma. Western Carolina’s J.T. Poston, a Hickory native, finished in a tie for 41st place.

United States’ Brian Harman walks up the 18th fairway and reacts to the crowd during the final day of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Sunday, July 23, 2023.

The Associated Press EMERGENCY CALL CENTER workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout, according to a national survey released Tuesday.

The survey conducted by the National Emergency Number Association in conjunction with Carbyne, a cloud technology company focused on emergency services, polled about 850 workers from 911 call centers across the country. It found that many were experiencing burnout, handling more frequent call surges and felt undertrained.

The findings show the widespread nature of staffing problems that have been laid bare in some communities in recent years.

In St Louis this month, callers tried desperately to report that a woman was trapped in her car under a fallen tree but said they couldn’t get through for nearly half an hour. During the same storm in the suburbs, it took a woman 45 minutes to report that her 5-yearold son had been badly hurt by a tree falling on their home. He died, but he was alive when his mother started calling 911, according to a family spokeswoman. Meanwhile,

in New York City, panicked callers this month tried to report a Department of Transportation truck that had caught fire and exploded, but said they received busy signals or were sent to voicemail.

Nationwide staffing shortages that in many cases mirror the shortages in police departments and law enforcement agencies have led to longer wait times or trouble reaching operators at centers around the country, according to experts.

“The numbers we’re seeing right now are really alarming. It was a major impetus of why we did this study. I knew it was going to be high, but 82% of respondents said their centers were understaffed,” said Karima Holmes, vice president and head of public safety at Carbyne and former director of the Office of Unified Communications in Washington, D.C.

“People are not coming to the job because of people turning away from wanting to have public safety careers,” Holmes said. “But you add to that issues with lower pay, dealing with increased call volumes and people feeling burned out, and it becomes difficult to get people into the profession.”

The survey was released at an

online national conference of 911 leaders to discuss possible solutions to the staffing crisis and other issues faced by emergency response centers.

Brian Fontes, CEO of NENA, said the group has been advocating for national legislation to change the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ classification of 911 workers from office or clerical workers to protected service workers like other emergency responders. The change would boost morale by more accurately describing the

role of 911 workers and open doors locally to include those workers in benefits programs offered to police and others, he said.

Holmes said she also thinks the technology upgrade could draw more young people to the industry.

Some other findings in the survey include:

1. About 38% of those surveyed said they were not well prepared to handle active shooter calls. About 25% said the needed more training around mental health calls.

2. About 75% of respondents

911 workers say centers are understaffed, struggling to hire and plagued by burnout New

The Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. — New

Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in 2024, an unexpected move for the popular Republican that gives Democrats real hope of reclaiming the battleground state’s top elected office during a presidential election year.

Sununu, who took office the same year Donald Trump entered the White House, said in an interview that the nation’s toxic political climate had no impact on his decision. But he decried Trump’s impact on the GOP and vowed to use his political capital to help Trump’s Republican rivals in the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary over the coming weeks and months.

“They call it ‘public service,’ not ‘public career,’” said Sununu, who has also decided against runs for president and the U.S. Senate in recent months. Turning to the 2024 presidential primary, he said, “I’m gonna be an aggressive proponent of everybody else (besides Trump) and a proponent of the Republican Party. Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party. He might be our nominee, but he doesn’t represent the future. He’s yesterday’s news.”

While Sununu, 48, intends to play an outsized role in state and national politics through the 2024 election, his decision gives Democrats reason to be optimistic about winning the governorship for the

first time Sununu took office in 2017.

“Before Sununu, the Democrats had a lock on the governor office for a dozen years. Sununu changed all that,” said University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala. “He would have been the significant favorite had he decided to run for a fifth term. For the first time since 2016, we will be more likely to see a competitive race for governor. Democrats will have their best shot in a while.”

Already, several high-profile Republicans have signaled interest in succeeding Sununu.

Chuck Morse, former Republican president of the New Hamp -

shire Senate and a former U.S. Senate candidate, announced his campaign for governor shortly after Sununu announced his decision in an email to supporters. Morse said in a statement that he’s proud to have worked with Sununu “to put together a conservative, pro-jobs, pro-growth, family first economic agenda that has made New Hampshire the envy of New England and the nation.”

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte may also be joining the field of candidates. She said “the battle to ensure that New Hampshire keeps our Live Free or Die spirit must continue” and teased the announcement of “some big news in the coming days.”

At least two Democrats have already launched bids for governor, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.

New Hampshire is still considered a swing state, but no Republican presidential contender has carried the state since George Bush in 2000. Trump, who is seeking the GOP nomination for a third time and leads early primary polls in the state, lost New Hampshire by 7 points in the 2020 general election.

A popular governor who made the rounds on national talk shows this year, Sununu announced in June that he would not seek the presidency in 2024. He argued that Republican candidates with “no path to victory must have the courage to get out” of their party’s increasingly crowded primary to prevent Trump from being reelected.

He told The Associated Press that Trump has “no chance of winning” the presidency in 2024. “He’s going to drag everybody else down with him as he has year after year after year,” he said.

Sununu said he plans to campaign with several Trump rivals in the weeks ahead, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd.

National Democrats cheered the news.

Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper predicted “a nasty, extreme and expensive Republican primary for governor” featuring several supporters of what has become known as the `Make America Great Again’ movement.”

“Not only have Granite State voters consistently rejected that type of division and chaos, but af-

said the high-stress nature of the job was the major factor in staffing shortages, while about 65% said low pay was a significant deterrent. Fontes said that although pay varies widely, he had heard from workers at a center where new hires had left to work at a fast food restaurant for higher pay.

3. About 53% of workers said they experience high volumes of misdials at their center.

NENA officials said many of those misdials come from programs or features on phones, tablets and other smart devices that are meant to do things like detect crashes or falls, or allow easy connection to emergency services.

For example, some 911 call centers experienced a 30% increase in misdials between May and June after a new feature was added to Android phones that connected users to emergency services if a button on the side of phones was pushed five times in rapid succession. Phones and devices rattling around in bags or dropped to the ground were calling 911 many times without users even knowing, which can take up a line and valuable time from operators who have to figure out whether the calls are legitimate.

ter four terms of Sununu’s failures on worsening problems — like the housing crisis, attacks on public education and harmful abortion restrictions — they know it’s time for a change,” she said.

Sununu previously irked Washington Republicans by deciding against a U.S. Senate bid in 2021. They had hoped he could defeat Hassan, the Democratic incumbent, and help them retake the chamber in the 2022 midterms.

Instead, Sununu won reelection by more than 15 points last year, and said he could have a bigger and more direct impact as governor than as a senator. In a nod to the slow speed of politics in Washington, he said he didn’t want to spend the next six years “sitting around having meeting after meeting, waiting for votes to maybe happen.”

Sununu, whose father was governor from 1983 to 1989 and later served as White House chief of staff under President George H.W. Bush, was the youngest top executive in the country when he took office in 2017 at age 42. During his tenure, the easy-going politician known for folky manners was praised for his pro-business policies, efforts to combat inflation and his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republican Governors Association Chair and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement praising Sununu after his announcement, saying he “never backed down from a challenge.”

“He made it a priority to deliver balanced budgets, lower taxes, improve education, and address substance use disorders for New Hampshire citizens,” she said. “And, thanks to Governor Sununu’s leadership, New Hampshire now ranks number one in the nation for personal freedom.”

AP PHOTO

An ambulance moves through Union Square with its lights flashing and siren sounding during the coronavirus pandemic, Monday, April 13, 2020 in New York.

AP PHOTO

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu takes part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.

Kylee Madison Nelson

December 29, 2006 ~ July 17, 2023

Kylee Madison Nelson, of Raeford NC, passed away on July 17, 2023, at the age of 16.

Kylee was born in Cumberland County, NC on December 29, 2006, to Kevin and Leanna Nelson.

Kylee was the nicest person you could have ever met, and once you knew her, she was your best friend. She loved horseback riding, basketball, swimming, sleeping over at Grandma’s house, and all things Katy Perry.

She is survived by her parents, Kevin and Leanna Nelson; three siblings, Landen, Linley, and Lakelyn; and her cat, Sky.

Alexis Lynn Basilio Lee

July 16, 2023 ~ July 16, 2023

An angel too perfect for this world. Alexis is survived by her loving parents, Carlos Alberto Basilio Saavedra and Brook Ann Lee; and siblings, Ariana, Adrianna, Taylor, Samuel, and Carlos.

Betty Henegan

November 23, 1950 ~ July 15, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the earthly transition of Mrs. Betty Henegan, who entered into eternal rest on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Julia Henegan Parker

December 31, 1952 ~ July 13, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the earthly transition of Ms. Julia Parker, who entered into eternal rest on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at her residence.

Ms. Julia is the daughter of the late Maggie Jane Henegan. She leaves to cherish her memory, a daughter, Bridgette Rene Parker; two sons, Jerry Parker and Ronnie Parker; three grandchildren, Latoya Parker, Kendrick Parker, and Jayshawn Parker; stepfather, Elden Parker, and a host of relatives and friends.

STATE & NATION

Grassley releases full FBI memo with unverified claims about Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley released an unclassified document that Republicans claim is significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden as they delve into the financial affairs of the president and his son, and revive previously debunked claims of wrongdoing.

Grassley of Iowa has been working alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as Republicans deepen their probe of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, ahead of the 2024 election. Comer had issued a subpoena for the document from the FBI.

While lawmakers on the Oversight Committee have already been able to partly review the information, this is the first time the full document — which contains raw, unverified information — is being made public. Called an FD-1023 form, it involves claims a confidential informant made in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s alleged business dealings when he served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Top Republicans have acknowledged they cannot confirm whether the information is true.

“The American people can now read this document for themselves,” Grassley said.

The document adds to information that had widely aired during Donald Trump’s first impeach-

ment trial, which involved Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. It was also the subject of a subsequent Department of Justice review that Trump’s Attorney General William Barr launched in 2020 and closed later that year.

Grassley’s office said the FBI told the senator the document was related to an ongoing matter.

White House spokesman Ian Sams said, “It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years.”

“These claims have reported-

ly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility,” he said. “It’s clear that congressional Republicans are dead-set on playing shameless, dishonest politics and refuse to let truth get in the way.”

In the four-page document, the confidential informant claims to have been involved in various meetings some years earlier, in 2015 or 2016, with officials from the Burisma energy company looking to do business in the United States. The informant claims

being told by Burisma officials about their relationship and dealings with Hunter Biden.

One company official said they kept Hunter Biden on the Burisma board because they believed through “his dad” it could protect them from all kinds of problems, the informant claimed.

In another instance, a top company official suggested payment of $5 million to each of the Bidens as the company sought to have Ukraine’s prosecutor general at the time, Viktor Shokin, removed from office, according to the document.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the document released by Republicans “records the unverified, secondhand, years-old allegations” that were already shown to be not true during the 2019 impeachment hearings.

After lawmakers reviewed a redacted document in June, Raskin had said “Congress thoroughly reviewed and debunked” similar allegations that Giuliani had made.

“As the FBI explained, the allegations were also thoroughly investigated by Donald Trump’s own Justice Department,” Raskin wrote. That assessment was closed in August 2020 after eight months of investigative efforts, he said, and “found insufficient evidence” to warrant further investigation.

But Comer said in response: “The American people must be able to read this record for themselves. I thank Senator Grassley

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings

The Associated Press MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts.

Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race.

Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices.

While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, liberals also are talking about bringing new challenges to school choice, voter ID, the 12-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for

most public workers and other laws backed by Republicans.

“When you don’t know the extent of the battle you may have to fight, it’s concerning,” said attorney Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. “It’s very concerning.”

Some issues could take years to reach the court, said liberal attorney Lester Pines, who like Esenberg has argued numerous times before the state Supreme Court.

Unlike under the conservative majority, Pines said the new liberal court will be unlikely to rule on cases before lower courts have heard them.

“They’re not going to do it,” Pines said.

There is already a pending case challenging Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War era abortion ban, and a circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that it can proceed, while also calling into question whether the law actually bans abortions.

The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. Protasiewicz all but promised to overturn the ban by repeatedly speaking out for abortion rights, winning support from Planned Parenthood and others.

“When you’re a politician and you’re perceived by the voters as making a promise, and you don’t keep it, they get angry,” Esenberg said.

There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election.

The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in 2018 and 2022 and Joe Biden in 2020.

Protasizewicz declared those maps to be “rigged” and said during the campaign they should be given another look. Democrats also hope for new congressional maps improving their chances in the state’s two most competitive House districts, held by Republicans.

“What we want to see is maps

for providing much needed transparency.”

Grassley said while the FBI had released a redacted version to lawmakers, he was able to provide a fuller document because whistleblowers made it available to him.

Comer’s panel held a hearing this week with two Internal Review Service whistleblowers who have claimed Justice Department interference as they tried to probe Hunter Biden’s financial affairs. They said they were unaware of the document.

The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower claims. Department policy has long told prosecutors to take care when bringing charges with political overtones so close to an election.

A recovering addict, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor charges over his finances after years of failing to pay taxes. Republicans have denounced the agreement with federal prosecutors as a “sweetheart deal.”

The top prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, has said he is willing to testify before the House panel once he is legally able to share information with Congress without violating the longstanding department policy of discussing an ongoing investigation.

Testimony from Justice Department officials could come after Hunter Biden appears for his plea hearing this week.

that are fair and that represent the will of the people and the actual make up of their state,” Democratic strategist Melissa Baldauff said.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. The outgoing conservative court came within one vote of overturning Biden’s win in 2020.

The new court will be in control to hear any challenges leading up to the election and in the months after.

A national Democratic law firm filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to undo a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling last year banning absentee ballot drop boxes. The case could make its way to the state high court before the 2024 presidential election.

Other sticky issues that have garnered bipartisan criticism, including powers of the governor, also could come before the new court.

Evers surprised many with a veto this year putting in place a school spending increase for 400 years. Republicans said a challenge was likely.

In 2021, the court struck down three of Evers’ previous partial vetoes but failed to give clear guidance on what is allowed.

A Wisconsin governor’s veto power is expansive and used by Republicans and Democrats, but the new court could weigh in on whether it should be scaled back. Esenberg, who brought the previous case challenging Evers’ veto powers, said he expected another legal challenge in light of the 400year veto.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden walks with his grandson Beau Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, left, from Marine One upon arrival at Fort McNair, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Washington.

AP PHOTO

Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, right, holds hands with Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, left, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, blocked from view at far right, at a watch party in Milwaukee, on April 4, 2023.

Bombing aftermath in Ukraine

A boy helps salvage items at the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral after it was heavily

damaged in Russian missile attacks in Odesa, Ukraine, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Russia has stepped up bombings on the port city after ending its agreement to allow Ukraine to export grain during the war.

Blackwell promoted to Reynolda House Director of Advancement

College students face loss of government benefits

Forsyth County

The U.S. Department of Agriculture relaxed eligibility SNAP requirements for college students during the pandemic, allowing access for those on financial aid with no expected family support and anyone who qualified for work-study programs, regardless of hours worked. Researchers estimate as many as 3 million college students were added to the program as a result.

But with the public health emergency over, students already receiving SNAP benefits had until June 30 to recertify and stay in the program under the pandemicera rules. The expanded SNAP eligibility will only last one more year, and the entire program will revert to prepandemic rules at varying points over the next year, depending on individual state schedules.

In congressional district 6, which includes WinstonSalem, 50,011 households participated in SNAP in 2021, which is 15.8% of all households in the district and a jump of almost 8,000 households from prepandemic levels. It’s also above the statewide level of 13.9%. The jump comes despite the fact that the poverty rate for the district fell one full percentage point, to 14.2%. AP

Winston-Salem native joined Reynolda in 2018

Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — Reyn-

olda House and Reynolda Gardens has promoted Sarah Johnson Blackwell to director of advancement. In her new role, Blackwell will join Reynolda’s senior leadership team and will manage and direct all annual giving to Reynolda through memberships, its annual fund, all programmatic and exhibition sponsorships and annual grants and gifts.

Blackwell joined Reynolda in

2018, first serving as development manager and most recently, prior to her promotion, assistant director of advancement. During her five years at Reynolda, Blackwell has expanded her fundraising expertise by working with Reynolda’s donors, its board of directors and Wake Forest University advancement.

“I have tremendous confidence in Sarah’s capacity to flourish as director of advancement,” said Allison Perkins, Executive Director of Reynolda House. “Her knowledge of donors, granting agencies, and corporate leadership in Winston-Salem and the Triad is a terrific benefit and as-

set to all of Reynolda.”

A native of Winston-Salem, Blackwell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in journalism from North Carolina State University in 2002. She currently serves as the president-elect of the Junior League of Winston-Salem and is slated to serve as the board president this coming year.

“Advocating on behalf of Reynolda comes naturally, having spent time as a summer camper, a young parent and a lifelong learner,” said Blackwell. In this position, I look forward to build-

See BLACKWELL, page 2

Area high school students win Ready, Set, App! development competition

Twin City Herald

NORTH CAROLINA high school students from four schools have won the fourth annual Ready, Set, App! Competition. Students were tasked with designing and developing an android mobile application to solve a problem in their school or community for the contest.

“It is great to see North Carolina students work together and combine creativity with tech skills to develop apps that solve real-world problems,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “Congratulations to the winning teams on their outstanding achievements.”

This year, students created 27 original apps. Eight finalist teams from across the state traveled to Lenovo headquarters in Morrisville to pitch their apps on a live stage for the chance to win prizes. Students from across the state pre-

sented their original app designs to a panel of business and tech-industry professionals as well as a large audience of educators, community leaders, family members and peers. The winning student teams were selected by a panel of experts after presenting their mobile applications.

The winning apps are:

First place: TimeWise, a productivity and mindfulness app, developed by students from NC Virtual Public Schools (Iredell-Statesville, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and Pitt County Schools). Team members include Indu Gadiraju, Amy Lei, Arianna Lee and Paige Pan.

Second place: Votable, an app that gives personalized voting and election information, developed by students from Atkins Academic and Technology High School in Forsyth County. Team members include Anthony Gudin, Tyler Eisenbraun, Caden Snyder and

Saanvi Rao.

Third place: Magnolia, a resource app for victims of domestic abuse, developed by students from Enloe High School in Wake County. Team members include Sian Jose, Josh Ashik and Pranavi Dantuluri.

The Innovation Award: EATS (Emergency Alert and Texting Service), and app offering resources for victims of human trafficking, developed by students from NC Virtual Public Schools (Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County Schools). Team members include Harshini Bulusu, Sarthak Gupta, Solomon Hall, Wisdom Walker and Jade Moss.

The competition is hosted by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a business-led, education non-profit within the Governor’s Office, and

Johnson Blackwell

Sarah Johnson Blackwell

“Advocating on behalf of Reynolda comes naturally.”

Sarah

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

The press’s war against free speech

HAVE WE GOTTEN to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech?

Apparently so.

Consider the reaction of journalists — people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech — to Louisiana-based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.”

The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14. But no final judgment in the case has been entered, and, whatever the ultimate result, the wisdom of government speech suppression — and the bizarre and outspoken support thereof by large parts of the press — remain continuing issues.

Doughty’s 155-page opinion cites allegations that White House and other government officials have “significantly encouraged” and “coerced” social media firms Facebook, Google and Twitter to suppress information not just occasionally but repeatedly, and often in peremptory and threatening tones. Those allegations have been backed up by the “Twitter Files” investigations of liberal writers Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.

email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

The bewailing at this opinion came in loud and clear. The Washington Post, as columnist Mary Katharine Ham pointed out, lamented that Doughty’s decision could “undo years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.” The New York Times worried that Doughty’s decision “could force government officials ... to refrain from notifying the platforms about troublesome content,” and “could curtail efforts to combat disinformation.”

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. No less than Henry Kissinger argued that the release of the Papers would weaken the government’s ability to conduct diplomacy and de-escalate the Vietnam War.

The Post’s Katharine Graham and the Times’ Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr. rejected these weighty concerns and risked prosecution because they felt the public had a right to the information. The current proprietors are Jeff Bezos and Sulzberger’s grandson, who evidently take a different view.

That view is that the press has a responsibility to cooperate with the government to suppress what the government considers “disinformation” or “misinformation.”

Thus a writer in the left-wing Nation argues that speech must be suppressed in the interest of “preserving good-faith discourse in the name of public health and the preservation of democracy.”

But Doughty’s decision does not prevent the government from speaking, as it does every day. It seeks to prevent the government from stamping out other people’s speech. And often, it turns out that the speech is right and the government’s position wrong.

A prime case in point — and an example of partisan politics — were the successful efforts to get willing allies in the press to discredit and suppress the New York Post’s October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. Antony Blinken, then of the Biden campaign and now secretary of state, encouraged the promulgation of a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claiming the story “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

That was hogwash, as was the Russian collusion hoax many signers had peddled. But most press outlets suppressed mention of the Post’s accurate story. The New York Times only got around to confirming its accuracy in March 2022 in the 24th paragraph of a 38-paragraph story.

The press also happily colluded in government efforts to suppress information about COVID-19. A prime example is the theory that the virus came from a lab leak in China, which in March 2020 emails National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins called “a very destructive conspiracy” and his nominal subordinate Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized as “a shiny object that will go away.”

Their attempts to discredit a theory that might have reflected badly on research they sponsored prevailed for some time, but it is considered, in columnist Robby Soave’s words, “now extremely likely,” although it will probably never be confirmed because of Chinese government obfuscation.

In any case, the lab leak theory was better founded than The New York Times’ characterization, in a July 5 story, that the theory that “Covid-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease” is a “debunked claim.”

In the press reaction to Doughty’s decision, you can detect laments that many Americans no longer accept the word of elite experts in the FBI, the intelligence agencies or the public health authorities. But you don’t find any acknowledgment that often that word has not proved good. Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.

on 7/22/2023 19:22.

BLACKWELL from page 1

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. ing relationships that directly support Reynolda’s mission and strategic focus of increasing a sense of belonging at the Museum and Gardens.”

Reynolda House Museum of American Art, located at 2250 Reynolda Road, is open to visitors Tuesday–Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is charged, though several free admission categories apply. Reynolda Gardens is open from dawn to dusk daily, free of charge. The Greenhouse is open Tuesday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reynolda Village merchants’ hours vary. No ticket is needed to shop at the Reynolda House Museum Store.

Reynolda is set on 170 acres in Winston-Salem and comprises Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda Gardens and Reynolda Village Shops and Restaurants. The Museum presents a renowned art collection in a historic and incomparable setting: the original 1917 interiors of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds’s 34,000-squarefoot home. Its collection is a chronology of American art and featured exhibitions are offered in the Museum’s Babcock Wing Gallery and historic house bedrooms. The Gardens serve as a 134-acre outdoor horticultural oasis open to the public yearround, complete with colorful formal gardens, nature trails and a greenhouse. In the Village, the estate’s historic buildings are now home to a vibrant mix of boutiques, restaurants, shops and services.

♦ Cruz, Eder Jimenez (M/24) Arrest on chrg of 1) Impaired Driving Dwi (M), 2) Fail Heed Siren (M), and 3) Speeding - Posted (M), at 2220 Thomasville Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/22/2023 01:08.

♦ Ferguson, Jayquan Malik (M/25) Arrest on chrg of 1) Aid And Abet Larceny ($1,000 Or Less) (M), 2) Aid And Abet Larceny ($1,000 Or Less) (M), 3) Ndl - Suspended / Revoked (M), and 4) Imp Regis - Expired, Suspended, Revoked, Altered Plate (M), at Eb 40/mcgregor Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/21/2023 17:53.

♦ Frost, Davin Lekeith (M/26) Arrest on chrg of 1) Rec/poss Stole Mv (F), 2) Resisting Arrest (M), 3) Resisting Arrest (M), 4) Speeding To Elude Arrest (F), 5) Reckless Driving (M), 6) Reckless Driving (M), 7) Speeding - Posted (M), 8) Drive Wrong Side - Drive On Right Side Of Highway

COMPETITION from page 1

sponsored by Lenovo.

“We were thrilled to host the first in-person Ready, Set, App! Pitch Competition at our headquarters in Morrisville in May,” said Libby Richards, community engagement manager at Lenovo.

“We were blown away by the quality of the apps and student presentations. I’m excited to see what the future holds for these bright students.”

This year, more students participated in the competition than

(M), and 9) Vehicle Control Signs And Signals (M), at 2011 Polo Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/20/2023 16:34.

♦ Gilmore, Willie David (M/46) Arrest on chrg of Impaired Driving Dwi (M), at 995 Bethania-rural Hall Rd, Rural Hall, NC, on 7/21/2023 00:54.

♦ GLADNEY, JOHN ALBERT was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 1295 SILAS CREEK PW on 7/22/2023

♦ Goode, Edmond Lamont (M/25) Arrest on chrg of 1) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 2) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F), 3) P/w/i/s/d Sched Ii (F), 4) Misd Poss Controlled Substance (M), 5) Drug Paraphernalia (M), 6) Ccw (F), 7) Weap-poss By Felon (F), and 8) Resisting Arrest (M), at Junia Av/s Mlk Jr Dr, Winston Salem, NC, on 7/23/2023 00:46.

♦ Grooms, Robert Lashawn (M/41) Arrest on chrg of 1) Poss Cocaine Fel (F) and 2) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F), at 1116 Marne St, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/21/2023 18:50.

♦ Gutierrez-ruiz, Julio (M/30) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault On Female (M) and 2) Vand-real Property (M), at 201 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/23/2023 21:42.

♦ Gwyn, Robert Dwayne (M/47) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F) and 2) Drug Paraphernalia (M), at 4915 Milton Dr, Winston-salem, NC,

ever before, with 64 teams from 18 counties registering and 27 fully functioning original apps being created. Students worked in groups of 3-5 along with an advisor and a peer mentor, a fellow high school student with exceptional skills in coding, app design and project management.

Peer mentors were hired as paid interns by Lenovo and met with the teams regularly to provide guidance from debugging code to sharing time management tips.

This year’s interns were Siddharth Maruvada, lead intern, North Car-

♦ Hembree, Christopher Joe (M/21) Arrest on chrg of 1) Possesses Count/instrument/currency (F) and 2) Forgery-uttering (F), at 4506 Oakley Ct/cain Forest Dr, Walkertown, NC, on 7/20/2023 14:30.

♦ Hendrick, Amanda Nichole (F/34) Arrest on chrg of Fraud-obt Property, F (F), at 301 N Church St, Winstonsalem, NC, on 7/19/2023 11:21.

♦ HOPKINS, MARCUS EUGENEMASSEY was arrested on a charge of BREAKING/LARCFELONY at 5034 RAVEN RD on 7/23/2023

♦ Jarvis, Jason Daniel (M/41) Arrest on chrg of 2nd Degree Trespass, M (M), at 6235 Towncenter Dr, Clemmons, NC, on 7/19/2023 23:30.

♦ Jennings, Joshua William (M/38) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault On Female (M) and 2) Battery On An Unborn Child (M), at 2014 Chandler Place Ct, Clemmons, NC, on 7/19/2023 07:14.

♦ Johnson, Donnez Jermarl (M/38)

Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Sched I (F), 2) P/w/i/s/d Marijuana (F), 3) Maintain Vehicle (M), 4) Drug Paraphernalia (M), and 5)

Weap-poss By Felon (F), at 1225 Waughtown St, Winston-salem, NC, on 7/21/2023 20:49.

olina School of Science and Math; Ganning Xu, North Carolina School of Science and Math; Ahmya Rivera, Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies; Jonathan Rogers, Northwest Cabarrus High School; and Pranathi Gorty, Wilson Preparatory Academy.

Members of the first place team won top-of-the-line Lenovo Yoga Laptops; second place received brand new Lenovo Tab Pro Tablets; and third place and innovation award winners won Lenovo Smart Clocks.

DEATH NOTICES

♦ Tessie Mary Maksymiak Bralczyk, 98, died July 21, 2023.

♦ Ramona Freeman Martin Burke, 80, of Winston-Salem, died July 20, 2023.

♦ Edith Lois Williams Edmonds, 81, of King, died July 21, 2023.

♦ Margaret Ruth Barber Gordon, 97, of WinstonSalem, died July 20, 2023.

♦ Janice “Boots” Kaye Phipps Head, 81, of Forsyth County, died July 20, 2023.

♦ Alta “June” Long Hicks, 95, of Forsyth County, diedJuly 19, 2023.

♦ Chris James Hondros, 88, of Winston-Salem, died July 20, 2023.

♦ Roger Dale Hull, 66, of Forsyth County, died July 21, 2023.

♦ Charles R. “Bud” Lee, Sr., 93, of Winston-Salem, died July 19, 2023.

♦ Bobby Lee Messick, 90, died July 22, 2023.

♦ James Michael Murray, 53, died July 19, 2023.

♦ Wilbert A. Sherman, 82, of Greensboro, died July 20, 2023.

♦ Maynard Leroy Teague, 95, of Forsyth County, died July 21, 2023.

♦ Marianne DuBois Thompson, 93, of WinstonSalem, died July 21, 2023.

♦ Toyoko Yonamine Townsend, 90, of Winston-Salem, died July 19, 2023.

♦ Wanda Susan Ham Watson, 66, died July 20, 2023.

SPORTS

SIDELINE REPORT

CAA changes its conference name

The Colonial Athletic Association has changed its name to the Coastal Athletic Association. The association of schools located in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard announced the name change on Thursday to reflect its recent expansion, with members spanning from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The league will still be referred to as the CAA and it will continue to use the same conference logo. In the past two years, the CAA has added five new members, including Campbell and NC A&T to push its membership to 14, the highest in its nearly 40-year history. Elon and North Carolina-Wilmington are also in the league.

Courage earn big Challenge Cup victory

AP

The North Carolina Courage remained unbeaten in the UKG Challenge Cup, earning 3 points after a 6-0 win against the Washington Spirit. The Courage keep their unbeaten streak in the UKG Challenge Cup with 14 games in hand. After a scoreless first half, Brittany Ratcliffe scored off a cross from Tyler Lussi. Not five minutes later Frankie Tagliaferri added a goal. Substitute Olivia Wingate took a cross from Tess Boade and scored. Two minutes later, Boade tapped in a goal. Brianna Pinto hit a banger from outside the 18 yard box to score, and Narumi Miura finished the scoring with a shot off a deflection.

NSJ

NBA approves sale of Hornets

The NBA Board of Governors reportedly approved the sale of the Charlotte Hornets, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The sale, which was negotiated earlier this year, ends Michael Jordan’s 13year reign as majority owner of the team. A group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin will take over the franchise. The sale, which was purchased at a $3 billion valuation, will be completed over the next two weeks, according to Wojnarowski.

Plotkin was a minority owner under Jordan, while Schnall was a minority owner of the Hawks. Jordan will keep a minority ownership stake in the team.

ESPN

Death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 Daytona 500 picked as NASCAR’s most pivotal moment

To mark NASCAR’s 75th season, The Associated Press interviewed 12 key contributors to the industry on multiple topics. According to the survey, Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500 is the most pivotal moment in the history of NASCAR. Earnhardt’s death robbed a family of its patriarch and the industry of the greatest stock car star of his era. Earnhardt’s death also forced NASCAR to finally get serious about safety. The racing legend known as the Intimidator was a Kannapolis native. He won 76 races over his career and was a seven-time Cup Series champion.

Denny Hamlin gets his record 7th victory at Pocono and 50th of his NASCAR Cup Series career

The Associated Press LONG POND, Pa. — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane Sunday at Pocono Raceway a year after his first-place finish was thrown out, giving him a track-record seven wins and 50 overall in his Cup career.

Hamlin also gave Toyota its 600th NASCAR victory.

Hamlin passed Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon — for the second straight year — for most wins at the tri-oval track. Hamlin and his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had their 1-2 finishes stripped a year ago by NASCAR for aerodynamics violations.

That made Hamlin the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because

of an oversized fuel tank. But he does know the way to victory lane in the No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin and Kyle Larson bumped and battled over the final laps before the three-time Daytona 500 winner pulled away on the final restart and won with the caution flag out, leading a sold-out crowd — Pocono’s largest since 2010 — to shower Hamlin with boos.

“I love it,” Hamlin said. “They can boo my rock out of here in a few years.”

Pocono paints rocks outside the garage to honor of some of NASCAR’s greats, such as Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at New Hampshire, was second and Tyler Reddick third. Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

Larson faded to 21st and blasted

Hamlin for making contact late in the race that sent the No. 5 Chevrolet up the track and cost him a shot at racing for the win.

“I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything, anything, I’ve ever done on the racetrack,” Larson said. “I can count four or five times where he had to reach out to me. At some point, you’ve got to start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”

Helmet toss

Austin Dillon chucked his helmet at former teammate Tyler Reddick’s car after the two were involved in a wreck. Dillon’s Ford slammed into the wall and its passenger side crumpled. Dillon threw his helmet as he walked off the track.

“I was just trying to hit him,”

Dillon said. “They’re going probably 65. If I had started at the front of the car, I might have got him at the door.”

Caught in the undertow

Joey Logano’s rough race ended with a bumpy ride to pit road. Logano, who won the first stage, later hit the wall, blew four tires and finished 35th. The Team Penske driver criticized NASCAR for the jittery ride to the pits in his Ford and said the tow truck caused additional damage to the car.

“You get this long, horrible ride back. It’s rough,” Logano said. “Your head’s bouncing around in there. It’s stupid. It’s just really dumb that we can’t just put four tires on a truck. I saw a whole bunch of them earlier today. ... It’s not fun for anybody.”

NFL owners unanimously OK the Commanders sale to Josh Harris; Dan Snyder fined $60M on the way out

The Associated Press BLOOMINGTON, Minn. —

NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.

“We are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of the city, to win championships and really excite the fans again,” Harris said in a news conference after the vote.

The purchase by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports club. Harris, like Snyder and Commissioner Roger Goodell, grew up in the Washington metro area as an avid fan of the team.

“He has a remarkable business record, not just in finance but also now in sports, and I think he’s a person who cares deeply about not just his assets but at least more importantly his communities,” Goodell said.

Harris’ investment crew also includes David Blitzer, with whom he co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Washington-area businessman Mitchell Rales and more than a dozen others. The unusually large ownership group needed and received league finance approval for a deal that shattered the $4.35 billion Walmart heir Rob Walton paid last year for the Denver Broncos.

The special meeting for the Commanders sale was conducted at the same hotel adjacent to the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis where Walton’s group gained formal control of the Broncos. Johnson raved about the approval of the sale on Twitter —

“truly the biggest achievement in my business career,” he tweeted — shortly before Harris posed for photos with a Commanders helmet and accepted well wishes from Goodell and others.

“They want to put that franchise where they believe it belongs, where it’s respected not just in the community but worldwide,” Goodell said. “They’re committed to that.”

Their biggest immediate challenge 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 more than a year ago, a consequence of the number of offfield controversies swirling around the team. The site of RFK Stadium, the club›s previous home in the capitol city, has significant backing as the place for the new venue.

“It’s going to take awhile to un-

pack what really makes sense,” Harris said. “As far as RFK, I understand it’s the spiritual home of the history of the Commanders.

Bringing the fans back is a major priority after Washington ranked last in the league in attendance in 2022 and second-to-last in 2021.

“I’ve had many sleepless nights, and I will have many sleepless nights. I’m going to sweat this,” Harris said. “I feel an awesome responsibility to the city of Washington. I know what I’ve got to give.”

AP PHOTO

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line under caution to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Long Pond, Pa.

SCOTT STRAZZANTE | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE VIA AP

Josh Harris, leader of a group buying the Washington Commanders, poses with a team helmet after NFL owners voted to approve the sale in Bloomington, Minn., Thursday, July 20, 2023.

STATE & NATION

Grassley releases full FBI memo with unverified claims about Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley released an unclassified document that Republicans claim is significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden as they delve into the financial affairs of the president and his son, and revive previously debunked claims of wrongdoing.

Grassley of Iowa has been working alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as Republicans deepen their probe of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, ahead of the 2024 election. Comer had issued a subpoena for the document from the FBI.

While lawmakers on the Oversight Committee have already been able to partly review the information, this is the first time the full document — which contains raw, unverified information — is being made public. Called an FD-1023 form, it involves claims a confidential informant made in 2020 about Hunter Biden’s alleged business dealings when he served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Top Republicans have acknowledged they cannot confirm whether the information is true.

“The American people can now read this document for themselves,” Grassley said.

The document adds to information that had widely aired during Donald Trump’s first impeach-

ment trial, which involved Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. It was also the subject of a subsequent Department of Justice review that Trump’s Attorney General William Barr launched in 2020 and closed later that year.

Grassley’s office said the FBI told the senator the document was related to an ongoing matter.

White House spokesman Ian Sams said, “It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years.”

“These claims have reported-

ly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility,” he said. “It’s clear that congressional Republicans are dead-set on playing shameless, dishonest politics and refuse to let truth get in the way.”

In the four-page document, the confidential informant claims to have been involved in various meetings some years earlier, in 2015 or 2016, with officials from the Burisma energy company looking to do business in the United States. The informant claims

being told by Burisma officials about their relationship and dealings with Hunter Biden.

One company official said they kept Hunter Biden on the Burisma board because they believed through “his dad” it could protect them from all kinds of problems, the informant claimed.

In another instance, a top company official suggested payment of $5 million to each of the Bidens as the company sought to have Ukraine’s prosecutor general at the time, Viktor Shokin, removed from office, according to the document.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the document released by Republicans “records the unverified, secondhand, years-old allegations” that were already shown to be not true during the 2019 impeachment hearings.

After lawmakers reviewed a redacted document in June, Raskin had said “Congress thoroughly reviewed and debunked” similar allegations that Giuliani had made.

“As the FBI explained, the allegations were also thoroughly investigated by Donald Trump’s own Justice Department,” Raskin wrote. That assessment was closed in August 2020 after eight months of investigative efforts, he said, and “found insufficient evidence” to warrant further investigation.

But Comer said in response: “The American people must be able to read this record for themselves. I thank Senator Grassley

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings

The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts.

Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race.

Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices.

While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, liberals also are talking about bringing new challenges to school choice, voter ID, the 12-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for

most public workers and other laws backed by Republicans.

“When you don’t know the extent of the battle you may have to fight, it’s concerning,” said attorney Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. “It’s very concerning.”

Some issues could take years to reach the court, said liberal attorney Lester Pines, who like Esenberg has argued numerous times before the state Supreme Court.

Unlike under the conservative majority, Pines said the new liberal court will be unlikely to rule on cases before lower courts have heard them.

“They’re not going to do it,” Pines said.

There is already a pending case challenging Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War era abortion ban, and a circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that it can proceed, while also calling into question whether the law actually bans abortions.

The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. Protasiewicz all but promised to overturn the ban by repeatedly speaking out for abortion rights, winning support from Planned Parenthood and others.

“When you’re a politician and you’re perceived by the voters as making a promise, and you don’t keep it, they get angry,” Esenberg said.

There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election.

The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in 2018 and 2022 and Joe Biden in 2020.

Protasizewicz declared those maps to be “rigged” and said during the campaign they should be given another look. Democrats also hope for new congressional maps improving their chances in the state’s two most competitive House districts, held by Republicans.

“What we want to see is maps

for providing much needed transparency.”

Grassley said while the FBI had released a redacted version to lawmakers, he was able to provide a fuller document because whistleblowers made it available to him.

Comer’s panel held a hearing this week with two Internal Review Service whistleblowers who have claimed Justice Department interference as they tried to probe Hunter Biden’s financial affairs. They said they were unaware of the document.

The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower claims. Department policy has long told prosecutors to take care when bringing charges with political overtones so close to an election.

A recovering addict, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor charges over his finances after years of failing to pay taxes. Republicans have denounced the agreement with federal prosecutors as a “sweetheart deal.”

The top prosecutor in the case, U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, has said he is willing to testify before the House panel once he is legally able to share information with Congress without violating the longstanding department policy of discussing an ongoing investigation.

Testimony from Justice Department officials could come after Hunter Biden appears for his plea hearing this week.

that are fair and that represent the will of the people and the actual make up of their state,” Democratic strategist Melissa Baldauff said.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. The outgoing conservative court came within one vote of overturning Biden’s win in 2020. The new court will be in control to hear any challenges leading up to the election and in the months after.

A national Democratic law firm filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to undo a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling last year banning absentee ballot drop boxes. The case could make its way to the state high court before the 2024 presidential election.

Other sticky issues that have garnered bipartisan criticism, including powers of the governor, also could come before the new court.

Evers surprised many with a veto this year putting in place a school spending increase for 400 years. Republicans said a challenge was likely.

In 2021, the court struck down three of Evers’ previous partial vetoes but failed to give clear guidance on what is allowed.

A Wisconsin governor’s veto power is expansive and used by Republicans and Democrats, but the new court could weigh in on whether it should be scaled back. Esenberg, who brought the previous case challenging Evers’ veto powers, said he expected another legal challenge in light of the 400year veto.

AP PHOTO

President Joe Biden walks with his grandson Beau Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, left, from Marine One upon arrival at Fort McNair, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Washington.

AP PHOTO

Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, right, holds hands with Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, left, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, blocked from view at far right, at a watch party in Milwaukee, on April 4, 2023.

Back to school

COUNTY

State Board approves student and public employee ID cards in upcoming elections

The State Board of Elections has approved almost a hundred student and employee ID cards for use in the upcoming 2023 municipal and 2024 primary and general elections in North Carolina. With the passage of Voter ID laws in North Carolina, voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in the state starting with the municipal elections this fall. While most voters will simply show their driver’s license, others will have to get a newly approved ID, which includes student IDs and public employee IDs for many educational institutions and government agencies. “We are grateful to all institutions that applied to have their identification cards approved for voters for the 2023 municipal elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the State Board of Elections. “This gives voters additional options when casting their ballot.” Voters who vote by mail will be asked to include a photocopy of an ID with their ballot or complete a “Photo ID Exception Form” for absentee voting. If an in-person voter does not provide an acceptable ID, the voter may fill out a form and vote a provisional ballot. Voters can also vote with a provisional ballot and bring an accepted ID to the county board of elections office by the end of the day. A full list of approved voting IDs can be found here: https://www. ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id/ faq-voter-id.

Moore County elections: 2023 municipal ballots are set

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The contests for Moore County’s 2023 municipal elections are set. Voters in 11 municipalities will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Aberdeen Board of Commissioners (3 seats)

Teressa Beavers

Bryan Bowles

Ron Utley

Elease Goodwin

Cameron Mayor

Tash Nichols McDuffie

Ginger Bauerbrand

Cameron Board of Commissioners (3 seats)

Michael A. Williamson

Lisa Paschal

Tanya Nicely Leenheer

Carthage Mayor

George H. Wilson Jr.

Jimmy Chalflinch

Ian K. Lumgair

Carthage Board of Commissioners (2 seats)

Malcolm Hall

Dan Bonillo

Al Barber

Marcus Tush

Kevin Lewis

Foxfire Village Council (1 seat)

George F. Hedrick

Mary Gilroy

Janice Gregorich

Warren Morgan

Pinehurst Mayor

Kevin Drum

Patrick Pizzella

Jeff Morgan

Pinehurst Village Council (2 seats)

Lydia Boesch

John Taylor

Claire Berggren

Cara Mathis

Barb Ficklin

Robbins Mayor

Cameron Dockery

Richard Boswell

Robbins Board of Commissioners (2 seats)

Brandon Phillips

Kevin Stewart

Southern Pines Mayor

Taylor Clement

Oliver Hines

Southern Pines Council (2 seats)

Karen Tussing

William H. (Bill) Pate

Debra L. Gray

Taylortown Council (5 seats)

Andria W. Parker

Adam T. Cheatman Jr.

James Lattimore Thompson

David Levine

Garry Brown

Nadine Headen Moody

Kenn Hayes

Sidney Gaddy

Bryan W. Scales

Bridget Cotton

Marvin Taylor

Pinehurst Council approves appointments to Neighborhood Advisory Board

Council presented with conceptual plans for Givens Library and Tuft Archives

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, July 11, with primarily presentations and appointments on the agenda.

The council first approved two appointments to the Pinehurst Neighborhood Advisory Committee, Carolyn Jamison and Jennifer Tomilin.

“The first is in regards to the newly formed neighborhood of North Lake Pinehurst,” said Village Manager Jeff Sanborn. “We had a lot of interest from the neighborhood. We had four applicants that we interviewed, and we agreed that the best candidate for the position was Carolyn Jamison. Carolyn has served on the NAC previously, representing the civic group, and also was an alternate for what was previously known as the Oakmont Circle neighborhood.”

“We had three applications for the second position, but when we engaged two of those folks, they clarified that they weren’t interested in being the primary member; they only were interested in being the alternate,” Sanborn contined. “We ended up doing one interview, and that was with Jennifer Tomilin. She has served as an alternate for the Donald Ross neighborhood previously as well, and she comes with the endorsement of the Donald Ross Association.”

The council was then presented with an update on the Library and Archives designs by Oakley Collier Architects, the firm handling the project.

According to the firm, the completed steps for the project include completing programming interviews, existing condition analysis, space programming summary, reviewing potential properties for suitability and creating preliminary concepts for review and approval.

The conceptual programming for the Tuft Archives includes a history museum & visitor’s center, re-

search archives, exhibit space, retail space, multi-purpose space, fully accessible entries, toilets, elevators, and enhanced connection to Village Green. For the Givens Library the conceptual programming includes adult, children and YA stacks, space for 36,000 volumes, two meeting spaces, four study rooms, separate children’s program space, storage and work room/offices, fully accessible, with independent, on-site parking.

The council agreed to have the firm focus on more specific site locations and to bring back some more concrete cost factors.

The council also approved an ordinance amending the FY2024 budget in order to account for GASB 96 IT Subscriptions in accordance with the new governmental accounting standards. The council previously approved these exact same standards for the previous financial year at their last meeting.

Finally, the council approved a contract with Sandhills Services for cleaning services at the Fair Barn for FY24.

Vass Mayor Alphonso Mosley Jr.

Angela M. Erica Vacek

James Moore

Vass Board of Commissioners (3 seats)

George Blackwell Jr.

Matthew Callahan

Todd McLeod

Butch Moore

Whispering Pines Village Council (1 seat)

Sam Wiggs

Christopher Slyman

Lisa Wells

James McKinley

Rick Hutchinson

Whispering Pines Village Council (unexpired term)

Marty Antholzner

Dean Kalles

Matthew Caruso

Angie Mullennix

The Moore County Board of Elections has extended the filing period for the Town of Pinebluff through Friday, July 28. Absentee ballots for November’s election will be available by Friday, Oct. 6, and early in-person voting begins on Thursday, Oct. 19. The voter registration deadline for this year’s election is Friday, Oct. 13. Voters will also be required to show photo identification to cast a ballot.

“This is a contract that is specific to the Fair Barn,” said Parks and Recreation Director Mike Wagner. “Sandhills Services has the current contract. You approved the contract last year, so it’s a renewal of that. It does include a 3% CPI increase. They’ve been doing this for probably at least the last 15 years for us.”

The Village of Pinehurst Council will next meet July 25.

Moore County Sheriff’s Office employees participate in the One Big Day Back to School event at New Covenant Church in Carthage.

46, W, M, 7/22/2023, Robbins PD, Possess Schedule II CS (x2), Possess Drug Paraphernalia

♦ WOLFFERTS, SYLENA AMY, 47, W, F, 7/21/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Simple Assault, Resisting Public Officer

♦ STROMAN, ANTWAIN ORLANDO, 35, B, M, 7/21/2023, Aberdeen PD, Felony Possession of Cocaine, PWISD Cocaine, Possess Drug Paraphernalia

♦ REVELS, REGGIE DEMOND, 40, B, M, 7/21/2023, Pinehurst PD, Communicating Threats,

Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicles, Assault on a Female (x2)

♦ MYERS, SAVANNAH REANEE, 18, W, F, 7/21/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Resisting Public Officer

♦ IVEY, CHASE ALEXANDER, 24, W, M, 7/21/2023, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Violate Domestic Violence Protection Order (x6), Probation Violation (x4)

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:

July 27

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.

Thursday Night Music Bingo

7pm

Come out to James Creek Cider House for Music Bingo with Lauren! James Creek is located at 172 US Hwy 1 Bus. in Cameron. A food truck will be on site at 8!

July 28

Carthage Farmers Market

2pm – 6pm

♦ BESS-STATON, TRAVONTAE RAESHAWN, 26, B, M, 7/21/2023, Aberdeen PD, Assault by Strangulation, Assault on a Female, False Imprisonment

♦ MORLOCK, JOSHUA REID, 32, W, M, 7/20/2023, Southern Pines PD, Felony Larceny, Misdemeanor Larceny, Felony Possession of Cocaine, Possess Schedule II CS

Do you have a birthday, wedding, engagement or other milestone to celebrate?

Contact: ads@northstatejournal.com

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.

July 29

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!

Sandhills Farmers Market

10am – 1pm

Come out for the Sandhills Farmers Market in the heart of the Village of Pinehurst! The market features many wonderful farms, nurseries, bakeries, meat and egg providers, cheesemakers, and specialty food producers in the area.

CRIME LOG

We are part of the Randolph County School System

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The press’s war against free speech

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971.

HAVE WE GOTTEN to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech?

Apparently so.

Consider the reaction of journalists — people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech — to Louisiana-based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.”

The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14. But no final judgment in the case has been entered, and, whatever the ultimate result, the wisdom of government speech suppression — and the bizarre and outspoken support thereof by large parts of the press — remain continuing issues.

Doughty’s 155-page opinion cites allegations that White House and other government officials have “significantly encouraged” and “coerced” social media firms Facebook, Google and Twitter to suppress information not just occasionally but repeatedly, and often in peremptory and threatening tones. Those allegations have been backed up by the “Twitter Files” investigations of liberal writers Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.

The bewailing at this opinion came in loud and clear. The Washington Post, as columnist Mary Katharine Ham pointed out, lamented that Doughty’s decision could “undo years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.”

The New York Times worried that Doughty’s decision “could force government officials ... to refrain from notifying the platforms about

COLUMN | JILL HOMAN

troublesome content,” and “could curtail efforts to combat disinformation.”

Quite a contrast with the responses of the Post and the Times to pleas from government officials not to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971. No less than Henry Kissinger argued that the release of the Papers would weaken the government’s ability to conduct diplomacy and de-escalate the Vietnam War.

The Post’s Katharine Graham and the Times’ Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr. rejected these weighty concerns and risked prosecution because they felt the public had a right to the information. The current proprietors are Jeff Bezos and Sulzberger’s grandson, who evidently take a different view.

That view is that the press has a responsibility to cooperate with the government to suppress what the government considers “disinformation” or “misinformation.” Thus a writer in the left-wing Nation argues that speech must be suppressed in the interest of “preserving goodfaith discourse in the name of public health and the preservation of democracy.”

But Doughty’s decision does not prevent the government from speaking, as it does every day. It seeks to prevent the government from stamping out other people’s speech. And often, it turns out that the speech is right and the government’s position wrong.

A prime case in point — and an example of partisan politics — were the successful efforts to get willing allies in the press to discredit and suppress the New York Post’s October 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. Antony Blinken, then of the Biden campaign and now secretary of state, encouraged the promulgation of a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claiming the story “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

That was hogwash, as was the Russian

collusion hoax many signers had peddled. But most press outlets suppressed mention of the Post’s accurate story. The New York Times only got around to confirming its accuracy in March 2022 in the 24th paragraph of a 38-paragraph story.

The press also happily colluded in government efforts to suppress information about COVID-19. A prime example is the theory that the virus came from a lab leak in China, which in March 2020 emails National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins called “a very destructive conspiracy” and his nominal subordinate Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized as “a shiny object that will go away.”

Their attempts to discredit a theory that might have reflected badly on research they sponsored prevailed for some time, but it is considered, in columnist Robby Soave’s words, “now extremely likely,” although it will probably never be confirmed because of Chinese government obfuscation.

In any case, the lab leak theory was better founded than The New York Times’ characterization, in a July 5 story, that the theory that “Covid-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of the disease” is a “debunked claim.”

In the press reaction to Doughty’s decision, you can detect laments that many Americans no longer accept the word of elite experts in the FBI, the intelligence agencies or the public health authorities. But you don’t find any acknowledgment that often that word has not proved good.

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

Legislature right to say women’s sports are for women

Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women –especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE will vote to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. This new law, which prohibits biological male students from participating in teams designated for females, women, or girls on the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, serves as a commonsense blueprint for other states looking to protect women’s privacy and their place on the field.

Across the country, there are increasingly more stories of biological female athletes being displaced or defeated by biological males who identify as female or are in the midst of transitioning.

Most notably is the story of Riley Gaines, a former 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky. Gaines was subjected to unfair treatment when she was forced to face biological male Lia Thomas in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming National Championships in the 200-yard freestyle event. Gaines actually tied Thomas for fifth place in the finals, yet was handed the sixth-place trophy for the photo op by the NCAA representative.

Thomas swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swim Team from 2017 to 2020, where he (at the time) placed near the bottom of the ranks. Thomas then joined the Women’s Swim Team in 2021 where, as a 6’1” biological male, she eventually won a national championship in the 500-freestyle event.

Gaines has used this experience as a platform to advocate on behalf of herself, and women across the country, who have dedicated their lives to their sport.

Though Gaines has gained momentum in the media for bravely sharing her story, unfortunately, her experience is not unique.

Chelsea Mitchell, a track-and-field athlete from Canton, Connecticut, saw several state and regional title opportunities stripped from her while competing against two transgender female athletes in the 55-meter dash.

Since 2013, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has allowed transgender athletes to compete in women and girls’ sports. In 2017, two transgender female students began competing in the Women’s Track and Field competition, and as a result, those transgender female runners took home 15 women’s state track championship titles. The previous year, those titles were won by nine different females.

Mitchell sued the CIAC alongside three other athletes, asking the court to bar Connecticut from allowing biological males from competing in women’s

sports and effectively deleting all athletic records set by transgender athletes. The case is set to be reheard by a New York-based federal appeals court in 2023.

Notably outspoken on this issue is Caitlyn Jenner, someone who knows a thing or two about competing at the highest levels as a male athlete, transitioning, then participating in sports as a transgender female.

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, won the Olympic gold medal in 1976, when he (at the time) competed in the decathlon – setting a men’s world record in the process which held for four years. Having transitioned nearly 40 years later, Jenner knows there are fundamental differences between men and women – especially when it comes to their athletic capabilities.

That’s why Jenner recently launched the Fairness First PAC – a political action committee that will “put parental rights at the forefront of education and keep boys out of women’s sports.”

“We cannot let biological boys compete in women’s sports. It would ruin women’s sports,” Jenner explained. As if to emphasize the differences, Jenner added, “A year after hormone replacement therapy, I could still hit the golf ball 300 years.”

Title IX was enacted in 1972, protecting Americans from discrimination in any school or other educational program on the basis of sex. According to the Department of Justice, before Title IX, “women were often excluded from or had only limited access to educational programs.” This includes sports.

Now, centuries of fighting for women’s equality are being erased by the inclusion of biological men in women’s athletic competitions.

It is imperative we protect women and girls from losing out on an opportunity to earn state and national titles, scholarship opportunities, or even simply having a level playing field to pursue her best on the athletic fields.

The North Carolina General Assembly and previously U.S. House of Representatives took a positive step in preserving the rights of women and girls across the country by passing common sense legislation to keep women in women’s sports. I am hopeful states around the country will follow suit.

COLUMN | MICHAEL BARONE

Jill Homan is president of Javelin 19, a real estate investment & development firm, and a mother of a four-year old son and a six-year-old daughter.

Norman Franklin Campbell

July 25, 1928 - July 21, 2023

Eagle Springs, NC- Norman Franklin Campbell, 94, died Friday, July 21, 2023 at his home.

Mr. Campbell was preceded in death by his wife, Lizzie Reid Campbell and a daughter, Laura Brewer. He is survived by his daughters, Norma Decker of Clayton, NC, and Donna Windish of Eagle Springs, 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Eagle Springs Fire Dept., P.O. Box 249, Eagle Springs, NC 27242.

Rex Glenn Smith

June 25, 1937 - July 15, 2023

Rex Glenn Smith, 86, of Pinehurst, NC passed away on July 15, 2023 at FirstHealth Hospice House in Pinehurst. He was born June 25, 1937, the son of Rex Glenn Smith Sr. and Claudia Maxine Brown Smith. He also had a sister, Shirley. The family grew up in Villa Park, Illinois. Rex graduated from York High School, class of 1955 and went on to study at Michigan State University earning degrees in business and psychology before enlisting into the Army.

While in high school, Rex met MaryAnn D’Angelo. In 1961, they married. Rex’s military service brought the couple to Vilseck Germany where they made friends that they kept in touch with throughout the years. When they returned to the States, Rex and MaryAnn settled in Lombard, Illinois. Family was of great importance to both and they became parents to a daughter, Lesli, and a son, Patrick. He enjoyed spending time at their home on a lake in Three Rivers, Michigan.

Suzanne Schloesser

May 3, 1933 - July 14, 2023

Suzanne Schloesser, 90, of Southern Pines, passed peacefully at the Pinehurst Nursing Center on Friday, July 14th.

Born in The Bronx, NY, May 3, 1933, she was the daughter of the late Isidor and Frances Solomon Cohn. Suzanne married Herbert “Herbie” Hartman and the couple had three children: a daughter, Tracy, and two sons, Glenn and Doug. She had earned her Masters Degree in education and had been a teacher for many years. After her retirement, Suzanne remarried Edwin Schloesser and moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL before relocating to Southern Pines, to be closer to family.

Suzanne was the wife of the later Herbie Hartman and Edwin Schloesser. She was the mother Tracy Cormier, Glenn Hartman and Douglas Hartman. She is also survived by her granddaughters Danielle and Alexis Cormier.

Lloyd Newsome, Jr.

May 10, 1926 - July 19, 2023

Lloyd Newsome Jr, 97, of Pinehurst NC passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at his home.

He was born in Ahoskie, NC on May 10, 1926 to the late Lloyd Newsome Sr and Goldie Brown. He was also preceded in death by brother Jack Newsome and wife of 62 years Dolores Ford whom he met at ECU. Lloyd is survived by wife of 9 years Jutta Newsome, 2 sons Lester and Ronald, daughter Rhonda (Al), 2 brothers Henry and John (Lisa), grandchildren Kevin and Susan.

George Anthony Neil, Jr.

August 30, 1937 - July 19, 2023

George Anthony Neil, Jr., 85, of Pinehurst, NC and Corning, NY passed away July 19, 2023 in Southern Pines, NC.

Thuy "Elaine" Thi Le

April 2, 1972 - July 16, 2023

Thuy “Elaine” Thi Le, 51, of Aberdeen, NC passed away peacefully on July 16, 2023 at FirstHealth Hospice house in Pinehurst.

Through the years their family continued to grow to include five grandchildren - Andrew, Jessica, Michelle, Jeanette, and Tony. It didn’t stop there, however. The entire family welcomed AJ and Bobbi, making Rex and MaryAnn great-grandparents. After raising their children, they became residents of Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora, Illinois.

Rex’s career took a few turns to include becoming a bail bonds man and Allstate insurance agent eventually owning his own office on the mag mile (Michigan Ave) in Chicago while also traveling as a travel agent taking large groups on tours across the globe.

After his retirement in 2002, he and MaryAnn relocated to Pinehurst and built a home in Pinewild. Rex became a golf ranger on number 8 at Pinehurst Country Club.

Rex would never claim to being a very social person, he would say “That’s MaryAnn’s job” but none the less he managed to gain a lot of close friends over the years everywhere he went.

Rex is survived by his loving children, Lesli and Patrick; daughter-in-law Abigail; grandchildren; Andrew, Jessica, Michelle, Jeanette, and Tony; great-grandchildren, AJ and Bobbi; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Lloyd attended Atlantic Christian College and ECU attaining a Teaching Certificate prior to rejoining the army during the Korean War. He was an excellent typist and served stateside in that capacity throughout his enlistment. He later settled in Henderson, NC working as an insurance investigator, then transferred to Laurinburg NC where he retired with Equifax Services. He continued working part time at Church Community Services and was a past President of the Lion's Club. He moved to Gracious Retirement Living in Southern Pines in 2011 when Dolores' health declined and later moved to Pinehurst.

Lloyd was a lifetime Presbyterian who enjoyed spending time with friends and family, watching sports especially the Red Sox and Duke, and playing pool. He also played a mean game of canasta up to the end.

George was born August 30, 1937 in New York City to the late George and Marguerite Neil. He was a graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton NY and a veteran of the United States Army. Stationed at Ft. Sill, OK, he was an instructor at the US Army Field Artillery School. After his honorable discharge, Captain Neil worked as a business executive for Corning Glass Works for 25 years. Among several of his roles he was Deputy General Manager of Crown Corning Australia and President of Corning Japan.

Retiring to Pinehurst he became an avid private pilot and a member or EAA 1221.

George is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jean Morrell Neil, his son, Robert Morrell Neil (Kyounghee) of Raleigh, NC and his daughter, Laura Neil Sims of Richmond, VA. In addition, he leaves behind his five grandchildren, Sheena Neil Patel (Kevin), Ryan Sims, Alexandra Sims (Retha), Duncan Sims, and Meghan Neil as well as two great grandchildren.

Elaine was born April 2, 1972 in Vietnam. She was the owner and operator of a nail salon where she worked as a nail technician for many years. In addition to her work at the salon, Elaine loved to prepare delicious meals for her clients and was an enthusiastic seasonal decorator.

Elaine is preceded in death by her father.

She leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Toi Le; her daughter Tanya Le, her mother, Nhan Thi Cao; brothers, Hoang Cao (An), Anh Cao, and Frank Cao, and her beloved Shih Ttzu, Sammy.

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