VOLUME 147 ISSUE 51 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
A momentary hint of summer Chatham residents would be forgiven for being confused about the weather trends lately, but boaters on Jordan Lake made the most of a sunny, warm day last Tuesday. It didn’t last long, with rain and colder temps back on the menu this week.
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BRIEF this week
U.S. inflation worsened in January with grocery, gas prices rising Washington, D.C. U.S. inflation accelerated last month as the cost of groceries, gas and used cars rose, a trend that will likely underscore the Federal Reserve’s resolve to delay any further interest rate cuts. The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed, up from 2.9% the previous month. It has increased from a 31/2-year low of 2.4% in September. The figures underscore the stickiness of inflation.
UnitedHealthcare fined $3.4M by N.C. for claims violations Raleigh Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey fined UnitedHealthcare $3.4 million following a four-year investigation into the company’s claims handling practices involving balance billing. The investigation found instances where UnitedHealthcare failed to follow its procedures to protect members from excess charges by out-of-network providers, particularly for emergency room and anesthesia services. While accepting the settlement, UnitedHealthcare denied violating any regulations. The company must provide a corrective action plan and submit to future compliance examinations. The fine will benefit North Carolina public schools.
$2.00
School district to implement additional diploma endorsements Students can now achieve arts and citizenship endorsements starting this year By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — At its Feb. 10 regular board meeting, the Chatham County Board of Edu-
cation was presented with some updates from the North Carolina State Board of Education related to diploma endorsements and graduation requirements. The first of the new endorsements from the state board is an arts endorsement which will be available for 2025 graduates. In order to be eligible, students must complete a minimum of four standard‑course-
of-study arts courses, must complete 40 hours of arts-related extracurricular activities outside of school hours and they must maintain a 3.0 GPA in each arts course. There will also now be a diploma endorsement for Citizenship Proficiency as well. Interested students may take an assessment up to once a semester that is in the same for-
Racial bias tainted death sentence for black man in NC, judge says The judge said race was a “significant factor” in the decisions to seek the death penalty in the first place.
The ruling dates back to a 2009 death penalty trial in Johnston County The Associated Press SMITHFIELD — Racial bias tainted the decision to strike black people from the
jury pool and to impose the death penalty in the 2009 trial of a black man in North Carolina, a judge ruled on Friday, part of what he called “glaring”
An Outer Banks wildlife crossing will save people; can it save the last wild red wolves too? A federal pilot program will build a 2.5-mile underpass for animals By Allen G. Breed and Christina Larson The Associated Press ALLIGATOR RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE — Hunters were once the greatest human threat to the country’s only unique wolf species. Today, it’s motorists. That fact was brought home last June when red wolf breed-
ing male No. 2444 was struck and killed on U.S. 64 near Manns Harbor,. His death likely meant five pups he’d been providing for died, too. “We were hoping the mother would return and resume care, but she never did,” Joe Madison, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s red wolf recovery program, said during a recent visit to the site. For decades, conservationists have pushed for changes to U.S. 64, a busy two-lane See WILDLIFE, page A10
“There is increasing awareness that reducing traffic collisions is smart for wildlife, smart for people too.” Stuart Pimm, Duke ecologist
mat as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test, and those who correctly answer at least six of the 10 questions will receive the endorsement. “In previous years, we’ve had diploma seals for a variety of things such as dual-language program, biliteracy seals, See DIPLOMA, page A7
patterns of bias in a prosecutorial district outside the capital. Hasson Bacote was among a group of 15 death row inmates whose sentences were commuted to life without parole last year by Gov. Roy Cooper in one of his final acts in office. That means the ruling won’t make a legal difference for Bacote. However it could help several other death row inmates in similar circumstances, said Gretchen M. Engel, executive director of the Center See BIAS, page A3