SPORTS: Richmond reflects on NIT semifinals, rookie season • Page 1B
The Sanford Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
QUICKREAD
BATTLE OF OKINAWA: 65TH ANNIVERSARY
PITTSBORO
NATION
TO THE END
Officials: We will rebuild, restore
OBAMA TO ALLOW SOME DRILLING IN ATLANTIC Shaking up years of energy policy and his own environmental backers, President Barack Obama threw open a huge swath of East Coast waters and other protected areas in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico to drilling Wednesday, widening the politically explosive hunt for more homegrown oil and gas
Commissioners vow Thursday’s fire will be part of courthouse history, not end of it From Staff Reports
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TECHNOLOGY ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Edgar “Skip” Cupps of Sanford served in the U.S. Marines during WWII and the climactic Battle of Okinawa, the last major confrontation between the Allies and the Japanese.
FANS GIDDY FOR iPAD, SIGHT UNSEEN People who lined up to buy the first iPhone knew what they were paying hundreds of dollars for: a new cell phone that promised to be better. Apple Inc.’s newest gadget, the iPad tablet computer, falls into a category that’s foreign to most people Page 10A
ENTERTAINMENT
AFTER DIVORCE, USHER A PLAYBOY AGAIN Less than two years ago, Usher was glorifying his evolvement as a man with “Here I Stand,” a CD that found him celebrating his new role as husband and father while shunning the image of a sexy bad boy unable — or unwilling — to make a lasting commitment Page 9A
OUR STATE POLICE IDENTIFY REMAINS AS MISSING N.C. WOMAN Police say human remains found in eastern N.C. are those of a missing woman, but not one of the two women they had suspected. Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight said on Wednesday that the remains found over the weekend are those of 40year-old Rocky Mount resident Roberta Williams. Page 7A
TO INFORM, CHALLENGE AND CELEBRATE
Vol. 80, No. 75 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
Veteran Marine recalls fighting in the last major confrontation of WWII 65 years later By BILLY BALL ball@sanfordherald.com
W
hen asked what he wanted history to remember about World War II veterans, Edgar “Skip” Cupps pauses. He dropped his head into his hands and does not speak for a half-minute. When he brought his head back up, Cupps’ eyes are red from crying. “I want them to remember the ones that didn’t come back, the ones that gave their lives,” he said. “And there was many of them.” Cupps was one that did make it back. A Sanford resident, he served in the U.S. Marines during the
I tried to forget a lot of things. You don’t want to remember some things. ... There’s still a few of us around that was in World War II. Not as many as there used to be.”
“
— SKIP CUPPS — WWII Veteran, U.S. Marines
climactic Battle of Okinawa, the last major confrontation between Allied and Japanese forces before a pair of atomic bombs forced the Japanese to surrender in August 1945. Today marks the 65th
COMMITTEE OF 100
anniversary of the Okinawa battle, when thousands of Allied troops stormed the island in their march northward to mainland Japan. More than 12,000 Allied troops and 110,000 Japanese soldiers perished in the 82day battle. Cupps, then a 20-year-old sergeant, was there. Many of the details of that longago fight elude him today, purposefully so, according to Cupps. “I tried to forget a lot of things,” he said. “You don’t want to remember some things.” Cupps, a Pennsylvania native, lives in the Sanford area today with his wife. After leaving the Marines in 1946,
PITTSBORO — Chatham County will rebuild the historic courthouse destroyed in last Thursday’s fire, its commissioners announced during a special meeting held Wednesday. After hearing reports about the building’s condition and a determination that the exterior walls can be saved, commissioners decided to move forward with restoration. “The exact nature of the restoration will be determined later. We will form a task force and involve the community, Pittsboro and court personnel to help us make the best decisions,” Chatham County Vice Chairman George Lucier said. “Our goal is that the fire of 2010 will be part of the history of the courthouse, not the end of it.” Chairman Sally Kost opened the meeting by thanking the community and state and county officials for their hard work and cooperation following the fire. “I am very proud of the way the community came together in the midst of this tragic event,” Kost said. “We are working diligently to return life in Pittsboro to as close to normal as possible. We will continue debris removal while
See Fire, Page 6A
See WWII, Page 6A
COMING FRIDAY: SPRING IN BLOOM
State, nation climbing out of ‘great recession,’ says NCSU economist Predicts 2010 to be ‘job-adding’ year By CAITLIN MULLEN cmullen@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — After a “very, very severe” recession, the country’s economic future is beginning to look brighter, according to Michael Walden, economist and professor at North Carolina State University. Walden spoke to elected officials, community leaders and others at the Committee of 100 luncheon Wednesday at Chef Paul’s. The economic outlook comes after Lee County
HAPPENING TODAY n The Central Carolina Hospital Auxiliary will host “Hop in for the Easter Bake Sale.” Louise and Bessie will have their “specialties” in the elevator area of CCH visitors lobby on the Carthage Street entrance beginning 7:30 a.m. CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
heard some hopeful news: The unemployment rate remained 14.6 percent from December to January, and Lee County was the only one in North Carolina that saw the rate stay the same. The state unemployment rate is 11.2 percent. “I’m beginning to see a few more smiles now,” Walden said. “We think the economy has passed the bottom.” Recessions are all part of the business cycle, he said. The country has gone
See Economy, Page 6A
ASHLEY GARNER/The Sanford Herald
Pink flowers begin to bloom on a tree in Sanford’s historic district this week. Watch for more “in bloom” photos from around the area in Friday’s edition of The Herald.
High: 83 Low: 50
INDEX
More Weather, Page 10A
OBITUARIES
SCOTT MOONEYHAM
Sanford: Bob Blue, 53; Kayland Brewer; Darrell Doby, 48; Robert Easterling; Ruth Gassaway, 88 Cameron: Helga Hardison, 76 Chapel Hill: James Griffin, 57
To some, it’s evidence that Gov. Beverly Perdue is no better than her predecessor
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Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 9B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries......................... 5A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B