VOLUME 148 ISSUE 1 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Winter wonderland It was a snowy, idyllic scene looking south down the train tracks running through the middle of Southern Pines in the aftermath of last week’s blast of wintry weather.
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BRIEF this week
Medical helicopter crashes in eastern N.C. Wilmington Officials say three people were taken to a hospital after a medical helicopter crashed in a wooded area near Wilmington International Airport. Novant Health says three team members on the AirLink helicopter on Monday night were transported for evaluation but that no patients were on board. The FAA says the Eurocopter EC‑135 helicopter crashed in a wooded area near Wilmington International Airport. Novant says the team consisted of a pilot, a critical care registered nurse and a critical care paramedic. They were in fair condition Tuesday.
Banner Elk native Driscoll Chapel Hill confirmed as Army Council calls secretary by 66-28 vote for reopening “I do support the president’s right to execute a lawful order.” Dan Driscoll
Greensboro-native Rhiannon Giddens cancels Kennedy Center show New York Rhiannon Giddens, an Award-winning singer‑musician and Greensboro-native is the latest artist to call off an appearance at the Kennedy Center, which has been in upheaval since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has forced out the center’s leadership and was elected chair of the board of trustees. Actor Issa Rae, author Louise Penny and the rock band Low Cut Connie also have canceled events. Singer-songwriter Victoria Clark went ahead with her show but wore an anti-Trump T-shirt. Giddens is an eclectic roots musician known for co-founding the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
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The 38-year-old is an Iraq War veteran By Lolita C. Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dan Driscoll to be the next Army secretary, voting 66-28 to put the former soldier and Iraq War veteran at the helm of the service. Driscoll, 38, of North Carolina, had served as an adviser to Vice President JD Vance, whom he met when both were attending Yale Law School. He served in the Army for less than four years and left at the rank of first lieutenant. During his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Driscoll noted that his father and grandfather served in the Army, and he vowed to be
a secretary focused on the needs of soldiers. “We are a family that is grateful to have had the privilege of wearing the uniform of the United States Army,” he said during the hearing. “We are a family that understands the gravity of leading soldiers in and out of combat.” Driscoll takes over an Army that has been moving steadily to overcome recruiting shortfalls through a sweeping overhaul of its programs and staffing while also revamping and modernizing its weapons systems. He also will have to deal with the repercussions of the chaotic and confusing new personnel decisions coming out of the Trump administration’s campaign to slash the government workforce. Officials have to ensure that See DRISCOLL, page A2
Snowy roads lead to hundreds of highway crashes “This is probably one of those one-in-10years-type storm.” Scott Kleebauer, NWS meteorologist
Fifty-three vehicles were involved in 12 crashes in a single county The Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. — Roads in Virginia and North Carolina were treacherous for days last week after unusually heavy snow led to hundreds of accidents, including crashes on an interstate that involved more than 50 vehicles. Meanwhile, a polar vortex sent temperatures plunging from the Northern Great Plains all the way to Louisiana. Two separate collisions stopped traffic on Interstate 40 in Orange County, North Carolina, last Wednesady and the stopped vehicles were struck from behind, including a tractor trailer that hit a passenger
vehicle, causing a fatality, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. A total of 53 vehicles were involved in 12 crashes in the area, the highway patrol said. The driver of the tractor trailer was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and exceeding a safe speed for conditions. The highway patrol responded to nearly 1,200 collisions statewide last Wednesday, according to Sgt. Christopher Knox. Crashes that day closed portions of Interstate 95 and I-85 near Raleigh. Virginia State Police reported last Thursday that there had been well over 800 crashes statewide since heavy snow pounded parts of the mid‑Atlantic the day before. At least 45 crashes involved injuries but no fatalities. See SNOW, page A7
of USAID USAID awarded almost $400 million to N.C. organizations in 2024 By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill Council unanimously approved a joint resolution — along with the City of Durham — calling on the federal government to lift the stop-work order on foreign assistance programs and to reopen the USAID at its Feb. 12 meeting. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead international humanitarian and development arm of the U.S. government and was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. See COUNCIL, page A3
“Job losses of this magnitude should not be a partisan issue.” Adam Searing, council member