North State Journal Vol. 8, Issue 24

BRIEF this week

NFIB: Small business owners continue to manage challenging economic environment in July

Raleigh

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased 0.9 of a point in July to 91.9, marking the 19th consecutive month below the 49-year average of 98. Twenty-one percent of owners listed inflation as the single most important problem in operating their business, down three points from June.

NFIB North Carolina State Director Gregg Thompson said, “Small business optimism may be improving, but we’re still not where we want to be. Inflation is still an issue for consumers and businesses alike, and rising prices create a lot of economic anxiety and uncertainty.”

STAFF

NC ended fiscal year

with $3 billion surplus

Raleigh North Carolina state coffers ended the 2022-23 fiscal year with revenues of $33.5 billion, adding an additional $3 billion above the state budget estimate.

In addition, the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) state agencies reverted $1.17 billion in unspent budgeted funds. This represents 4% of the General Fund appropriations for the year, a larger than typical amount, OSBM stated. Much of the reversions were driven by historically high state employee vacancy and turnover rates as well as prudent budget management by agencies.

“Our state employees have demonstrated incredible stewardship and resilience in the face of changing budgetary pressures and unprecedented vacancies,” said State Budget Director Kristin Walker in a statement. “We look forward to working with state agencies in the new biennium to serve our growing state with the most effective state government we can.”

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, North Carolina is one of 45 states that ended the recent fiscal year with revenues above the forecasted amount. NSJ Staff

NSJ STAFF

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH

to ensure Bishop becomes North Carolina’s next Attorney General.”

The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) also has endorsed Bishop.

State

budget won’t become law until September, House leader says

Raleigh

A final North Carolina state budget won’t be enacted until September, the House’s top leader said Monday. House and Senate Republicans are whittling down dozens of outstanding spending and policy issues within a two-year spending plan that was supposed to take effect July 1.

When asked later Monday to describe the chances that a final budget could be carried out by the end of August, Moore replied: “Zero.”

“Just with some absences I know that the Senate has on their side, and with just some of the logistics that have been talked about at this point... you’re talking about a September date for actual passage — signing (the bill) into law and all that,” Moore said.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Foxx reacts to report of Chinese money in K-12 schools

the District of Columbia. The report also notes the “CCP has had ties to school districts near 20 U.S. military bases.”

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A report by a parent watchdog group on Chinese money flowing into the country’s K-12 schools has garnered a reaction from the Education and Workforce Committee chairwoman, North Carolina’s U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx.

The report, called “Little Red Classrooms” and issued by Parents Defending Education (PDE), details almost $18 million that the Chinese government sent to 34 states and

Citing a National Association of Scholars (NAS) research on Confucius Institutes and K-12 Confucius Classrooms, PDE’s report notes “Confucius programming creates a partnership between K-12 schools, universities or nonprofits, and a Chinese government entity.”

“It remains our solemn responsibility to slap away the hands of malign foreign actors whenever they attempt to interfere in America’s classrooms,” Foxx said in a statement. “No matter where they may live in our nation, parents deserve re-

See FOXX , page A2

State Superintendent reports ‘incredible gains’ in K-3 literacy

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — At the Aug. 3 meeting of the State Board of Education, N.C. State Superintendent Catherine Truitt reported “incredible gains” in literacy scores by the state’s K-3 students.

During the board meeting, Truitt said North Carolina’s K-3 students continue to see improvement across all subjects and subgroups with a “few caveats to mention.”

Truitt credited the phonics-based “the science of reading”

and teacher training in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).

“First of all, looking back over the last year and since our teachers have begun their incredible work on LETRS training, volume one and two, we can say with certainty that the post-pandemic rebound began last year for our kindergarten through third-graders,” Truitt told the board.

North Carolina’s 437,498 K-3 students were assessed using Amplify’s early literacy screener called DIBELS 8, which stands for “Dynamic Indicators of Basic

Early Literacy Skills.” Just under 12,000 students were assessed using Amplify’s Spanish language literacy screener. “Our kindergarteners from the beginning of this year to the end of this year saw a 46% increase statewide in their percentage of students who are on track or [are] ready for core instruction,” said Truitt during her presentation.

According to the presentation slides shared with the board, between beginning-of-year (BOY) tests and end-of-year (EOY) literacy testing, first-graders saw a 22% increase, second-graders saw

— After a few months of rumor and speculation, Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-08) officially announced his campaign for North Carolina attorney general during an Aug. 3 interview on WBT Radio in Charlotte.

Bishop, who turned 59 in July, is the second Republican to announce a run for the spot.

Bishop’s announcement was followed by a press release noting that the last time the state had elected a Republican attorney general was more than 125 years ago when Zeb Walser held the office in 1896.

The Charlotte-area congressman already has a big endorsement behind him — Club for Growth, which also endorsed him in his congressional race against Democrat Dan McCready in 2019.

“Dan Bishop is the conservative champion that the people of North Carolina deserve as Attorney General,” Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh said in the group’s official endorsement statement. “Congressman Bishop is a strong supporter of free markets, school choice, and is a leading voice in the U.S. House of Representatives pushing back against the Biden Administration’s radical agenda. We look forward to providing the necessary support

a 13% increase and third-graders saw a 6% increase.

Truitt also pointed out that K-3 students in North Carolina outperformed the nation.

“What we need to remember when we look at this data is our third-graders were the group that missed all of kindergarten and half of first grade and that our second-graders missed half of a year as well,” Truitt said. “Also, those students did not have teachers who had begun the LETRS professional development.”

Truitt said Amplify’s data shows “very little movement” for the nation’s third-grade students.

In her presentation, Truitt shared data on the percentage of North Carolina students considered “at-risk” compared to the rest of the nation. From BOY to EOY, kindergarteners needing inter-

“Dan Bishop has spent his entire tenure in public office fighting for conservative values,” said RAGA Chairman and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. “At a time when Washington bureaucrats and the Biden Administration are trampling on our rights and subverting the legal process, we need to add strong fighters like Dan Bishop to our ranks so we can continue restoring the balance between the states and federal government.”

Before running for Congress, Bishop served in the North Carolina House from January 2015 to January 2017 representing the 104th District in Mecklenburg County. He then was elected to serve in state Senate District 39 from January 2017 through mid-September 2019 when he won the special congressional election to the U.S. House of Representatives against McCready with 50.7% of the vote.

Bishop is recognized as one of the primary authors of House Bill 2, the “bathroom bill” that reversed an ordinance created by the Charlotte City Council that made all bathroom and locker room facilities, both public and private,

See BISHOP, page A2

“Little Red Schools” report details almost $18M in CCP money across 34 states, including N.C.

Congressman Dan Bishop officially enters NC attorney general race

U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop with his wife, Jo, and son, Jack. Bishop announced his run for attorney general last week.

“One of One”

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FOXX from page A1

assurance that their children will not be subjected to the propaganda of our nation’s adversaries. Malign doctrine has no place in America’s schools.

“Today’s report from PDE has laid bare the extent to which China’s government has infiltrated schools across America — by means of both Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms. PDE’s thorough investigation has exposed a litany of security risks directly related to student safety, the vulnerability of curriculums, and the threats to intellectual property.”

Foxx went on to call the revelations “damning” and that the “Committee on Education and the Workforce will remain vigilant for all threats to America’s future leaders and will do everything possible to quash Chinese influence in our nation’s schools.”

In 2020, the U.S. State Department designated Confucius Institutes a “foreign mission” of the Chinese Communist Party and part of the Chinese Communist Party’s “overseas propaganda and influence operation.”

According to March 2023 estimates by NAS, a large number of Confucius Institutes on college campuses have been closed down, with 108 in the process of being closed and 13 still operating.

UNC Charlotte, the last college in North Carolina to operate a Confucius Institute, closed down operations as of Dec. 31, 2020.

UNC Charlotte had been receiving an estimated $150,000 a year from Hanban — an arm of the Chinese Ministry of Education also known as the Confucius Institute Headquarters — a portion of which was earmarked to “support K-12 schools.”

While it would appear Confucius Institutes had been mostly eradicated, NAS reported in 2022 that the institutes were still operating at least 64 universities and had just been “rebranded.”

BISHOP from page A1 open to members of the opposite sex based on an individual’s gender identity.

Bishop said in an interview with North State Journal that people often seem surprised he would leave Congress to run for a state office, but he thinks the question should be asked in reverse.

“Why would you stay in a Washington that’s stuck in a status quo and is proving repeatedly unable to solve big problems?” Bishop asked. “I’ve come to believe that strengthening the states is our path to saving the country.”

An attorney by trade with three decades of experience, Bishop describes himself as a “tenacious

Proverbs 22:1

Reputation is what a man’s neighbors and friends think of him. 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.

PDE’s report also notes Go Global has the funding pass-through for Confucius Classrooms in North Carolina and in other states.

In 2020, Go Global operated “34 Confucius Classrooms in 11 partner districts, including one charter school and NCSSM that is part of the UNC System.” Grants given out that year by Go Global to six schools ranged from “$10,000 to $45,000” for Confucius Classrooms according to its 2020 nonprofit fillings.

In addition to the list of districts and schools generated by PDE, North State Journal found seven Confucius Classrooms operating in the Buncombe County Public Schools district, A.C. Reynolds High School, Buncombe County Early College, Enka High School, Erwin High School, North Buncombe High School, Owen High School and T.C. Roberson High School.

North State Journal also found evidence of Confucius grants in the state’s largest district, the Wake County Public Schools System (WCPSS).

WCPSS’ budget-request documentation for 2019-20 included Confucius Classroom grants from Go Global to be used at four schools; Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary School, Smith Magnet Elementary School, East Garner Magnet Middle School and Garner Magnet High School.

Although no colleges in North Carolina are currently operating a Confucius Institute, several K-12 school districts have Confucius Classrooms.

Districts and schools identified by PDE include Cabarrus County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Cumberland County Schools, Guilford County Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Randolph County Schools, Union County Public Schools, Wake County Public Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and Envision Science Academy.

Additionally, the prestigious

litigator, handling complex commercial cases.” As noted in his campaign release, that work put him on the Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” 10 times, and he was named a “Super Lawyer” seven times.

“I’m on the Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee in Washington,” Bishop said, adding that was the “area that I focused on” but that he looks forward to getting back to fully using his legal training.

“I don’t believe in hiding from anybody,” Bishop said when asked if he would bring more transparency than the past two occupants of the state’s attorney general’s of-

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) received an award from Hanban.

“The contract for NCSSM’s Confucius Classroom shows a five-year agreement between the school and the Chinese government, spanning from 2015-2020,” PDE’s report states. “The Confucius Classroom programs received a prestigious ‘Confucius Classroom of the Year’ award from Hanban in 2018.”

PDE’s report also says NCSSM signed an agreement with the North Carolina Center for International Understanding to establish a Confucius Classroom and

fice, Gov. Roy Cooper and current Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’m glad to talk to whoever. I’ll talk to somebody who wants to be a critic or I’ll talk to somebody who wants to be helpful equally,” said Bishop. “And I do think transparency in government is another respect in which I think we politicians tend to lose — the key notion that the government belongs to the people; activities of government should be completely open to the people. They’re not a private forum for elected officials.”

Former state legislator Tom Murry, another Republican who announced his bid for attorney general in February, has also hit Stein on his record, stating, “For nearly eight years, our state has

“received grant funding from Hanban through the Center for International Understanding from 2015 to 2020.”

In an article published in 2020, North State Journal reported on multiple North Carolina districts participating in a Confucius Classrooms collaborative run by an organization called Go Global.

Among the notable CEOs and businesspeople on the board of directors for Go Global are Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s top education adviser, Geoff Coltrane, and former N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Bob Orr.

had an attorney general who has put his political ambitions first rather than defending the rule of law.”

Bishop said he would be committed to “justice impartially, which is what we’re supposed to do,” if elected.

He added supporting district attorneys and law enforcement officers was also a priority because those groups “do not feel supported by the attorney general today,” and he is “going to correct that.”

In his campaign announcement, Murry also stated similar priorities.

“My pledge to the people of North Carolina is simple,” he said in a statement. “I will stand beside local law enforcement, District At-

According to that 2019-20 budget document, “In years past, each school received $10,000 annually. In 2017-18 and this year, the four aforementioned schools received $5,000 each.”

PDE’s report notes that WCPSS’ proposed budget document for 2021-22 “shows that the district was still running Confucius Classrooms, relying on carry-over funds.”

At the time of our 2020 article, North State Journal had reached out multiple times to Go Global and received no response. Similarly, no response was received from WCPSS after multiple attempts.

torneys, and victim’s advocates to defend, not defund, the rule of law for all North Carolinians.”

Bishop said another focus would be on a “national scale.”

“The state attorneys general over the last 20 years or so have become a real focal point of the means to stop or limit overreach by federal agencies and federal administrations,” said Bishop. “And I intend to be a thought leader and full participant in teamwork with other state AGs in the country to continue and expand that role.”

A native North Carolinian, Bishop has been married to his wife, Jo, for 25 years and their son, Jack, is following in his father’s footsteps by pursuing a law degree.

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

“Conversion on the Way to Damascus” by Caravaggio (cir. 1600) is a painting in the collection of the Santa Maria del Popolo church, Rome, Italy.

AP PHOTO

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, testifies before the House Rules Committee as Republicans advance the “Parents Bill of Rights Act,” at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Who’s in, who’s out: A look at which candidates have qualified for the 1st

GOP presidential debate

The Associated Press

WITH TWO WEEKS to go until the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, seven candidates say they have met qualifications for a spot on stage in Milwaukee.

But that also means that about half the broad GOP field is running short on time to make the cut.

To qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, candidates needed to satisfy polling and donor requirements set by the Republican National Committee: at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1 and Aug. 21, and a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states.

A look at who’s in, who’s (maybe) out and who’s still working on making it:

WHO’S QUALIFIED

Donald Trump

The current front-runner long ago satisfied the polling and donor thresholds. But he is considering boycotting and holding a competing event. Campaign advisers have said the former president has not made a final decision about the debate. One noted that “it’s pretty clear,” based on Trump’s public and private statements, that he is unlikely to appear with the other candidates.

“If you’re leading by a lot, what’s the purpose of doing it?” Trump asked on Newsmax.

In the meantime, aides have discussed potential alternative programming if Trump opts for a rival event.

Ron DeSantis

The Florida governor has long been seen as Trump’s top rival, finishing a distant second to him in a series of polls in early-voting states, as well as national polls, and raising an impressive amount of money.

But DeSantis’ campaign has struggled in recent weeks to live up to the sky-high expectations that awaited him when he entered the race. He let go of more than onethird of his staff as federal filings showed his campaign was burning through cash at an unsustainable rate. If Trump is absent, DeSantis may be the top target on stage at the debate.

Tim Scott

The South Carolina senator has been looking for a breakout moment. The first debate could be his chance.

A prolific fundraiser, Scott enters the summer with $21 million cash on hand.

In one debate-approved poll in Iowa, Scott joined Trump and DeSantis in reaching double digits. The senator has focused much of his campaign resources on the leadoff GOP voting state, which is dominated by white evangelical voters.

Nikki Haley

She has blitzed early-voting states with campaign events, walking crowds through her electoral successes ousting a longtime incumbent South Carolina lawmaker,

then becoming the state’s first woman and first minority governor. Also serving as Trump’s U.N. ambassador for about two years, Haley frequently cites her international experience, arguing about the threat China poses to the United States.

The only woman in the GOP race, Haley has said transgender students competing in sports is “the women’s issue of our time” and has drawn praise from a leading anti-abortion group, which called her “uniquely gifted at communicating from a pro-life woman’s perspective.”

Bringing in $15.6 million since the start of her campaign, Haley’s campaign says she has “well over 40,000 unique donors” and has satisfied the debate polling requirements.

Vivek Ramaswamy

The biotech entrepreneur and author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” is an audience favorite at multicandidate events and has polled well despite not being nationally known when he entered the race.

Ramaswamy’s campaign says he met the donor threshold earlier this year. He recently rolled out “Vivek’s Kitchen Cabinet” to boost his donor numbers even more, by letting fundraisers keep 10% of what they bring in for his campaign.

Chris Christie

The former New Jersey governor opened his campaign by portraying himself as the only candidate ready to take on Trump. Christie called on the former president to “show up at the debates and defend his record.”

Christie will be on that stage, even if Trump isn’t, telling CNN this month that he surpassed “40,000 unique donors in just 35 days.” He also has met the polling requirements.

Doug Burgum

Burgum, a wealthy former software entrepreneur now in his second term as North Dakota’s governor, has been using his fortune to boost his campaign.

He announced a program this month to give away $20 gift cards — “Biden Relief Cards,” as a critique of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy — to as many as 50,000 people in exchange for $1 donations. Critics have questioned whether the offer violated campaign finance law. Within about a week of launching that effort, Burgum announced he had surpassed the donor threshold. Ad blitzes in the early-voting states also helped him meet the polling requirements.

Mike Pence

Trump’s vice president had met the polling threshold but struggled to amass a sufficient number of donors, raising the possibility he might not qualify for the first debate.

But on Aug. 8, Pence’s campaign announced that it had crossed the 40,000 donor threshold, and also that he had become the first candidate to formally submit his donor count to the RNC for verification. Pence and his advisers had long

expressed confidence he would make it. On Tuesday, his campaign said he had met the donor mark without “schemes, giveaways, or gimmicks used by other campaigns.”

WHO HASN’T QUALIFIED:

Asa Hutchinson

According to his campaign, the former two-term Arkansas governor has met the polling requirements but is working on satisfying the donor threshold. As of Wednesday, Hutchinson marked more than 11,000 unique donors.

Hutchinson is running in the mold of an old-school Republican and has differentiated himself from many of his GOP rivals in his willingness to criticize Trump. He has posted pleas on Twitter for $1 donations to help secure his slot.

Francis Suarez

The Miami mayor has been one of the more creative candidates in his efforts to boost his donor numbers. He offered up a chance to see Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi’s debut as a player for Inter Miami, saying donors who gave $1 would be entered in a chance to get front-row tickets.

Still shy of the donor threshold, he took a page from Burgum’s playbook by offering a $20 “Bidenomics Relief Card” in return for $1 donations. A super political action committee supporting Suarez launched a sweepstakes for a chance at up to $15,000 in tuition, in exchange for a $1 donation to Suarez’s campaign.

Larry Elder

The conservative radio host wrote in an op-ed that the RNC “has rigged the rules of the game by instituting a set of criteria that is so onerous and poorly designed that only establishment-backed and billionaire candidates are guaranteed to be on stage.”

His campaign last week declined to detail its number of donors, saying only that there had been “a strong increase the last few weeks.” He has not met the polling requirements.

Perry Johnson

Johnson, a wealthy but largely unknown businessman from Michigan, said in a recent social media post that he had notched 23,000 donors and was “confident” he would make the debate stage. He added that all donors were “eligible to attend my free concert in Iowa featuring” country duo Big & Rich next month.

Johnson, who has reached 1% in one qualifying poll, has also offered to give copies of his book “Two Cents to Save America” to anyone who donated to his campaign.

Will Hurd

The former Texas congressman — the last candidate to enter the race, on June 22 — has said repeatedly that he would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, a stance that would keep him off the stage even if he had the qualifying donor and polling numbers.

Judge’s order

a

mixed

bag for plaintiffs in concealed carry lawsuit against Mecklenburg

Second Amendment claim can proceed, two other claims dismissed

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A federal judge’s order is allowing certain parts of a lawsuit over concealed carry permits filed last December against Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden to proceed.

United State District Judge Max O. Cogburn’s July 31 order has three parts, some of which were favorable to the plaintiffs in the case which include Bruce Kane, Sara Beth Williams, Jason Yepko, Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC), Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of America and Rights Watch International.

While we still believe that the wide and easily abused discretion given to sheriffs in conducting mental health checks for concealed handgun permits is unconstitutional on its face,” GRNC President Paul Valone told North State Journal in an emailed statement, “we appreciate that the judge is willing to consider an as-applied challenge to address the abuses, delays, and obstructionism in permit issuance from Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden which are continuing to this day. GRNC is very much looking forward to a robust discovery process.”

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed McFadden was abusing a loophole related to mental health checks for concealed handgun permits. The lawsuit asserts sheriffs in the state’s other 99 counties have been able to issue or deny all Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) applications within the statutory 45-day window, yet McFadden was dragging out concealed carry application processing for more than a year.

sheriff

“Despite a consent order requiring him to obey North Carolina law, Sheriff Garry McFadden appears to be deliberately delaying and obstructing concealed handgun permit applications by flooding the Veterans Administration with records requests, even for applicants who never served in the military,” GRNC President Paul Valone told North State Journal in December 2022.

Cogburn’s order allows the Second Amendment claims in the lawsuit to proceed but denied the request for a preliminary injunction against the Mecklenburg sheriff, calling the request “moot.” He also dismissed the plaintiff’s due process and equal protection claims.

In his order, the judge granted the defendant’s motion to toss the facial constitutional challenge related to state mental health statutes. A facial challenge is one in which a government law, rule, regulation or policy is considered unconstitutional as written.

“Here, the North Carolina mental health statutes simply require every Sheriff’s Office to determine whether someone is mentally ill and thus cannot safely handle a handgun, a proposition which the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized is consistent with this country’s historical tradition,” Cogburn wrote. “Moreover, the statutes’ plain language, on its own, does not create unreasonable waiting times for obtaining permits. For these reasons, the Court finds that the challenged North Carolina mental health statutes do not, on their face, violate the Second Amendment, or any other federal Constitutional provision.”

Coburn’s order also states, “The Court will allow discovery to proceed and will reserve a ruling on the as-applied challenge until after the parties have engaged in discovery.”

DMV plan would put service kiosks in grocery stores

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Long wait times and appointment slots being booked solid for months in advance are just two of the more recent frustrations North Carolinians face at the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). While the agency has already added several online services and additional hours for in-person appointments, more relief may be coming this fall.

The NCDMV is planning to introduce self-service kiosks in grocery stores, and the first set of kiosks will be placed in Cumberland, Mecklenburg and Wake counties.

According to NCDMV Communications Manager Marty Homan, services will be similar to what can be accessed online.

Through the self-service kiosk, citizens will be able to renew driver’s licenses and ID cards, order replacement or duplicate cards, and upgrade to full provisional licenses as well as pay administrative hearing fees.

Vehicle services will include registration renewals, ordering duplicate registrations, being able to pay property taxes and changing one’s address.

In a later phase of the plan, one may be able to order person-

alized license plates or renew a permanent disability placard through the kiosks.

It is unclear at this point if voter registration will be offered through the kiosks in the future.

“It’s looking like we’ll have a small handful of kiosks roll out this fall, up to 10 by the end of the year, and the full 20 by the end of Q1 2024,” Homan said in an email to North State Journal.

Homan also said that the kiosk plan was part of House Bill 199, an N.C. Department of Transportation agency bill. While the provision for the kiosks is not currently in the bill, Homan said the NCDMV hopes to add this portion back to the bill or that it could be included in another bill.

House Bill 199 passed the House 111-5 in May but is still working its way through Senate committees. The kiosk provision is not in the current version, and while the final budget has not yet been published, the current text does not include language or funding for the proposed kiosks.

The cost for the kiosks is not yet known, with Homan indicating they are “not under contract at this point” and that the kiosk vendor would “be paid via a convenience/processing fee, similar to how PayIt gets paid for online services.”

AP PHOTO

This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidates, top row from left, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former president Donald Trump, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and bottom row from left, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy. With less than a month to go until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, eight candidates say they have met the qualifications for a podium slot. But that also means that about half of the broad GOP field is running short on time to make the stage.

north STATEment

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Ethical blindness in the Biden White House

JOE BIDEN apparently never called the Senate Ethics office during his 36-year career on Capitol Hill.

“If you have to call the Ethics Department to get advice, it’s probably not the right thing to do in the first place.” That was the answer I got many times when I called the Senate or House ethics offices for guidance about a specific invitation or request for our office.

It is good advice in general. If you need someone else’s advice as to whether something you want to do is right or wrong ― your internal ethical balance scale is probably off-kilter.

Who in their right mind would ever ask a sitting Vice President of the United States of America, who happened to be your father, to join in on a conference call with a shady foreign government official in the first place? And then threaten said official to pay you ― “or else my daddy is going to do something really, really bad to you!” as his son, Hunter Biden, did?

And who in their right mind would have done it? I worked for Congressman Alex McMillan who said he would rather have hot pokers stuck in both eyes before he would overstep ethical boundaries as a public servant.

It defies common-sense and congressional propriety. It may not rise to the level of treason ― unless Hunter sold nuclear secrets he got from Joe to the Chinese ― but it sure was unethical and it sure was stupid.

Every new Member of Congress, Senator and their staff are told explicitly during Capitol Hill orientation sessions to assiduously avoid any contact with anyone requesting help on A) any business transaction and B) any case which was already in the court system.

Not only does it look bad, it is bad. The Bidens were complicit in using the imprimatur of a US-sanctioned federal office for personal gain which is exactly the opposite of what the United States was set up to avoid in the first place ― no special favors by coercive government practices to benefit kings, dukes and duchesses.

Then-VP Joe Biden publicly bragged about how he ― and he alone ― got Ukrainian prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin fired before he could investigate Burisma, an oil and natural gas company in 2016. Burisma was paying Hunter Biden at least $1 million per year to be their general counsel and on their board of directors at the time.

The Obama-Biden Administration then proceeded to send $1

billion of your US tax dollars to Ukraine for some reason. If that doesn’t sound fishy and under-handed, nothing in government is. At the very least, Biden should have kept his mouth shut and no one would have known about his son’s relationship with Burisma. Biden didn’t because he couldn’t.

Biden was proud of the fact he was an “Average Joe from Scranton.” When annual financial disclosures were published, he almost always was ranked as one of the Senators with the lowest net worth throughout his career starting in 1973. And yet he owns a home in Wilmington, Delaware and a mansion in Rehoboth Beach he bought for $2.7 million in 2017 when he left the VP position.

His 2007 Senate Ethics Financial Disclosure form revealed the following information:

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Earned income: $185,700. Honoraria, all donated to charity: $800. Major assets: Bank accounts and life insurance policies, $19,000-$110,000; three bank accounts held jointly with his wife, $3,000-$45,000. Major sources of unearned income: Life insurance dividends, $1,000-$2,500. Major liabilities: Loan against life insurance policies, $15,001-$50,000; lines of credit, $114,002-$300,000; credit union note, less than $10,000.

Jill Biden’s assets, which include money market funds, real estate trusts and a pension fund, are worth $40,000-$250,000.

Biden made $235,000 annually as Vice President.

Perhaps Joe Biden is the “real” real estate magician, not Donald Trump. Either that or his son funneled unreported income to pay his dad’s bills on his two mansions in which case there may be tax evasion and tax fraud issues which should be brought against both men. At the very minimum, what Biden and his son did was stupid and unethical. The worst thing they can do is continue to cover it all up with more lies and subterfuge. Lying is what got Richard Nixon into trouble over Watergate, not the stupidity of the break-in itself.

EDITORIAL

| STACEY MATTHEWS

The 2024 presidential campaign craziness cranks up

IT SEEMS THAT with every presidential election cycle including the run-up to party primaries, things get crazier earlier on in contrast with the previous one.

The 2024 campaign season has been no exception to that rule.

Former President Donald Trump, now a 2024 GOP presidential contender, has been hit in five months’ time with three indictments. But instead of hurting him as Democrats likely thought it would, Trump’s legal troubles have helped him both in primary polling and general election polling, with his numbers rising in both every time a new indictment is announced.

Currently, he’s the clear front-runner in Republican primary polls in most battleground states and national polls, and some general election polls show him ahead of President Joe Biden.

Last Friday, during a speech at an Alabama Republican Party fundraising dinner, Trump quipped, “We need one more indictment to close out this election, one more indictment, and this election is closed out.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has consistently finished second behind Trump in most of these polls due, in my opinion, to circumstances that are for the most part beyond his control, like the “rally around” effect Trump’s indictments have had on his supporters, with his name constantly being in the news cycle.

Nevertheless, DeSantis is continuing to do the work in getting his message out there, which we recently learned would also include an upcoming debate with California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, which is something you rarely see in presidential campaign politics considering Newsom is not running for president himself.

Newsom, as readers of this column will recall, has been busy for the last 18 months trying to convince voters he is the smartest man in America in hopes they’ll see him as a formidable backup to Biden should the president bow out of the race — and should voters not see Vice President Kamala Harris as a viable second choice.

Newsom has also periodically zeroed in on DeSantis, who he has painted

as a far-right conservative extremist. DeSantis has more than held his own in the cross-country war of words between the two, but the lively debate match-up will undoubtedly take things to the next level. Some have said that the debate has the potential to make or break DeSantis’ campaign.

Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., meanwhile, has been busy trying to throw a wrench into Biden’s reelection campaign by demanding primary debates be held, something in which incumbent presidents rarely participate.

Partially because he’s a Kennedy and partially because it appears the powers that be would like him to be quiet, Kennedy has gotten a lot of attention in the press, so much so that he and third-party declarants have some Democrat operatives seriously worried that they could hurt Biden’s campaign just enough to give the Republican nominee an advantage in 2024.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), another presidential candidate and one who has been polling in the single digits, appears to be rising some among the Republican faithful. His upbeat, optimistic tone as well as his faith-based message to primary voters is being credited.

“We will be the nation where we honor our creator and respect every innocent life. This is who we are,” Scott said during his announcement speech in May. “This is who we can be. This is the freest, fairest land where you can go as high as your character and your grit and your talent will take you.”

And, as it turns out, maybe as far as politically motivated indictments will take you as well.

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.

Sen.

Congressman

Blahous’ laws of politics Nos. 2 and 3

(Article first appeared in the July 25, 2023, edition of Discourse magazine published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University)

2ND LAW: The political party opposing the president is more skeptical of military intervention.

When a president concludes that U.S. national interests require either direct participation in military operations abroad or providing material support to one side of an overseas conflict, vocal opposition to such intervention tends to be concentrated in the opposing political party.

This trend is unsurprising and has obvious origins. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is in charge of foreign policy, diplomacy, intelligence gathering and many other national security functions. Trust in the president will nearly always be higher in his own party than in the opposing party. It is thus to be expected that the sharpest criticisms of U.S. military involvements will come from the party that doesn’t hold the White House.

Democrats were the loudest critics of President Ronald Reagan’s prosecution of the Cold War and of both Bushes’ interventions in Iraq. Republicans criticized President Bill Clinton’s management of military operations from Somalia to Kosovo, and what criticism there is of President Joe Biden’s assistance to Ukraine today is concentrated on the Republican side.

A corollary to this law is that the opposition party will be the first to turn against a military action after difficulties are encountered. Congressional support for the October 2002 resolution in favor of military action in Iraq was strongly bipartisan before U.S. forces became mired in ongoing hostilities, after which Democrats rapidly turned against it. Similarly, congressional Republicans rallied around efforts to require Clinton to withdraw forces from Somalia after the disastrous Black Hawk Down operation.

The trend has been pronounced and persistent during presidential administrations of both parties throughout the post-Vietnam era, although it was somewhat muted during the Donald Trump presidency. This was because Trump was exceptionally isolationist among American presidents, skeptical of providing material support even to longstanding U.S. allies. Regardless, it is rare for Congress to call for military intervention where a president is disinclined to go, whereas it frequently happens that a president must sell a military intervention to or around a reluctant Congress.

For this reason, it is especially noteworthy whenever there is public agreement between a

Lord of the White House?

In this handout photo from the U.S. Navy, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through Atlantic Ocean on July 20, 2023. There are regular meetings at Obama’s house in Kalorama involving top figures in the current White House.

FANS OF THE LEGENDARY BRITISH

WRITER J.R.R. Tolkien will recognize the name Grima Wormtongue.

A second-tier antagonist in “The Lord of Rings” (“The Two Towers”), he was the malevolent “chief adviser” to King Theoden of Rohan, Wormtongue cast an evil spell over Theoden. One of our chief protagonists, the wizard Gandalf, finally breaks the spell, and Wormtongue is exiled.

Do you believe that Joe Biden is truly “in charge” of his presidency? Me neither.

Say what you will about Donald Trump, but there was no doubt who ran that White House. Most recent presidents at least set a strong tone (Ronald Reagan). One even micromanaged protest permits on Lafayette Square in front of the White House (Jimmy Carter).

Biden? He might shuffle into the Oval Office by 9 a.m. He’s spent nearly 40% of his presidency at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Name the last time he held a live White House press conference or conducted a real interview with a serious, unbiased journalist.

Who’s really running the White House? Let’s tee up our candidates.

Ron Klain worked for Biden earlier in his 36year Senate career and have a close relationship. He served as Al Gore’s 2000 campaign manager. He’s highly regarded for his political instincts and strategic smarts. Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt (Salem Media Group) often referred to him as the “deputy president” during his tenure, but he’s been gone since January. Is he still pulling strings from outside?

Jeffrey Zients is the new chief of staff and previously served as Biden’s “Covid Coordinator.” He served as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. He has no practical political or notable policy experience but is highly regarded for making the trains run on time, wherever they may be headed.

Susan Rice served as Obama’s national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations. She took on a very different role when Biden assumed office: chief domestic policy adviser. Rice stepped down in late April following a New York Times report about a rise in forced migrant child labor during the Biden administration.

Announcing her departure, Biden’s praised her for her work on immigration and health care. When she was first hired, former Trump acting director of national intelligence and ex-U.S. ambassador to Germany Ric Grennell said she would be “the shadow president.”

president and opposition party leaders on the need for Americans to sacrifice blood and treasure in a military intervention abroad. This only happens when the national security imperative is felt so strongly that it supersedes natural partisan rivalries over the conduct of foreign policy.

3rd Law: Presidents tend to favor free trade more than members of Congress do.

The president is elected to represent the interests of the whole nation. Collectively, Congress also represents the whole of the nation, but individual senators represent only individual states, and individual representatives represent only individual districts. Conflicts can and do arise between the national interest and the sum of local interests, sometimes causing the president and members of Congress to end up on opposite sides — even when they are of the same party. There are several policy areas in which these conflicting perspectives come into play, but one particularly prominent one is trade policy. Presidents have tended to favor free trade agreements, which (1) reduce costs for U.S. consumers, (2) open markets overseas for U.S. businesses and (3) generally improve the national economic performance by which presidents are judged. However, trade flows can also cause disruptions of employment and wages that are often concentrated locally, resulting in opposition from members of Congress representing the affected districts.

While there are typically differences between the parties over trade, these dynamics also tend to result in differences between presidents and their party allies in Congress. For example, both Clinton and President Barack Obama promoted free trade agreements during their administrations, though they often had to make policy concessions to win the support of Congress. National support for free trade rises and falls with the political winds, but amid these fluctuations there has usually been less support in Congress than in the White House.

It remains to be seen whether this law will function in the future as it has for the past few decades. Trump was a notable exception to the usual rule that presidents promote trade. More broadly, American politics today exhibit stronger left and right wings (which tend to be more skeptical of trade’s benefits) and a weakened political center (which historically has favored free trade). While this law is consistent with most recent political history, the future could certainly be different.

Charles Blahous is the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith chair and senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

The supremacy of the house-fly

THERE IS ONE THING which fills me with wonder and reverence every time I think of It — and that is the confident and splendid fight for supremacy which the house-fly makes against the human being. Man, by his inventive ingenuity, has in the course of the ages, by help of diligence and determination, found ways to acquire and establish his mastery over every living creature under the vault of heaven — except the house-fly. With the house-fly he has always failed. The house-fly is as independent of him today as he was when Adam made his first grab for one and didn’t get him. The house-fly defies all man’s inventions for his subjugation or destruction. No creature was ever yet devised that could meet man on his own level and laugh at him and defy him ― except the house-fly.

In ancient times man’s dominion over animated nature was not complete; but, detail by detail, as the ages have drifted by, his inventive genius has brought first one and then another of the unconquerables under his dominion: first the elephant and the tiger, and then the lion, the hippopotamus, the bear, the crocodile, the whale, and so on. One by one man’s superiors in fight have succumbed and hauled down the flag. Man is confessed master of them all, now.

There isn’t one of them— there isn’t a single species— that can survive if man sets himself the task of exterminating it— the house-fly always excepted.

Nature cannot construct a monster on so colossal a scale that man can’t find a way to exterminate it as soon as he is tired of its society. Nature cannot contrive a creature of the microscopicalest infinitesimality and hide it where man cannot find it— find it and kill it. Nature has tried reducing microbes to the last expression of littleness, in the hope of protecting and preserving by this trick a hundred deadly diseases which she holds in warmer affection than she holds any benefit which she has ever conferred upon man, but man has circumvented her and made her waste her time and her effort.

Tom Friedman, The New York Times columnist authored “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century” (2005) and calls himself a “free trader” who was a strong advocate for the invasion of Iraq. He also openly supported Hillary Clinton’s, Michael Bloomberg’s and Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns. He’s praised China’s “autocracy.”

He no doubt influenced Biden’s highly inappropriate engagement in Israel’s internal affairs as the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, was poised to pass judicial reforms. In his column, “Only Biden Can Save Israel Now,” he called on Biden to pull Israel back from the brink of what most would consider reasonable reforms. Biden did as Friedman told him, fortunately, to no avail.

The Knesset ignored him.

There is no doubt that first lady Jill Biden has outsized influence over her spouse, not unlike Edith Wilson when President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke during his second term as President. Dr. Jill is rarely more than a step or two away from Biden and frequently shields him from hostile questions.

The White House Easter Bunny ― no kidding. When the president began to take questions at a recent annual White House Easter Egg Roll, a communications staffer, identified as Angela Perez, dressed as the Easter Bunny, stepped in to artfully, steer Biden away from the media. Would it insult Bunny to associate Bidenomics and other domestic policies, from abortion tourism with your tax dollars at the Department of Defense in clear violation of federal law to our open southern border?

Barack Obama. In March 2021, People Magazine reported then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki as saying Biden and the former president keep in touch and talk regularly over the phone. “They were not just the president and vice president,” Psaki said. “They are friends.

… I would expect that continues.”

It’s deeper than that, thanks to a Tablet Magazine interview by David Samuels with Obama biographer David Garrow. “I have heard from more than one source that there are regular meetings at Obama’s house in Kalorama (D.C.) involving top figures in the current White House,” Garrow says. “He clearly has his oar in.”

The Biden-Harris Administration is swarming with former Obama staff, and their policies are remarkably similar.

While King Theoden was eventually sprung from his spell by Gandalf, there’s no rescuing Joe Biden from his infirmity. Every day is his best day.

It is a most disastrous condition. If all the troublesome and noxious creatures in the earth could be multiplied a hundred-fold, and the house-fly exterminated as compensation, man should be glad and grateful to sign the contract. We should be infinitely better off than we are now. One house-fly, all by itself, can cause us more distress and misery and exasperation than can any dozen of the other vexations which Nature has invented for the poisoning of our peace and the destruction of our comfort. All human ingenuities have been exhausted in the holy war against the fly, and yet the fly remains to-day just what he was in Adam’s time — independent, insolent, intrusive, and indestructible.

Flypaper has accomplished nothing. The percentage of flies that get hitched to it is but one in the hundred, and the other ninety-nine assemble as at a circus and enjoy the performance. Slapping flies with a wet towel results in nothing valuable beyond the exercise. There are not two marksmen in fifty that can hit a fly with a wet towel at even a short range, and this method brings far more humiliation than satisfaction, because there is an expression about the missed fly which is so eloquent with derision that no operator with sensitive feelings can continue his labors after his self-respect is gone — a result which almost always follows his third or fourth miss.

Poisonous powders have been invented for the destruction of noxious insects; they kill the others, but the fly prefers them to sugar. No method of actually exterminating the fly and getting your house thoroughly rid of him has ever been discovered. When our modern fashion of screening all the doors and windows was introduced, it was supposed that we were now done with the fly, and that we had defeated him at last, along with the mosquito. It was not so. Those other creatures have to stay outside nowadays, but the fly remains a member of the family just as before.

The flea never associates with me — has never shown even a passing desire for my company, and so I have none but the friendliest feeling toward him. The mosquito troubles me but little, and I feel nothing but a mild dislike for him. Of all the animals that inhabit the earth, the air, and the waters, I hate only one — and that is the house-fly.

COLUMN | KELLY D. JOHNSTON

COLUMN | CHARLES BLAHOUS

NATION & WORLD

Austrian leader proposes enshrining the use of cash in his country’s constitution

The Associated Press

BERLIN — Austria’s leader is proposing to enshrine in the country’s constitution a right to use cash, which remains more popular in the Alpine nation than in many other places.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said in a statement on Friday that “more and more people are concerned that cash could be restricted as a means of payment in Austria.” His office said that the “uncertainty” is fueled by contradictory information and reports.

“People in Austria have a right to cash,” Nehammer said.

While payments by card and electronic methods have become increasingly dominant in many European countries, Austria and neighboring Germany remain relatively attached to cash. The government says 47 billion euros ($51 billion) per year are withdrawn from ATMs in Austria, a country of about 9.1 million people.

Protecting cash against supposed threats has been a demand of the far-right opposition Freedom Party, which has led polls in Austria in recent months. The country’s next election is due in 2024. Asked in an interview with the Austria Press Agency whether it wasn’t populist to run after the Freedom Party on the issue, the conservative Nehammer replied that the party stands for “beating the drum a lot without actually doing anything for this.”

The chancellor’s proposal,

according to his office, involves a “constitutional protection of cash as a means of payment,” ensuring that people can still pay with cash, and securing a “basic supply” of cash in cooperation with Austria’s central bank. Austria is one of 20 countries that are part of the euro area.

Nehammer said he has instructed Finance Minister Magnus Brunner to work on the proposal and plans to hold a round table with the ministries concerned, finance industry repre -

sentatives and the central bank in September. “Everyone should have the opportunity to decide freely how and with what he wants to pay,” he said. “That can be by card, by transfer, perhaps in future also with the digital euro, but also with cash. This freedom to choose must and will remain.”

Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl accused Nehammer of stealing his party’s ideas and argued that the chancellor’s “suddenly discovered love of cash”

was meant only “to secure his political survival.”

The biggest opposition party in the current parliament, the center-left Social Democrats, has called for at least one ATM in every municipality and accused Nehammer of “pure populism.”

“Even if we write the word ‘cash’ into the constitution 100 times, there won’t be a single ATM more in Austria,” said the head of its parliamentary group, Philip Kucher.

replaces Soviet hammer and sickle with trident on towering Kyiv monument

The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — The towering Mother Ukraine statue in Kyiv — one of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks — lost its hammer-and-sickle symbol on Sunday as officials replaced the Soviet-era emblem with the country’s trident coat of arms.

The move is part of a wider shift to reclaim Ukraine’s cultural identity from the Communist past amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Erected in 1981 as part of a larger complex housing the national World War II museum, the 200-foot Mother Ukraine monument stands on the right bank of the Dnieper River in Kyiv, facing eastward toward Moscow.

Created in the image of a fearless female warrior, the statue holds a sword and a shield.

But now, instead of the hammer-and-sickle emblem, the shield features the Ukrainian tryzub, the trident that was adopted as the coat of arms of independent Ukraine on Feb. 19, 1992.

Workers began removing the old emblem in late July, but poor weather and ongoing air raids delayed the work. The complet -

TRUITT from page A1

vention dropped from 53% at the start of the year to 15% at the end of the year. Nationally, the drop went from 45% to 22% for the same time frame results.

Subgroups (white, Asian, black, Hispanic, Native American/Native Alaskan) also outperformed when compared to national results.

“We outperformed the nation except for Hispanic students where there was a 1% difference,” said Truitt. “However, what we see here is that white students had a 23 percentage point gain from the beginning of the year, Asian students had an 11 percentage point gain from the beginning of the year, black students had an 18 per-

ed sculpture will be officially unveiled on Aug. 24 — Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The revamp also coincides with a new name for the statue, which was previously known as the “Motherland monument” when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.

The change is just one part of a long effort in Ukraine to erase the vestiges of Soviet and Russian influence from its pub -

centage point gain, Hispanic students a 22 percentage point gain, and our Native American students also enjoyed a 22 percentage point gain.”

Nationally, the same groups saw smaller gains; white students gained 17%, Asians 7%, blacks

13%, Hispanic 17% and Native American/Native Alaskans 14%.

“These are incredible gains for our subgroups,” said Truitt. “We are also seeing incredible drops in the number of students needing intensive intervention.”

Intensive interventions for North Carolina K-3 white students dropped 16%, Asians 7%, blacks

15%, Hispanics 20% and Native Americans/Native Alaskans 20%.

Nationally, the drop for white students was 11%, Asians 4%, blacks

lic spaces — often by removing monuments and renaming streets to honor Ukrainian artists, poets and soldiers instead of Russian cultural figures.

Most Soviet and Communist Party symbols were outlawed in Ukraine in 2015, but this did not include World War II monuments such as the Mother Ukraine statue.

Some 85% of Ukrainians backed the removal of the ham -

11%, Hispanics 15% and Native Americans/Native Alaskans 12%.

Data on student benchmark composite scores from BOY to EOY for the current year also showed improvement, with 91,451 more students at and above benchmark and 66,750 fewer students below benchmark this year.

“This is an incredible, incredible shift,” Truitt said of the change in benchmark scores.

When discussing the slide on growth statewide among subgroups, Truitt said this was where “we want to be very transparent about where the gaps still are.”

“Even though our students of color saw incredible gains, our white students started way behind also and they saw incredible gains, which means when we look

DeSantis-controlled Disney World district abolishes diversity, equity initiatives

Orlando, Fla.

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs were abolished from Walt Disney World’s governing district, now controlled by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an echo of the Florida governor’s agenda which has championed curtailing such programs in higher education and elsewhere.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said in a statement that its diversity, equity and inclusion committee would be eliminated, as would any job duties connected to it. Also axed were initiatives left over from when the district was controlled by Disney supporters, which awarded contracts based on goals of achieving racial or gender parity.

Glenton Gilzean, the district’s new administrator who is African American and a former head of the Central Florida Urban League, called such initiatives “illegal and simply un-American.” Gilzean has been a fellow or member at two conservative institutions, the James Madison Institute and the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network, as well as a DeSantis appointee to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

The creation of the district, then known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was instrumental in Disney’s decision to build a theme park resort near Orlando in the 1960s.

The DeSantis appointees took control of the renamed district earlier this year following a yearlong feud between the company and DeSantis.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

mer and sickle from the landmark, according to data from the country’s Culture Ministry released last year.

For many in Ukraine, the Soviet past is synonymous with Russian imperialism, the oppression of the Ukrainian language, and the Holodomor, a man-made famine under Josef Stalin that killed millions of Ukrainians and has been recognized as an act of genocide by both the European Parliament and the United States.

The movement away from Soviet symbols has accelerated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, where assertions of national identity have become an important show of unity as the country struggles under the horror of war.

In a statement about the emblem’s removal, the website of Ukraine’s national World War II museum described the Soviet coat of arms as a symbol of a totalitarian regime that “destroyed millions of people.”

“Together with the coat of arms, we’ve disposed the markers of our belonging to the ‘post-Soviet space’. We are not ‘post-’, but sovereign, independent and free Ukraine.”

at this data we are seeing the gap for our white and African American students,” said Truitt. “Even though they made such incredible gains, there is still a gap there that increased by 6 percentage points.”

She also noted the white and Hispanic gap was the same and the white and American Indian gap increased by three. Truitt said districts who are “killing it” in addressing gaps are conducting regular progress monitoring of students using DIBELS 8 and other tools.

While this year’s data is still being validated, Truitt believes it will be positive and told the board, “Last year’s EOG data showed we were very close to reaching pre-pandemic levels.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice accuses liberals of ‘raw exercise of overreaching power’ Madison, Wis.

The conservative chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court accused her liberal colleagues of a “raw exercise of overreaching power” after they flexed their new majority and fired the director of the state’s court system.

The four liberal justices, on just their second day as a majority on the court after 15 years under conservative control, voted to fire Randy Koschnick. Koschnick held the job for six years after serving for 18 years as a judge and running unsuccessfully as a conservative in 2009 against then-Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a liberal.

“To say that I am disappointed in my colleagues is an understatement,” Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, now a member of the three-justice conservative minority, said in a lengthy statement after Koschnick was fired.

Ziegler said the move undermined her authority as chief justice. She called it unauthorized, procedurally and legally flawed, and reckless. But she said she would not attempt to stop it out of fear that other court employees could be similarly fired.

“My colleagues’ unprecedented dangerous conduct is the raw exercise of overreaching power,” she said. “It is shameful. I fear this is only the beginning.”

Fellow conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley blasted the move in a social media post, saying, “Political purges of court employees are beyond the pale.”

The justices who voted to fire Koschnick did not respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine

AP PHOTO

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer briefs the media during a meeting with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 26, 2023.

AP PHOTO

Workers install the Ukrainian coat of arms on the shield in the hand of the country’s tallest stature, the Motherland Monument, after the Soviet coat of arms was removed, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023.

NFL Panthers sign LB

Johnson to 1-year deal

Charlotte

The Panthers have agreed to terms with four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker

Justin Houston on a one -year contract. Houston, a 12-year NFL veteran, gives Carolina the veteran edge rusher it sought to play opposite Brian Burns. Houston has 111½ sacks during his career, including 9½ last season for the Ravens. Houston’s best season came in 2014 when he was selected as an All-Pro, finishing with 22 sacks while playing for the Chiefs. Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer had previously said the Panthers were seeking to add an edge rusher for Carolina’s new 3 - 4 defensive scheme to take some pressure off Burns, a Pro Bowl player last season. The 34 -year- old Houston was a third-round pick by the Chiefs in 2011 and spent eight seasons in Kansas City. He played two years in Indianapolis before spending the past two with the Ravens.

MLS Buescher wins 2nd straight Cup race

Brooklyn, Mich.

Chris Buescher has earned half of his four career NASCAR Cup Series victories in a stunning, nine - day stretch of success. Buescher won his second straight NASCAR Cup Series race by holding off points-leader Martin Truex late in the FireKeepers 400 on Monday and is surging with his top performances toward the end of the regular season. Buescher, who won last week at Richmond, led 52 of the 200 laps. With 12 laps left, Truex challenged him with door-to - door driving before sparks were seen under his No. 19 Toyota and he faded.

Denny Hamlin was third followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson. Buescher gave Ford its ninth straight victory at Michigan to extend the longest winning streak by a manufacturer at a track that has hosted Cup races since 1969.

Riley Leonard, Duke look for motivation to improve

The second-year quarterback is going with the stick instead of the carrot to inspire his team

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

IF DUKE QUARTERBACK

Riley Leonard needs any motivation entering his second year as the Blue Devils’ starter, it’s all right there on his wrist.

The junior, who finished in the top five in preseason voting for ACC Player of the Year, wears a blue band around his wrist that spells out the message “YOU SUCK” in white letters.

It was a gift from his mom. No, Heather Leonard isn’t the new face of Little League parents gone wrong — the second coming of Marv Marinovich. Riley has the same home-field advantage as most college athletes. His mom is just doing what her son requested.

“My whole life, I’ve kind of gotten a lot of praise,” Leonard said.

“So I wanted my mom … I went to my mom one day and said, ‘Hey, someone has to bash me and tell me I suck to give me motivation.’ She’s, like, ‘Shoot, I’ll do it.’

“That’s been happening for a long time ever since high school,” he added. “Yeah, it’s a pretty funny tradition we have going.”

She supplements the bracelet with the occasional crank call to her son.

“Before every game, she calls me,” he said. “She texted me last night (before ACC Football Kickoff), ‘Hey, don’t suck at these interviews.’ Things like that. It just gives me some motivation.”

While the phrase could have been accurately leveled at the Blue Devils in several recent seasons, Leonard and Duke did not suck last year. He was fourth in the ACC in passing, had a higher completion percentage than Sam Hartman and fewer interceptions than Drake Maye, earning honor -

able mention All-ACC honors.

In addition to his 2,997 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air, Leonard was also Duke’s leading rusher on the season. His performance helped Duke finish fifth in the ACC in scoring and go from a 3-9 season to 9-4 in coach Mike Elko’s first year at the helm.

Now Elko and Leonard both need to follow up on their impressive debuts.

That sometimes requires tough love. After Duke hit the practice field for the first time in the preseason — a workout that, by all accounts, went well — Elko said, “Every 0-12 team in the country just had a good practice.”

Elko is clearly pushing his

Glover wins Wyndham at Sedgefield

The win in Greensboro vaulted the South Carolina native into a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs

The Associated Press GREENSBORO — Lucas Glover did more than extend his PGA Tour season Sunday. He won the Wyndham Championship with a 2-under 68 that sends him into the FedEx Cup playoffs with more big opportunities in front of him.

Glover managed a two-hour rain delay and took advantage of a faltering Russell Henley to win for the first time in more than two years and earn an unlikely spot in the lucrative postseason.

Justin Thomas ended his season with a shot he won’t soon forget. Needing a birdie on the 18th hole, his pitch from 100 feet short of the hole smacked off the base of the pin and settled inches away as Thomas fell to the ground in disbelief.

Now he must wait three weeks to see if his worst season — this is the first time Thomas has failed to make the playoffs — will cost him a pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Glover now has five PGA Tour wins separated by 18 years, and there might not have been another except for deciding to switch to a long putter, a move inspired by Adam Scott. He had been battling the yips, and he made every im-

portant putt at Sedgefield Country Club. The Wyndham Championship is the final tournament before the top 70 qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs that start next week in Memphis, Tennessee. Glover was

team not to be satisfied with last season’s quick turnaround.

“We spent a lot of time this offseason with messaging,” he said. “Everyone in there knows we’re here to chase greatness. That’s what I want this program to be about. And when that’s your goal, you don’t have time to look back on what you’ve accomplished. The focus has to be on what’s right in front of your face and how you can get better.”

That’s why, even though Duke returns more starters than any other team in the ACC, including Leonard, Elko is looking at the entire depth chart.

“I would say this, I would say no roles are cemented,” he said. “And I would not be surprised if of the 17 returning starters, a couple of them are in really big challenges and battles this camp to keep their jobs.

“That’s the program that you want, and that’s what you want to build. You want to know that your youth and your young guys are developing, that you’re bringing new guys into the program to push the level of play and that there is open competition because I think competition is what makes everybody better.”

That and a few harsh words, just to keep your quarterback on

at No. 112, a long shot who needed nothing short of a runner-up finish.

He did one better, pulling away after the rain delay with plenty of help from Henley.

It was the second time in three years that Henley let one get away at Sedgefield. When play resumed, he took the lead with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th, and then everything went wrong in a bogey-bogey-bogey finish.

His mediocre tee shot on the par-3 16th came down the slope at the front of the green and took one more turn into a deep divot hole. He chopped that out to 35 feet and made bogey. He sent his tee shot on the 17th into the trees, and his next shot buried in a deep hole in thick rough. He had to scramble for bogey.

And then on the closing hole, his approach from the fairway came up short and rolled off the green. He pitched to 18 feet and two-putted. He had gone 21 straight holes without a bogey and finished with three straight for a 69.

Two years ago, he had four bogeys over the last eight holes and missed a playoff by one shot.

“Just never got comfortable, felt a little jittery out there, just never got into a good sync with my

“YOU SUCK”

Riley Leonard’s motivational bracelet

See WYNDHAM, page B3

See DUKE, page B4

TERRANCE WILLIAMS | AP PHOTO

Quarterback Riley Leonard and Duke are looking to improve after their surprising 9-4 season under first-year coach Mike Elko.

CHUCK BURTON | AP PHOTO

Lucas Glover hits his approach shot to the ninth hole during his tournament-clinching final round Sunday at the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.

TRENDING

Devonte’ Graham:

The Spurs guard was suspended two games without pay by the NBA for pleading guilty to a charge of impaired driving. Graham, who was drafted by the Hornets in 2018 and played three seasons in Charlotte, was stopped for speeding in his hometown of Raleigh in July 2022 for driving 63 mph in a 40‑mph zone and tested with a blood alcohol level of .11, above the state’s legal limit of .08. He will be on 12 months unsupervised probation.

Martin Truex Jr.:

The 2017 Cup Series champion is returning for another run with Joe Gibbs Racing, signing a deal to compete in NASCAR races again next year. This season’s points leader made the announcement Saturday. The 43‑year‑old has won three times this season after publicly pondering retirement last year when he failed to win a race and missed the playoffs. Truex has 43 career victories and had second‑place series finishes in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Cole Hamels: The former World Series MVP and four‑time All‑Star has retired after his attempt at a comeback with his hometown San Diego Padres fell short. The Padres signed Hamels to a minor league contract in February. The team announced his retirement, which agent John Boggs confirmed. The 39‑year‑old left‑hander made one start for the Braves in 2020 and hasn’t pitched since then. The four‑time All‑Star had shoulder surgery in 2021. He was MVP of the 2008 World Series with the Phillies.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Wake Forest receiver Donavon Green will miss three to five months after sustaining a knee injury on the first day of fall practice, the school announced Monday. The 6‑foot‑2, 210‑pound redshirt junior had 37 receptions for 642 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season and was considered the Demon Deacons’ top returning receiver this season. Greene missed all of the 2021 season with a knee injury.

Former UNC quarterback Sam Howell on competing for the Commanders’ starting job.

Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel in the Netflix documentary “Untold: Johnny Football.”

PRIME NUMBER

58

Final‑round score by Bryson DeChambeau at the White Course at Greenbrier in West Virginia on Sunday to earn his first LIV Golf win. He is the fourth player to shoot a 58 in a top‑level tour event, joining Jim Furyk in 2016 on the PGA Tour and Ryo Ishikawa and S.H. Kim on the Japan Golf Tour.

Cup Series driver Noah Gragson was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club due to liking an insensitive meme of George Floyd, the black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck in 2020. Gragson, in his first full season in the Cup series, was 33rd in points before his suspension.

Anthony Davis and the Lakers agreed on a three‑year, $186 million contract extension, and the deal’s $62 million annual price tag is the richest in NBA history. The new contract will kick in with the 2025‑26 season. The eight‑time All‑Star averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season in Los Angeles.

Former NC State pitcher and Yankees starter Carlos Rodón exited his start Sunday against the Astros with left hamstring tightness. Rodón signed to a $162 million, six‑year contract with New York in the offseason but missed the first three‑plus months of the season with a forearm strain and a bad back.

MLB

MARK HUMPHREY | AP PHOTO

NBA MARK J. TERRILL | AP PHOTO

NASCAR

TERRY RENNA | AP PHOTO

“My plan was to take my life.”

GENE J. PUSKAR | AP PHOTO

SETH WENIG | AP PHOTO

“There’s a lot of work left to be done.”

STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH | AP PHOTO

Clock is ticking on ACC’s future

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL had its annual trade deadline last week. It’s a last opportunity for teams whose seasons aren’t going as well as expected to prepare for the future, usually by trading away veteran players expected to leave as free agents in the offseason to gain prospects who will help the franchise down the road.

Some teams take a more aggressive approach. The Angels employ the best player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani. He’s expected to leave for a team more likely to win the World Series when he becomes a free agent in the fall, and most observers expected him to be traded so the Angels could get something back when he departs.

Instead, the Angels were active in acquiring more players to improve the team and make it a more appealing place for Ohtani to remain when he chooses his future home in a few months.

As college football’s sands shift, Wake Forest on solid ground

Dave Clawson has built a model of stability as the sport undergoes momentous change

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

EVERYTHING is changing in college football.

Teams are once again on the move as conferences realign, and the transfer portal is shuffling rosters to the point where a team’s portal ranking may be more important than the quality of its recruiting class.

There is one island of stability in the storm of change in football — Wake Forest.

Dave Clawson is a throwback, building his program the old-fashioned way. He gets promising players and develops them. It’s slow, steady and supposedly obsolete in the wild west that is post-COVID NCAA football.

“Sam Hartman went to Notre Dame,” Clawson pointed out. Hartman has quarterbacked the Deacs for 48 games since 2018.

“Rondell Bothroyd (42 games on the defensive line since 2018) went to Oklahoma. Those guys spent five years in our program. They did everything right. What’s not talked about is all the players who stayed.”

Clawson pointed out proudly that only one other team lost fewer players in the transfer portal this past offseason. And that was despite outside influence, as he made headlines by pointing out at ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte last month.

“You don’t think these guys all had offers to go to other schools?”

Clawson asked. “We had six to eight players that were tampered with, that were given great NIL opportunities, and they all chose to stay.”

Clawson later doubled down on his tampering accusations, saying his players were offered from

$150,000 to $500,000 to leave.

“I love the way they handled it,” he said of his players. “They didn’t try to leverage, negotiate. They just wanted me to know as the head coach that these things are now going on in college football, which I knew. But when you get the firsthand examples of it, of ‘This school offered me this much to go there at this time,’ those are very real things.”

Clawson wouldn’t say which schools were reaching out to players on his roster, although he seemed to know. “One school did it with three different players,” he said. “It was great: ‘No, no, no.’ And the money offers kept getting better.”

Wake’s players seem to be immune to the temptations that are roiling the football landscape, where everyone — from conference commissioners to university presidents to backup linebackers — is looking for the best possible payday.

“I look at it as a positive,” Clawson said. “We had the second-fewest players in the country going into the portal. So like most football teams in the country, yeah, we lost some guys in the portal. I’m more happy about all the guys that stayed. That doesn’t make as good of a headline for a story, but our program has been based on, again, recruiting the right guys, retaining them and graduating them.”

That’s not to say that Wake is on the verge of leaving the ACC for the Ivy League. They’re still playing big-time football at the highest level.

“We are still attempting to run a college football program at Wake Forest,” he said. “We have a (NIL) collective, and I’m sure all these guys are getting something. It’s not like we’re ignoring the new age of college football, but our program is still based on retention and graduation. If you look at the amount of players who went into the portal, I would argue that we’re manag-

ing this as well as anybody in the country right now.”

Clawson’s coaching staff is also the picture of stability. He is the third longest-tenured coach in the ACC, behind Dabo Swinney and Dave Doeren, despite being mentioned as a possible candidate to move to a football power with a vacancy seemingly every offseason. He’s in his 10th season at Wake Forest, and four of his assistants, as well as Wake’s strength coach, have also been with him at least that long.

“In this day and age in college football to be able to live in the same house with your family and your kids, to be able to go to schools and be in the same place, I’m fortunate that Wake Forest has allowed me to do that,” he said, “but I think I’m very philosophically aligned with the place.

“The reason I got into coaching college football are all the things we do at Wake Forest,” he continued. “We recruit high-character young men that care about their schoolwork. They graduate. They have very exciting trajectories after Wake Forest, whether it be in the NFL or other professions. I don’t have to fight my conscience going to work every day.”

It’s all part of the stable ground on which the Deacs’ program is built.

“I mean, we don’t get fourand five-star recruits,” Clawson said. “Somehow, we manage to win games because I think our coaches, our strength staff, our nutritionists, our trainers, we do a great job developing players. … When you are in your program three, four, five, six years and those things never change, you can get really, really good at them. I think that’s why we’ve had success is that we’ve had a great staff, and I’m fortunate that they’ve chosen to stay too.”

The more things change everywhere else, the more they remain the same in Winston-Salem.

The worst thing a team can do when faced with players who might be looking for greener pastures is to point to the contract the player signed and declare that everything will be fine until that contract expires.

In other words, the ACC approach.

For months, there have been reports that several members of the ACC are unhappy with the conference’s revenue when compared to fellow conferences like the SEC and Big Ten. Florida State has been the most vocal critic.

“We are not satisfied with our current situation,” Florida State President Richard McCullough said last week. “We love the ACC and our partners at ESPN. Our goal would be to stay in the ACC, but staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how to remain competitive unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution. That has not happened.”

The league remains a small, boutique basketball league that has its moments in football — until 2036 when it ceases to exist the moment the grant of rights expires.

That statement came after the ACC implemented its socalled iron-clad grant of rights, which carries heavy financial penalties if schools depart. It came after the league came up with a better revenue model in the spring, allowing schools to keep more of what they earn instead of sharing it. And it came after commissioner Jim Phillips pointed out that the ACC was third in revenue among big conferences, and “third is certainly a good position.”

Clemson has also been reported to be unhappy with the revenue situation, and other big earners in the conference — including Miami, UNC, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech — have shown that they also would be willing to join a revolution and/or mass defection from the league.

So the ACC appears to be the St. Louis Cardinals of the Power Five. They have plenty of members under contract who are ready to leave as soon as the agreement expires in 2036.

Like the Cardinals and Angels, the ACC has three choices: Act now to prepare for the future, even if it means some key contributors are gone; act now to make the conference more appealing for those big hitters to stick around; or do nothing because everyone is under contract for a little while longer.

Like it or not, college sports is moving toward a few mega conferences. It will include the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12, which has gone from the endangered list to a major player by grabbing several Pac-12 schools to add to its roster.

Meanwhile, the ACC has not added anyone. Its third-place revenue position, which seems likely to drop to fourth with the reborn Big 12 on the ascent, makes it less attractive a landing spot, and the fact that more than a half-dozen teams appear to be looking at the door also isn’t a selling point.

However, even if the current approach works — even if the legal teams from the seven schools looking to break away can’t find a loophole in the grant of rights binding everyone to the league — there doesn’t appear to be an endgame for the ACC.

If everyone stays put through 2036, what do we have? A fourth-place league, smaller and less influential than the Power Three. The better programs make more than the others, but still not enough to match the lure of the SEC and Big Ten. The league remains a small, boutique basketball league that has its moments in football — until 2036 when it ceases to exist the moment the grant of rights expires.

Alternatively, the league already has seven members unhappy. The new revenue plan clearly isn’t enough to calm their concerns, as FSU’s president proclaimed at the board meeting. On the other hand, seeing their payout get cut in favor of the FSUs and Clemsons may cause dissatisfaction with the revenue model to spread to the have-nots in the league. And eventually, the number of unhappy schools will reach a critical mass, because all it takes to change the rules — including grant of rights agreements — is a vote among members.

The ACC is running out of options as each Pac-12 school announces its new conference home. The league office needs to realize that a contract is not a plan and that legally binding doesn’t mean security for the future.

It may already be too late, but if not, that deadline is coming. It’s time to make a deal.

swing,” Henley said. “Just didn’t do a good job of handling the restart.”

Henley tied for second with Byeong Hun An (67). Billy Horschel, who shared the 54-hole lead with Glover, didn’t make a birdie until the final hole. He shot 72 and finished alone in fourth.

Glover never liked the idea of the PGA Tour dropping the number from 125 to 70 players who advance to the playoffs. Now he’s No. 49 with the victory, and if he can

stay in the top 50 after next week, the 43-year-old will be eligible for all the signature $20 million events in 2024.

Winning is what mattered more, especially having his two children, Lucille and Lucas Jr., come out to the green. “Daddy, you won!” the son said. His daughter was in tears.

“I’m too old to be on the road this much,” Glover said. “I’ve been busting my hump to be with them, be with my wife. I’m so happy.”

Thomas made a 15-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole, only to catch

a strong gust as storms were moving in on the par-3 16th, sending his ball down the hill and leading to bogey. He looked to be in big trouble on the 18th when he pulled his tee shot onto the pine straw, blocked by trees. But he hit a hard hook, twisting his body 180 degrees on impact, just short of the green. The pitch took a few hops and looked like it would disappear into the hole until the base of the pin kept it out. He had to settle for a 68 and a long three weeks of waiting.

Zach Johnson gets six captain’s picks, and the question is whether Thomas has done enough in his two previous Ryder Cup appearances — or showed enough in one week — to merit a pick.

The 70th and final spot went to Ben Griffin, who missed the cut. He finished nine points ahead of Thomas. Adam Scott closed with a 63 and missed the postseason for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.

That leaves Matt Kuchar as the only player eligible for the playoffs every year since 2007.

The number of PGA Tour players who qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs

WYNDHAM from page B1

CHUCK BURTON | AP PHOTO

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson has brought stability to the Demon Deacons football program that has allowed it to thrive despite changes to the transfer portal and NIL rules.

CHUCK BURTON | AP PHOTO

Wake Forest lost quarterback Sam Hartman, right, to Notre Dame in the transfer portal, but the Demon Deacons were able to retain most of their players despite efforts from other schools to pillage their roster.

Jordan’s sale of Hornets finalized

Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall take over as the Charlotte franchise’s new owners

By Steve Reed

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — A new era has begun for the Charlotte Hornets, raising hope that one day the struggling franchise might turn things around.

Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall officially acquired the majority stake of the Hornets from sixtime NBA champion Michael Jordan on Thursday, bringing new thoughts and ideas on how to rebuild a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs in the last seven seasons.

Plotkin said he and Schnall plan to be “patient” NBA owners, but they are driven to build a winner in Charlotte.

“We think ultimately this is a top-10 or top-15 franchise in the NBA in terms of attractiveness,” Plotkin said. “It’s our job to produce winning basketball. Winning takes a lot of structure and it doesn’t happen overnight. We’ll try to position the business for success over the long term and try to make smart decisions.”

Plotkin said there will be a focus on analytics, player development, strategy and sports performance. A renovated arena and a

state-of-the-art practice facility are also in the near future, which Plotkin believes will help in developing and attracting players — and ultimately mean more wins.

Jordan never could build a consistent winner in Charlotte.

During his 13-year tenure as majority owner, the Hornets went 423-600 and never won a playoff series.

Jordan did not attend the news conference, but he said in news release that it was a “tremendous honor” to own the Hornets. He didn’t give an explanation

Gabe Plotkin, new co-owner of the Hornets

as to why he sold the franchise. “As I transition into a minority ownership role, I’m thrilled to be able to pass the reins to two successful, innovative and strategic leaders in Gabe and Rick,” Jordan

said. “I know the Hornets organization is in great hands moving forward. I’m excited about the future of the team and will continue to support the organization and the community in my new role in the years ahead.”

Schnall said he’s glad Jordan plans to remain on as a minority owner — and he wants to repay him with a championship.

“He’s the greatest basketball player of all time and he has been an incredible partner to us during this negotiation and he has set this business up for future success,” Schnall said. “He’s not leaving and will be around here for a long time with us as a partner.”

One of the criticisms of Jordan from fans has been his lack of spending in free agency.

Plotkin said the Hornets may need to focus on player development first while also building a winning culture that will attract big-name free agents down the road.

“It’s a great city, a great climate and the ease of getting around here is wonderful,” Plotkin said.

“I think those things will happen.

I don’t think there is one route or the other, but I think ultimately player development will be a great focus, and if the opportunity is there for free agency, we will pursue that, too.”

Added Schnall: “If we can create a winning culture that people want to be around with high-character kids on our team who want to be part of it, we should have great success in attracting free agents over time.”

Schnall said he and Plotkin

own “similar stakes” in the franchise, but he wouldn’t say who owns more. They will treat it as an equal partnership.

That means they will rotate the team’s governorship every five years, beginning first with Schnall.

Plotkin and Schnall may not be household names like Jordan, but both have experienced plenty of success in the business world and are huge basketball junkies. Schnall first met Jordan 20 year ago at the former Chicago Bulls star’s fantasy basketball camp, where he forged a relationship with the 14-time All-Star.

Schnall has been a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and was involved in various aspects of the Hawks’ team-building process as well as the renovations to State Farm Arena. He is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, where he has worked for 27 years.

Plotkin, the founder and chief investment officer of Tallwoods Capital, acquired a minority stake in the Hornets in 2019 before purchasing a majority stake.

Both men previously served as alternate governors on the NBA Board of Governors.

The Hornets’ new ownership group also includes Chris Shumway, Dan Sundheim, Ian Loring, Andrew Schwartzberg, Dyal Home Court Partners, North Carolina natives recording artist J. Cole and country music singer-songwriter Eric Church, and several local Charlotte investors, including Amy Levine Dawson and Damian Mills, among others.

Future uncertain for USWNT after crashing out of the World Cup

The U.S. women lost to Sweden in the Round of 16

By Anne M. Peterson

The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia —

The rest of the world has finally caught up to the United States.

The once-dominant Americans crashed out of the Women’s World Cup on penalties after a scoreless draw with Sweden in the Round of 16 on Sunday. It was the earliest exit ever for the four-time tournament champions.

A shootout in the 1999 World Cup — with a much different outcome — supercharged the U.S. team’s prominence atop the sport globally. The Americans beat China on penalties in front of a sellout crowd at the Rose Bowl and Brandi Chastain doffed her jersey in celebration.

Except for some desperate energy in its last match, this U.S. team appeared uncharacteristically timid and disorganized throughout this World Cup. The two-time defending champions squeaked by in the group stage with just a win against Vietnam and disappointing draws against Netherlands and Portugal.

DUKE from page B1

his toes. When asked about Leonard, Elko said, “I think there’s a lot

The Americans have fallen victim to growing parity in women’s soccer. Former powerhouse teams like the United States, Germany and Brazil were all sent home early while Jamaica, Colombia and first-timers Morocco surpassed expectations.

“I think it says a lot about the growth of the game,” defender and former UNC standout Crystal Dunn said. “I think so many people are looking for us to win games 5-0, and World Cups.

“We should be proud that those days aren’t here. We, as members of the U.S. women’s national team, have always fought for the growth of this game globally, and I think that is what you’re seeing.”

After a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and now the early exit from the World Cup, coach Vlatko Andonovski’s future with the team is uncertain as it prepares for the next big tournament, the Paris Games next year.

Andonovski took over the job for Jill Ellis, the former NC State assistant who led the Americans to their back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and ’19. He has gone 51-5-9 during his time with the team.

“I never came into the job, never came into the locker room with the

of really talented quarterbacks in this league. I think it’s one of the things that differentiates this league across the country.” Still, there’s a time to switch

“All we want to do is be successful, be able to uphold the legacy that this team deserves. We failed at that this time.”

mindset that I wanted to do something to save my job,” Andonovski said on Sunday, clearly shaken. “I was always focused on doing a good job, doing my job in the best possible manner to prepare this team for the challenges they have in front of them, and to prepare them to represent our country.”

In addition to a stronger level of competition, the United States also struggled with inexperience.

The United States brought 14 players to the World Cup who had never played in the event. Indeed, 12 of them had never played in a major tournament.

The changes were part of a U.S. youth movement after the disappointing Tokyo Games. Andonovski focused his attention on developing young players like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and

out the stick for the carrot.

“I think the volume of NFL quarterbacks that we see and we play against is really high,” Elko continued, “and I think we’re re -

18-year-old Alyssa Thompson.

One player, midfielder Savannah DeMelo, had never appeared in a national team match when she was named to the World Cup roster. She appeared as a substitute in a send-off match against Wales in San Jose before starting in the first two World Cup games.

Smith, the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year for 2022, had a good start to the tournament with two goals against Vietnam but went scoreless the rest of the way. She missed her penalty attempt against Sweden along with Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara.

The only other scorer for the team was co-captain Lindsey Horan, who also had two goals.

“Even though it didn’t end up the way we wanted, it’s a huge experience for some of these young players,” Andonovski said. “There’s a group of players that will make a mark in the future.”

Rapinoe, the outspoken star of the 2019 World Cup known for her iconic victory pose, wasn’t the same game-changer she once was. At 38, and after a pair of World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal, her role had diminished. She announced before the tournament started that it would be her last World Cup.

ally happy to have the guy that we have.”

In other words, maybe Riley Leonard doesn’t suck.

“Coach Elko is great,” Leon-

After the match defender Julie Ertz also said it was likely her last time wearing the U.S. jersey. It was also clear the United States was missing several important players.

Mallory Swanson, the team’s top scorer this year, tore her patella tendon in an exhibition match with Ireland in April. Becky Sauerbrunn, the team’s captain, announced in June that she was unable to get over a foot injury in time for the tournament.

Dynamic forward Catarina Macario, hailed among the future stars of the team, tore her ACL last year playing with French club Lyon and didn’t recover in time. In the end, however, the United States struggled most with its identity. It could never muster the confidence of teams past — including the legendary ‘99ers.

“All we want to do is be successful, be able to uphold the legacy that this team deserves. We failed at that this time,” said forward Alex Morgan, who like Rapinoe was playing in her fourth World Cup. “But I’m still hopeful with the future of this team. I still stand by that. This game is evolving, the game is getting better and that’s not going to change. It’s only going to continue.”

ard said. “He is great at keeping me — never letting me become complacent. He is always going to be just like my mom, keeping me humble.”

“It’s our job to produce winning basketball.”

Alex Morgan

SCOTT BARBOUR | AP PHOTO

Megan Rapinoe, right, reacts with her USWNT teammates following their loss to Sweden in their Women’s World Cup Round of 16 soccer match Sunday in Melbourne, Australia.

CHRIS CARLSON | AP PHOTO

Rick Schnall, left, and Gabe Plotkin speak to the media during a news conference announcing their acquisition of the majority stake of the Hornets on Thursday in Charlotte.

DEBT from page B5

to sell due to a downgrade,” Alec Phillips, chief political economist for Goldman Sachs, wrote in a research note.

Large U.S. banks that are required by regulators to hold Treasurys won’t see any changes in those rules just because of the downgrade, Phillips added in an interview, because regulators will still see them as safe investments. For most investors, U.S. Treasury securities are essentially in a class by themselves. The U.S. government bond market is the largest in the world, which makes it easy for investors to buy and sell Treasurys as needed. The United States’ large economy and historic political stability has led many investors to see Treasurys as nearly the equivalent of cash.

Rating agency downgrades typically have more impact on smaller, lesser-know debt issuers, such as municipal governments. In those cases, even large investors may not have much information about the creditworthiness of the bond and are more reliant on the ratings agencies, Phillips said.

Yet that isn’t really the case for Treasury bonds and notes, he said. Large investment funds and banks form their own opinions about Treasury securities and don’t rely on the ratings agencies, he said. Fitch’s analysis also didn’t provide much new information, he added. Other entities, such as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, have made similar projections about where U.S. government debt is headed.

“Nobody’s holding Treasuries because of the ratings,” Phillips added.

What does Fitch mean by ‘governance’?

Fitch cited a decline in “governance” as a key reason for its downgrade, a reference to the repeated battles in Washington over the past two decades that have led to government shutdowns or even taken the government to the brink of a debt default.

“The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management,” Fitch said.

At the same time, Fitch is referring to the inability of even compromise legislation to meaningfully address the long-term drivers of federal government debt, specifically entitlement programs for the elderly such as Social Security and Medicaid.

“There has been only limited progress in tackling medium-term challenges related to rising social security and Medicare costs due to an aging population,” Fitch said.

IRS aims to go paperless by 2025

The Associated Press MOST TAXPAYERS will be able to digitally submit a slew of tax documents and other communications to the IRS next filing season as the agency aims to go completely paperless by 2025.

The effort to reduce the exorbitant load of paperwork that has plagued the agency — dubbed the “paperless processing initiative”

— was announced Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel.

The effort is being financed through an $80 billion infusion of cash for the IRS over 10 years under the Inflation Reduction Act passed into law last August, although some of that money already is being cut back.

“Thanks to the IRA, we are in the process of transforming the

IRS into a digital-first agency,” Yellen said during a visit to an IRS paper processing facility in McLean, Virginia.

“By the next filing season,” she said, “taxpayers will be able to digitally submit all correspondence, non-tax forms, and notice responses to the IRS.”

“Of course, taxpayers will always have the choice to submit documents by paper,” she added.

Under the initiative, most people will be able to submit everything but their tax returns digitally in 2024. And as the IRS pilots its new electronic free file tax return system starting in 2024, the agency will be able to process everything, including tax returns, digitally by 2025.

The processing change is expected to cut back on the $40 million per year that the agency spends storing more than 1 bil-

“By the next filing season, taxpayers will be able to digitally submit all correspondence, non-tax forms, and notice responses to the IRS.”

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

lion historical documents. The federal tax administrator receives more than 200 million paper tax returns, forms, and pieces of mail and non-tax forms annually, according to the IRS. Roughly 213.4 million returns and other forms were filed electronically in fiscal year 2022, which represents 81.2 percent of all

filings, according to IRS data.

Coupled with decades of underfunding, an overload of paper documents has prevented the agency from processing tax forms at a faster pace in years past, agency leaders have said. The new initiative should allow the agency to expedite refunds by several weeks, according to the IRS.

In June, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins said the IRS cut its backlog of unprocessed paper tax returns by 80%, from 13.3 million returns at the end of the 2022 filing season to 2.6 million at the end of the 2023 filing season.

The federal tax collector’s funding is still vulnerable to cutbacks. House Republicans built a $1.4 billion reduction to the IRS into the debt ceiling and budget cuts package passed by Congress this summer. The White House said the debt deal also has a separate agreement to take $20 billion from the IRS over the next two years and divert that money to other non-defense programs.

Apple’s earnings top analysts’ forecasts, but year-over-year sales drop for third straight quarter

The Associated Press

APPLE’S EKED out a slightly higher profit last quarter even though sales dipped during the period, a showing that may not be enough to sustain investor enthusiasm that recently made the iPhone maker the first publicly held U.S. company to be valued at $3 trillion.

The results released Thursday covered April through June, the third consecutive quarter that the Cupertino, California, company has posted a year-over-year decline in revenue. That’s its longest stretch of falling sales in nearly seven years.

Apple also indicated revenue for the current July through September quarter is expected to decline, despite the anticipated release of the next iPhone. The disappointing forecast, coupled with the lukewarm results for the past quarter, caused Apple’s stock to fall 2% in Thursday’s extended trading.

If the shares behave similarly during Friday’s regular trading session, it will push Apple’s market value below the $3 trillion threshold it eclipsed in late June.

Revenue for Apple’s most recent quarter totaled $81.8 billion, down 1% from last year. Profit edged up 2% from a year ago to $19.9 billion, or $1.26 per share.

“We continue to face an uneven macroeconomic environment,”

Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors during the conference call.

The earnings were better than the $1.20 per share projected by analysts polled by FactSet Re-

search, while revenue matched analyst forecasts.

But iPhones sales — the product segment watched most closely by Wall Street — fell 2% from a year ago to $39.7 billion, below analysts’ predictions.

“Investors appear to be reacting to the slight miss in iPhone sales, but I wouldn’t read too much into it as many consumers are holding out until the next iPhone release,” said Investing.com analyst Jesse Cohen.

Investors have remained upbeat about Apple’s prospects despite the company’s modest sales erosion, largely because its results have been less wobbly than other

major technology companies that suffered steeper slides coming out of pandemic. Several stalwarts in the sector have announced mass layoffs.

By contrast, Apple has held its ground while still managing to generate eye-popping profits. It has also laid the groundwork for potential growth, recently unveiling a sleek $3,500 headset that many analysts believe will introduce the still-geeky realm of virtual reality to a wider audience.

Apple’s performance capped a succession of mostly positive quarterly reports from Big Tech companies regaining their stride after stumbling through much of year.

Tech’s troubles coincided with the pandemic winding down, as people weaned themselves from digital services and products that were in higher demand while they were spending more time at home.

Improving industry conditions have helped lift the tech-driven Nasdaq composite index by 33% so far this year.

But legal efforts to curb Big Tech’s power could pose other obstacles.

Apple is still fighting court rulings that would allow iPhone app makers to provide payment options for digital services outside Apple’s own system, which generates 15% to 30% commissions for the company. Those fees are a lucrative part of Apple’s services division, which generated $21.2 billion in revenue during the past quarter. The battle over that issue will likely be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court, but probably not until next year.

Another key issue for the service division is expected to emerge in a major antitrust case against Google that is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 12 in Washington D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice and dozens of state attorneys general are trying to prove that Google has been abusing and maintaining its dominance of internet search by forging deals that funnel traffic to it. One of the alliances makes Google the default search engine on the iPhone and other products, for which the company pays Apple an estimated $12 billion to $15 billion annually.

is an Apple store in Pittsburgh on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. Apple reported earnings on Aug. 3.

Current Last week

in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(S): 0211766 ADDRESS: 103 SOUTHLAND DRIVE ZEBULON, NC note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of

the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection. IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANK-RUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 110 Frederick St, Suite 200 Greenville, South Carolina 29607 Phone: (470) 321-7112, Ext. 52157 Fax: 1-919-800-3528 RAS File Number: 22-036505 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 23SP000173-910 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Virginia Walker (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Virginia Walker, Heirs of Virginia Walker: Frederick L. McKoy, Charlene Hines) to Jerry Baker, Trustee(s), dated May 23, 2002, and recorded in Book No. 009432, at Page 00663 in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury

Street entrance in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on August 14, 2023 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Garner in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 142, Hillington West Subdivision, Section Four, as shown on a map recorded in Book of Maps 2002, Page 51, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 4704 Alonzo Road, Garner, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to

this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice

of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 12859 - 56037 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 23SP000163-910 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Lonnie Dallas Holden, Jr. (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Lonnie Dallas Holden, Jr., Heirs of Lonnie Dallas Holden, Jr.: Lisa Holden, Lonnie Holden, III a/k/a Lonnie Dallas Holden, III, Jeremiah Holden, William Holden) to Hilton T. Hutchens, Jr. Esq., Trustee(s), dated April 29, 2022, and recorded in Book No. 019014, at Page 01014 in Wake County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Wake County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the Wake County Courthouse door, the Salisbury Street entrance in Raleigh,

Wake County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on August 14, 2023 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Raleigh in the County of Wake, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the City of Raleigh, Raleigh Township, Wake County, North Carolina and more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 36, Block P, Longview Park Extension No. 1, as shown on plat recorded in Book of Maps 1952, Page 118, Wake County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 2429 Stevens Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. County: Wake Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third

courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on August 23, 2023 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Wake County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING all of Lot 69, Section 2B, Phase Four, Staffordshire Subdivision, as recorded in Book of Maps 1993, Page 221, Wake County Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 945 Saint Catherines Drive, Wake Forest, NC 27587. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time

party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the

of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Sara A. Ciesla and Kevin L. Ciesla, Wife and Husband.

purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b) (2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return

of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 18-07724-FC02

pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 12315 - 53426 22 SP 1037 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, WAKE COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Sara A. Ciesla and Kevin L. Ciesla to Ronald D. Haley, Trustee(s), which was dated July 26, 2013 and recorded on July 26, 2013 in Book 015378 at Page 02134, Wake County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county

COUNTY NEWS

Hospice of Stanly named 2023 Hospice CAHPS HONORS recipient

On Monday, Hospice of Stanly was officially named a 2023 Hospice CAHPS Honors Award recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, a leading provider of revenue cycle management services, CAHPS and bereavement surveys, and advanced analytics for hospice organizations. This prestigious annual review recognizes agencies continuously providing a positive patient experience and high-quality care, as measured by the patient and caregiver experience. It acknowledges the highest-performing agencies by analyzing the performance of the Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey satisfaction measures. CAHPS Honors recipients include agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on at least 85% of the evaluated questions. “I am so proud of the team we have assembled,” said Hospice of Stanly CEO Lori Thayer in a press release. “I truly believe that one of the reasons our organization can deliver care of the highest quality year after year is that our staff recognizes the importance of the role they play in the lives of our patients and their families. It’s very gratifying to know that our agency performs well on patient satisfaction surveys. This tells me that our patients and families acknowledge the care and commitment of our entire team.”

Storms cause damage, power outages

Severe thunderstorms swept across North Carolina on Monday afternoon, bringing wind damage and significant power outages along with it.

Stanly County Agri-Civic Center prepares for annual event

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE —

Lat-

er this month, the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center is scheduled to hold its annual Agri-Civic Day, where vendors and local organizations are joined with live entertainment and a variety of activities.

With a full lineup of events scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 19, this year’s free-admission, rain-or-shine celebration of Stanly County and the agricultural heritage of the region will feature three 4H livestock shows.

“Join us in celebrating the Agri-Civic Center and the impact it has on our community with a combination of agricultural displays, educational demonstrations, vendors, live music, raffle and auction items, kid’s activities, and more,” the Agri-Civic Center announced in preparation for the event.

“We want to sincerely thank all our 2022 Agri-Civic Day Sponsors

for their continued support of our organization and the work we do at the Agri-Civic Center. Each year hosts a wide variety of vendors and displays. There is something for everyone.”

Agri-Civic Day is currently set to host livestock shows at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., as well as sheep dog demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Meanwhile, live entertainment sessions are scheduled for 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m.

and 1:15 p.m.

Cooking demonstrations will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., while a 50/50 raffle drawing is slated for 2:15 p.m.

All proceeds from the day will benefit the Friends of the Agri-Civic Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization designed to maintain a facility for Stanly County’s residents; the organization is dedicated to the continued improvement and longterm maintenance of the center go-

ing forward.

Agri-Civic Day is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance, Uwharrie Bank, Wood-Mizer Carolinas, Stanly Community College, Juneberry Ridge, among other businesses.

In addition to the upcoming event, the Agri-Civic Center Farm Bureau Livestock Arena is currently under construction and is estimated to open up behind the existing center in May 2024. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April and attended by members of the county’s Board of Commissioners, among other local leaders.

With over a decade of planning in the works, the area has been estimated to cost $5.6 million — according to a resolution passed by the commissioners in March — and is anticipated to generate additional sales and occupancy tax revenue between $756,000 to $1.2 million. “I was beginning to think I might not live to see it started,” livestock committee member Reggie Medlin stated on social media. “Thanks to our commissioners for their unwavering support and to Stanly County Farm Bureau and many other citizens and companies who contributed to this project. Without all your support, it would not be possible.”

Board of Education approves federal program plans

Beginning Teacher Support plan approved for 2023-24 school year

By Ryan Henkel Stanly County Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Stanly County Schools Board of Education met Tuesday, August 1, with updates on various district programming and funding.

The board first approved the Beginning Teacher Support Plan for the 2023-24 school year.

“Stanly County Schools, in compliance with NC State Board of Education Policy TCED-016, has developed a Beginning Teacher Support Program for all beginning teachers in years one through three of service,” said Beginning Teacher Support and Recruitment Coordinator Deborah Rowles. “Components include Beginning Teacher orientation, mentor selection guidelines, a process for achieving a continuing license,

a plan for beginning teacher professional development, and participation in the beginning teacher support program monitoring process through NC Department of Public Instruction.”

According to Rowles, the plan will support beginning teachers at both the district and school levels.

“SCS provides beginning teachers multi-tiered support beginning at the district level with the beginning teachers support coordinator and at the school level with administration and individual mentor,” Rowles said. “A lead mentor at each school has been included in the 2023-24 plan as an additional measure of support. Also included in the 202324 BTSP plan is the increased opportunity for beginning teachers to observe expert teachers in order to improve knowledge of effective instruction, classroom management, and or other designated skills.”

“We want to support our beginning teachers all that we can,”

said Board Chair Glenda Gibson. “I know every board member up here wants to do that.”

The board also approved the Consolidated Federal Programs Title I, II, III, and IV plans.

“The three goals that we have are: meeting or exceeding growth in reading, meeting or exceeding expected growth in math, and to retain at least 80% of our beginning teachers here in Stanly County,” said Chief Academic Officer Lynn Plummer.

“Within Title I - Improving Basic Programs, our plan is to provide opportunities to employ or contract additional staff to support student learning at our schools and support our parent and family engagement. Title 2Supporting Effective Instruction, includes the beginning teacher support plan, providing development opportunities for teachers, stipends for mentors of our beginning teachers, and reimburs-

line.

US military may send armed troops to stop commercial ship seizures

The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, American officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Since 2019, Iran has seized a series of ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, as part of its efforts to pressure the West over negotiations regarding its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Putting U.S. troops on commercial ships could further deter Iran from seizing vessels — or escalate tensions further.

The contemplated move also would represent an extraordinary commitment in the Mideast by U.S. forces as the Pentagon tries to focus on Russia and China. America didn’t even take the step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy’s largest since World War II.

While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship, are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Those Marines and sailors could provide the backbone for any armed guard mission in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment from AP about the U.S. proposal. Hours later, however, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged the proposal, citing this AP report.

Five U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, acknowledged its broad details. The officials stressed no final decision had been made and that discussions continue between U.S. mil-

itary officials and America’s Gulf Arab allies in the region.

Officials said the Marines and Navy sailors would provide the security only at the request of the ships involved. One official described the process as complex, saying any deployment likely also would require approval of the country under which the ship is flagged and the country under which the owner is registered. So far, that has yet to happen and it might not for some time, the offi-

“It’s a critical chokepoint in the maritime world. And we have seen threats by Iran to affect that chokepoint.”

U.S. National Security spokesman John Kirby

cial said.

And White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters, underscored the importance of the strait and U.S. concerns about Iranian harassment of vessels there.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital seaway that has a huge impact on seaborne trade around the world,” Kirby said. “It’s a critical chokepoint in the maritime world. And we have seen threats by Iran to affect that chokepoint.”

Earlier Thursday, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet, met with the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation bloc includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Already, the U.S. has sent A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes, F-16 and F-35 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, and other warships to the region over Iran’s actions at sea.

The deployment has captured Iran’s attention, with its chief diplomat telling neighboring nations that the region doesn’t need “foreigners” providing security. On Wednesday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, with swarms of small fast boats, paratroopers and missile units taking part.

stanlyjournal.com

CRIME LOG

♦ SMITH, TYQUAVIOUS

MARQUISE (B /M/22), CHILD

ABUSE (M), 08/07/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ URBAN, MATTHEW COREY (W /M/37), DRIVING WHILE

IMPAIRED, 08/07/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ ALVARADO, GUILLERMO (U /M/29), DRIVING WHILE

IMPAIRED, 08/06/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ FORD, WALTER MACK (B /M/49), FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (F), 08/06/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ COUICK, JESSICA LIANE (W /F/35), ASSAULT ON GOVT OFFICIAL/EMPLY, 08/05/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ MANUEL, JOSE (W /M/49), COMMUNICATE THREATS, 08/05/2023, Stanly County

Sheriff`S Office

♦ INGOLD, MITCHELL GLENN (W /M/43), INTIMIDATING

WITNESS, 08/04/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ ROBERTS, CREED ROLAND (W /M/58), DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED, 08/04/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ HOLLAR, CALEB PATRICK (W /M/20), STAT SEX OFF WITH CHILD <= 15, 08/03/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ HELMS, SAMUEL DELANE (W /M/27), BREAKING AND OR ENTERING (F), 08/01/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

♦ SHIELDS, BRETT MICHAEL (W /M/45), BREAKING AND OR ENTERING (F), 08/01/2023, Stanly County Sheriff`S Office

Babies should get recently approved drug for RSV, CDC says

The Associated Press Infants should get a recently approved drug to protect them against a respiratory virus that sends tens of thousands of American children to the hospital each year, U.S. health officials said Thursday.

An infection with RSV is a coldlike nuisance for most healthy people, but it can be life-threatening for the very young and the elderly. There are no vaccines for babies yet so the new drug, a labmade antibody that helps the immune system fight off the virus, is expected to fill a critical need.

The drug, developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, is expected to be ready in the fall before the RSV season, typically November

EDUCATION from page 1

ing teachers who attain additional certifications on their licensure throughout the school year. Title 3 focuses on our English Language Acquisition Program and provides additional materials and resources for our English as a second language program and making sure those students have the resources in front of them to support them throughout the school year. Title 4 - Student Support and Academ-

through March. In the U.S., about 58,000 children younger than 5 are hospitalized for RSV each year and several hundred die.

A panel of outside advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the one-time shot for infants born just before or during the RSV season and for those less than 8 months old before the season starts. They also recommended a dose for some 8- to 19-monthsolds at higher risk of a serious illness from RSV.

The CDC director signed off on the panel’s recommendations later Thursday.

“We had a terribly bad RSV season last year and I’m thrilled that we have a new tool to protect our infants,” Dr. Mandy Co -

ic Achievement revolves around three different areas of funding, supporting well-rounded education opportunities, which we devote that funding towards our dual-immersion program at Endy Elementary, supporting safe and healthy students that we partner with the YMCA for our second grade learn to swim program and supporting the effective use of technology which we provide opportunities for professional development for student engagement

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen

hen told The Associated Press last week.

The drug, to be sold under the brand name Beyfortus, is expected to cost $495 per dose, and to be covered by insurance. Panelists acknowledged that it will be a challenge at first to give the

and digital literacy with technology integration.”

The board was also presented with an update by Superintendent Jarrod Dennis on SROs.

“We now have SROs in all of our schools, which is outstanding, especially for a rural area like Stanly County,” Dennis said. “I want to thank the local municipalities, commissioners, and everyone who’s helped to make this happen.”

Dennis also stated that the dis-

shot and for providers to be reimbursed by insurers.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration approved two RSV vaccines for older adults from GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. In August, the FDA is expected to make a decision on approving Pfizer’s vaccine for pregnant women, with the aim of passing along protection to their newborns.

Although the new drug is not a vaccine, the expert panel also supported including it in Vaccines for Children, a government program providing free immunizations. The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging hospitals to stock Beyfortus so that newborns can get it during RSV season before they go home.

trict was applying for funding for additional recruitment and retention bonuses.

“We are applying for another round of recruitment and retention bonuses that will be for all staff,” said Superintendent Jarrod Dennis. “There will be some similar guidelines to last year, and I hope to give an update shortly on that.”

The Stanly County Schools Board of Education will next meet September 5.

“We had a terribly bad RSV season last year and I’m thrilled that we have a new tool to protect our infants.”

AP PHOTO

In this handout photo from the U.S. Navy, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through Atlantic Ocean on July 20, 2023.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

New banking regulations could sink the economy

For every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion.

BANKING is just about the most regulated industry in America. Yet, as we saw with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others in recent months, lenders are not invulnerable to failure due to bad management or unexpected changes in economic conditions.

The inevitable response is for more regulation on all banks. But sometimes regulators can make conditions worse for healthy banks. The most famous example in recent times was when financial regulators urged banks to issue inordinate amounts of new “safe” mortgages leading up to the great financial crisis of 2008, ultimately flooding the financial system with toxic debt.

Now with some banks under financial stress because of higher interest rates, Congress and the Federal Reserve want to raise bank capital reserve requirements. Presumably, this means holding more government bonds, many of which dropped precipitously in value last year as interest rates spiked higher.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr recently proposed raising these capital standards, as have several Senate Democrats. No one wants to see bank runs. But these rules don’t distinguish between financially healthy banks and poorly operated banks with risky loan portfolios and bad management. It’s like trying to

fight obesity by asking physically fit people to go on a diet.

Given that taxpayers backstop bank deposits through FDIC insurance, reasonable capital requirements are prudent. But by definition, higher capital reserves mean less money available to make loans. Access to credit for business and family borrowers gets squeezed.

A recent study from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association finds that for every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion. Some of the capital requirement proposals would thus shrink the pool of available capital by as much as $136 billion.

Will tomorrow’s Bernie Marcus (cofounder of Home Depot) or Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) be the odd man out under these new regulations? If there is one thing economists agree on, it is the dire need for improved economic growth — which requires more, not less, capital investment.

All of this is unnecessary. The banking sector in general is already well-protected against an economic downturn or a sudden rash of loan defaults. The banks now hold nearly $3 trillion in high-quality liquid assets (or four times the levels before the 2008 meltdown).

The Federal Reserve itself acknowledges this in its recent Financial Stability Report, which concludes: “As of the fourth quarter of 2022, banks in the aggregate were well capitalized, especially U.S. global systemically important banks.”

Much like the Dodd-Frank law and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after 2008, this is a measure that won’t address the risk problem banks are facing. They have been victims of a reckless zero interest rate monetary policy that took a trillion dollars out of the lending base of banks as depositors have rushed to the higher yield environment of money market mutual funds.

Most new regulations are well-meaning — but often have unexpected results. Tighter capital requirements wouldn’t have done anything to prevent some of the recent failures of lenders such as SVB. But they will make borrowing costs more expensive and loans harder to get. That’s far from an agenda of growth and prosperity.

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.”

Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 indictments are an attack on political speech

Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

IF RECKLESSLY LYING to voters were a crime, most everyone in D.C. would be serving life in solitary confinement at Supermax. But in a liberal democracy, as frustrating as it often is, political misconduct is settled by voters and elections, not partisan prosecutors or rioters.

Feel free to campaign and vote against Donald Trump if you like. I’m certainly no fan. If Trump wins in 2024, Congress can impeach and remove him if they choose. But just as there was no special set of rules that could keep Trump in the White House in 2020, there shouldn’t be an exclusive set of rules to keep him out, either.

Yet Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictments over Jan. 6 read like a political oppo document cobbled together by some partisan House staffers who perfunctorily tacked on the last-minute novel legal reasoning.

Though numerous commentators who have an aversion to Trump have pointed out the weakness of the indictments, it’s quite telling how little media-approved historians and legal “experts” even bother defending the underlying legal case. Trump is evil, a threat to “democracy,” and really what else is there to discuss?

In the Trump-addled politics of our age, it is virtually impossible for either side to compartmentalize the process and the person if that person happens to be Trump.

In this case, the precedent would criminalize and chill political speech. People keep assuring me the indictments aren’t really about the expression but rather about defrauding the government. Sorry, the entire case is predicated on the things

Trump said or believed or didn’t say or didn’t believe. All of it should be protected under the First Amendment. “Spreading lies” — prosecutors leaned on the thesaurus hard, finding about two dozen ways of repeating this fact — or entertaining theories offered by crackpot lawyers, or trying to convince faithless electors to do things that people have been trying to convince faithless electors to do for a long time, are all unethical, not criminal.

Nowhere do the indictments come anywhere in the vicinity of making the case that Trump incited “imminent lawless action” on Jan 6. At least no more than, say, the entire Democratic Party had a hand in inciting the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots — the most destructive in American history. This is a dangerous road to go down.

Yes, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case is an exercise in the selective use of power for political ends, but it has a basis in law and recent precedent. (Not for Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, but for others.) This, however, isn’t about mere double standards anymore.

When, in 2000, the Supreme Court finally stopped Al Gore’s conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the presidential election, no serious person contemplated throwing him or his lackeys in prison. Since that time, Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

When they fail, people like Adam Schiff will use a DNC political oppo document to concoct a conspiracy, illegally leaking classified documents — in carefully

curated snippets to mislead the country — to overturn the will of the American voter. This effort also resulted in expensive investigations that defrauded the American people.

The point isn’t that we should imprison Gore — or Stacey Abrams or Hillary Clinton or Ron Klain or John Kerry or Bennie Thompson or Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters or Raul Grijalva or James Clyburn or Ed Markey or Nancy Pelosi, or many others who have tried in various ways to challenge election results in the past. It’s to say that Trump’s actions laid out in the indictments aren’t crimes, either.

Perhaps Smith doesn’t really expect Trump to end up in prison over any of these indictments. As his foray into the partisan prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, overturned 8-0 by the Supreme Court, this case is grounded on a “boundless” reading of statute. The law isn’t the point. The point is likely to make Jan. 6 — and hysterical claims about American democracy’s near demise — the centerpiece of the 2024 election.

Granted, allowing Joe Biden’s record to be the central issue of that 2024 campaign is potentially disastrous for Democrats. These indictments, however, create a deterioration of law that Americans will have to live with long after the next presidential election.

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

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Eagles lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges

Cambridge, Ohio Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Eagles, has been acquitted of felony rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio and will be returning to the team’s active roster. Jurors in Guernsey County reached the not-guilty verdicts Friday after deliberating for about three hours. The Sarahsville, Ohio, native was accused in January of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will in December 2019. He thanked jurors and his family, saying “I have done nothing wrong, and I’m glad that was proven today.”

NBA

Cavs guard Rubio taking break from basketball

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio announced Saturday that he is taking a break from basketball to focus on his mental health, a move that comes as his Spanish national team prepares to defend its title at the FIBA World Cup that starts later this month. Rubio was the MVP of the most recent World Cup four years ago, leading Spain to the championship and an 8-0 record in the tournament. He was also expected to be part of Spain’s team that will look to defend that crown in the World Cup that starts Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

BOXING

Paul wins unanimous decision against Diaz

Dallas Jake Paul won a unanimous decision against Nate Diaz in a cruiserweight fight.

Paul, the 26-year-old social media YouTube personality who has turned himself into a prizefighter, held the advantage for much of the 10-round fight. Diaz, a mixed-martial arts fighter who left the UFC in 2022, appeared on the verge of a knockout at various moments. Paul (7-1) showed he was better conditioned throughout the fight as he bounced back from his first career loss — a splitdecision against Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February. The three judges scored this fight 97-92, 9891, and 98-91.

MLS

Messi shines again for Inter Miami

Frisco, Texas

Lionel Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami. The tying tally led to a 5-4 victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game. Messi’s goal in the 85th minute was reminiscent of the gamewinner in his Inter Miami debut. Both were on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, each sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net. The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff

The Associated Press HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. —

Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.

She dove into therapy and slowly — very slowly — returned to training even though she wavered on whether she was really up for a third Olympics and all of the pressure and expectations that come with it when you’re considered the greatest of all time.

It wasn’t until mid-spring that she committed to training seriously after talking about it over margari-

tas with her coaches. It wasn’t until late June that she committed to Saturday night’s U.S. Classic. And it wasn’t until she stepped onto the podium and heard the shrieks of support and the sea of handmade signs that the noise she’d been grappling with for 732 days finally fell silent.

She was back in her safe space. Back in front of a crowd. Back in control. Back to being the Simone Biles — albeit a more mature, married, 26-year-old version — who has spent a decade redefining her sport. Confidence growing with every rotation, Biles soared to victory in her first meet since the To-

kyo Games. Her all-around score of 59.100 was five points better than runner-up Leanne Wong. And made all the more remarkable by the fact she didn’t really pour herself into preparing until after her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in late April.

“I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically,” Biles said. “I still think there are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I’m very shocked. Surprised.”

She posted the best score on three of four events, turning what is typically a tune-up meet for the U.S. Championships into a show-

case that she remains — when she’s at or near her best — a singular force in her sport. At the moment, she’s letting her gymnastics do most of the talking. And it spoke loud and clear.

The Classic is considered a warm-up of sorts. The U.S. Championships are later this month, with the world championships coming in October and the Olympics less than a year out.

She’s trying not to get too far ahead. Making it a point to enjoy what she called the “little wins.”

“I knew I could come back and hopefully have a shot,” she said. “It’s just about really taking care of my body right now. So that’s what we’re to. It’s working.”

There is plenty of time to refine things. To expand. To build. Biles’ all-around score Saturday was higher than what she posted at the same meet in 2018. What followed back then was two years of historic dominance.

More may be on the way.

going a second surgery to alleviate the nerve pain in his lower left leg. The 14 missed games were twice as many as he’d missed over the previous four seasons combined and the prolonged absence, Leonard has repeatedly said, made him feel as if he wasn’t part of the Colts.

The Associated Press WESTFIELD, Ind. — Shaquille Leonard finally looks and sounds like his old self.

The Indianapolis Colts star linebacker is running around, making plays at training camp, injecting energy with his customary nonstop voice.

On Saturday, after missing most of last season with an impinged nerve that required season-ending surgery, the threetime All-Pro took another major step in his long road back by returning to full contact in team drills. One of the most-watched players at camp also knows there’s one last hurdle to overcome.

“I’m just going out and taking the fear out of making contact,” Leonard said. “I would still say fear — just being able to have contact for the first time in a long time, not knowing what result was going to come. It feels good, it feels amazing and I’m just happy to be out there.”

It was evident each time Leonard lined up at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, about 30 minutes from the team headquarters. And it was noticeable in his typically candid post-practice assessment, too.

Since entering the league in 2018, the South Carolina State alumnus has never shied away from giving opinions. He’s emerged as a major proponent of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a prominent spokesperson in the Colts’ mental health awareness campaign “Kicking The Stigma” and

frequently explains how he uses perceived slights as motivation.

This time, though, Leonard finds himself describing his own struggles.

After being severely hindered in 2021 by what doctors initially diagnosed as a back injury, Leonard missed six of the first seven games last season before under-

He led the league with 163 tackles when he earned the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award and became the first player in league history to have 300 tackles in his first 30 games. Even at less than full strength in 2021, he had 122 tackles, forced eight fumbles and had four interceptions.

So after two frustrating seasons and missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts, Leonard was eager to get back and teammates were happy to welcome him back.

“It’s always good to put the pads on because football is not played in shirts and shorts,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said Sunday. “It’s good to have (Leonard) back out there running around. It’s good for everybody.”

After watching himself struggle on tape last season, Leonard can already see a different player on tape this summer.

“I’m starting to see somebody that resembles the guy I used to know,” he said of his most recent training camp clips. “I’m building more confidence, I’m shooting through gaps, getting in windows. That’s what I want to see on film, and that’s what I’m happy to see right now.”

AP PHOTO

Simone Biles warms up at the U.S. Classic gymnastics competition on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

AP PHOTO Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, pictured in October 2022, is trying to regain his form after two injury-plagued seasons.

Colts’ Leonard attempts return after missing most of past 2 seasons

The Penguins acquired three-time Norris Trophywinning defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Sharks in a three-team trade that also included the Canadiens.

Penguins acquire 3-time Norris winner Karlsson in trade

The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — So much for the Pittsburgh Penguins trying to walk the fine line between protecting the future while also making the most out of the present.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and company — new president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas in particular — are all in on trying to catch the powers that be in the Eastern Conference.

Dubas has pushed in his available chips, acquiring star defenseman Erik Karlsson from San Jose in a massive three-way deal with the Sharks and Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

Pittsburgh sent a 2024 firstround pick, forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Jan Rutta to San Jose and goaltender Casey DeSmith, defenseman Jeff Petry, a 2025 second-round pick and prospect Nathan Legare to Montreal as part of the deal for the three-time Norris Trophy winner.

Karlsson is the first defenseman to be traded fresh off winning the Norris as the NHL’s top defenseman since Doug Harvey in 1961. The 33-year-old Swede became the

first player at the position to record 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

The complicated trade included the Canadiens to make sure the deal was salary cap compliant.

Karlsson has four years left on his contract at a cap hit of $11.5 million — $1.5 million of which San Jose will retain through the end of the deal in 2027. The Penguins, meanwhile, will hold on to $1.56 million of Petry’s salary.

“It’s been kind of a long grind throughout not only the regular season but the summer to get this done,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said on a video call with reporters. “We’ve been going at it for a while trying to get this done with a few teams. Kyle’s been pretty up front and aggressive for the last couple months, but it’s been a little bit of a grind.”

The Hurricanes were among the teams that pursued Karlsson this offseason.

As part of the trade, the Penguins also received forward Rem Pitlick, prospect Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose’s 2026 third-round pick. The Sharks also got Mike Hoffman from the Canadiens.

Uwharrie Wampus Cats complete inaugural season with winning record

The wood-bat team used a late hot stretch to finish 18-17 for the summer

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Uwharrie Wampus Cats — Stanly County’s new wood-bat collegiate baseball team —wrapped up its inaugural season with a late surge of victories and an 18-17 winning record.

season progressed, the team also had special experiences for fans at home games in Albemarle, including an interactive dinosaur exhibit, a “Hometown Heroes” night honoring local law enforcement and health care workers, a home run derby, and live music performances.

USC Sumter infielder B.J. Williams emerged as a star player for the Cats this summer with a .347 batting average.

Karlsson, who also won the Norris in 2012 and 2015, is going to his third NHL organization. He played his first nine seasons with the Ottawa Senators before he was traded to San Jose in 2018.

In 987 regular-season and playoff games, Karlsson has 814 points — the most of any defenseman since he broke into the league in 2009. He has not appeared in the playoffs since 2019 and will now be an important part of trying to get Crosby, Malkin, defenseman Kris Letang and the Penguins back into the mix in the East after their 16year playoff streak ended last season, prompting major front office changes.

The team fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall in the aftermath and owner Fenway Sports Group turned the keys over to Dubas.

He was given the mandate to maximize whatever championship window remains for while Crosby, Malkin and Letang are still on the roster. The trio won the Stanley Cup together in 2009, 2016 and 2017 but the going has been far tougher in recent years.

“Thank you Albemarle for a great summer,” Uwharrie manager Houston Wright said in a statement. “Blessed to be able to be a head coach for a brand new team in a town that breathes baseball. From me and all of my players, thank you for an unforgettable summer.”

“From me and all of my players, thank you for an unforgettable summer.”

Houston Wright, Uwharrie Wampus Cats manager

The Cats finished their summer schedule with a 10-3 home win over the Carolina Disco Turkeys on July 27, a 7-2 home win over the Race City Bootleggers on July 28, and a 5-2 road win over the Disco Turkeys on July 30.

Despite weather and scheduling limitations, Uwharrie was able to play 35 games independently of a league during the past few months, including home matchups at the newly upgraded Don Montgomery Park where new picnic seating additions, sound system updates and improvements to the bathroom and concession areas were made with the help of Albemarle Parks and Recreation funding.

In addition to the on-field success that Uwharrie had as the

A fter launching the first home run in team history back in June, Williams’ season remained a consistent offensive threat for Uwharrie. Wake Tech infielder Ick Cirino and Caldwell CC outfielder Breon Ishmael were also key to the Wampus Cats’ attack.

On the mound, a group of Stanly County natives — former West Stanly Colt Charlie Carpenter and former South Stanly Bulls Sawyer Smith and Garrett Swink — brought local pitching talent to the field.

The Cats also established a rivalry in their first season with the Winston-Salem-based Carolina Disco Turkeys, a team also led by Uwharrie team owner Greg Sullivan (of Sullimak Entertainment).

The newly formed Cats won six of 11 matchups against the already-established Turkeys.

What a way to end our home season,” the Cats’ social media account posted after the final games of the season. “Thank you to all who attended, not just last night but the entire season. Watch out for wampus cats lurking in the woods. We will see you next summer. It can’t come quick enough.”

Anderson, Ramírez facing multi-game suspensions after brawl

The White Sox and Guardians emptied their benches after the altercation between the two players

The Associated Press CLEVELAND — Tim Anderson didn’t play on Sunday for the Chicago White Sox, who gave their starting shortstop a planned day off. He could soon have many more. Anderson is likely facing a multigame suspension for his fight with Cleveland’s José Ramírez on Saturday night, their scuffle setting off a benches-clearing brawl between AL Central rivals who won’t face

each other again until next season.

Major League Baseball did not announce any discipline as the team teams met in their series finale. The White Sox rallied for three runs in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory.

The teams expect to hear from MLB on Monday and are bracing to be without their star infielders for an extended period.

In the sixth inning on Saturday night, Anderson and Ramírez threw punches at second base, and the Guardians’ All-Star third baseman knocked down Anderson with a lucky overhand right to the chin. Anderson was dazed by the blow. Both players were ejected, along

with Cleveland manager Terry Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, closer Emmanuel Clase and Chicago manager Pedro Grifol.

Before Sunday’s game, Grifol said Anderson didn’t get hurt in the melee and that his day of rest had been scheduled for the 30-yearold. “He’s OK,” Grifol said of Anderson. “He was going to get a day off today. It might not look that way, but it is what it is.” Grifol refused to discuss specifics of the altercations or possible upcoming punishment. He also avoided characterizing Anderson’s actions.

“I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “I’ve had my conversations with Tim, but I’m not going to get into anything that happened last night. I’ll let MLB take care of all that stuff, but I’m not going to talk about the fight.”

Anderson has been suspended twice previously.

In 2019, he received a onegame ban for his actions during a bench-clearing incident against Kansas City, which had thrown at Anderson after he flipped his bat following a home run.

Last season, Anderson got a onegame suspension after he flashed the middle finger at a fan in Cleveland.

The Anderson-Ramírez fight began innocently enough.

When Ramírez slid headfirst into second base with an RBI double in the sixth inning, Anderson was straddling over the top of him. Ramírez later said he felt Anderson’s tag was too hard and indicated he had been bothered by Chicago’s star for “disrespecting” the game.

Anderson dropped his glove and squared off against Ramírez, who swung wildly and connected to drop Anderson to the ground. As both benches and bullpens emptied, Anderson tried in vain to get at Ramírez before being forced into Chicago’s dugout.

AP PHOTO

Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez, center, and the White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson exchange punches in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game in Cleveland.

Cost of federal census recounts push growing towns to do it themselves

The Associated Press OFFICIALS IN THE CITY of Lebanon worried that the amount of state money distributed from Tennessee agencies based on 2020 census figures wasn’t keeping pace with their explosive growth. So they reached out to the U.S. Census Bureau to ask about conducting another head count, or “special census,” for the city on the edge of metro Nashville.

But Lebanon officials balked at the $880,000 price tag and decided to do it themselves.

“We think we can do it cheaper,” said Paul Corder, planning director for Lebanon, which has a population of 44,000 residents.

Their census is rolling out later this summer. Officials hope to spend less than half the federal quote for a count that accurately captures Lebanon’s rapid growth, with a goal of bringing in just under $1 million extra each year in state funding through the end of the decade.

The bureau’s special head counts don’t change political maps, unlike the federal census every decade, but they can lead to more state and federal funding. Communities that request them, or conduct their own, have to decide whether the cost they’ll pay outweighs possible revenue gains, said Tim Kuhn, director of the Tennessee State Data Center.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said it doesn’t have data on how many states permit DIY censuses, but it’s more common in states that have procedures for them, including Tennessee. After the 2010 census, 54 communities in Tennessee conducted their own special censuses, with none seeking help from the Census Bureau.

Since the 2020 census, sev-

eral Tennessee communities have pursued their own second counts, including La Vergne and Cumberland Gap, as have three communities in Washington state — Sumas, Toledo and Springdale.

In North Carolina, only municipalities with fewer than 500 residents can conduct DIY censuses. The resort town of Fontana Dam has 13 residents, according to the 2020 census, but local officials expect that to dou-

ble or triple once their recount is approved. And in Seven Springs, a special census bumped the population from 55 to 69 residents.

Smaller communities like these probably won’t see a huge change in their state funds, said

Michael Cline, North Carolina’s state demographer.

“But folks in these local communities usually know who is living in their community by name,” he said, “and want to get it right.”

Lebanon’s special census will ditch the federal practice of asking for demographic information and only count names of residents at each address. The city can also reach people where the census bureau can’t, like at Little League games, said Corder, the planning director.

DIY censuses can be useful for getting more funding but potentially problematic, with concerns over keeping information confidential and accurately counting residences like dorms and people who live in the state part-time like snowbirds, said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant and a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues.

The Census Bureau doesn’t track or provide support for communities that do their own censuses, it said in a statement to The Associated Press.

So far, only a single municipality, the Village of Pingree Grove in Illinois, has signed a contract for the Census Bureau to conduct a repeat head count following the 2020 census, at a cost of $373,000.

The village almost 50 miles northwest of Chicago grew by almost 6.5% to more than 11,000 residents in the two years after the 2020 census. The decade before, the population more than doubled.

Hundreds of new homes have been built in the village since the last census, and it’s planning to annex another 981 homes. Village officials want to account for that when it comes to federal and state funding.

“Things are just constantly moving here, and we want to make sure we capture all of that growth,” said Amber Kubiak, village president. “In the past decade when we were growing so rapidly, we waited and realized we should have done something about that sooner.”

Murdaugh’s

The Associated Press

The man who once headed a highly respected bank in the South Carolina Lowcountry will spend seven years in federal prison for helping convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh steal nearly $2 million from clients’ legal settlements.

Russell Laffitte was sentenced last week after a jury found him guilty of six charges related to wire and bank fraud back in November. The ex-CEO of Palmetto State Bank became the first of the disgraced former attorney’s accomplices to face prison time following the June 2021 shooting deaths that stemmed from sprawling investigations into the Murdaugh family finances.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel also ordered Laffitte to pay more than $3 million in restitution, local media reported. Murdaugh will cover a piece of that sum. The former banker has said he will appeal the decision. Murdaugh is serving life without parole for killing his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, at the kennels on their 1,700-acre rural estate. Still outstanding are more than 100 other charges encompassing alleged financial crimes

from insurance fraud to tax evasion. His trial this winter marked the swift fall from grace for a powerful family whose members served over 80 years straight as the elected prosecutors in tiny Hampton County. Laffitte similarly came from a

prominent family that had built an upstanding reputation for Palmetto State Bank. The Independent Banks of South Carolina even honored Laffitte as the banker of the year in 2019.

But that good standing tanked over his actions as the court-ap-

pointed safeguard for settlement money that Murdaugh won for some of his most vulnerable clients. Prosecutors argued he used the role to elaborately pocket tens of thousands of dollars and collect as much as $450,000 in untaxable fees. The position also allowed him to send large chunks toward Murdaugh — who had grown desperate to repay mounting loans as an opioid addiction further depleted his accounts.

Laffitte acknowledged by name each victim sitting in the Charleston federal courthouse on Tuesday, local media reported. He apologized for not fulfilling his duties to them. He apologized to the judge for erring in his judgment. And he apologized to Palmetto State Bank customers for failing them.

Still, Laffitte continued to maintain his innocence. He has insisted for months instead that he didn’t know he was committing crimes and was manipulated by a major customer.

The defense sought a reduced sentence of three to five years imprisonment. Relatives, friends and business acquaintances vouched for his character in letters submitted to court. His lawyers pointed to his professional ruin and lack of

prior criminal record as evidence that a stiff penalty is not necessary to deter future crimes.

“In addition, the name ‘Russell Laffitte’ is now known throughout South Carolina and beyond, and not in a good way — Russell will be forevermore tied to Mr. Murdaugh and known infamously as ‘the Murdaugh banker,” they wrote in a July 28 memo.

Prosecutors asked the judge to put Laffitte behind bars for at least nine years. Rebuffing the claims of ignorance, they noted that the diverted checks were made payable to Palmetto State Bank and not Laffitte as the overseer of the funds. The sophisticated move, they argued, intentionally concealed the final destination.

A lengthier prison stay is also necessary to atone for the damaged public trust in banking, prosecutors wrote in a July 27 memo.

“The Government does not dispute that Murdaugh is the more culpable actor in the criminal conspiracy, or that Murdaugh benefited more from the scheme,” the prosecution wrote. “But the Defendant was the only person who could have stopped him. Instead, the Defendant enabled him. Repeatedly.”

AP PHOTO

People walk through the town square Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Lebanon, Tenn. City officials conducted a do-it-yourself census after concern about being under counted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2020.

AP PHOTO

Former Hampton banker Russell Laffitte arrives with his defense team and family at the U.S. District Court for his sentencing in Charleston, S.C. on Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023.

An accomplice to convicted murderer Alex

financial misdeeds gets seven years in prison

STATE & NATION

Appeals court casts doubt on Biden administration rule to curb use of handgun stabilizing braces

The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A Biden administration rule requiring registration of stabilizing braces on handguns is unlikely to survive a legal challenge, a federal appeals court panel said as it extended an order allowing a gun dealer and others challenging the regulation to keep owning, buying and selling the devices without registering them.

The ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sends the case back to a federal judge in Texas who will consider whether to block enforcement nationwide.

Stabilizing braces attach to the back of a handgun, lengthening it while strapping to the arm. Advocates say the attachments make handguns safer and more accurate. Gun safety groups say they can be used to, in effect, lengthen a concealable handgun, making it more lethal. They point to mass shootings in which such braces were used.

While gun control advocates back the registration requirement as a needed curb on use of the braces, two Texas gun owners, a gun rights group and a gun dealer filed a lawsuit challenging the law.

The Texas-based federal judge presiding in the case refused to

block the rule, which required registration of the devices and payment of a fee. But in May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary block of the rule as it applied to the plaintiffs, their customers and members.

Three 5th Circuit judges heard

arguments in June. Last week, the panel voted 2-1 to extend the block on enforcement for 60 days and send the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas. The majority said the challengers were likely to succeed with their argument that the adminis-

tration failed to comply with the federal Administrative Procedure Act in adopting the rule. It said O’Connor should review that aspect of his original ruling, other issues brought up in the challenge and the scope of any remedies — including whether the block on

‘The Few, the Proud’ aren’t so few: Marines recruiting surges while other services struggle

The Associated Press

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening. She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps’ tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results.

Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career.

Nash’s boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who heads the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically emphasized selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that

has been a key to the Marines’ recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said his recruiters — who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi — will meet

their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000.

Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year.

“That would be a great ending,” said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina’s Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast.

“I’m bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing but also how we set the conditions for FY24.”

The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruit-

enforcement should apply nationwide.

“There is a need for consistent application of the law, and this court may not have all the required facts,” Judge Jerry Smith wrote, noting that multiple other courts have issued orders against the federal registration rule since May and that it is uncertain how many people are now covered by such rulings.

The regulation, which went into effect June 1, was one of several steps President Joe Biden first announced in 2021 after a man using a stabilizing brace killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019 and in a school shooting that killed six in Nashville, Tennessee.

Smith, who was nominated to the appeals court by former President Ronald Reagan, was joined in Tuesday’s ruling by Judge Don Willett, nominated by former President Donald Trump. Judge Stephen Higginson, nominated by former President Barack Obama, dissented, saying O’Connor, nominated to the federal bench by former President George W. Bush, was correct in holding that the government had met the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

ing goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps’, and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits.

The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits — something the other services have found helpful.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February.

“Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine,” he said. “That’s your bonus, right? There’s no dollar amount that goes with that.”

Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people.

Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pull-up contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine.

“If you told me you’ll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you’ll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform — what’s going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day,” Nash said. “We’ll go out and we’ll get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising.”

AP PHOTO

Semi-automatic handguns are displayed at shop in New Castle, Pa., March 25, 2020.

AP PHOTO

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit checks for a trip-wire around the edge of a culvert pipe during basic warrior training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Parris Island, S.C.

Randolph record

National Night Out

Officer Hicks and Faw hand out free hot-dogs on National Night Out at the

Asheboro-based Klaussner Furniture Industries, Inc. to close all facilities

Lantern Rescue to hold human trafficking awareness 5k this August

Lantern Rescue, an Asheborobased non-profit organization that rescues exploited, persecuted, and displaced individuals and families, will be holding its first annual Rescue Run 5k and human trafficking awareness event this month. The event will be held on Saturday, August 19, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Bicentennial Park in downtown Asheboro. This event will include a 5k run/walk, food trucks, live music, educational booths, guest speakers from the law enforcement community and other partners who have worked to fight human trafficking. Lantern Rescue members actively collaborate on a local and international scale, cultivating sustainable partnerships with government entities, international organizations, military forces and law enforcement personnel. For additional information about Lantern Rescue or this event, please contact Jeff Harris at (336) 638-2800 or visit lanternrescue.org.

Kyle Petty to perform in Sunset Series this September

From the stage at Randleman High School to the sacred circle of the Grand Ole Opry, Randolph County native and former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty has proven that stock car racing isn’t his only talent. On September 9, he will be playing a free concert at the historic Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro as part of the Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event. Randolph County residents can come by that Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to hear original songs from Petty’s personal songbook. For more information about Petty’s show or the Sunset Series, please contact the Heart of North Carolinas Visitors Bureau at 800-826-2672.

2017752016

8 5

$1.00

By Bob Sutton North State Journal

ASHEBORO — Klaussner

Furniture Industries, which once had been the largest employer in Randolph County, is shutting down operations at all its facilities, the company announced Monday.

The company was tightly tied to Asheboro, which housed its corporate headquarters.

According to a news release: “Klaussner’s lending source has unexpectedly refused to continue to fund the Company’s operations. This outcome was not reasonably foreseeable, but due to these unexpected circumstances, Klaussner can no longer sustain its operations.

There will be more than 3,800 job losses, with a majority of those connected to Asheboro and Randolph County, based on some reports. The company’s announcement said the process of shuttering all its facilities began Monday.

The company is working to provide additional information and resources for its displaced employees.

“This information will be communicated directly to employees via contact information we have on file,” the company’s release said.

Klaussner Home Furnishings has been a leading solutions pro -

vider to the furniture industry since 1963. The company manufactures more than 70 percent of its products domestically through its five manufacturing campuses in North Carolina.

A published report in 2020 said that about 4,000 people were employed in the state by Klaussner. There were also facilities in Candor and Robbins after more than 160 workers were impacted by a Greensboro plant closing. That

RCSS gears up for new year

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The school year began Monday for Randolph Early College High School.

The Randolph County School System reported that buses were running on the normal morning routes.

For three days at the beginning of the week, new teachers were going through the RCSS “Beginning Teachers Orientation.”

Open houses at RCSS locations will be held the week of Aug. 21. The first day of classes is Aug. 28 at schools on the traditional calendar.

Open houses at RCSS locations will be held the week of Aug. 21. The first day of classes is Aug. 28 at schools on the traditional calendar.

** Late last week, RCSS provided meal information for the 202324 school year.

The cost for breakfast at high school and middle schools is $1.25,

was believed to be the first time the company closed a plant. FurnitureToday, a trade site, reported Monday that based on multiple industry sources, “the company had been challenged recently to maintain current payments with key suppliers and had difficulty receiving goods.”

According to Furniture World Magazine, the company was

The company is working to provide additional information and resources for its displaced employees.

while lunch is $2.45. Universal free breakfast is available at Eastern Randolph High School, Northeastern Randolph Middle School, Randleman Middle School, Southwestern Randolph Middle School, Trinity Middle Scholl and Uwharrie Ridge 6-12.

Free breakfast and lunch are provided at all elementary schools and Southeastern Randolph Middle School through the Community Eligibility Provision.

For families receiving meal benefits during the 2022-23 school year, an application for 2023-24 must be filed to continue those benefits through this school year. If a student or students have been approved based on a letter from RCSS sent in August, no further action is required.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL Klaussner Home furniture Industries Inc. closes all facilities at the headquarters in Asheboro.

YMCA in Asheboro on Aug 1.

♦ Cipriano Torres Vargas, age 61 of Asheboro, died Monday, July 31, 2023 at Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro.

US military may send armed troops to stop commercial ship seizures

The Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, American officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Since 2019, Iran has seized a series of ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, as part of its efforts to pressure the West over negotiations regarding its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Putting U.S. troops on commercial ships could further deter Iran from seizing vessels — or escalate tensions further.

The contemplated move also would represent an extraordinary commitment in the Mideast by U.S. forces as the Pentagon tries to focus on Russia and China. America didn’t even take the step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy’s largest since World War II.

While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship, are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Those Marines and sailors could provide the backbone for

KLAUSSNER from page 1

founded by Stuart Love in 1963 and purchased by Hans Klaussner in 1979. Klaussner’s management team acquired the company in 2011, then sold it to private equity firm Mono -

“It’s a critical chokepoint in the maritime world. And we have seen threats by Iran to affect that chokepoint.”

U.S. National Security spokesman John Kirby

any armed guard mission in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment from AP about the U.S. proposal. Hours later, however, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged the proposal, citing this AP report.

Five U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, acknowledged its broad details. The officials stressed no final decision had been made and that discussions continue between U.S. military officials and America’s Gulf Arab allies in the region.

Officials said the Marines and Navy sailors would provide the security only at the request of the ships involved. One official described the process as complex, saying any deployment likely also would require approval of the country under which the ship is flagged and the country under which the owner is registered. So far, that has yet to happen and it might not for

moy Capital Partners in 2017. Brands that might be most recognizable that were manufactured by Klaussner Furniture are Trisha Yearwood Home Collection and Stacy Garcia Home. Klaussner Furniture’s an-

some time, the official said.

And White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters, underscored the importance of the strait and U.S. concerns about Iranian harassment of vessels there.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital seaway that has a huge impact on seaborne trade around the world,” Kirby said. “It’s a critical chokepoint in the maritime world. And we have seen threats by Iran to affect that chokepoint.”

Earlier Thursday, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet, met with the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation bloc includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Already, the U.S. has sent A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes, F-16 and F-35 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, and other warships to the region over Iran’s actions at sea.

The deployment has captured Iran’s attention, with its chief diplomat telling neighboring nations that the region doesn’t need “foreigners” providing security. On Wednesday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, with swarms of small fast boats, paratroopers and missile units taking part.

nouncement follows the March closing of a furniture manufacturer in Thomasville. Creative Metal and Wood, Inc., had been in business since 1954.

In June, Cox Manufacturing in Hickory shut down after 90 years in operation.

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

August 10

Asheboro City Council Meeting

7pm

The next Asheboro City Council meeting will be held this Thursday at 146 N. Church Street at 7 p.m.

August 11

Rock’n The Park –On The Border 6pm – 10pm

Come out to Bicentennial Park this Friday for live music by On the Border, an Eagles tribute band! This show is free and open to the public. All you need to do is bring a lawn chair!

August 12

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!

August 15

2023 Kids Summer Movies – Kung Fu Panda 3 10am, 1pm & 7pm

The Kids Summer Movies series will continue this upcoming Tuesday at the Sunset Theater! Matinees are $5 per person and the evening show cost is $8. Each ticket includes a small popcorn and drink!

Quiet Day at the Zoo 9am – 5pm

The North Carolina Zoo offers a sensoryfriendly experience every month for those seeking a quieter and less crowded experience at the park! They will be turning off all loud music and messaging at every entrance. Sensory bags are free for check out from the Guest Services Office or at Kidzone!

August 16

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!

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Asheboro Police officers were seen outside Klaussner Home furniture Industries Inc. on Tuesday morning after they closed all facilities at the headquarters in Asheboro.

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

New banking regulations could sink the economy

For every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion.

BANKING is just about the most regulated industry in America. Yet, as we saw with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others in recent months, lenders are not invulnerable to failure due to bad management or unexpected changes in economic conditions.

The inevitable response is for more regulation on all banks. But sometimes regulators can make conditions worse for healthy banks. The most famous example in recent times was when financial regulators urged banks to issue inordinate amounts of new “safe” mortgages leading up to the great financial crisis of 2008, ultimately flooding the financial system with toxic debt.

Now with some banks under financial stress because of higher interest rates, Congress and the Federal Reserve want to raise bank capital reserve requirements. Presumably, this means holding more government bonds, many of which dropped precipitously in value last year as interest rates spiked higher.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr recently proposed raising these capital standards, as have several Senate Democrats. No one wants to see bank runs. But these rules don’t distinguish between financially healthy banks and poorly operated banks with risky loan portfolios and bad management. It’s like trying to

fight obesity by asking physically fit people to go on a diet.

Given that taxpayers backstop bank deposits through FDIC insurance, reasonable capital requirements are prudent. But by definition, higher capital reserves mean less money available to make loans. Access to credit for business and family borrowers gets squeezed.

A recent study from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association finds that for every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion. Some of the capital requirement proposals would thus shrink the pool of available capital by as much as $136 billion.

Will tomorrow’s Bernie Marcus (cofounder of Home Depot) or Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) be the odd man out under these new regulations? If there is one thing economists agree on, it is the dire need for improved economic growth — which requires more, not less, capital investment.

All of this is unnecessary. The banking sector in general is already well-protected against an economic downturn or a sudden rash of loan defaults. The banks now hold nearly $3 trillion in high-quality liquid assets (or four times the levels before the 2008 meltdown).

The Federal Reserve itself acknowledges this in its recent Financial Stability Report, which concludes: “As of the fourth quarter of 2022, banks in the aggregate were well capitalized, especially U.S. global systemically important banks.”

Much like the Dodd-Frank law and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after 2008, this is a measure that won’t address the risk problem banks are facing. They have been victims of a reckless zero interest rate monetary policy that took a trillion dollars out of the lending base of banks as depositors have rushed to the higher yield environment of money market mutual funds.

Most new regulations are well-meaning — but often have unexpected results. Tighter capital requirements wouldn’t have done anything to prevent some of the recent failures of lenders such as SVB. But they will make borrowing costs more expensive and loans harder to get. That’s far from an agenda of growth and prosperity.

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.”

Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 indictments are an attack on political speech

Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

IF RECKLESSLY LYING to voters were a crime, most everyone in D.C. would be serving life in solitary confinement at Supermax. But in a liberal democracy, as frustrating as it often is, political misconduct is settled by voters and elections, not partisan prosecutors or rioters.

Feel free to campaign and vote against Donald Trump if you like. I’m certainly no fan. If Trump wins in 2024, Congress can impeach and remove him if they choose. But just as there was no special set of rules that could keep Trump in the White House in 2020, there shouldn’t be an exclusive set of rules to keep him out, either.

Yet Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictments over Jan. 6 read like a political oppo document cobbled together by some partisan House staffers who perfunctorily tacked on the last-minute novel legal reasoning.

Though numerous commentators who have an aversion to Trump have pointed out the weakness of the indictments, it’s quite telling how little media-approved historians and legal “experts” even bother defending the underlying legal case. Trump is evil, a threat to “democracy,” and really what else is there to discuss?

In the Trump-addled politics of our age, it is virtually impossible for either side to compartmentalize the process and the person if that person happens to be Trump.

In this case, the precedent would criminalize and chill political speech. People keep assuring me the indictments aren’t really about the expression but rather about defrauding the government. Sorry, the entire case is predicated on the things

Trump said or believed or didn’t say or didn’t believe. All of it should be protected under the First Amendment. “Spreading lies” — prosecutors leaned on the thesaurus hard, finding about two dozen ways of repeating this fact — or entertaining theories offered by crackpot lawyers, or trying to convince faithless electors to do things that people have been trying to convince faithless electors to do for a long time, are all unethical, not criminal.

Nowhere do the indictments come anywhere in the vicinity of making the case that Trump incited “imminent lawless action” on Jan 6. At least no more than, say, the entire Democratic Party had a hand in inciting the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots — the most destructive in American history. This is a dangerous road to go down.

Yes, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case is an exercise in the selective use of power for political ends, but it has a basis in law and recent precedent. (Not for Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, but for others.) This, however, isn’t about mere double standards anymore.

When, in 2000, the Supreme Court finally stopped Al Gore’s conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the presidential election, no serious person contemplated throwing him or his lackeys in prison. Since that time, Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

When they fail, people like Adam Schiff will use a DNC political oppo document to concoct a conspiracy, illegally leaking classified documents — in carefully

curated snippets to mislead the country — to overturn the will of the American voter. This effort also resulted in expensive investigations that defrauded the American people.

The point isn’t that we should imprison Gore — or Stacey Abrams or Hillary Clinton or Ron Klain or John Kerry or Bennie Thompson or Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters or Raul Grijalva or James Clyburn or Ed Markey or Nancy Pelosi, or many others who have tried in various ways to challenge election results in the past. It’s to say that Trump’s actions laid out in the indictments aren’t crimes, either.

Perhaps Smith doesn’t really expect Trump to end up in prison over any of these indictments. As his foray into the partisan prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, overturned 8-0 by the Supreme Court, this case is grounded on a “boundless” reading of statute. The law isn’t the point. The point is likely to make Jan. 6 — and hysterical claims about American democracy’s near demise — the centerpiece of the 2024 election.

Granted, allowing Joe Biden’s record to be the central issue of that 2024 campaign is potentially disastrous for Democrats. These indictments, however, create a deterioration of law that Americans will have to live with long after the next presidential election.

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

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Eagles lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges

Cambridge, Ohio Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Eagles, has been acquitted of felony rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio and will be returning to the team’s active roster. Jurors in Guernsey County reached the not-guilty verdicts Friday after deliberating for about three hours. The Sarahsville, Ohio, native was accused in January of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will in December 2019. He thanked jurors and his family, saying “I have done nothing wrong, and I’m glad that was proven today.”

NBA Cavs guard Rubio taking break from basketball

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio announced Saturday that he is taking a break from basketball to focus on his mental health, a move that comes as his Spanish national team prepares to defend its title at the FIBA World Cup that starts later this month. Rubio was the MVP of the most recent World Cup four years ago, leading Spain to the championship and an 8-0 record in the tournament. He was also expected to be part of Spain’s team that will look to defend that crown in the World Cup that starts Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

BOXING

Paul wins unanimous decision against Diaz

Dallas Jake Paul won a unanimous decision against Nate Diaz in a cruiserweight fight.

Paul, the 26-year-old social media YouTube personality who has turned himself into a prizefighter, held the advantage for much of the 10-round fight. Diaz, a mixed-martial arts fighter who left the UFC in 2022, appeared on the verge of a knockout at various moments. Paul (7-1) showed he was better conditioned throughout the fight as he bounced back from his first career loss — a splitdecision against Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February. The three judges scored this fight 97-92, 9891, and 98-91.

MLS

Messi shines again for Inter Miami

Frisco, Texas

Lionel Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami. The tying tally led to a 5-4 victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game. Messi’s goal in the 85th minute was reminiscent of the gamewinner in his Inter Miami debut. Both were on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, each sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net. The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff

The Associated Press HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.

She dove into therapy and slowly — very slowly — returned to training even though she wavered on whether she was really up for a third Olympics and all of the pressure and expectations that come with it when you’re considered the greatest of all time.

It wasn’t until mid-spring that she committed to training seriously after talking about it over margari-

tas with her coaches. It wasn’t until late June that she committed to Saturday night’s U.S. Classic. And it wasn’t until she stepped onto the podium and heard the shrieks of support and the sea of handmade signs that the noise she’d been grappling with for 732 days finally fell silent.

She was back in her safe space. Back in front of a crowd. Back in control. Back to being the Simone Biles — albeit a more mature, married, 26-year-old version — who has spent a decade redefining her sport. Confidence growing with every rotation, Biles soared to victory in her first meet since the To-

kyo Games. Her all-around score of 59.100 was five points better than runner-up Leanne Wong. And made all the more remarkable by the fact she didn’t really pour herself into preparing until after her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in late April.

“I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically,” Biles said. “I still think there are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I’m very shocked. Surprised.”

She posted the best score on three of four events, turning what is typically a tune-up meet for the U.S. Championships into a show-

case that she remains — when she’s at or near her best — a singular force in her sport.

At the moment, she’s letting her gymnastics do most of the talking. And it spoke loud and clear.

The Classic is considered a warm-up of sorts. The U.S. Championships are later this month, with the world championships coming in October and the Olympics less than a year out.

She’s trying not to get too far ahead. Making it a point to enjoy what she called the “little wins.”

“I knew I could come back and hopefully have a shot,” she said. “It’s just about really taking care of my body right now. So that’s what we’re to. It’s working.”

There is plenty of time to refine things. To expand. To build. Biles’ all-around score Saturday was higher than what she posted at the same meet in 2018. What followed back then was two years of historic dominance.

More may be on the way.

going a second surgery to alleviate the nerve pain in his lower left leg. The 14 missed games were twice as many as he’d missed over the previous four seasons combined and the prolonged absence, Leonard has repeatedly said, made him feel as if he wasn’t part of the Colts.

The Associated Press WESTFIELD, Ind. — Shaquille Leonard finally looks and sounds like his old self.

The Indianapolis Colts star linebacker is running around, making plays at training camp, injecting energy with his customary nonstop voice.

On Saturday, after missing most of last season with an impinged nerve that required season-ending surgery, the threetime All-Pro took another major step in his long road back by returning to full contact in team drills. One of the most-watched players at camp also knows there’s one last hurdle to overcome.

“I’m just going out and taking the fear out of making contact,” Leonard said. “I would still say fear — just being able to have contact for the first time in a long time, not knowing what result was going to come. It feels good, it feels amazing and I’m just happy to be out there.”

It was evident each time Leonard lined up at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, about 30 minutes from the team headquarters. And it was noticeable in his typically candid post-practice assessment, too.

Since entering the league in 2018, the South Carolina State alumnus has never shied away from giving opinions. He’s emerged as a major proponent of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a prominent spokesperson in the Colts’ mental health awareness campaign “Kicking The Stigma” and

frequently explains how he uses perceived slights as motivation.

This time, though, Leonard finds himself describing his own struggles.

After being severely hindered in 2021 by what doctors initially diagnosed as a back injury, Leonard missed six of the first seven games last season before under-

He led the league with 163 tackles when he earned the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award and became the first player in league history to have 300 tackles in his first 30 games. Even at less than full strength in 2021, he had 122 tackles, forced eight fumbles and had four interceptions.

So after two frustrating seasons and missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts, Leonard was eager to get back and teammates were happy to welcome him back.

“It’s always good to put the pads on because football is not played in shirts and shorts,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said Sunday. “It’s good to have (Leonard) back out there running around. It’s good for everybody.”

After watching himself struggle on tape last season, Leonard can already see a different player on tape this summer.

“I’m starting to see somebody that resembles the guy I used to know,” he said of his most recent training camp clips. “I’m building more confidence, I’m shooting through gaps, getting in windows. That’s what I want to see on film, and that’s what I’m happy to see right now.”

AP PHOTO

Simone Biles warms up at the U.S. Classic gymnastics competition on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

AP PHOTO Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, pictured in October 2022, is trying to regain his form after two injury-plagued seasons.

Colts’ Leonard attempts return after missing most of past 2 seasons

ZooKeepers finish season with positives

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The good times for the Asheboro ZooKeepers mostly came late in the season for the collegiate summer baseball team.

The ZooKeepers finished with a 20-24 record in the Coastal Plain League, winning just two of their last six games. Their 12-11 mark in the second half was the second-best record in the West Division.

That was an improvement from 2022, when Asheboro’s 14-33 overall record was the worst in the CPL.

The leading batter for the ZooKeepers was second baseman Cole Laskowski at .290 among players with enough plate appearances to qualify on the official league list.

Todd Hudson and Jared Beebe were tops for Asheboro in home runs with six apiece. Beebe led the team in runs batted in with 39, and Hudson was next with 27.

Tyler McPeak had a team-leading nine doubles despite not playing for nearly three weeks to end the season.

Pitcher Daniel Thompson posted a 2.05 earned run average in nine outings, including five starts. Jacob Halford had the most pitching victories as he racked up a 5-1 record.

First-year general manager Melissa Godwin said pitching depth became a shortcoming for the team. That was particularly evident late in the season.

The ZooKeepers began the season playing home games at UNC Greensboro’s baseball stadium because of a renovation project at

Kahlin Graham

McCrary Park that didn’t make it feasible to have fans at the ballpark. In the CPL’s official listing, the ZooKeepers were second-to-last among the 14 teams in home attendance, with 609 spectators per opening.

The ZooKeepers were eliminated from postseason contention with the result in their final home game. The Forest City Owls won 4-2 at McCrary Park. Hudson and Dallas Callahan drove in the Asheboro runs.

Then there were three road games remaining on the schedule.

The first of those was canceled because of weather at Martinsville, Va. Then came an 8-1 loss to the Florence Flamingos, with Asheboro’s run coming on Dylan Driver’s second home run of the season. Jaden Stockton took the loss.

Then Saturday night at Boone, Asheboro won 9-4 as Hudson drove in three runs and Driver and Laskowski both had three hits. Starting pitcher Drew Siegner worked five innings for his first victory of the season.

Eastern Randolph, baseball

Graham played a variety of positions for the Wildcats, often in the infield as the third baseman. He also was listed as a pitcher.

The Wildcats reached the Class 1-A West Region finals before falling to eventual state champion Uwharrie Charter Academy.

Graham is set to continue playing baseball at Guilford College.

Widespread success reshapes Eastern Randolph’s reputation

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph had a different kind of school year in 2022-23.

For athletics director Foster Cates, the perception of athletics at the school might be changing.

That’s because the Wildcats advanced to the Class 1-A state championship game in boys’ basketball. That had never happened before.

“It has been such a football and baseball-dominant school forever,” Cates said. “I wanted to make it a one-stop shot. You can come to school and do all three.”

The Wildcats won the Piedmont Athletic Conference title in football last year. They followed that with the PAC crown in boys’ basketball, coinciding with a strong regular season and postseason from the girls’ basketball team.

The fan support followed, with Eastern Randolph drawing big crowds at home and on the road for basketball games.

“It gave the community something to rally around after football season,” Cates. “That’s a long wait before the next (football) season. It was great for the community.”

Cates said the boys’ basketball team’s high-scoring games heightened the interest.

“It’s entertainment,” he said.

The girls’ basketball team had

a late-season eight-game winning streak and later won two games in the state playoffs.

In football, after a first-round bye in the state playoffs, the Wildcats won two games before they were eliminated. Combined with the basketball success, there were certain positives.

“Probably getting as far as we did in both sports,” then-senior running back/linebacker Devonte Brooks said of the school year’s highlights.

There seemed to be nonstop at-

Rose races to victory at Caraway Speedway

Randolph Record

SOPHIA — Cory Rose won the 35-lap

Challengers feature Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. Rose held the pole position after qualifying and then briefly lost the lead to Enoch McNeil following a restart. But once Rose got back in the groove, he cruised to victory. McNeil finished second, followed by Daniel Schadt, Matthew Smith and Blake Shupe.

In UCARs, the winner was Sammy Bullins in the 15-lap race. The runner-up was Justin Smith, followed by Ron Mock, Blair Patterson and Jason Garwood.

Jon Morton won two different competitions. Morton became a 10-time winner in 2023 in the Bootleggers competition, with Jason Garwood in second place, followed by Robbie Perkins and top qualifier Bentley Black.

In the Any Car Division, Morton navigated the 50-lap event to prevail in an 18-car field. All other drivers fell off the lead lap except for runner-up Brandon Collins.

tention on Eastern Randolph.

“It was pretty exciting,” Brooks said. “I just wanted to make it a basketball and football school, not just a one-sport school. Leave it better than I found it; that’s all I’m trying to do.”

The buzz around Eastern Randolph athletics continued in the spring.

The baseball team advanced to the Class 1-A West Region finals, extending its season to late May. The softball team won three games in the state playoffs.

The theme for the night was “Crashin’ Hackett’s Night of Destruction,” and so other activities revolved around demolitions.

Allen Vance was deemed the winner of the “bowling with cars” exhibition and also won the school bus races. Buddy Allred was the top entrant in the “figure-8 watermelon crawl” races. Jeff Ferree was tops in the trailer/boat race. Marty Coble was the winner of the Demolition Derby.

The next race night at the speedway comes Aug. 26, when Late Models, Challengers, Mini Stocks, UCARs, 602 Modifieds, Legends and Bandoleros will be on the card.

The night involving demolition creates lots of different results at the speedway.

RANDOLPH RECORD FILE PHOTO

Kahlin Graham of Eastern Randolph’s baseball team makes a catch during the past season

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Among the thrills for Eastern Randolph during the past school year came following a road victory against South Stokes in the boys’ basketball state playoffs.

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Lleyton Lackey of Asheboro ZooKeepers enjoys a moment late in the season after hitting a home run.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FINAL

Post 45’s season ends with 11-inning loss in Southeast Regional

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — It took most of Saturday night before Randolph County Post 45 was dismissed from the Southeast Regional. The host team battled for 11 innings with Florence (S.C.) Post 1 before suffering a 5-4 loss at McCrary Park.

“We’ve been playing all night,” Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said. “This was a classic. Our guys sucked it up and played.”

Post 45 ended the American Legion season with a 25-8 record, going 2-2 in regional play for the second year in a row.

This one came with an array of twists and turns.

“I thought for sure we were going to win it,” infielder/pitcher Hunter Atkins said. “That’s how it goes. There was ups and downs.”

Post 1’s Josh Williams tripled to begin the 11th and scored on Noah Moore’s sacrifice fly.

Post 45 tried to match it, with Carter Brown starting the bottom of the inning with an infield single and moving to second on Caleb Dunn’s sacrifice bunt. Tanner Marsh drew a two-out walk, and then a wild pitch moved up the runners before Atkins walked. Tyler Parks, who held the hero’s tag several times during the game, fouled out to end it.

“You can’t ask for anything else out of your team,” Parks said.

Atkins threw 87 pitches, the most he has thrown in a game at any level. He struck out seven in six innings of relief.

“We played a baseball game here, and everybody was into it,” Pugh said. “I would much rather go out in a game like this than get beat 7-1. … We were capable of winning this tournament.”

Post 45’s dramatics cranked up in the fifth inning. Florence reliever Collin Minshew walked Marsh and Atkins before Parks lofted a home run to left field to put Randolph County ahead 4-3.

Marsh pitched five-plus innings, giving up singles to the first two Post 1 batters in the sixth. Atkins worked out of the jam.

“You had to be tough (in this game),” Atkins said. “You couldn’t be mentally soft.”

Parks, the third baseman, had spectacular glove work in the seventh after Post 1’s Collin Minshew led off with a double. Parks made a sliding catch of Jackson Moore’s foul popup for the first out. Minshew scored on a two-out wild pitch, but Parks’ play might have prevented a big rally.

Parks was at it again in the 10th, starting a double play with a nifty stab and throw after the first batter reached on a single.

Atkins led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, and Parks was intentionally walked, but Post 45 couldn’t produce the winning run.

Randolph County’s Pierce Leonard went 3-for-4 with a walk. Parks and Brown each had two hits.

Earlier, Williams hit his second home run of the regional to open the scoring. Zach Hunt rapped a two-run double in the third.

Post 45 put its first two batters in the third inning on base with singles by Alex Martinez and

Marsh. But Florence right field tracked down Atkins’ deep drive, and Parks grounded into a double play.

Randolph County loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and scored on Dunn’s walk, but another double play ended the threat.

This marked the only extra-inning game in the regional.

Florence improved to 29-5 before winning the title the next day.

For the regional, Post 45 was without center fielder Braylen Hayes because of an injury and catcher Grat Dalton because of a family situation. Pitcher Drake Purvis was absent due to another baseball endeavor.

Earlier Post 45 games …

Parts of a plan for Post 45 played out well on the first day of the regional.

But Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19 had two big innings, and those turned into a 7-5 victory last Wednesday night.

“We had a plan, and we executed it for the most part,” Pugh said.

“They had two big hits.”

Post 19’s No. 9 batter Baylan Tuten blasted a bases-clearing two-

Florence leaves Asheboro with Southeast Regional title

Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — Florence

(S.C.) Post 1 completed a sweep of the Southeast Regional in American Legion baseball, winning Sunday afternoon’s title game by 8-5 against Fuquay-Varina Post 116.

Post 1 topped Fuquay-Varina, the North Carolina state champion, for the second time in the regional.

out triple over right fielder Parks’ head to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 7-4 lead in the fifth inning.

Post 45 had trouble generating much with its seven hits. The team had been off since July 17, when it failed to reach the Area 3 final.

“Hitting, a few of us didn’t have it,” outfielder Connor Adams said.

Pugh said Randolph County had enough personnel to extend the season.

“Win one and go to the next day,” Post 45 outfielder Carter Brown said of the objective at the time.

Randolph County used Robert Garner for three innings as the starting pitcher. Reliever Samuel Asbill breezed through the fourth inning before trouble brewed in the fifth. A one-out single and two two-out walks triggered Columbia’s rally.

Randolph County didn’t waste its chances in the bottom of the first inning, with Josh Meadows’ one-out single driving in two runs. Braxton Walker followed with a run-scoring triple.

Columbia converted in the second on Cam Vaughn’s one-out ground-rule double to pull within 3-2 and tacked on two more runs in the inning. In the third, Atkins

Florence went 5-0 in the regional at McCrary Park, including Saturday night’s 5-4 decision in 11 innings against host Randolph County Post 45.

Florence (30-5) needed just one victory Sunday, but an extra game wasn’t required as

doubled and scored on Meadows’ groundout before Walker’s single put Post 45 back ahead.

Walker was the only Post 45 player with more than one hit.

“It was a long break, but we’re all happy to get back,” Brown said.

“We want to win it,” Adams said, suggesting the energy could increase a notch with the season on the line.

** On last Thursday afternoon, Austin Lemons threw a four-hitter as Post 45 defeated Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 by 3-0.

Lemons, a former Randleman High School pitcher headed for UNC Greensboro, walked three batters and struck out seven. The game lasted only 79 minutes.

Marsh’s second-inning triple with two outs drove in Adams, who began the inning with a single. Meadows homered with one out in the third. Atkins made it 3-0 when his two-out single in the

Post 1 goes on to the American Legion World Series later this week in Shelby, marking Florence’s third regional championship and its first in 11 years. Zach Hunt’s three-run home run set the tone as Post 1 notched four runs in the top of the first inning. Florence led 7-3 after three innings.

Fuquay-Varina finished with a 30-7 record.

sixth drove in Dunn, who reached on a lead-off single.

Atkins, who doubled earlier, and Dunn both finished with two hits.

** In Friday afternoon’s elimination game, Atkins drove in three runs, and six of his Post 45 teammates racked up two runs batted in a 17-1 whipping of Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9. The game ended after five innings. Post 45 scored in every inning, including seven runs in the top of the fifth.

Marsh, Parks, Meadows, Adams, Leonard and Carson Whitehead all knocked in two runs. Adams had three of Randolph County’s 10 hits, and he also scored three runs. Marsh rapped two doubles. Post 45 drew six walks and had six batters hit by pitches.

Walker pitched the first four innings and Drew Harmon threw in the fifth for Post 45. Owensboro finished with a 21-12 record.

RANDOLPH RECORD FILE PHOTO

Austin Lemons gave Post 45 a boost from the mound during the regional.

RANDOLPH RECORD FILE PHOTO

Randolph County’s Hunter Atkins made an impact at the plate during the Southeast Regional.

Tami Lynette Melton

February 15, 1974 — August 3, 2023

Tami Lynette Melton, 49, passed away August 3, 2023 at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro. She was born in Randolph County on February 15, 1974 to Rowland Curtis Melton and Philis A. (Flinchum) Melton.

Tami was a faithful member of Friendship Baptist Church and is now in the presence of her Lord and Savior. Ms. Melton graduated from Randleman High School in 1995. She loved puzzles and talking with people. She always saw the good in those she met and always gave them a “Tami” hug. Ms. Melton devoted her time volunteering at the library and Meals on Wheels. Her light will always shine. Special thanks to the staff of M and S Supervised living for their great care for Tami over the years. Particularly to Mike & April Evans and Mr. & Mrs. Graves.

She is survived by her parents, Rowland Curtis and Philis Melton of Franklinville; siblings, Wayne (Dawn) McMasters of Little River, SC and Christy M. (Dean) Glaze of Randleman; nieces and nephews; Taylor (Andrew) McMasters Hettinger of Ft. Bragg, Logan McMasters of Asheboro, Kaitlyn Glaze of Randleman, Trevor Glaze of Randleman, Trevor Williams of Little River, SC and Della Williams of Little River, SC; several aunts and uncles. She is preceded in death by her grandparents; Rowland & Josephine Melton and Wesley & Mamie Flinchum.

Marjorie Meiers

June 29, 1938 — August 2, 2023

Marjorie Mae Morris Meiers, age 85, lovingly known as Margie and is affectionately named “Nonnie” by her children and grandchildren, died peacefully early Wednesday morning August 2, 2023.

Margie was born in Niagara Falls, NY to George Benjamin Morris and Lillian Mary Smith Morris. She was predeceased by her husband of fifty years, Lester Meiers and her step-sister Betty Garrison (NY) . She is survived by her sister Marion Dilger (NY) and stepsister Marilyn Catlin (GA/FL). She leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughter Lori Meiers Dixon and grandson Matthew Dixon (NC); son Ken Meiers and wife Robin (NC) and granddaughter Sarah Wolfe and husband Matthew (SC); son David Meiers and wife Janet and granddaughter Gloria Meiers (NC).

Margie was a wonderful Wife, Mother and Grandmother. She had 3 children and three grandchildren. She especially loved her pets, too, and always had a unique collection of dogs and cats around the house; often strays that would win over her soft heart. She enjoyed maintaining bird feeders so there was always an assortment of birds around the house.

She was a gifted artist and could draw and paint with a natural creative talent for arts and crafts. She had unique skills, too, including that she could write upside down and backwards, even in cursive. She could seamlessly recite any tongue twisters without any trouble.

She then enjoyed living on a small farm in Farmer, NC, with her husband. They had an active farm with horses, goats, a thriving garden and more. In earlier years she could be seen riding one of her horses in the Asheboro parade. She enjoyed evenings relaxing on the glider rocker in her gazebo watching wildlife or fireflies while listening to crickets or watching thunderstorms in the distance.

Frank "Doc" Hibbs

June 18, 1945 - August 2, 2023

Ballard Frank "Doc" Hibbs, 78, of Asheboro, passed away Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

Born on June 18, 1945, in Riverside, CA, to the late Frank W. Hibbs and Voncile Brumley Hibbs. Mr. Hibbs retired from the U.S. Army. He honorably served during the Vietnam War, and he was apart of the Rangers, Airborne, and Special Forces. He later retired as a teacher for Montgomery County Schools. He taught aikido and was a member of The Randolph County Honor Guard and Liberty Masonic Lodge. Mr. Hibbs was also in the Praise Band at Cross Road Baptist Church.

He is survived by his wife Jane Hibbs of the home; sons, Jared Hibbs (Katie), Robert Hibbs (Deborah); sister, Frances Kirkendoll (Jim); and grandchildren, Zoe Hibbs, Macie Blankenship.

Roy Newton Williamson

October 10, 1930 — August 2, 2023

Roy Newton Williamson, age 92, of Asheboro passed away on Wednesday August 2, 2023 at the Randolph Hospice House.

Roy was born in Randolph County, North Carolina on October 10, 1930 to Jack and Lula Brown Williamson. He graduated from High School and was a veteran of the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. Roy worked as a knitter for Laughlin Hosiery for 36 years until his retirement. In addition to his parents, Roy was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved gardening and walking. He had a passion for reading as well. He is survived by two sisters, Peggy Williams and Geneva Purgason as well as several nieces and nephews who referred to him as "best unke ever".

Willie Mae Bailey Spinks

February 8, 1928 — August 2, 2023

Willie Mae Bailey Spinks, age 95, of Asheboro passed away Wednesday, August 2, 2023. She was born February 8, 1928 in Jefferson City, TN to George and Gertie Bailey. Mrs. Spinks was retired from the hosiery industry and was a member of Sunset Avenue Church of God. She was a giving lady who enjoyed helping others and loved to play music and sing. She was an avid gardener and loved talking about her big garden each year.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Spinks was preceded in death by her husband, Bennie Spinks; brothers, Everette Bailey, Bernie Bailey, Paul Bailey; sisters, Marie Taylor, Sylvia Cuyler, Opal Barnes. She is survived by nephew and his wife, David and Donna Taylor of Asheboro; several other nieces and nephews.

Arnold Craig Russell

February 16, 1957 — August 1, 2023

Arnold Craig Russell, 66, passed away August 1, 2023 at his home in Randleman. He was born in Randolph County on February 16, 1957 to Charles Vernon Russell and Peggy Jean (Routh) Russell. Mr. Russell worked for over 20 years as an assembly lineman for Goodyear Tire. Mr. Russell was a proud member of the Asheboro Masonic Lodge #699 AF & AM. He was an avid fan of comics and computers. He would like to thank the waitresses at Betty’s Kitchen, where he would visit daily.

He is survived by his sister, Carla Macon (Mitchell) of Franklinville; nephew, Scott Macon of Randleman; niece, Aimee Abell (Paul) of Oxford, FL,; great-nieces, Charlie Abell and Emerson Abell; and several Aunts and Uncles. He is preceded in death by his parents.

Bennie Williamson

July 26, 1949 - August 6, 2023

Bennie Lee Williamson, 74, of Asheboro, passed away Sunday, August 6, 2023 at Alpine Health and Rehabilitation in Asheboro.

Mr. Williamson was born on July 26, 1949, in Moore County, to the late James Williamson and Berlie Spivey Williamson. He honorably served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He retired from the United States Postal Service. He enjoyed watching TV, especially football. Mr. Williamson loved his dogs "Lexie" and "Cash".

In addition to his parents, Mr. Williamson was preceded in death by his brothers, Tump Williamson and Lester "Peanut" Davis.

He is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Peggy Bullins Williamson of the home; sister-inlaw, Nancy Staley; brother-in-law, Ken Davis; nieces and nephews, Chris Davis (Penny), Jennifer Staley, David Davis (Denise), Melisa Simmons (Michael), Troy Dale Bullins, Richard Davis (Angie), Mickey Davis (Tori), Annette Dunlap (Anthony), James Davis; great nieces and nephews, Gavin Davis, Caroline Davis, Hannah Davis, Caleb Simmons (Victoria), Casey Simmons (Addie), Jessica Trantham; greatgreat nieces and nephews, Conrey Arthur Simmons, Sadie Simmons, Gracelyn Simmons, Julie Mace, Brayden Mace, and Easton Trantham.

Alice Dawson

June 20, 1945 — August 1, 2023

(Linda) Alice Dagenhart Dawson, 78, of Asheboro, NC, passed peacefully at her home on August 1st, 2023, in the arms of her daughters, after a brief recurrence of breast cancer.

Alice was born on June 20, 1945, in Taylorsville, NC, to Ernest and Hazel Bowman Dagenhart. In 1963, Alice graduated Valedictorian from Taylorsville High School. Alice attended Lenoir Rhyne College and graduated in 1967 at the top of the class with a B.A. in teaching and English and went on to teach in Taylorsville then Winston Salem. In 1969, Alice met her future husband, Glenn Dawson, Jr., while he was teaching at Wake Forest University. They wed in 1970 and went on to have two children, Laurel and Aaren. They were soul mates and had been married 51 years at the time Glenn passed two years ago. She was the most selfless person and volunteered for decades for the Senior Adults Association Board, the Salvation Army Board, Meals On Wheels, the Planning Committee/Nursing Home Community Advisory Board, Hospice of Davidson County, Friends of the Library bookstore, and many others.

Alice was predeceased by her parents and husband, Dr. Glenn Dawson, Jr. She leaves to grieve her absence daughter Aaren Dawson Toney (Will) of Greenville, NC, four wonderful grandsons, Jordan, Garrett, Nathan, and Eli Toney of Greenville, NC, daughter Laurel Brett Dawson of Asheboro, NC, brother Harold Dagenhart of Taylorsville, NC, sister Lois Hudson of Hildebran, NC, nieces Allison Harmon and Adrienne Chapman, nephew Aubrey Dagenhart, and a host of incredibly loyal and dedicated friends.

This woman was the most precious, selfless, patient, beautiful soul to ever walk the earth. She was ready, but we were not. She looked up several times near the end and lifted her hands up. I can only believe that she was seeing what lies ahead for all Believers.

Doyle Vaughn

January 23, 1947 - July 31, 2023

Doyle Monroe Vaughn, 76, of Asheboro, passed away on July 31, 2023 at The Randolph Hospice House in Asheboro.

Mr. Vaughn was born in Moore County, NC, on January 23, 1947, the son of the late Raymond L. Sr., and Annie Myrl Brady Vaughn. Doyle served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was retired from Klaussner Furniture. Mr. Vaughn was a kind, caring man who loved his church and family. He loved doing yard work, making ice cream, and camping with his family.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Vaughn was preceded in death by his brother, Raymond Vaughn Jr., and great granddaughter, Felicity Fowler.

He is survived by his wife, Linda M. Vaughn, daughter Martha Fowler and husband Bob, of Angier, NC, sons, David Vaughn of High Falls, and Stephen Vaughn and wife Lisa of Asheboro, brother, Joe Vaughn and wife Linda, grandchildren, Brandon Vaughn, Jeremy Vaughn and wife Brittny, Kristin Vaughn, Daniel Fowler and wife Jessie, Jacob Fowler, Corey Vaughn, and Connor Vaughn, great grandchildren, Paisley Vaughn, Parker Vaughn, and a baby Fowler expected January 7, 2024.

David Boone

February 3, 1948 - August 2, 2023

David William Boone, 75, of Asheboro, died Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at Heartland Living & Rehab in Greensboro. Mr. Boone was born on February 3, 1948 in Randolph County to the late Lexie Boone and Edna Frye Boone. He honorably served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam, and repaired and refinished furniture for over 30 years. Mr. Boone was a member of Maple Springs Baptist Church. He was an avid cyclist and enjoyed cars, especially antiques and Volkswagens.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Boone was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy Boone; and son Jimmy Smith.

He is survived by his wife for over 46 years Wyleen Boone of the home; daughters, Theresa S. Wilder of Morehead City, Robin S. McNeill and husband Howard of Archdale; sister, Jane Crotts and husband Carl of Seagrove; grandchildren, Will Wilder and wife Katherine-Parker, Elise Merkley and husband Tracy, Courtney Bless and husband Alex, Harrison McNeill, Daniel McNeill; great grandson, William Parker Wilder; and several nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 until 2:45 p.m. at the church prior to the service.

STATE & NATION

Appeals court casts doubt on Biden administration rule to curb use of handgun stabilizing braces

The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A Biden administration rule requiring registration of stabilizing braces on handguns is unlikely to survive a legal challenge, a federal appeals court panel said as it extended an order allowing a gun dealer and others challenging the regulation to keep owning, buying and selling the devices without registering them.

The ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sends the case back to a federal judge in Texas who will consider whether to block enforcement nationwide.

Stabilizing braces attach to the back of a handgun, lengthening it while strapping to the arm. Advocates say the attachments make handguns safer and more accurate. Gun safety groups say they can be used to, in effect, lengthen a concealable handgun, making it more lethal. They point to mass shootings in which such braces were used.

While gun control advocates back the registration requirement as a needed curb on use of the braces, two Texas gun owners, a gun rights group and a gun dealer filed a lawsuit challenging the law.

The Texas-based federal judge presiding in the case refused to

block the rule, which required registration of the devices and payment of a fee. But in May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary block of the rule as it applied to the plaintiffs, their customers and members.

Three 5th Circuit judges heard

arguments in June. Last week, the panel voted 2-1 to extend the block on enforcement for 60 days and send the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas. The majority said the challengers were likely to succeed with their argument that the adminis-

AP PHOTO

tration failed to comply with the federal Administrative Procedure Act in adopting the rule. It said O’Connor should review that aspect of his original ruling, other issues brought up in the challenge and the scope of any remedies — including whether the block on

‘The Few, the Proud’ aren’t so few: Marines recruiting surges while other services struggle

The Associated Press PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening.

She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps’ tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results.

Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career.

Nash’s boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who heads the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically emphasized selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that

has been a key to the Marines’ recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said his recruiters — who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi — will meet

their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000. Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year.

AP PHOTO

“That would be a great ending,” said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina’s Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast. “I’m bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing but also how we set the conditions for FY24.”

The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruit-

enforcement should apply nationwide.

“There is a need for consistent application of the law, and this court may not have all the required facts,” Judge Jerry Smith wrote, noting that multiple other courts have issued orders against the federal registration rule since May and that it is uncertain how many people are now covered by such rulings.

The regulation, which went into effect June 1, was one of several steps President Joe Biden first announced in 2021 after a man using a stabilizing brace killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019 and in a school shooting that killed six in Nashville, Tennessee. Smith, who was nominated to the appeals court by former President Ronald Reagan, was joined in Tuesday’s ruling by Judge Don Willett, nominated by former President Donald Trump. Judge Stephen Higginson, nominated by former President Barack Obama, dissented, saying O’Connor, nominated to the federal bench by former President George W. Bush, was correct in holding that the government had met the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

ing goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps’, and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits.

The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits — something the other services have found helpful.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February.

“Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine,” he said. “That’s your bonus, right? There’s no dollar amount that goes with that.”

Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people.

Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pull-up contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine.

“If you told me you’ll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you’ll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform — what’s going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day,” Nash said. “We’ll go out and we’ll get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising.”

Semi-automatic handguns are displayed at shop in New Castle, Pa., March 25, 2020.

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit checks for a trip-wire around the edge of a culvert pipe during basic warrior training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Parris Island, S.C.

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The Sandhills Athletic Conference held its Football Media Day at Hoke County High School’s Raz Autry Stadium on Monday morning. Coaches, players, officials and media all attended this annual event that kicks off football season. Hoke County is set to play in the Cumberland County Jamboree Friday Night at 6 pm at E.E. Smith High School. The season will officially begin on August 18, when the Bucks take on Jack Britt. Left to right: Asst. Steven Harris of Scotland County (Coach Bailey was absent), Jason Trousdale of Union Pines, Fred Blanks of Southern Lee, George Small of Hoke County, Steve Burdeau of Lee County, Nick Eddins of Pinecrest and Bryan Till of Richmond County.

Commissioners hold eight public hearings on variety of property matters and developments

Board accepts two grant awards

Hoke Parks & Rec to host ‘Back-2-School Bash’ event this August

The 2023-24 school year is quickly approaching, and in anticipation of this, the Hoke County Parks and Recreation will be hosting a “Back-2-School Bash” to wrap up the summer. This event will be held on Friday, August 18, at 3195 Red Springs Rd. in Raeford. The event will have several food trucks, informational tables, music, a bouncy house, and even a bookbag giveaway. To learn more about the Back-2-School Base, please follow the County of Hoke Parks and Recreation Facebook page, call (910) 875-1100, or visit https:// www.hokecounty.net/161/ParksRecreation.

FirstHealth seeking local residents to join Patient Family Advisory Council

FirstHealth of the Carolinas is currently seeking individuals to serve on its Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC). The PFAC works with FirstHealth to promote family-centered care, collaborate on improving the quality of care and improve patient and family satisfaction. Council members provide feedback regarding environmental design, services and programs. Additionally, council members serve as a vital link between the hospital and the community by promoting a positive relationship between FirstHealth and the community. Individuals are invited to self-nominate if they meet the following criteria: have patient experience within the past three years (patient or family member of a patient), be able to attend meetings on the first Tuesday of the month, live in Richmond, Moore, Montgomery, Lee, or Hoke counties, can serve a two-year term, and have a commitment to support the values of FirstHealth and quality care. Interested parties can contact Roxanne Elliot, chair of the council, at (910) 715-3487 or rmelliot@ firsthealth.org.

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners met Monday, August 7, with an agenda filled with public hearings related to various property matters.

The board started the meeting by holding eight separate public hearings.

The first hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 2.21 acres of property located at 4991 Rockfish Road from RA-20 to Neighborhood Business for the development of a potential retail space.

Following the hearing, the board approved the rezoning request.

The second hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 4 acres of property located at 3066 and 3050 Rockfish Road from R-8 to Residential Multi-Family.

However, Commissioner Tony Hunt raised concerns over the fact that the property had not been surveyed yet before coming before the board.

In addition, a potential multi-family development would require a special use permit.”

“[The property] is currently in R-8,” said Hoke County Attorney Grady Hunt. “In R-8, just like in a Residential Multi-Family, multi-family development is allowed as a special use permit. So it doesn’t serve any purpose for us to

move from R-8 to RMF because you’re going to have to get a special use permit either way.”

As such, the board voted to set aside the public hearing.

The third hearing was for a rezoning request to rezone 4 acres of property located at RL Smith Lane and Rockfish Road from RA-20 to Residential Multi-Family for the development of affordable housing.

Following the hearing, the board approved the rezoning request.

The fourth hearing was for a request for a special use permit for the use of multi-family homes on the previously rezoned property.

“We recognize that some people take the wording of ‘affordable housing’ as a negative thing,” said Chairman Allen Thomas. “I can’t speak for the board, but I can say that I appreciate the fact that there are people who are looking to build things that the average everyday person that lives in Hoke County can afford. People like my sister, who’s a teacher. She wants to buy a home, but she can’t buy the $400,000 homes.”

Following the hearing, the board approves the special use permit.

The fifth hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for a 345-lot major subdivision named Turnberry South Subdivision Phase II located at the 125.297acre property located south of the Turnberry Subdivision.

Following the hearing, the board approved the preliminary

plat.

“I just want to speak to the public because what can happen is that folks can feel like we’re not listening whenever we have folks who come and speak against something, and then it potentially gets approved anyway,” Thomas said. “A preliminary plat, what we’re listening for specifically and only, does this plan coincide with our ordinance for subdivisions? Administrative approval means we must approve the plan unless it does not coincide with our ordinance.”

The sixth hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for an 8-lot major subdivision named Windsor Trace Subdivision Phase II located at the 78.62-acre property located on Doc Brown Road.

Because of the additional lots, the subdivision transitioned from a minor subdivision to a major subdivision, thereby requiring board approval.

Following the hearing, the board approved the preliminary plat.

The seventh hearing was for a preliminary plat approval request for a 16-lot major subdivision named Lancaster Subdivision located at the 10.85-acre property located at 471 and 167 N. Parker Church Road.

Following the public hearing, the board approved the preliminary plat.

The eighth request was for a rezoning request to rezone 146.157 acres of property located at 192 Wedgewood Drive from RA-20 to

R-8.

However, following the hearing, the board denied the request 4-1 –Commissioner Bobby Wright was the lone dissent – following strong public opposition that was mostly against the potential higher-intensity development in the area.

“There’s a reason we have ordinances that allow our citizens to come up and voice their opinions,” Commissioner Hunt said. “A lot of references were made about other RAs that we approved, but when the community was given an opportunity to speak on those, they did not. This community has come up and spoken, and they’ve told us what kind of community they want to have, and that’s what our ordinance allows. For the community to come up and have a voice in what goes on in their community.”

Finally, the board also approved the acceptance of two grants, the HATS FY24 Rural Operating Grant, which is a $199,236 grant for the undertaking of non-urbanized and small urban public transportation projects, and the Mountaire Farms Grant, a $2,500 grant for a Cooperative Extension gardening program.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet August 21.

♦ Smith, Victor Cornell (B/M/59), Stalking, 08/07/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Colley, Danny Wayne (W/M/54), Trespass - Second Degree, 08/05/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Shepley, Anthony Carl (W/M/36), Resisting Arrest/Hinder & Delay, 08/04/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Skillman, Arthur (B/M/55), AWDWIK - Serious Injury, 08/02/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Grace, Shaneice Antionette (B/F/31), DWI, 08/02/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Grace, James Franklin (B/M/54), Aid Und Age to Purchase Alc, 08/02/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Woods, Rashawn Marques (B/M/33), Possess Drug Paraphernalia, 08/01/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Cross, Sean C (W/M/36), Fugitive From Justice, 08/01/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

♦ Allen, William Thomas (B/M/52), DWI, 08/01/2023, Hoke County Sheriff’s Office

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

New banking regulations could sink the economy

For every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion.

BANKING is just about the most regulated industry in America. Yet, as we saw with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others in recent months, lenders are not invulnerable to failure due to bad management or unexpected changes in economic conditions.

The inevitable response is for more regulation on all banks. But sometimes regulators can make conditions worse for healthy banks. The most famous example in recent times was when financial regulators urged banks to issue inordinate amounts of new “safe” mortgages leading up to the great financial crisis of 2008, ultimately flooding the financial system with toxic debt.

Now with some banks under financial stress because of higher interest rates, Congress and the Federal Reserve want to raise bank capital reserve requirements. Presumably, this means holding more government bonds, many of which dropped precipitously in value last year as interest rates spiked higher.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr recently proposed raising these capital standards, as have several Senate Democrats. No one wants to see bank runs. But these rules don’t distinguish between financially healthy banks and poorly operated banks with risky loan portfolios and bad management. It’s like trying to

fight obesity by asking physically fit people to go on a diet.

Given that taxpayers backstop bank deposits through FDIC insurance, reasonable capital requirements are prudent. But by definition, higher capital reserves mean less money available to make loans. Access to credit for business and family borrowers gets squeezed.

A recent study from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association finds that for every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion. Some of the capital requirement proposals would thus shrink the pool of available capital by as much as $136 billion.

Will tomorrow’s Bernie Marcus (cofounder of Home Depot) or Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) be the odd man out under these new regulations? If there is one thing economists agree on, it is the dire need for improved economic growth — which requires more, not less, capital investment.

All of this is unnecessary. The banking sector in general is already well-protected against an economic downturn or a sudden rash of loan defaults. The banks now hold nearly $3 trillion in high-quality liquid assets (or four times the levels before the 2008 meltdown).

The Federal Reserve itself acknowledges this in its recent Financial Stability Report, which concludes: “As of the fourth quarter of 2022, banks in the aggregate were well capitalized, especially U.S. global systemically important banks.”

Much like the Dodd-Frank law and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after 2008, this is a measure that won’t address the risk problem banks are facing. They have been victims of a reckless zero interest rate monetary policy that took a trillion dollars out of the lending base of banks as depositors have rushed to the higher yield environment of money market mutual funds.

Most new regulations are well-meaning — but often have unexpected results. Tighter capital requirements wouldn’t have done anything to prevent some of the recent failures of lenders such as SVB. But they will make borrowing costs more expensive and loans harder to get. That’s far from an agenda of growth and prosperity.

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.”

Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 indictments are an attack on political speech

Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

IF RECKLESSLY LYING to voters were a crime, most everyone in D.C. would be serving life in solitary confinement at Supermax. But in a liberal democracy, as frustrating as it often is, political misconduct is settled by voters and elections, not partisan prosecutors or rioters.

Feel free to campaign and vote against Donald Trump if you like. I’m certainly no fan. If Trump wins in 2024, Congress can impeach and remove him if they choose. But just as there was no special set of rules that could keep Trump in the White House in 2020, there shouldn’t be an exclusive set of rules to keep him out, either.

Yet Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictments over Jan. 6 read like a political oppo document cobbled together by some partisan House staffers who perfunctorily tacked on the last-minute novel legal reasoning.

Though numerous commentators who have an aversion to Trump have pointed out the weakness of the indictments, it’s quite telling how little media-approved historians and legal “experts” even bother defending the underlying legal case. Trump is evil, a threat to “democracy,” and really what else is there to discuss?

In the Trump-addled politics of our age, it is virtually impossible for either side to compartmentalize the process and the person if that person happens to be Trump.

In this case, the precedent would criminalize and chill political speech. People keep assuring me the indictments aren’t really about the expression but rather about defrauding the government. Sorry, the entire case is predicated on the things

Trump said or believed or didn’t say or didn’t believe. All of it should be protected under the First Amendment. “Spreading lies” — prosecutors leaned on the thesaurus hard, finding about two dozen ways of repeating this fact — or entertaining theories offered by crackpot lawyers, or trying to convince faithless electors to do things that people have been trying to convince faithless electors to do for a long time, are all unethical, not criminal.

Nowhere do the indictments come anywhere in the vicinity of making the case that Trump incited “imminent lawless action” on Jan 6. At least no more than, say, the entire Democratic Party had a hand in inciting the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots — the most destructive in American history. This is a dangerous road to go down.

Yes, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case is an exercise in the selective use of power for political ends, but it has a basis in law and recent precedent. (Not for Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, but for others.) This, however, isn’t about mere double standards anymore.

When, in 2000, the Supreme Court finally stopped Al Gore’s conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the presidential election, no serious person contemplated throwing him or his lackeys in prison. Since that time, Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

When they fail, people like Adam Schiff will use a DNC political oppo document to concoct a conspiracy, illegally leaking classified documents — in carefully

curated snippets to mislead the country — to overturn the will of the American voter. This effort also resulted in expensive investigations that defrauded the American people.

The point isn’t that we should imprison Gore — or Stacey Abrams or Hillary Clinton or Ron Klain or John Kerry or Bennie Thompson or Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters or Raul Grijalva or James Clyburn or Ed Markey or Nancy Pelosi, or many others who have tried in various ways to challenge election results in the past. It’s to say that Trump’s actions laid out in the indictments aren’t crimes, either.

Perhaps Smith doesn’t really expect Trump to end up in prison over any of these indictments. As his foray into the partisan prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, overturned 8-0 by the Supreme Court, this case is grounded on a “boundless” reading of statute. The law isn’t the point. The point is likely to make Jan. 6 — and hysterical claims about American democracy’s near demise — the centerpiece of the 2024 election.

Granted, allowing Joe Biden’s record to be the central issue of that 2024 campaign is potentially disastrous for Democrats. These indictments, however, create a deterioration of law that Americans will have to live with long after the next presidential election.

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

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Eagles lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges

Cambridge, Ohio

Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Eagles, has been acquitted of felony rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio and will be returning to the team’s active roster. Jurors in Guernsey County reached the not-guilty verdicts Friday after deliberating for about three hours. The Sarahsville, Ohio, native was accused in January of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will in December 2019. He thanked jurors and his family, saying “I have done nothing wrong, and I’m glad that was proven today.”

NBA Cavs guard Rubio taking break from basketball

Cleveland

Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio announced Saturday that he is taking a break from basketball to focus on his mental health, a move that comes as his Spanish national team prepares to defend its title at the FIBA World Cup that starts later this month. Rubio was the MVP of the most recent World Cup four years ago, leading Spain to the championship and an 8-0 record in the tournament. He was also expected to be part of Spain’s team that will look to defend that crown in the World Cup that starts Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

BOXING

Paul wins unanimous decision against Diaz

Dallas

Jake Paul won a unanimous decision against Nate Diaz in a cruiserweight fight.

Paul, the 26-year-old social media YouTube personality who has turned himself into a prizefighter, held the advantage for much of the 10-round fight. Diaz, a mixedmartial arts fighter who left the UFC in 2022, appeared on the verge of a knockout at various moments. Paul

(7-1) showed he was better conditioned throughout the fight as he bounced back from his first career loss — a splitdecision against Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February. The three judges scored this fight 97-92, 98-91, and 98-91.

Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff

The Associated Press HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.

She dove into therapy and slowly — very slowly — returned to training even though she wavered on whether she was really up for a third Olympics and all of the pressure and expectations that come with it when you’re considered the greatest of all time.

It wasn’t until mid-spring that she committed to training seriously after talking about it over margari-

tas with her coaches. It wasn’t until late June that she committed to Saturday night’s U.S. Classic. And it wasn’t until she stepped onto the podium and heard the shrieks of support and the sea of handmade signs that the noise she’d been grappling with for 732 days finally fell silent. She was back in her safe space. Back in front of a crowd. Back in control. Back to being the Simone Biles — albeit a more mature, married, 26-year-old version — who has spent a decade redefining her sport. Confidence growing with every rotation, Biles soared to victory in her first meet since the To-

kyo Games. Her all-around score of 59.100 was five points better than runner-up Leanne Wong. And made all the more remarkable by the fact she didn’t really pour herself into preparing until after her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in late April.

“I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically,” Biles said. “I still think there are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I’m very shocked. Surprised.”

She posted the best score on three of four events, turning what is typically a tune-up meet for the U.S. Championships into a show-

case that she remains — when she’s at or near her best — a singular force in her sport.

At the moment, she’s letting her gymnastics do most of the talking. And it spoke loud and clear.

The Classic is considered a warm-up of sorts. The U.S. Championships are later this month, with the world championships coming in October and the Olympics less than a year out.

She’s trying not to get too far ahead. Making it a point to enjoy what she called the “little wins.”

“I knew I could come back and hopefully have a shot,” she said. “It’s just about really taking care of my body right now. So that’s what we’re to. It’s working.”

There is plenty of time to refine things. To expand. To build. Biles’ all-around score Saturday was higher than what she posted at the same meet in 2018. What followed back then was two years of historic dominance.

More may be on the way.

AP PHOTO

Simone Biles warms up at the U.S. Classic gymnastics competition on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Penguins acquire 3-time Norris winner Karlsson in trade

The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — So much for the Pittsburgh Penguins trying to walk the fine line between protecting the future while also making the most out of the present.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and company — new president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas in particular — are all in on trying to catch the powers that be in the Eastern Conference.

Dubas has pushed in his available chips, acquiring star defenseman Erik Karlsson from San Jose in a massive three-way deal with the Sharks and Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

Pittsburgh sent a 2024 firstround pick, forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Jan Rutta to San Jose and goaltender Casey DeSmith, defenseman Jeff Petry, a 2025 second-round pick and prospect Nathan Legare to Montreal as part of the deal for the three-time Norris Trophy winner.

Karlsson is the first defenseman to be traded fresh off winning the Norris as the NHL’s top defenseman since Doug Harvey in 1961. The 33-year-old Swede became the first player at the position to record 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. The complicated trade included the Canadiens to make sure the deal was salary cap compliant.

Karlsson has four years left on his contract at a cap hit of $11.5 million — $1.5 million of which San Jose will retain through the end of the deal in 2027. The Penguins, meanwhile, will hold on to $1.56 million of Petry’s salary.

“It’s been kind of a long grind throughout not only the regular season but the summer to get this done,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said on a video call with reporters. “We’ve been going at it for a while trying to get this done with a few teams. Kyle’s been pretty up front and aggressive for the last couple months, but it’s been a little bit of a grind.”

The Hurricanes were among the teams that pursued Karlsson

this offseason. As part of the trade, the Penguins also received forward Rem Pitlick, prospect Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose’s 2026 third-round pick. The Sharks also got Mike Hoffman from the Canadiens. Karlsson, who also won the Norris in 2012 and 2015, is going to his third NHL organization. He played his first nine seasons with the Ottawa Senators before he was traded to San Jose in 2018.

In 987 regular-season and playoff games, Karlsson has 814 points — the most of any defenseman since he broke into the league in 2009. He has not appeared in the playoffs since 2019 and will now be an important part of trying

to get Crosby, Malkin, defenseman Kris Letang and the Penguins back into the mix in the East after their 16-year playoff streak ended last season, prompting major front office changes.

The team fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall in the aftermath and owner Fenway Sports Group turned the keys over to Dubas.

He was given the mandate to maximize whatever championship window remains for while Crosby, Malkin and Letang are still on the roster. The trio won the Stanley Cup together in 2009, 2016 and 2017 but the going has been far tougher in recent years.

Anderson, Ramírez facing multi-game suspensions after brawl

The White Sox and Guardians emptied their benches after the altercation between the two players

The Associated Press CLEVELAND — Tim Anderson didn’t play on Sunday for the Chicago White Sox, who gave their starting shortstop a planned day off. He could soon have many more.

Anderson is likely facing a multigame suspension for his fight with Cleveland’s José Ramírez on Saturday night, their scuffle setting off a benches-clearing brawl between AL Central rivals who won’t face

each other again until next season.

Major League Baseball did not announce any discipline as the team teams met in their series finale. The White Sox rallied for three runs in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory.

The teams expect to hear from MLB on Monday and are bracing to be without their star infielders for an extended period.

In the sixth inning on Saturday night, Anderson and Ramírez threw punches at second base, and the Guardians’ All-Star third baseman knocked down Anderson with a lucky overhand right to the chin. Anderson was dazed by the blow. Both players were ejected, along

with Cleveland manager Terry Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, closer Emmanuel Clase and Chicago manager Pedro Grifol.

Before Sunday’s game, Grifol said Anderson didn’t get hurt in the melee and that his day of rest had been scheduled for the 30-yearold.

“He’s OK,” Grifol said of Anderson. “He was going to get a day off today. It might not look that way, but it is what it is.”

Grifol refused to discuss specifics of the altercations or possible upcoming punishment. He also avoided characterizing Anderson’s actions.

“I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “I’ve had my conversations with Tim, but I’m not going to get into anything that happened last night. I’ll let MLB take care of all that stuff, but I’m not going to talk about the fight.”

Anderson has been suspended twice previously.

In 2019, he received a onegame ban for his actions during a bench-clearing incident against Kansas City, which had thrown at Anderson after he flipped his bat following a home run.

Last season, Anderson got a onegame suspension after he flashed the middle finger at a fan in Cleveland.

The Anderson-Ramírez fight began innocently enough. When Ramírez slid headfirst into second base with an RBI double in the sixth inning, Anderson was straddling over the top of him. Ramírez later said he felt Anderson’s tag was too hard and indicated he had been bothered by Chicago’s star for “disrespecting” the game.

Anderson dropped his glove and squared off against Ramírez, who swung wildly and connected to drop Anderson to the ground. As both benches and bullpens emptied, Anderson tried in vain to get at Ramírez before being forced into Chicago’s dugout.

Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez, center, and the White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson exchange punches in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game in Cleveland.

Cost of federal census recounts push growing towns to do it themselves

The Associated Press OFFICIALS IN THE CITY of Lebanon worried that the amount of state money distributed from Tennessee agencies based on 2020 census figures wasn’t keeping pace with their explosive growth. So they reached out to the U.S. Census Bureau to ask about conducting another head count, or “special census,” for the city on the edge of metro Nashville.

But Lebanon officials balked at the $880,000 price tag and decided to do it themselves.

“We think we can do it cheaper,” said Paul Corder, planning director for Lebanon, which has a population of 44,000 residents.

Their census is rolling out later this summer. Officials hope to spend less than half the federal quote for a count that accurately captures Lebanon’s rapid growth, with a goal of bringing in just under $1 million extra each year in state funding through the end of the decade.

The bureau’s special head counts don’t change political maps, unlike the federal census every decade, but they can lead to more state and federal funding. Communities that request them, or conduct their own, have to decide whether the cost they’ll pay outweighs possible revenue gains, said Tim Kuhn, director of the Tennessee State Data Center.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said it doesn’t have data on how many states permit DIY censuses, but it’s

more common in states that have procedures for them, including Tennessee. After the 2010 census, 54 communities in Tennessee conducted their own special censuses, with none seeking help from the Census Bureau.

Since the 2020 census, several Tennessee communities have pursued their own second counts, including La Vergne and Cumberland Gap, as have three com-

munities in Washington state — Sumas, Toledo and Springdale.

In North Carolina, only municipalities with fewer than 500 residents can conduct DIY censuses. The resort town of Fontana Dam has 13 residents, according to the 2020 census, but local officials expect that to double or triple once their recount is approved. And in Seven Springs, a special census bumped the pop -

ulation from 55 to 69 residents.

Smaller communities like these probably won’t see a huge change in their state funds, said Michael Cline, North Carolina’s state demographer.

“But folks in these local communities usually know who is living in their community by name,” he said, “and want to get it right.”

Lebanon’s special census will ditch the federal practice of ask-

ing for demographic information and only count names of residents at each address. The city can also reach people where the census bureau can’t, like at Little League games, said Corder, the planning director.

DIY censuses can be useful for getting more funding but potentially problematic, with concerns over keeping information confidential and accurately counting residences like dorms and people who live in the state part-time like snowbirds, said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant and a former congressional staffer who specializes in census issues.

The Census Bureau doesn’t track or provide support for communities that do their own censuses, it said in a statement to The Associated Press.

So far, only a single municipality, the Village of Pingree Grove in Illinois, has signed a contract for the Census Bureau to conduct a repeat head count following the 2020 census, at a cost of $373,000.

The village almost 50 miles northwest of Chicago grew by almost 6.5% to more than 11,000 residents in the two years after the 2020 census. The decade before, the population more than doubled.

Hundreds of new homes have been built in the village since the last census, and it’s planning to annex another 981 homes. Village officials want to account for that when it comes to federal and state funding.

“Things are just constantly moving here, and we want to make sure we capture all of that growth,” said Amber Kubiak, village president. “In the past decade when we were growing so rapidly, we waited and realized we should have done something about that sooner.”

accomplice to convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh’s financial misdeeds gets seven years in prison

The Associated Press

The man who once headed a highly respected bank in the South Carolina Lowcountry will spend seven years in federal prison for helping convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh steal nearly $2 million from clients’ legal settlements.

Russell Laffitte was sentenced last week after a jury found him guilty of six charges related to wire and bank fraud back in November. The ex-CEO of Palmetto State Bank became the first of the disgraced former attorney’s accomplices to face prison time following the June 2021 shooting deaths that stemmed from sprawling investigations into the Murdaugh family finances.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel also ordered Laffitte to pay more than $3 million in restitution, local media reported. Murdaugh will cover a piece of that sum. The former banker has said he will appeal the decision.

Murdaugh is serving life without parole for killing his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, at the kennels on their 1,700-acre rural estate. Still outstanding are more than 100 other charges encompassing alleged financial crimes

from insurance fraud to tax evasion. His trial this winter marked the swift fall from grace for a powerful family whose members served over 80 years straight as the elected prosecutors in tiny Hampton County. Laffitte similarly came from a

prominent family that had built an upstanding reputation for Palmetto State Bank. The Independent Banks of South Carolina even honored Laffitte as the banker of the year in 2019.

But that good standing tanked over his actions as the court-ap-

pointed safeguard for settlement money that Murdaugh won for some of his most vulnerable clients. Prosecutors argued he used the role to elaborately pocket tens of thousands of dollars and collect as much as $450,000 in untaxable fees. The position also allowed him to send large chunks toward Murdaugh — who had grown desperate to repay mounting loans as an opioid addiction further depleted his accounts.

Laffitte acknowledged by name each victim sitting in the Charleston federal courthouse on Tuesday, local media reported. He apologized for not fulfilling his duties to them. He apologized to the judge for erring in his judgment. And he apologized to Palmetto State Bank customers for failing them.

Still, Laffitte continued to maintain his innocence. He has insisted for months instead that he didn’t know he was committing crimes and was manipulated by a major customer.

The defense sought a reduced sentence of three to five years imprisonment. Relatives, friends and business acquaintances vouched for his character in letters submitted to court. His lawyers pointed to his professional ruin and lack of

prior criminal record as evidence that a stiff penalty is not necessary to deter future crimes.

“In addition, the name ‘Russell Laffitte’ is now known throughout South Carolina and beyond, and not in a good way — Russell will be forevermore tied to Mr. Murdaugh and known infamously as ‘the Murdaugh banker,” they wrote in a July 28 memo.

Prosecutors asked the judge to put Laffitte behind bars for at least nine years. Rebuffing the claims of ignorance, they noted that the diverted checks were made payable to Palmetto State Bank and not Laffitte as the overseer of the funds. The sophisticated move, they argued, intentionally concealed the final destination.

A lengthier prison stay is also necessary to atone for the damaged public trust in banking, prosecutors wrote in a July 27 memo.

“The Government does not dispute that Murdaugh is the more culpable actor in the criminal conspiracy, or that Murdaugh benefited more from the scheme,” the prosecution wrote. “But the Defendant was the only person who could have stopped him. Instead, the Defendant enabled him. Repeatedly.”

AP PHOTO

People walk through the town square Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Lebanon, Tenn. City officials conducted a do-it-yourself census after concern about being under counted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2020.

AP PHOTO

Former Hampton banker Russell Laffitte arrives with his defense team and family at the U.S. District Court for his sentencing in Charleston, S.C. on Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023.

An

Mary McNeill

November 18, 1931 ~ July 29, 2023

Mary Elizabeth Teague McNeill, 91, of Raeford, North Carolina passed away on July 29, 2023.

Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Teague McNeill was born November 18, 1931, in Greensboro, NC, the third child of four and only girl of Claude Edward Teague and Mary Spaugh Teague. She was known to leave notes reading, “Don’t forget November 18th” in her family’s laundry. Betsy's family subsequently moved to Chapel Hill where her father became the Business Manager of the Consolidated University of North Carolina.

Betsy attended The Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (the “WC”), graduating in 1953 with a degree in Education. After graduation, she began her teaching career with stops in Goldsboro, Mt. Airy and Sanford. While teaching in Sanford, Betsy was introduced by mutual friends to a dashing young farm boy who was a student at the University of North Carolina School of Law, Bobby Burns McNeill. After a blind date at Wrightsville Beach, Mr. McNeill persuaded Betsy to see him again and the pair became inseparable. Once Betsy secured his promise that they would have a cat in the house after they were married, the pair exchanged vows on June 27, 1959 at the University United Methodist Church on Franklin Street, in Chapel Hill (the University Presbyterian Church had burned down in February, 1958). The couple settled in Mr. McNeill's hometown of Raeford where Mrs. McNeill continued her teaching career until the birth of her first son, Robert Burns McNeill. Over the course of the next eight years, they would add another son, Thomas Edward McNeill and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth McNeill.

Mrs. McNeill decided to pause her teaching career to raise her children. She did this with the help of Helen Thomas, who quickly went from a trusted babysitter for Rob to a fundamental and treasured part of the McNeill family. Education and manners were always very important to Betsy. Her children and her husband, all lawyers, were never under any illusions regarding the smartest person in the room.

Above all, Betsy was fiercely loyal to the ones that she loved. She was the truest friend, a devoted mother and a partner that took great pride in keeping the promises she had made. She was not afraid to make a decision, right or wrong, and stand behind it. When Bobby became quite ill, Betsy said that if he were leaving this earth, she planned to be in the car with him. And perhaps she is, riding shotgun in an old Chevy II convertible on the way to the beach.

Mary Lee Mason

December 28, 1943 ~ July 29, 2023

Mary Lee Mason, 79 of Hope Mills passed away July 29, 2023 surrounded by family.

Born in Cumberland County, she is the daughter of the late Johnny Paul Long and Rosa Lee Barnes. She is also preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Earl Mason and brothers, Jimmy Paul Long, Ernest Long, Johnnie Albert Long and sister, Margaret Elaine Long. She is survived by daughters, Rosa Elaine Frye (Ronnie), Teresa “Teri” Kimbrell (Edward), Sharon Wall (Kirk) and Lori Maisano (Kenneth); 9 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; brother, Johnny Paul Long and a host of other family and friends. A funeral service will be held at noon on Thursday, August 3rd at the Timberlake Church of God with Chaplain Tim Gore officiating. 3515 Sturbridge Dr. Hope Mills, NC 28348.

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — William Friedkin, the generation-defining director who brought a visceral realism to 1970s hits “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” and was quickly anointed one of Hollywood’s top directors when he was only in his 30s, has died. He was 87.

Friedkin, who won the best director Oscar for “The French Connection,” died Monday in Los Angeles, Marcia Franklin, his executive assistant for 24 years, told The Associated Press on behalf of his family and wife, former studio head Sherry Lansing. His son Cedric Friedkin told the AP he died after a long illness.

“He was role model to me and to (my brother) Jack,” Cedric Friedkin said. “He was a massive inspiration.”

He cemented his legacy early with “The French Connection,” which was based on a true story and deals with the efforts of maverick New York City police Detective James “Popeye” Doyle to track down Frenchman Alain Charnier, mastermind of a large drug pipeline funneling heroin into the United States.

It contains one of the most thrilling chase scenes ever filmed: Doyle, played by Gene Hackman in an Oscar-winning performance, barely misses making the arrest on a subway train, then stops a passing car to follow the train as it emerges on an elevated railway. He races underneath, dodging cars, trucks and pedestrians, including a woman pushing a baby buggy, before catching up to one of Rey’s henchmen and shooting him.

The movie, which was made for only $2 million, became a box office hit when it was released in 1971. It won Academy Awards for best picture, screenplay and film editing, and led critics to hail Friedkin, then just 32, as a leading member of a new generation of filmmakers.

He followed with an even bigger blockbuster, “The Exorcist,” released in 1973 and based on William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel about a 12-year-old girl possessed by the devil.

The harrowing scenes of the girl’s possession and a splendid cast, including Linda Blair as the girl, Ellen Burstyn as her mother and Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller as the priests who try to exorcise the devil, helped make the film a box-office sensation. It was so scary for its era that many viewers fled the theater before it was over and some reported being unable to sleep for days afterward.

“The Exorcist” received 10 Oscar nominations, including one for Friedkin as director, and won two, for Blatty’s script and for sound.

With that second success, Friedkin would go on to direct movies and TV shows well into the 21st century. But he would never again come close to matching the acclaim he’d received for those early works, and gained a

reputation for clashing with both actors and studio executives.

“I embody arrogance, insecurity and ambition that spur me on as they hold me back,” he wrote in his 2012 memoir. His 1977 film “Sorcerer,” a gangster thriller starring Roy Scheider was widely panned at the time and also failed with audiences. It’s since been reappraised by critics and has become a cult classic that Friedkin himself would continue to defend. In 2017, he told IndieWire that it’s the only of his films that he could still watch.

“The zeitgeist had changed by the time it came out,” he said in 2013. “It came out at the time of ‘Star Wars,’ and that more than any film that I can recall really captured the zeitgeist.”

“Star Wars” was a film he was approached to produce, but he said later that he couldn’t see its potential. He also turned down “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H” for the same reason.

Francis Ford Coppola praised Friedkin in a statement, saying his films “are alive with his genius.

“Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled. His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again, but his work will at least stand in for him,” Coppola’s statement said.

A few years after “Sorcerer” brought him back to Earth, he followed with another disappointment: “Cruising,” starring Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover to solve the grisly murders of several gay men. It was protested by gay rights activists for how it depicted homosexuality.

Other film credits included “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Rules of Engagement” and a TV remake of the classic play and Sidney Lumet movie “12 Angry Men.” Friedkin also directed episodes for such TV shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Rebel Highway” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

Born in Chicago on Aug. 29, 1939, he began working in local TV productions as a teenager. By age 16, he was directing live shows.

“My main influence was dramatic radio when I was a kid,” he said in a 2001 interview. “I remember listening to it in the dark, Everything was left to the imagination. It was just sound. I think of the sounds first and then the images.”

He moved from live shows to documentaries, making “The People Versus Paul Crump,” in 1962. It was the story of a prison inmate who rehabilitates himself on Death Row after being sentenced for the murder of a guard during a botched robbery at a Chicago food plant.

Producer David Wolper was so impressed with it that he brought Friedkin to Hollywood to direct network TV shows.

After working on such shows as “The Bold Ones,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” and the docu-

mentary “The Thin Blue Line,” Friedkin landed his first film, 1967’s “Good Times.” It was a lighthearted musical romp headlined by the pop duo Sonny and Cher in what would be their only movie appearance together.

He followed that with “The Night They Raided Minsky’s,” about backstage life at a burlesque theater, and “The Birthday Party,” from a Harold Pinter play. He then gained critical attention with 1970’s “The Boys in the Band,” a landmark film about gay men.

Author and film historian Mark Harris wrote on social media that, “Not many directors can say they made a gay movie that people argue about decades later. William Friedkin made two: Boys in the Band (I like it, many don’t) and Cruising (I don’t like it, many do). That’s not nothing.”

Friedkin had three brief marriages in the 1970s and ‘80s, to French actress Jeanne Moreau; British actress Lesley-Anne Down, with whom he had a son; and longtime Los Angeles TV news anchor Kelly Lange. In 1991, he married Paramount studio executive Lansing.

In recent years, Friedkin wrote a candid memoir, “The Friedkin Connection,” and directed several well-received movies adapted from Tracy Letts plays including “Bug” and “Killer Joe,” starring Matthew McConaughey as a hit man. And he wasn’t done working yet: A new film, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” starring Kiefer Sutherland, is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month.

He was also always willing to reflect on his rollercoaster career, especially as “The French Connection” celebrated its 50th anniversary. Thinking back to the iconic car chase sequence, Friedkin told NBC News in 2021 that it was legitimately life-threatening and that he’d never do it again.

“Everything you see, we actually did. There was no CGI then. There was no way to fake it. I just put the pedal to the metal, and we went 90 miles an hour in city traffic,” he said. “The fact that nobody got hurt is a miracle. The fact that I didn’t get killed, the fact that some of the crew members didn’t get hurt or killed. That’s a chance I would never take again. I was young and I didn’t give a damn. I just went out and did it. I set out to make a great chase scene and I didn’t care about the consequences, and now I do.”

Friedkin’s influence on film and popular culture continues to live on too. A new “Exorcist” film is even coming out this year, from director David Gordon Green, with Burstyn reprising her role.

Friedkin said he never got too worried about what the critics were saying over the years. “I really don’t live by what the critics write, although I was aware of the critical reception of all of my films,” he reflected in 2013. “My own take on the films I’ve made is based on what I achieved versus what I set out to do.”

William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director of ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The French Connection,’ dead at 87

STATE & NATION

Appeals court casts doubt on Biden administration rule to curb use of handgun stabilizing braces

The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A Biden administration rule requiring registration of stabilizing braces on handguns is unlikely to survive a legal challenge, a federal appeals court panel said as it extended an order allowing a gun dealer and others challenging the regulation to keep owning, buying and selling the devices without registering them.

The ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sends the case back to a federal judge in Texas who will consider whether to block enforcement nationwide.

Stabilizing braces attach to the back of a handgun, lengthening it while strapping to the arm. Advocates say the attachments make handguns safer and more accurate. Gun safety groups say they can be used to, in effect, lengthen a concealable handgun, making it more lethal. They point to mass shootings in which such braces were used.

While gun control advocates back the registration requirement as a needed curb on use of the braces, two Texas gun owners, a gun rights group and a gun dealer filed a lawsuit challenging the law.

The Texas-based federal judge presiding in the case refused to

block the rule, which required registration of the devices and payment of a fee. But in May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary block of the rule as it applied to the plaintiffs, their customers and members.

Three 5th Circuit judges heard

arguments in June. Last week, the panel voted 2-1 to extend the block on enforcement for 60 days and send the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas. The majority said the challengers were likely to succeed with their argument that the adminis-

tration failed to comply with the federal Administrative Procedure Act in adopting the rule. It said O’Connor should review that aspect of his original ruling, other issues brought up in the challenge and the scope of any remedies — including whether the block on

‘The Few, the Proud’ aren’t so few: Marines recruiting surges while other services struggle

The Associated Press PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening.

She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps’ tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results.

Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to

fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career.

Nash’s boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who heads the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically emphasized selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that has been a key to the Marines’ recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high

schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said his recruiters — who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi — will meet their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000.

Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year.

“That would be a great ending,” said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina’s Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast.

“I’m bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing but also how we set the conditions for FY24.”

The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruiting goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps’, and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits.

The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits — something the other services have found helpful.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he

enforcement should apply nationwide.

“There is a need for consistent application of the law, and this court may not have all the required facts,” Judge Jerry Smith wrote, noting that multiple other courts have issued orders against the federal registration rule since May and that it is uncertain how many people are now covered by such rulings.

The regulation, which went into effect June 1, was one of several steps President Joe Biden first announced in 2021 after a man using a stabilizing brace killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019 and in a school shooting that killed six in Nashville, Tennessee. Smith, who was nominated to the appeals court by former President Ronald Reagan, was joined in Tuesday’s ruling by Judge Don Willett, nominated by former President Donald Trump. Judge Stephen Higginson, nominated by former President Barack Obama, dissented, saying O’Connor, nominated to the federal bench by former President George W. Bush, was correct in holding that the government had met the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February.

“Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine,” he said. “That’s your bonus, right? There’s no dollar amount that goes with that.”

Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people.

Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pullup contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine.

“If you told me you’ll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you’ll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform — what’s going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day,” Nash said. “We’ll go out and we’ll get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising.”

Semi-automatic handguns are displayed at shop in New Castle, Pa., March 25, 2020.

around the edge of a culvert pipe during basic warrior training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot,

June

World Youth Day

Pope Francis arrives to meet thousands of World Youth Day volunteers at Passeio Marítimo in Algés, just outside Lisbon, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. Pope Francis told young people on Sunday the Catholic Church needs them and urged them to follow their dreams as he wrapped up World Youth Day in Portugal with a massive open-air Mass and an announcement that the next edition would be held in Asia for the first time in three decades.

Commissioners approve text amendments to UDO

Crisis Control Ministry earns

Duke Energy grant

Forsyth County

As North Carolina communities continue to feel financial strain from the rising cost of basic needs, the Duke Energy Foundation is providing $1 million to support nonprofits dedicated to serving low-income communities. These grants will strengthen capacity and increase the impact of local agencies that are on the forefront of helping North Carolinians with essential services like meals and shelter.

In Winston-Salem, Crisis Control Ministry has seen a significant rise in requests for assistance, with volunteers interviewing over 200 potential clients weekly.

In their fifty-year history, the organization has helped more than 100,000 residents in Stokes and Forsyth County meet basic needs and they expect the need for assistance with rent, food and prescriptions to continue to rise.

“Over the years, Duke Energy has been a wonderful partner to Crisis Control Ministry in our mission to support our neighbors in times of crisis,” said Margaret Elliott, Executive Director of Crisis Control Ministry. “We are always looking for ways to better serve our community, and the recent grant awarded by Duke Energy will make it easier and more convenient for our neighbors to access our services.”

Board approves various economic expenditures

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

WINSTON-SALEM – The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners met Thursday, July 27 with public hearings on UDO amendments as well as various economic items the focus of the agenda.

The board held three public hearings, all dealing with text amendments to the UDO.

The first hearing was for an amendment to ensure consistency in application of sight distance triangle provisions throughout Forsyth County.

“In 2021, the North Carolina legislature adopted new language specifying that measurements for sight distances at intersections, including sight triangles – those areas that are basically off-limits for development to preserve sight distance – must begin within the right-of-way or edge of pavement for municipalities,” said City/ County Planning Deputy Director Kirk Erickson. “Prior to the adoption of this language, municipalities handled sight trian-

gles through a variety of different methods.”

The second hearing was for an amendment to revise the membership structure of the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission.

“The Historic Resources Commission is a 12-member board with five members appointed by the City of Winston-Salem, five members appointed by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, one member appointed by the Village of Clemmons and one member appointed by the Town of Kernersville,” Erickson said.

According to Erickson, the request is to change two of the Forsyth County appointed members from specifically qualified seats – previously members were required to be an archaeologist, landscape architect, arborist, planner, or surveyor – to two atlarge seats in order to increase the pool of potential candidates.

The final hearing was for an amendment to provide minor, non-substantive changes and clarifications.

Following each hearing, the board approved the requests.

The board approved a resolution authorizing the expenditure of $51,299 of opioid settlement

funds for the FROST Program and an amendment to the FY 23-24 budget to appropriate $114,850 of reserved Behavioral Health Services fund balance for repairs and updates to the Sturmer House property.

The board also approved two resolutions. One authorizing the application and acceptance, if awarded, of a three-year, and up to $305,302, Reducing Infant Mortality in Communities grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services - Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section and up to $1.19 million Golden Leaf Funds through the Community-Based Grants Initiative for workforce and economic development or agricultural programs and projects.

Cyclist dies during Winston-Salem Cycling Classic

Twin City Herald

THE 10TH ANNUAL Gears & Guitars event was marred by the death of a cyclist during a race on Saturday.

The three-day event features outdoor concerts as well as both professional and amateur bike races.

After Friday’s Streets of Fire races, Saturday morning was devoted to community rides and amateur races in the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic. During the grand fondo (Italian for “grand ride”) a cyclist, whose name was not released immediately, appeared to col-

lapse. Police found the rider unresponsive on Union Cross Road at about 10:30 AM. A statement from Winston-Salem Police later confirmed that the cyclist had experienced a medical emergency. Medical personnel were on scene and provided aid, but the cyclist was pronounced dead on the scene.

Winston-Salem cycling released a statement saying, “Winston-Salem Cycling confirms that a rider experienced a medical emergency and died during this morning’s amateur Fondo event.

We thank the EMS responders and others who worked to assist the cyclist. On behalf of every-

one at Winston-Salem Cycling, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of the person who died. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, Winston-Salem Cycling does not have additional information to share at this time.”

Temperature in Winston-Salem at the time of the incident was around 78 degrees, which is normal for August 5. Humidity was about 68%. Details on what type of medical emergency the rider experienced were not released. Riders could choose from several different distances for their race, but it’s believed that the rider was participating in a 68-mile event.

The board approved the expenditure of $43,780 of ARPA funds through an agreement with North Carolina Rush Triad Soccer Club, Inc., to construct a futsal court at Old Town Elementary.

The board also approved four contractual matters, those being a three-year, $221,097 agreement with Stryker Sales, LLC to provide service and maintenance of Lifepak Cardiac Monitors/Defibrillators and Lucas Chest Compression devices, a $1,673,368 agreement with The Resource Company, Inc, Headway, and Greene Resources, Inc., to provide temporary employment services for One-Stop Early Voting and elections response at the Forsyth County Board of Elections, a deal not to exceed $152,421 with Professional Air Systems, LLC for the provision and installation of a rental chiller at the public safety center for 90 days and a quantum meruit payment of $67,179 to Ebsco Industries, Inc for online services.

The board then approved the sale of county-owned, real property at 0 Carver School Road.

“We received an offer, advertised it and did not get any upset bids, so the amount was $20,000 to Do Dreams, Inc,” said County Manager Dudley Watts Jr.

Finally, the board approved the appointment of Commissioner Tonya McDaniel to the Forsyth Technical Community College Board of Trustees.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet August 10.

DEATH NOTICES

♦ Mickie Sue Ashburn Burrow, 76, of WinstonSalem, died August 4, 2023.

♦ Robert Leon Carter, 88, died August 3, 2023.

♦ Daisy Greene Hagaman, 93, of Watauga County, died August 2, 2023.

♦ Jenell Rayfield Hart, 86, of Kernersville, died August 6, 2023.

♦ Hazel Lee McCollem Hendrix, 94, of Kernersville, died August 2, 2023.

♦ Joy McKee Hilton, 77, of Belews Creek, died August 4, 2023.

♦ Neil Frederick Oerter, 91,of Kernersville, died August 2, 2023.

♦ Nancy Charleen Griffin Roope, 80, died August 4, 2023.

♦ Bruce Louis Schneggenburger, 56, of Advance, died August 6, 2023.

♦ Constance Campbell Southard, 75, of Winston-Salem, died June 5, 2023.

♦ Martha Grace Likens Spudis, 95, of WinstonSalem, died August 3, 2023.

♦ Bobby Lee Thomas, 88, of Winston Salem, died August 3, 2023.

COLUMN | DENNIS PRAGER

Pew Research: Democrats value free speech far less than Republicans

IN CASE YOU WERE IN DOUBT — and if you were in doubt, that means you aren’t following what is happening in America to the most important freedom of all — Pew Research has confirmed that Democrats value free speech far less than Republicans do. Read the following statistics and conclusions and weep for our country:

— “The share of U.S. adults who say the federal government should restrict false information has risen from 39% in 2018 to 55% in 2023.”

— “Just over half of Americans (55%) support the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online, even if it limits people from freely publishing or accessing information.”

— “Support for government intervention has steadily risen since the first time we asked this question in 2018. In fact, the balance of opinion has tilted: Five years ago, Americans were more inclined to prioritize freedom of information over restricting false information (58% vs. 39%).”

— “The partisan gap in support for restricting false information has grown substantially since 2018.”

— “Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are much more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to support the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online (70% vs. 39%). There was virtually no difference between the parties in 2018, but the share of Democrats who support government intervention has grown from 40% in 2018 to 70% in 2023.”

— “A large majority of Democrats and Democratic leaners (81%) support technology companies taking such steps, while about half of Republicans (48%) say the same.”

Here are 10 conclusions:

No. 1: The most important human freedom is freedom of speech. Free speech is what makes the pursuit of truth possible. It is what makes the advancement of science possible. It constitutes the very definition of a free society. And free speech is what makes human dignity possible. People who cannot say what they believe are dehumanized. They ultimately become robotic beings exemplified by North Koreans.

No. 2: America has been the freest country in the world for all of its history. That is why the French gave America the Statue of Liberty. It is rapidly relinquishing that title.

No. 3: Free speech is seriously threatened for the first time in American history.

No. 4: The threat to free speech comes entirely from the Left.

No. 5: There is no example in history of the Left attaining power and allowing free speech. From the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution to the Maoist takeover of China to almost any university in America today, wherever the Left comes to power, it suppresses speech.

and

Arrest (M), at 199 Crews St, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/6/2023 09:33. ♦ Angguiano, Ryan (M/18) Arrest on chrg of 90-95h5 Traff Lsd (F), at 200 N Main St, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/4/2023 11:15.

♦ BLAKE, ROSHENA ANTOINETTE was arrested on a charge of TRESPASS at 100 W FIFTH ST on 8/5/2023

♦ Blue, Justin Matthewlee (M/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) Fail To Register - Sex Offender Registration (F) and 2) Fail To Register - Sex Offender Registration (F), at 201 N Church St, Winston Salem, NC, on 8/3/2023 19:11.

♦ Bradford, Daniel Thomas (M/27) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drugs-poss Sched Ii (F), 2) Possession Marijuana (M), 3) Weap-poss By Felon (F), 4) Ccw (M), and 5) Resisting Arrest (M), at Stokes Co Jail, on 8/2/2023 12:50.

♦ Caudill, Jerry Jonas (M/46) Arrest on chrg of 1) Assault-simple (M), 2) Assault-simple (M), 3) Assaultsimple (M), 4) Breaking/larc-felony (F), and 5) Larceny After B&e (F), at 1189 Reynolds Rd, Lewisville, NC, on 8/4/2023 23:30.

♦ COOK, LARRY JOVAN was arrested on a charge of AWIK/ NO INJURY at 4998 UNIVERSITY

PW/BETHABARA PARK BV on 8/6/2023

♦ COUTHEN, CARY DEWAYNE was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 3131 CARVER SCHOOL RD on 8/4/2023

♦ Davis, Arnoglia Shenette (F/33) Arrest on chrg of 1) 90-95asd2 S&d Other Sched Ii (F) and 2) NdlSuspended / Revoked (M), at 3698 Peters Creek Pw/bridgton Rd, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/4/2023

12:41.

♦ DUKES, RICHARD ISAIAH was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 2825 ROWELL ST on 8/4/2023

♦ FREEMAN, MICHAEL ANTHONY was arrested on a charge of ADW - INFLICT INJURY at 2622 NEW WALKERTOWN RD on 8/4/2023

♦ FREEMAN, MICHEAL DAVID was arrested on a charge of IMPAIRED DRIVING DWI at SB US 52/RAMP US 421 SOUTH on 8/5/2023

♦ GRIFFIN, ALEXANDER CLAY was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT ON FEMALE at 1670 WOODS RD on 8/5/2023

♦ Harville, Daniel Lee (M/38) Arrest on chrg of Cruelty To Animals - Conveying Animals In A Cruel Manner, M (M), at 130 Westdale Av, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/3/2023

11:17.

No. 6: The Left must suppress speech in order to retain power. If it were to allow dissent, it would lose its hold on power.

No. 7: That is why conservative speakers are rarely allowed to speak on college campuses. Leftwing professors, deans, and administrators know — consciously or subconsciously — that an effective conservative speaker can undo years of left-wing indoctrination in just 90 minutes.

No. 8: Given that “Democrats and Democraticleaning independents are much more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to support the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online (70% vs. 39%),” the often-stated claim that “there is little difference between the two parties” is false.

No. 9: All tyrannies label dissent “misinformation.” That is what Vladimir Putin’s government labels all dissent in Russia today.

The communist regime in the Soviet Union named its official newspaper “Pravda” — the Russian word for “truth” — because in a left-wing tyranny, the left-wing regime determines truth. Anything else is “misinformation” or “disinformation.”

That Western societies are moving toward Soviet-like suppression of speech is obvious in America and was made particularly clear in 2020, when the then-prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, told her country: “We will continue to be your single source of truth” and “If you do not hear it from the government, it is not true.” Fittingly, Ardern was awarded with two teaching fellowships at Harvard University — one of them at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, based at Harvard Law School, where she “will study ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online.”

No. 10: Liberals are abandoning liberal values — in particular, their storied commitment to free speech. There are far more liberals than leftists, but over the past few years the liberals’ unswerving commitment to the Democratic Party, unswerving commitment to The New York Times, The Washington Post or virtually any other mainstream news source, and their unswerving opposition to conservatives and the Republican Party has led them to embrace and unswervingly vote for leftwing values.

As for the future, this is what Pew reported regarding young Americans: “The shares of younger adults who say they support tech companies and the government restricting false information online have increased substantially since 2018 (by 14 and 19 percentage points, respectively).”

But there is a better reaction than to weep. Fight.

♦ Hemric, Brian Edgar (M/50) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drug Trafficking (F), 2) Drug Trafficking (F), 3) Drug Trafficking (F), and 4) Drug Trafficking (F), at 301 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/2/2023

15:30.

♦ HENRY, COREY JEROME was arrested on a charge of VANDREAL PROPERTY at 321 W FOURTH ST on 8/6/2023

♦ Lankford, Shannon Denise (F/34) Arrest on chrg of Assault-simple (M), at 8013 Cain Wood Ct, Walkertown, NC, on 8/3/2023

11:18.

♦ Leashomb, Cynthia Day (F/34) Arrest on chrg of 1) Drug Trafficking (F), 2) Drug Trafficking (F), 3) Drug Trafficking (F), 4) Drug Trafficking (F), and 5) Drug Trafficking (F), at 301 N Church St, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/2/2023 13:48.

♦ LEWIS, TREVOR ANTONIO was arrested on a charge of PEEPING at 1645 TADMORE ST on 8/6/2023

♦ MARTIN, ROMONICA MONIQUE was arrested on a charge of ASSAULT-SIMPLE at 4959 TRENT HILL DR on 8/5/2023

♦ Meghootonge, Tekletafari J Tschaka (M/36) Arrest on chrg of Assault On Female (M), at 216 North St, Lewisville, NC, on 8/7/2023 05:02.

♦ Mendoza Yanez, Adan Isaac (M/21) Arrest on chrg of 1) P/w/i/s/d Marijuana (F), 2) Maintain Vehicle (F), and 3) Open Beverage (M), at Watagua Co. Jail, on 8/3/2023 12:10.

♦ MILLER, BENJAMIN EUGENE was arrested on a charge of AFFRAY at 1205 N MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DR on 8/5/2023

♦ Myers, Cedric Samone (M/29) Arrest on chrg of Ccw, M (M), at 1398 Pleasant St/west Sedgefield Dr, Winston-salem, NC, on 8/2/2023 21:05.

♦ Nichols, Cameron Edward (M/25) Arrest on chrg of Vio. Protective Order By Courts Another State/ Indian Tribe, (M), at Walnut Cove Rd/grubb Rd, Rural Hall, NC, on 8/4/2023 17:05.

♦ Parks, Nia Mishele (F/23) Arrest on chrg of Fugitive

Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talkshow host and columnist.

That Western societies are moving toward Soviet-like suppression of speech is obvious in America and was made particularly clear in 2020.

SPORTS

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Eagles lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges

Cambridge, Ohio Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Eagles, has been acquitted of felony rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio and will be returning to the team’s active roster. Jurors in Guernsey County reached the not-guilty verdicts Friday after deliberating for about three hours. The Sarahsville, Ohio, native was accused in January of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will in December 2019. He thanked jurors and his family, saying “I have done nothing wrong, and I’m glad that was proven today.”

NBA Cavs guard Rubio taking break from

basketball

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio announced Saturday that he is taking a break from basketball to focus on his mental health, a move that comes as his Spanish national team prepares to defend its title at the FIBA World Cup that starts later this month. Rubio was the MVP of the most recent World Cup four years ago, leading Spain to the championship and an 8-0 record in the tournament. He was also expected to be part of Spain’s team that will look to defend that crown in the World Cup that starts Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

BOXING

Paul wins unanimous decision against Diaz

Dallas

Jake Paul won a unanimous decision against Nate Diaz in a cruiserweight fight. Paul, the 26-year-old social media YouTube personality who has turned himself into a prizefighter, held the advantage for much of the 10-round fight. Diaz, a mixed-martial arts fighter who left the UFC in 2022, appeared on the verge of a knockout at various moments. Paul (7-1) showed he was better conditioned throughout the fight as he bounced back from his first career loss — a splitdecision against Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February. The three judges scored this fight 97-92, 9891, and 98-91.

MLS

Messi shines again for Inter Miami

Frisco, Texas

Lionel Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami. The tying tally led to a 5-4 victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game. Messi’s goal in the 85th minute was reminiscent of the gamewinner in his Inter Miami debut. Both were on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, each sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net. The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff

—

Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.

She dove into therapy and slowly — very slowly — returned to training even though she wavered on whether she was really up for a third Olympics and all of the pressure and expectations that come with it when you’re considered the greatest of all time.

It wasn’t until mid-spring that she committed to training seriously after talking about it over margari-

tas with her coaches. It wasn’t until late June that she committed to Saturday night’s U.S. Classic. And it wasn’t until she stepped onto the podium and heard the shrieks of support and the sea of handmade signs that the noise she’d been grappling with for 732 days finally fell silent. She was back in her safe space. Back in front of a crowd. Back in control. Back to being the Simone Biles — albeit a more mature, married, 26-year-old version — who has spent a decade redefining her sport. Confidence growing with every rotation, Biles soared to victory in her first meet since the To-

kyo Games. Her all-around score of 59.100 was five points better than runner-up Leanne Wong. And made all the more remarkable by the fact she didn’t really pour herself into preparing until after her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in late April.

“I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically,” Biles said. “I still think there are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I’m very shocked. Surprised.”

She posted the best score on three of four events, turning what is typically a tune-up meet for the U.S. Championships into a show-

Leonard attempts return

The Associated Press WESTFIELD, Ind. — Shaquille Leonard finally looks and sounds like his old self.

The Indianapolis Colts star linebacker is running around, making plays at training camp, injecting energy with his customary nonstop voice.

On Saturday, after missing most of last season with an impinged nerve that required season-ending surgery, the threetime All-Pro took another major step in his long road back by returning to full contact in team drills. One of the most-watched players at camp also knows there’s one last hurdle to overcome.

“I’m just going out and taking the fear out of making contact,” Leonard said. “I would still say fear — just being able to have contact for the first time in a long time, not knowing what result was going to come. It feels good, it feels amazing and I’m just happy to be out there.”

It was evident each time Leonard lined up at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, about 30 minutes from the team headquarters. And it was noticeable in his typically candid post-practice assessment, too.

Since entering the league in 2018, the South Carolina State alumnus has never shied away from giving opinions. He’s emerged as a major proponent of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a prominent spokesperson in the Colts’ mental health awareness campaign “Kicking The Stigma” and

frequently explains how he uses perceived slights as motivation.

This time, though, Leonard finds himself describing his own struggles.

After being severely hindered in 2021 by what doctors initially diagnosed as a back injury, Leonard missed six of the first seven games last season before under-

case that she remains — when she’s at or near her best — a singular force in her sport.

At the moment, she’s letting her gymnastics do most of the talking. And it spoke loud and clear.

The Classic is considered a warm-up of sorts. The U.S. Championships are later this month, with the world championships coming in October and the Olympics less than a year out.

She’s trying not to get too far ahead. Making it a point to enjoy what she called the “little wins.” “I knew I could come back and hopefully have a shot,” she said. “It’s just about really taking care of my body right now. So that’s what we’re to. It’s working.”

There is plenty of time to refine things. To expand. To build. Biles’ all-around score Saturday was higher than what she posted at the same meet in 2018. What followed back then was two years of historic dominance. More may be on the way.

going a second surgery to alleviate the nerve pain in his lower left leg. The 14 missed games were twice as many as he’d missed over the previous four seasons combined and the prolonged absence, Leonard has repeatedly said, made him feel as if he wasn’t part of the Colts.

He led the league with 163 tackles when he earned the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award and became the first player in league history to have 300 tackles in his first 30 games. Even at less than full strength in 2021, he had 122 tackles, forced eight fumbles and had four interceptions.

So after two frustrating seasons and missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts, Leonard was eager to get back and teammates were happy to welcome him back.

“It’s always good to put the pads on because football is not played in shirts and shorts,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said Sunday. “It’s good to have (Leonard) back out there running around. It’s good for everybody.”

After watching himself struggle on tape last season, Leonard can already see a different player on tape this summer.

“I’m starting to see somebody that resembles the guy I used to know,” he said of his most recent training camp clips. “I’m building more confidence, I’m shooting through gaps, getting in windows. That’s what I want to see on film, and that’s what I’m happy to see right now.”

The Associated Press HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.

AP PHOTO

Simone Biles warms up at the U.S. Classic gymnastics competition on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

AP PHOTO

Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, pictured in October 2022, is trying to regain his form after two injury-plagued seasons.

Colts’

after missing most of past 2 seasons

STATE & NATION

Appeals court casts doubt on Biden administration rule to curb use of handgun stabilizing braces

The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A Biden administration rule requiring registration of stabilizing braces on handguns is unlikely to survive a legal challenge, a federal appeals court panel said as it extended an order allowing a gun dealer and others challenging the regulation to keep owning, buying and selling the devices without registering them.

The ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sends the case back to a federal judge in Texas who will consider whether to block enforcement nationwide.

Stabilizing braces attach to the back of a handgun, lengthening it while strapping to the arm. Advocates say the attachments make handguns safer and more accurate. Gun safety groups say they can be used to, in effect, lengthen a concealable handgun, making it more lethal. They point to mass shootings in which such braces were used.

While gun control advocates back the registration requirement as a needed curb on use of the braces, two Texas gun owners, a gun rights group and a gun dealer filed a lawsuit challenging the law.

The Texas-based federal judge presiding in the case refused to

block the rule, which required registration of the devices and payment of a fee. But in May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary block of the rule as it applied to the plaintiffs, their customers and members.

Three 5th Circuit judges heard

arguments in June. Last week, the panel voted 2-1 to extend the block on enforcement for 60 days and send the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas. The majority said the challengers were likely to succeed with their argument that the adminis-

tration failed to comply with the federal Administrative Procedure Act in adopting the rule. It said O’Connor should review that aspect of his original ruling, other issues brought up in the challenge and the scope of any remedies — including whether the block on

‘The Few, the Proud’ aren’t so few: Marines recruiting surges while other services struggle

The Associated Press

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of the evening. She admits recruiting is not the job that she or other Marines had in mind when they enlisted. But after stints as a recruiter and senior officer at the Eastern recruiting command, she has become emblematic of the Corps’ tradition of putting its best, battle-tested Marines on enlistment duty. They get results.

Marine leaders say they will make their recruiting goal this year, while the active-duty Army, Navy and Air Force all expect to fall short. The services have struggled in the tight job market to compete with higher-paying businesses for the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

On that night, Nash achieved her own goal. She had gotten the valet at the hotel and the hostess at the restaurant to provide their phone numbers and to consider a Marine career.

Nash’s boss, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, who heads the Eastern recruiting region, says the Corps has historically emphasized selecting top-performing Marines to fill recruiting jobs. He says that

has been a key to the Marines’ recruiting success, along with efforts to increase the number of recruiters, extend those who do well and speed their return to high schools, where in-person recruiting stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said his recruiters — who cover the territory between Canada and Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi — will meet

their mission and expect to have 30% of their 2024 goal when they start the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. More broadly, Marine officials say they expect the Corps to achieve its recruiting target of more than 33,000. Last year, the Navy, Air Force and Marines had to eat into their pools of delayed entry applicants in order to make their goals. The Marines will avoid that this year.

“That would be a great ending,” said Field, speaking to The Associated Press on a recent steamy day at South Carolina’s Parris Island, along the Atlantic Coast. “I’m bearish for not only concluding FY23 on a strong footing but also how we set the conditions for FY24.”

The Marine Corps may get some help from its small size. The Army, for example, has a recruit-

enforcement should apply nationwide.

“There is a need for consistent application of the law, and this court may not have all the required facts,” Judge Jerry Smith wrote, noting that multiple other courts have issued orders against the federal registration rule since May and that it is uncertain how many people are now covered by such rulings.

The regulation, which went into effect June 1, was one of several steps President Joe Biden first announced in 2021 after a man using a stabilizing brace killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A stabilizing brace was also used in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that left nine people dead in 2019 and in a school shooting that killed six in Nashville, Tennessee.

Smith, who was nominated to the appeals court by former President Ronald Reagan, was joined in Tuesday’s ruling by Judge Don Willett, nominated by former President Donald Trump. Judge Stephen Higginson, nominated by former President Barack Obama, dissented, saying O’Connor, nominated to the federal bench by former President George W. Bush, was correct in holding that the government had met the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

ing goal of 65,000 this year, which is nearly double the Corps’, and expects to fall substantially short of that. Air Force and Navy officials say they will also miss their goals, although the Space Force, which is the smallest service and does its recruiting within Air Force stations, is expected to meet its goal of about 500 recruits.

The Marines have resisted increasing bonuses to attract recruits — something the other services have found helpful.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant, got some ribbing for his response when he was asked about bonuses during a naval conference in February. “Your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine,” he said. “That’s your bonus, right? There’s no dollar amount that goes with that.”

Field, Nash and others also say the Corps prefers to give a lot of recruits a few thousand dollars, rather than increasing the amount and giving money to far fewer people.

Field said that getting Marine recruiters in uniform back into high schools this year, after several years of COVID-19 restrictions, has been a key driver. There, young people line up to compete in pull-up contests, vying for a free T-shirt if they can do 20. And recruiters say many are drawn to the cache of being a Marine.

“If you told me you’ll give me $10 million worth of advertising and I can do something with it, or you’ll give me 10 great-looking Marines in a Marine uniform — what’s going to get the most value? Give me those 10 Marines and give me a day,” Nash said. “We’ll go out and we’ll get more out of that, I think, than $10 million in advertising.”

AP PHOTO

Semi-automatic handguns are displayed at shop in New Castle, Pa., March 25, 2020.

AP PHOTO

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit checks for a trip-wire around the edge of a culvert pipe during basic warrior training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Parris Island, S.C.

U.S. Kids Golf World Championship

Last Tuesday, the Village of Pinehurst hosted the Parade of Nations during the 2023 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. Participants from around the world, waving flags and wearing the traditional garb of their countries, enjoyed live entertainment, activities and vendors shortly afterwards at James W. Tufts Memorial Park.

Pinehurst Council approves nominations to Neighborhood Advisory Committee

Pinehurst Medical Clinic welcomes new primary care physician

Last Tuesday, Pinehurst Medical Clinic (PMC) officially welcomed Dr. Kara Coleman to its primary care department. Coleman will specialize in family medicine, joining the team at PMC –North in Pinehurst alongside board-certified physicians Dr. James Jameson and Dr. Stephanie McCrery, as well as advanced practice providers Melissa Barnett, DNP, FNP-C, Connie Hall, APRN, CNP, Jeffery Short, PA-C and Jessica Sinclair Glossip, PA-C. Coleman received her doctorate in osteopathic medicine from A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Mesa, Arizona. She also completed a family medicine residency at Duke/Southern Regional AHEC Program. Coleman’s husband is on active duty in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, which led to her relocation to the area. According to Coleman, she chose to join PMC’s primary care team because of its reputation for providing high-quality health care to the community and its patient-centered approach to care. She is joining PMC’s primary care department with 22 physicians and 28 advanced practice providers who are board-certified in internal or family medicine. Coleman is now accepting new patients at PMC Primary Care – North, which is located at 8 Regional Circle in Pinehurst. For more information about Coleman or to schedule an appointment, please call (910) 215-5555.

Council mourns passing of fellow member

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, July 25, with a somber opening in regards to the passing of Councilmember Jane Hogeman.

“With respect to today’s council meeting and to maintain a desire for privacy and appropriate decorum, the family has asked that comments about Jane come only from Reverend Hugh Tudor-Foley tonight,” said Mayor John Strickland. “Not from staff, council members or the public.”

“The beauty of our Village will be a reminder to us of Jane’s life of service to others,” Tudor-Foley said. “Her character, commitment, dedication and friendship. We ask that you deal graciously with Jane’s family in their grief.

Surround them with your love so that they might not be overwhelmed by this loss. Have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days that come.”

Village Manager Jeff Sanborn also gave an update on Pinehurst’s financial accounting.

“For the 30th consecutive year, the Village of Pinehurst has been awarded the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting,” Sanborn said. “That certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in government accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government, its management and its financial staff.

“It really highlights how our finance staff and department have been a strength to our operations over the years.”

The council then approved various appointments to the Pine -

hurst Neighborhood Advisory Committee.

“We had a lot of work to do over the last couple of months in seeking out and interviewing and selecting nominees to fill various vacancies on our Neighborhood Advisory Committee,” Sanborn said. “After completing all the interviews, I’m struck with a refamiliarization of what’s so special about our community. Each one of these engagements we had we found to be very positive and upbeat and were with people that really care about our community and want to make it a better place.”

The six nominees were Julia Kane representing Old Town East, Anne Bourne representing West Lake Pinehurst, Fiona Fuller representing Clarendon Gardens, Caroll Brammer representing East Lake Pinehurst, Michael Ethridge representing Monticello, and Kimberly Davis representing Pinehurst No. 7.

Asheboro-based Klaussner Furniture Industries, Inc. to close all facilities

By Bob Sutton North State

Journal

ASHEBORO — Klaussner Furniture Industries, which once had been the largest employer in Randolph County, is shutting down operations at all its facilities, the company announced Monday. The company was tightly tied to Asheboro, which housed its corporate headquarters.

According to a news release: “Klaussner’s lending source has unexpectedly refused to continue to fund the Company’s operations. This outcome was not reasonably foreseeable, but due to these unexpected circumstances, Klaussner can no longer sustain its operations.

There will be more than 3,800 job losses, with a majority of those connected to Asheboro and Randolph County, based on some reports. The company’s announcement said the process of shuttering all its facilities began Monday.

The company is working to provide additional information and resources for its displaced employees.

“This information will be communicated directly to employees via contact information we have on file,” the company’s release said.

Klaussner Home Furnishings has been a leading solutions provider to the furniture industry since 1963. The company manufactures more than 70 percent of its products domestically through its five manufacturing campuses in North Carolina. A published report in 2020 said that about 4,000 people were employed in the state by Klaussner. There were also facilities in Candor and Robbins after more than 160 workers were impacted by a Greensboro plant closing. That was believed to be the first time the company closed a plant. FurnitureToday, a trade site, reported Monday that based on

multiple industry sources, “the company had been challenged recently to maintain current payments with key suppliers and had difficulty receiving goods.”

According to Furniture World Magazine, the company was founded by Stuart Love in 1963 and purchased by Hans Klaussner in 1979. Klaussner’s management team acquired the company in 2011, then sold it to private equity firm Monomoy Capital Partners in 2017.

Brands that might be most recognizable that were manufactured by Klaussner Furniture are Trisha Yearwood Home Collection and Stacy Garcia Home. Klaussner Furniture’s announcement follows the March closing of a furniture manufacturer in Thomasville. Creative Metal and Wood, Inc., had been in business since 1954.

In June, Cox Manufacturing in Hickory shut down after 90 years in operation.

The council also approved an ordinance amending the FY 2024 Budget for reappropriations from FY 2023.

“This time of year, every year, we ask you to entertain a budget amendment to effectively transfer funds that were in last year’s fund for projects that we were not able to complete to this year’s budget,” Sanborn said.

“At the end of every fiscal year on June 30, the appropriations that were approved for that year lapse,” said Financial Services Director Dana Van Nostrand. “There are always products that we have ordered but not yet received, be it vehicles, supplies, materials, as well as projects that are in progress with a contractor. Also, potentially, funds that have been appropriated for a project but that we may not have already contracted with someone or have an open purchase order

See PINEHURST, page 2

PHOTO BY DAVID SINCLAIR | NORTH STATE JOURNAL

for those projects, but we want to roll forward those unexpended funds to make sure the work that money was planned for can still be completed in the current fiscal year.”

According to Van Nostrand, the reappropriation amounts to a little over $1.9 million, with a significant portion of that – over $1 million – dedicated to streets and grounds improvements.

Finally, the council selected two voting delegates as appointments to the SAMPO Formation Committee.

Secured, 8/23, Southern Pines

♦ CHAPPELL, TINA ANN, 41, W, F, 8/1/2023, Southern Pines PD, Maintain Veh/Dwell/ Place CS, Felony Possession of Cocaine, Posess Schedule I CS, PWIMSD Schedule I CS, PWISD Cocaine, Carrying Concealed Gun, Carrying Concealed Weapon, Simple Possess Schedule III CS, Possess Drug Paraphernalia, Simple Possess Schedule II CS, $125,000 Secured, 8/16, West End

Mayor Strickland was nominated as the primary representative, and Mayor Pro Tem Pat Pizzella was nominated as the alternative.

“The purpose of these nominations is to get us through the approval of the MOU,” Sanborn said. “Once we get the MOU, then we’ll have a formal structure for the transportation advisory committee that is dictated by that MOU, and then we’ll come back to you for formal appointments to that body.”

The Village of Pinehurst Council will next meet August 8.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Moore County:

August 10

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!

August 11

Carthage Farmers Market

2pm – 6pm Come out and support your local farmers at the brand-new farmers market in Carthage! The market features fresh produce, meats, eggs, and handmade goods! The market will be set up on S. Ray Street in the parking lot across from the post office.

August 12

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

New banking regulations could sink the economy

For every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion.

BANKING is just about the most regulated industry in America. Yet, as we saw with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others in recent months, lenders are not invulnerable to failure due to bad management or unexpected changes in economic conditions.

The inevitable response is for more regulation on all banks. But sometimes regulators can make conditions worse for healthy banks. The most famous example in recent times was when financial regulators urged banks to issue inordinate amounts of new “safe” mortgages leading up to the great financial crisis of 2008, ultimately flooding the financial system with toxic debt.

Now with some banks under financial stress because of higher interest rates, Congress and the Federal Reserve want to raise bank capital reserve requirements. Presumably, this means holding more government bonds, many of which dropped precipitously in value last year as interest rates spiked higher.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr recently proposed raising these capital standards, as have several Senate Democrats. No one wants to see bank runs. But these rules don’t distinguish between financially healthy banks and poorly operated banks with risky loan portfolios and bad management. It’s like trying to

fight obesity by asking physically fit people to go on a diet.

Given that taxpayers backstop bank deposits through FDIC insurance, reasonable capital requirements are prudent. But by definition, higher capital reserves mean less money available to make loans. Access to credit for business and family borrowers gets squeezed.

A recent study from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association finds that for every 1 percentage point increase in additional risk-weighted capital required by federal regulators, the amount available for lending decreased by $16 billion. Some of the capital requirement proposals would thus shrink the pool of available capital by as much as $136 billion.

Will tomorrow’s Bernie Marcus (cofounder of Home Depot) or Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) be the odd man out under these new regulations? If there is one thing economists agree on, it is the dire need for improved economic growth — which requires more, not less, capital investment.

All of this is unnecessary. The banking sector in general is already well-protected against an economic downturn or a sudden rash of loan defaults. The banks now hold nearly $3 trillion in high-quality liquid assets (or four times the levels before the 2008 meltdown).

The Federal Reserve itself acknowledges this in its recent Financial Stability Report, which concludes: “As of the fourth quarter of 2022, banks in the aggregate were well capitalized, especially U.S. global systemically important banks.”

Much like the Dodd-Frank law and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after 2008, this is a measure that won’t address the risk problem banks are facing. They have been victims of a reckless zero interest rate monetary policy that took a trillion dollars out of the lending base of banks as depositors have rushed to the higher yield environment of money market mutual funds.

Most new regulations are well-meaning — but often have unexpected results. Tighter capital requirements wouldn’t have done anything to prevent some of the recent failures of lenders such as SVB. But they will make borrowing costs more expensive and loans harder to get. That’s far from an agenda of growth and prosperity.

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.”

Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 indictments are an attack on political speech

Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

IF RECKLESSLY LYING to voters were a crime, most everyone in D.C. would be serving life in solitary confinement at Supermax. But in a liberal democracy, as frustrating as it often is, political misconduct is settled by voters and elections, not partisan prosecutors or rioters.

Feel free to campaign and vote against Donald Trump if you like. I’m certainly no fan. If Trump wins in 2024, Congress can impeach and remove him if they choose. But just as there was no special set of rules that could keep Trump in the White House in 2020, there shouldn’t be an exclusive set of rules to keep him out, either.

Yet Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictments over Jan. 6 read like a political oppo document cobbled together by some partisan House staffers who perfunctorily tacked on the last-minute novel legal reasoning.

Though numerous commentators who have an aversion to Trump have pointed out the weakness of the indictments, it’s quite telling how little media-approved historians and legal “experts” even bother defending the underlying legal case. Trump is evil, a threat to “democracy,” and really what else is there to discuss?

In the Trump-addled politics of our age, it is virtually impossible for either side to compartmentalize the process and the person if that person happens to be Trump.

In this case, the precedent would criminalize and chill political speech. People keep assuring me the indictments aren’t really about the expression but rather about defrauding the government. Sorry, the entire case is predicated on the things

Trump said or believed or didn’t say or didn’t believe. All of it should be protected under the First Amendment. “Spreading lies” — prosecutors leaned on the thesaurus hard, finding about two dozen ways of repeating this fact — or entertaining theories offered by crackpot lawyers, or trying to convince faithless electors to do things that people have been trying to convince faithless electors to do for a long time, are all unethical, not criminal.

Nowhere do the indictments come anywhere in the vicinity of making the case that Trump incited “imminent lawless action” on Jan 6. At least no more than, say, the entire Democratic Party had a hand in inciting the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots — the most destructive in American history. This is a dangerous road to go down.

Yes, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case is an exercise in the selective use of power for political ends, but it has a basis in law and recent precedent. (Not for Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, but for others.) This, however, isn’t about mere double standards anymore.

When, in 2000, the Supreme Court finally stopped Al Gore’s conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the presidential election, no serious person contemplated throwing him or his lackeys in prison. Since that time, Democrats haven’t only been lying about elections, they have tried to stop the certification of every national election as well.

When they fail, people like Adam Schiff will use a DNC political oppo document to concoct a conspiracy, illegally leaking classified documents — in carefully

curated snippets to mislead the country — to overturn the will of the American voter. This effort also resulted in expensive investigations that defrauded the American people.

The point isn’t that we should imprison Gore — or Stacey Abrams or Hillary Clinton or Ron Klain or John Kerry or Bennie Thompson or Barbara Lee or Maxine Waters or Raul Grijalva or James Clyburn or Ed Markey or Nancy Pelosi, or many others who have tried in various ways to challenge election results in the past. It’s to say that Trump’s actions laid out in the indictments aren’t crimes, either.

Perhaps Smith doesn’t really expect Trump to end up in prison over any of these indictments. As his foray into the partisan prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, overturned 8-0 by the Supreme Court, this case is grounded on a “boundless” reading of statute. The law isn’t the point. The point is likely to make Jan. 6 — and hysterical claims about American democracy’s near demise — the centerpiece of the 2024 election.

Granted, allowing Joe Biden’s record to be the central issue of that 2024 campaign is potentially disastrous for Democrats. These indictments, however, create a deterioration of law that Americans will have to live with long after the next presidential election.

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

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Betty Ann Polston

Arnette

April 10, 1936 - August 4, 2023

Betty Ann Polston Arnette, age 87 died in her home surrounded by family on Friday, August 4th, 2023. She was born April 10, 1936 in McColl, SC to parents Howard & Doris Polston who precedes her in death. Also preceding in death are her husband Charles of 56 years, her sister Juanita Fitzjohn, & brothers Donnie and Jimmy Polston. She is survived by her two children, Chuck Arnette (Kim) of Norman and Wendy Maxwell (Jeff) of Pinehurst; three grandchildren, Kelly Davis (Garren), Ashleigh Arnette (William), and Alan Arnette (Brianna); and six great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Sylvia Chellis; brothers, Eugene Polston, Richard Polston, and Bill Polston(Anna); sister-in-law Jackie Polston; and brother-inlaw Melvin Fitzjohn(Gladys).

Betty was a fierce woman who loved playing sports in her youth including tennis and softball. As she aged Betty loved her family, canning vegetables and bargain shopping.

Homer Marona, Jr.

December 14, 1946 - August 3, 2023

Homer Marona, Jr., age 76, died Thursday, August 3, 2023 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Mr. Marona worked for AT&T for 56 years. He collected antique tractors and hotrod cars. He loved working on his farm in his spare time and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley Ann Marona, his children, Brad Marona and wife Jamie of Cameron and Lynn Marona Gardner of Greenville, S.C., grandchildren, Bailey and Cooper Marona, and his aunt Louise Danley all of Cameron.

Katherine Elizabeth Shoe

May 27, 1954 - July 31, 2023

Katherine Elizabeth Shoe, age 69 of Southern Pines, NC passed away at FirstHealth Hospice House on July 31, 2023.

Katherine was born in Moore County, NC, May 27, 1954 to Dr. C. Robert VanderVoort and Gloria Medlin VanderVoort. She was married to Gary Shoe on April 8, 1978. After studying psychology at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Western Carolina, she continued to study history and religion on her own. Her degree was in Human Resources. At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, she completed training and earned certification as a Stephen Minister, where she was able to help others in need of emotional and spiritual support.

Katherine is survived by her children Shelley, Stephanie, and Matthew; her grandchildren: Nathan, Jack, Wes, and Montgomery; and her brother, Robert.

Katherine was preceded in death by her parents, sister Glory, husband, Gary, and infant son, Christopher.

Gordon James Mordini

July 20, 1940 - July 24, 2023

Charles Thomas Reid

January 4, 1960 - July 27, 2023

Charles Thomas Reid, age 63 of Southern Pines, NC passed away at his home surrounded by his family on July 27, 2023.

Charles was born in Moore County, NC January 4, 1960 to Jack Reid and Wilma Smith Reid. Charles was an avid golfer and a lifelong member of the Southern Pines Elks lodge. He worked for over 35 years as a NICU respiratory therapist at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Charles is survived by his wife, Janet Reid; son, Ben Reid; daughter, Stephanie Reid; brother Ken Reid and sister, Fay (Chuck) Rice. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Wilma Reid; sister, Joan Reid.

Memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Gordon James Mordini, age 83, of Pinehurst, NC passed away at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital on July 24, 2023. Gordon was born in Highland Park, Illinois on July 20, 1940 to Nello Peter and Gretchen Santi Mordini. Gordon married the love of his life, Josephine (Jo), on August 27, 1972. A graduate of Arizona State University, Gordon worked for 35 years at Honeywell before retiring in 2002. He lived for many years in Illinois (Highland Park, Lake Bluff, and Freeport), where his favorite pastime was cheering for his children in their sporting endeavors. In 2007 Gordon moved to Pinehurst to pursue his other great love - golf. Gordon worked at the Pinehurst Resort for 13 years while also playing golf as often as possible.

Gordon is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Jo Mordini; children, Matthew Mordini, Michael Mordini (Andrea Bakker), Zachary Mordini, and Kristina Mordini; grandchild Kayden Mordini; and brother Glenn (Donna) Mordini. Gordon was preceded in death by his brother, Jerry Mordini.

Tommy Brinkley Short

March 13, 1965 - July 26, 2023

Tommy Brinkley Short, 58, a life - long resident of Aberdeen, went home to his Lord on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023.

Born March 13, 1965, he was the son of the late John Thomas and Peggy Jane Gaines Short. He was preceded in death by his brother Gregory Short. Tommy is survived by his daughter Katelyn McRae and son Josh. He was the brother of Daniel “Barry” Short and Tina Short. Tommy was the loving Papa to June “Janie”. Tommy graduated Pinecrest High School, class of 1983. He went on to work in local textile mills for many years and was also a conductor at Aberdeen Carolina Western Railroad. Tommy loved football and was a diehard Miami Dolphins fanatic. He was a good listener who made everyone feel welcome and could easily be the “life of the party”.

Joseph Anthony Sciarrino

September 20, 1939 - July 29, 2023

Joseph Anthony Sciarrino, 83, of West End passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at his home. Joe was born in Canonsburg, PA., on September 20, 1939 to Joseph R. Sciarrino and Emma (nee Bertino) Sciarrino.

After graduating High School, where he played football, baseball and ice hockey, Joe proudly joined the US Army Reserves. He later earned his Associates Degree in Business from Macomb Community College, Clinton Twp., MI. His career in sales began in Cleveland, Ohio working for nine years in Ohio and California for Olsen Electronics. Continuing in sales he spent the next 30 years in Ohio, Iowa and Michigan with Reckitt Benckiser North America, retiring in 2000 as a Business Development Manager.

As a member of the Knights of Columbus, he actively continued at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. (Joe was a Knight for over 50 years). He was also an adorer in Perpetual Adoration, a Eucharistic Minister and volunteered for many church needs. His faith was his foundation. He also belonged to Hunters Creek Club, Lake Auman Sports Club, Sandhills Central Railroad Club and the Republican Men’s Club.

Joe is survived by, ‘the love of his life’, Ann, whom he married 61 years ago on July 21, 1962 at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church in Rocky River, Ohio: their daughters, Jamie (Andrew) Oreffice, JoAnn (Frederick) Schmid, and Julie (Charles) Kratz. Six awesome grandchildren: Kyle, Jillian, Lila and John Paul Oreffice and MacKenzie and Sophia Kratz. And his brother Robert (Maureen) Sciarrino.

Norma Garfield 1930 ~ 2023

Norma Garfield of Southern Pines passed away peacefully on August 2, 2023, at the age of 93. Norma was born on April 1, 1930, in Cranbrook, British Columbia to Lawrence and Mary Servis. Norma lived a very adventurous life and had many special friends. Her early years were spent in Cranbrook, BC, followed by the Northwest Territories, Maine, Newman Lake in Washington State, before finally settling in Southern Pines, NC. Norma was an RN Nurse, an avid quilter, and a golfer. She loved to cook and was well known for her scrumptious pies that were enjoyed by many.

She is preceded in death by her first husband, James 'Jim' Pearson, her son, James 'Rick' Pearson, her late husband, Stanton 'Tony' Garfield; her sister, Margaret McGruder; her brother, Gordon Servis. She leaves behind her son, Christopher Pearson, and his wife, Patsy; daughterin-law, Debbie Pearson; grandson, Danne Pearson, and granddaughter, Alicia Pearson. She is also survived by her sister, Doreen Brook, and her husband, John, and many nieces and nephews; five step-children, Hank Garfield, Martha Garfield, Katie Garfield, Maggie Garfield, and Tiz Jordan.

Special thanks to her good friends, Cheryl Buckley and her caretakers for the last couple of years at Terra Bella, along with the staff at the Amedisys Hospice.