VOLUME 148 ISSUE 2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO
Honored guest Payton McNabb — standing next to second lady Usha Vance, right — waves as she is recognized by President Donald Trump during his speech at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
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BRIEF this week
NCDOR begins processing tax refunds Raleigh The North Carolina Department of Revenue started processing individual income tax returns for 2024. Taxpayers can expect to receive refunds through the mail or direct deposit beginning the week of March 10. The NCDOR started accepting individual income tax returns Jan. 27 and encourages taxpayers to file electronically for security and convenience. Several free filing options are available. Individuals can check the status of their refunds through the “Where’s My Refund” application at ncdor.gov.
Chatham set for NC’s McNabb among special guests at Trump ‘unprecedented’ enrollment joint session address “Thank you for giving a voice to this issue!!!” Payton McNabb on X
Pentagon changes name of Georgia Army base back to Fort Benning Washington, D.C. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has, for the second time, reversed the renaming of a U.S. military base, saying that Fort Moore in Georgia should revert back to being called Fort Benning. The move reflects an effort by the Pentagon to overturn the Biden administration’s 2023 decision to remove names that honored Confederate leaders, including for nine Army bases. The drive to revert to former names means that officials need to find service members with the same name as the Confederate leaders.
By A.P. Dillon Chatham News & Record RALEIGH — President Donald Trump delivered his first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, outlining his administration’s plans for the nation with the main theme being the “Renewal of the American Dream,” and North Carolina’s Payton McNabb was among the special guests who joined the president and first lady at the address, including. “Payton is a former high school athlete who had her dreams of competing in college sports crushed in a September 2022 volleyball match
when a biological man playing on the opposing women’s team spiked the volleyball at Payton’s face, leaving her with a traumatic brain injury,” the press release states. “Payton joined with the Independent Women’s Forum and has made it her mission to put an end to this brutal unfairness.” McNabb issued a statement on X that said it is an “incredible honor” to be the guest of the president and first lady. “I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be present and to have my story recognized as part of the fight to protect women’s sports. Thank you for giving a voice to this issue!!!” McNabb wrote. McNabb spoke with North State Journal on several occasions as the legislature See MCNABB, page A3
Woman returns Helene ‘trash’ to rightful owners “It’s not just trash, and it’s not just trees and pieces of metal. It’s their lives. This is their hearts, their homes, the generations of history.” Jill Holtz
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She was injured while competing against a transgender volleyball player in 2022
Floods didn’t just sweep away homes; they took memories By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press SWANNANOA — The tops of dried, bent cornstalks crunch underfoot. Jill Holtz’s gaze is fixed on the ground ahead. She wanders into the nearby woods and weaves between twisted branches. Then, Holtz spots something and starts to riffle through the withered twigs. To the untrained eye, it’s easy to overlook. But for Holtz, it’s instantaneous recognition. Scraggly, white lines give the appearance of shattered glass, but a name can still be made out at the top. It is a sonogram strip — crinkled, abused
by the elements, but intact. In early February, Holtz combed through parts of a flattened cornfield in Swannanoa — a rural area razed by fierce floodwaters from Hurricane Helene a few months earlier. The deluge swept away entire homes, and with it, people’s beloved photos, keepsakes and family heirlooms. Many have accepted that they are gone forever. But lost items remain scattered across the region — tangled in gnarled trees, washed up in deep ravines and buried under mud. That’s why Holtz is on a mission: find and reunite those cherished possessions with storm victims who don’t have the time or energy to look themselves. See HELENE, page A7
increases The county could see a baseline enrollment of nearly 15,000 by 2034-35 By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — On Feb. 25, the Chatham County Board of Education held a joint meeting with the Board of Commissioners to go over a few relevant updates, most notably a future land use study. The group was presented with a future land use study for potential school facility needs prepared by the Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OREd) of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NC State University. “The most meaningful, most reliable and leading long-term indicator of where your enrollment is See SCHOOLS, page A3
“This level of growth is unprecedented.” Thomas Dudley, OREd program manager