North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey presented the Guardian Award to Jerry Ward for 60 years in the re service. Ward served the Siler City Fire Department as captain and re chief, and spent years training the next generation of re ghters.
Chatham elections
o ce launches redesigned website
Pittsboro
The Chatham County Board of Elections has launched a redesigned website to enhance accessibility and simplify navigation for voters, poll workers and candidates. The updated site at chathamcountync. gov elections features improved organization with distinct pages for voter registration, early voting, Election Day and accessible voting options. “With critical elections on the horizon, we recognized the need for a more user-friendly and accessible platform,” said Pandora Paschal, Chatham County elections director. Key improvements include streamlined content, enhanced mobile responsiveness, prominent links to voter lookup tools, an election countdown clock and expanded frequently asked questions sections. The site also includes information for prospective poll workers.
U.S., China extend trade truce for an additional 90 days
President Donald Trump extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days Monday, at least delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world’s two biggest economies. The previous deadline was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Had that happened the U.S. would have ratcheted up taxes on Chinese imports from an already high 30%, and Beijing would have responded by raising retaliatory levies on U.S. exports to China.
$2.00
Anthony Jackson was due a 5% bonus but declined it in light of the district’s tough nancial state
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — In a rare act of humility, Chatham County Schools Superintendent Anthony
Jackson turned down his most recent bonus.
At the Chatham County Schools Board of Education’s Aug. 11 meeting, Board Chair Gary Leonard said Jack-
son declined the 5% bonus payment o ered to him by the Board of Education based on his performance.
“We evaluated Dr. Jackson’s performance — and we do this yearly — and the board was very pleased with the job that he is doing,” Leonard said. “According to his contract, Dr. Jackson has a
Assistant Town Manager Kent Jackson worked for Pittsboro for ve years
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners met Aug. 11 for its regular business meeting.
The board recognized outgoing Assistant Town Manager and Engineering Director Kent Jackson, who is moving on to a new opportunity. Jackson joined town sta in 2020 as town engineer and en-
gineering director and earned the promotion to assistant town manager in 2023.
“Obviously as a town manager, you need support from the elected board and the sta , and Kent has been probably the most supportive assistant town manager I’ve ever had,” said Town Manager Jonathan Franklin.
A 10-year-old girl died and a woman lost her leg after an allegedly intoxicated boat operator struck them while they were swimming Aug. 2
Chatham News & Record sta
A 10-YEAR-OLD girl is dead and her elementary school social worker lost a leg after a boat operator allegedly drove his vessel while intoxicated into three swimmers at Harris Lake on Aug. 2, striking two of them. Both the boat operator and the boat’s owner now face second-degree murder charges following a grand jury indictment on Aug. 11, according to court records. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which
is leading the investigation, identi ed the deceased victim as Brooklyn Mae Carroll, a fth-grade student at West Lake Elementary School in Cary. The injured woman, Jennifer Stehle, 41, worked as a social worker at the same school, according to media reports. Stehle’s left leg was amputated above the knee, and she su ered severe injuries to her right leg, according to court testimony. A family statement reported by ABC11 on Aug. 11
See
The DA said the severity of evidence, including the extensive alcohol consumption, failure to watch where the boat was traveling and Kight’s prior criminal history, warranted the enhanced charges.
5% bonus based on performance. There’s some money issues going on at the federal and state level, but the board felt that he was deserving of that. However, Dr. Jackson asked that we waive that bonus for this year due to thenancial issues that are going on everywhere.” Jackson has a base annual salary of $205,000, which is set by the state salary schedule for superintendents. The 5% bonus would have paid him an additional $10,250.
The board did, however, extend Jackson’s contract by another year, which will keep
See JACKSON, page A7
During his tenure, Jackson played a key role in the award-winning Granular Activated Carbon advanced ltration system, the TriRiver Water Merger, the growth and advancement of Public Works, the expansion and improvement of the town’s multimodal transportation infrastructure, and the awarding of millions of dollars in state and federal funding.
“It’s been a great ve years, probably the most rewarding of my career,” Jackson said. “Great organizations and teams, they don’t withdraw from change,
See PITTSBORO, page A3
THURSDAY 8.14.25
The dogs and cats were transported to Pennsylvania and Virginia shelters where families are waiting
Chatham News & Record sta FORTY-ONE adoptable animals from the Chatham County Sheri ’s Animal Resource Center began a journey to new homes last week through a national rescue initiative designed to ease shelter overcrowding.
The Bissell Pet Foundation’s Bissell Transport program coordinated the move, with Rescue Riders Pet Transport picking up three dogs and 38 cats from the ARC. The animals — all healthy, vaccinated and ready for travel — were transported to two partner shelters where adoptive families are waiting.
The cats headed to Brandywine Valley SPCA in Pennsylvania, while the three dogs went to Norfolk SPCA in Virginia.
“We work hard to make sure every animal that comes through our doors has the best possible chance at a happy future,” said Kate Reardon, ARC program coordinator. “Programs like Bissell Transport
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sta from the Chatham County Sheri ’s Animal Resource Center help load dogs and cats onto a Rescue Riders transport van last week as part of a nationwide e ort to connect adoptable pets with forever homes.
open doors we wouldn’t have access to otherwise and allow us to reach families far beyond our local area who are ready and eager to adopt.”
The Bissell Transport program assists shelters overwhelmed by rising intake
numbers and limited local adoptions by moving animals to areas where they’re more likely to nd homes. Rescue Riders Pet Transport, a USDA-licensed service, ensures pets are transported safely and comfortably.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
Aug. 14
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Two sessions of this “Family Feud”-style game are held each Thursday evening, rst round at 6 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m., o ering contestants two opportunities to win House of Hops gift cards worth $15 and $25 each.
12 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
Aug. 15
Lego Club
4-5 p.m.
Weekly free Lego building session for children aged 2 and above, with Duplo blocks provided for very young children. Contact 919-545-8085 for more details.
Chatham Community Library Holmes Meeting Room 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro
We stand corrected
To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
August 4
• Billy Tanner Gray, 33, of Pittsboro, was arrested for second-degree trespassing, attempted rst-degree murder, communicating threats, assault in icting serious injury in the presence of a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon to in ict serious injury and resisting a public o cer.
• Marcos Emmanuel Benitez, 24, of Pittsboro, was arrested for allowing animals to run at large.
August 9
• Theodore Eugene Amzen, 51, of Apex, was arrested for assault by strangulation and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
August 11
• Tina Lynn Smith, 37, of Siler City, was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen goods/ property.
• Shannon Hawkins, 31, of Morrisville, was arrested for simple assault.
• Christopher Lee Davis, 30, of Siler City, was arrested for resisting a public o cer.
• Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, of Vass, was arrested for second-degree murder.
• Johnny Ray Greenwood, 52, of High Point, was arrested for driving while impaired.
• Leonel Salvador IbarraTerrones, 42, of Siler City, was arrested for driving while impaired, open container after consuming alcohol and possession or manufacture of fraudulent identi cation.
The 8:59’s at Bynum Front Porch
7-8:30 p.m.
Free musical performance by The 8:59’s. Donations are welcome. This is a family-friendly event with food and beverages available for purchase on-site.
Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum
Aug. 16
Chatham Mills Farmers Market 8 a.m. to noon Producers-only farmers market o ering a wide variety of goods from fresh produce to other groceries, including eggs, cheese, meat, health and wellness items, and crafts. Everything is created by the vendors themselves.
Lawn of the historic Chatham Mills 480 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Aug. 20
Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills
6-9 p.m.
Every Wednesday night, from 6-9 p.m., The Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also o ers its Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.
480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro
The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge is beyond repair after the hurricane
By Makiya Seminera and Allen G. Breed
The Associated Press
NEARLY A YEAR after Hurricane Helene’s devastating pathway through western North Carolina, a vibrant tourist attraction o ering visitors a serene escape in the Blue Ridge Mountains is being torn down.
Like many other beloved sites in the region, the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in Rutherford County crumpled from the relentless oods and winds from remnants of Helene last September. Now, the town of Lake Lure said last Thursday it will start its demolition of the historic structure later this month.
While the three-arched bridge dates back to 1925, it didn’t become the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge until almost a century later. Once the bridge was decommissioned, a group of local volunteers, Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, worked to enhance it by adding its iconic gardens in 2013, according to the group’s website. The bridge attracted more than 150,000 visitors annually, said Linda Reandeau, a master gardener
“To see it destroyed as it was in the storm was very emotional and heartbreaking for me, along with all the other volunteers and so many people who have visited.”
Linda Reandeau, chair, Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
and the group’s marketing chair. But then Helene brought destruction to western North Carolina last year, with the Lake Lure area — which served as a backdrop for a few scenes in “Dirty Dancing” — sustaining some of the worst damage. The town of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village, as well as the lake itself, were covered in a layer of dis gured debris. The area still hasn’t recovered, but tourist attractions such as Chimney Rock State Park have reopened.
In the Flowering Bridge’s case, one end of the structure collapsed. Several other points also buckled from the damage, and its lush greenery was swept away in the storm. Over the past 11 months, the bridge has only continued to deteriorate, Reandeau said.
“It would have been 100 years old this year,” she said. “To see it destroyed as it was in the storm was very emotional and heart-
breaking for me, along with all the other volunteers and so many people who have visited.”
The decision to demolish the bridge came after two engineering rms concluded it couldn’t be restored, according to the town’s website. Demolition is expected to start Aug. 18.
While the bridge will no longer remain, Reandeau said the landmark’s volunteer group is in the planning process for how to move forward. The nonprofit is waiting for occupancy certi cation to reopen its relatively unscathed education center, where it can hold gardening and art classes — and hopefully install new gardens nearby, Reandeau said.
“We haven’t gone away, we’re still here, and we really look forward to the day we can welcome back visitors to the gardens,” she said. “We fully intend to make another magical space. It’s just not going to happen immediately.”
the heavily damaged
The eld is clearing for a matchup of Whatley and former Gov. Roy Cooper
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina next year said last Friday that he’s ending his bid now that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley has entered the race with President Donald Trump’s support.
Several months ago, Andy Nilsson revealed his candidacy for the Senate seat currently held by GOP incumbent Thom Tillis. Tillis announced in late June, after clashing with Trump, that he wouldn’t seek a third term.
Last week, Whatley, a North Carolina native and resident, entered the race for the GOP nomination, already holding what Trump wrote on social media as his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Nilsson, a former furniture company owner who once ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor, said in a news release that he had decided to suspend his campaign.
Nilsson said Trump’s endorsement of Whatley “played a central role in my decision. I respect the President’s desire to go in a di erent direction, even if I have questions about his choice.”
Whatley’s campaign launch July 31 appeared to set the stage for a possible general election showdown between him and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his candidacy three days earlier.
The seat in the highly competitive state could decide whether
Trump’s endorsement of Whatley “played a central role in my decision. I respect the President’s desire to go in a di erent direction, even if I have questions about his choice.”
Andy Nilsson
Democrats regain a majority in the chamber. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the November 2026 elections. Similar to Nilsson’s departure, Cooper’s candidacy prompted ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel to suspend his monthslong campaign for the Democratic nomination. Wiley endorsed Cooper. Nilsson, who helps coach
football and teaches at a Winston-Salem high school, did not mention any endorsement from him in his statement but said he would “work hard to keep this Senate seat in the hands of a conservative.”
Nilsson highlighted his effort to unseat Tillis, whom he said “had lost touch with his base,” and that “mine was the rst campaign to call him out.” Nilsson’s political career has also included working as a campaign sta er for gubernatorial candidate Richard Vinroot and then-congressional candidate Richard Burr.
Winnowing the eld won’t necessarily prevent Cooper or Whatley from avoiding March primary elections for their respective nominations. Republican Don Brown, a writer and former Navy o cer, remains a candidate for the GOP nomination. O cial candidate ling occurs in December.
Rocky River Baptist Fellowship Hall
4436 Siler City – Snow Camp Road Siler City
Sunday Evening, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m.
Everyone Is Welcome! A Love O ering Will Be Taken
Revival Services Aug. 18-20
Monday -Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.
Pastor Brian Parker, Sanford will speak Monday and Pastor Brian Parker, formerly of New Hope, Sanford will be Tuesday’s speaker. Wednesday night will be a time of Congregational Praise and Worship.
Join us each Sunday for Sunday School – 9-9:30 a.m. Worship Service – 10-11 a.m. And Wednesday for Bible Study at 6:30 p.m.
We have room for you!
You are invited to our annual Homecoming service on Aug. 17. Sunday School will begin at 10 a.m. and the worship service at 11 a.m. Rev. Jason Golden, the Associational Missionary for the Sandy Creek Baptist Association, will be guest speaker.
We will also be remembering those we have lost since last year’s Homecoming.
Following the service there will be a potluck lunch, so you are invited to bring your favorite dishes and stay and enjoy the food and fellowship. We would love to have you join us at 715 Sandy Branch Church Road, Bear Creek.
PITTSBORO from page A1 they adapt to it and they look to capitalize on it and I’m really glad that that’s the approach the Town is taking. I look forward to the great work that my coworkers are going to do going forward.”
“I’d like to personally thank Kent for all that he’s done and I do appreciate your service to the commissioners, the mayor, our town manager and to all the citizens of Pittsboro,” said Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Baldwin.
The board had just three action items on its agenda, including two public hearings related to voluntary, contiguous annexation petitions submitted by Chatham Park Investors (CPI).
The total amount of property annexed totaled around 28 acres, was undeveloped and was located along Hillway Road, North Village Parkway, east of Chatham
Park Way and north of Business 64 East. The board also held a hearing for the permanent closure of a 1.3 acre portion of Suttles Road that connects Chatham Park Way to U.S. Highway 64 Bypass.
The property was conveyed by CPI to the Town of Pittsboro, who subsequently dedicated it to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for a public right-of-way.
NCDOT has since abandoned the subject portion of road in anticipation of a new right of way for a street that will connect Chatham Park Way to the remaining portion of Suttles Road that is within the U.S. Highway 64 Bypass right-of-way. Following each hearing, the board approved the requests.
The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet Sept. 8.
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
Perhaps folks on both sides of the fence and aisle could listen appreciatively, even if they could not agree.
IN 1968, ABBIE HOFFMAN proposed that a pig run for president of the United States. Pork is not a positive term in politics, but what if other creatures of the animal kingdom were in elected o ce?
Of course, cats have no interest in democracy since they know they are royalty. While felines would hiss at the mere suggestion, a loyal dog would never betray our interests to foreign adversaries, even for a gravy-soaked bone.
But what about wild creatures? Speaking of loyalty, few creatures are as protective of their young as a mother bear. One might argue against them due to their winter hibernation, but is it really so detrimental for legislators to take a long break? They can’t mess anything up if they are asleep!
Fish have a vested interest in clean water — a vital resource for all life on this planet. Maybe a cat sh for governor; she gets to the bottom of things; she lives on the river bottom.
| BOB
you
Airplane food once was — hold your breath — good.
For all the talk today about grassroots, what about a candidate who eats grass? Rabbits seem a bit too jumpy for the public eye, but deer already canvas most neighborhoods. Their platform of eating owers does not endear them to certain members of the voting public, but they remain committed to road safety in the interest of the common good.
Turning to the skies, an eagle is an obvious choice. Personally, I aspire to be more like the blue heron, who is a model of patience. Not only would such patience serve us well in our high-speed, reactionary culture, but anyone who can spend that much time on only one leg will bring a proper sense of balance to Washington, D.C.
I am aware that the male cardinal holds the title of the state bird. He’s certainly dapper in his bright coat and adept at tweeting. But I would prefer to hear a State of the Union
address delivered by a Carolina wren. If Keats is correct, beauty is truth, so the wren’s gorgeous song would not need fact- checking. Perhaps folks on both sides of the fence and aisle could listen appreciatively, even if they could not agree. My favorite animal is the river otter. At home on land, they are also powerful swimmers. While oating on their backs, they hold hands with their pups — talk about exhibiting family values! Plus, they slide down muddy banks on their bellies. Politicians who possess a healthy sense of wonder and play would serve us better. Besides, as my young children say, otters rule.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.
LONG AGO and far away in another galaxy, I had a job that required me to travel somewhat extensively around this great land of ours.
Times were good then. I wore a younger man’s clothes, my energy level had not slipped below neutral, all the parents in my family were living, my children were small and at home, gas was 35 cents a gallon and Washington had not yet outgrown its britches.
And ying was fun.
All of that has now changed. That young man has run o , now even neutral looks pretty good sometimes, my folks and my in-laws are precious memories, my children are no longer teenagers who live at my house, a ll-up of gas requires a bank loan, and only Heaven knows how much more intrusive Big Brother is going to get unless and until someone not only clips his wings but pulls the dang things out by their roots. And ying is not fun anymore.
Granted, not all of America ies, has ever own or even wants to. The reasons are plentiful — don’t need to get to Zimbabwe, costs too much for the ol’ family budget or just plain don’t want to. And for some folks, it’s like my boyhood friend Bobby Joe High’s grandma’s rst cousin twice removed Katherine (Kitty) Litter used to say to us children (when we were children), “If God had wanted you to y, you’d have wings.”
Still, there were times I needed to take advantage of Orville and Wilbur’s best day’s work and needed the Great Silver Bird. Several times it fell my lot to travel to Chicago when that was still a reasonably safe thing to do. Much quicker that way than, say, thumbing. Fortunately, speed of life has come to mean something di erent for me in these Golden Years. It’s no longer the most important thing going, especially when it comes to going somewhere.
There are, I think, many reasons ying is no longer fun. The seats are smaller and closer than they once were. That means plenty of leg room for a grasshopper but not much for any adult taller than 3-foot-2. Airplane food once was — hold your breath — good. It was plentiful and complimentary (although no doubt the price of your ticket included your meal) and tasteful and most of the folks who served it were gracious. Ditto for soft drinks and snacks. The only noticeable expense was if Bobby Joe’s uncle Benjamin (Ben) Dover wanted George or Jack to accompany him from one of those little bottles the airlines used to have.
And recent news reports have been full of accounts of confrontations between passenger and crew because some folks are just downright disagreeable.
But of all the reasons it’s not fun anymore, I think the biggest one is the e ort it takes to get on the plane. Actually, it’s more a matter of getting “in” (or really, to use good English, getting “into”) the plane, but that’s another day, story and column.
It’s been my experience that most of the folks who are employed by Big Brother’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have either unked out of Dale Carnegie’s course on How To Be Nice or never bothered to sign up. I know they’ve got that speech memorized about “Step this way … you may be subject to a body search … etc.” I think there are more words to their speech but they just don’t say them, words like “I’m in a bad mood — again” or “I’m going to touch you in places even your doctor doesn’t and I may invite some of my buddies to do the same, and it’ll be out here in the general public where everybody can see” and such.
I once went through a screening and, before walking through the metal detector, after taking o my belt and emptying my
pockets, told Mr. Congeniality, “I’ve had hip replacement surgery and have a foot of metal in my leg and I’m going to make your little machine go crazy.”
I might as well have told him my grandfather’s dog ran away since he ignored me. As soon as I walked through the detector and the bells started clanging and lights started ashing and the SWAT team showed up, he stuck me in the taped o area while everyone else moved far away so I wouldn’t blow them up when my fanny bomb went o .
Then he started Part Two of the o cial TSA harassment. “Sir, are you carrying any concealed weapons?” If I were a criminal and had been guilty of such, did he really think I’d admit to it?
“Do you remember eight seconds ago,” I asked, “I told you I had a stainless steel rod in my leg? Would you like to see the 6-inch scar on my hip since you folks love your naked body scan machine so much?” Reluctantly he let me pass, ensuring that I would almost miss my ight and that my luggage and I would be on separate planes — another reason not to love ying the “friendly skies” anymore.
Maybe I look like a terrorist; I don’t know. I do know I’ve been known to terrorize the bu et at Kentucky Fried Chicken from time to time. All I do know is I tend to agree with something ol’ Ben Franklin said years ago, namely, more or less, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
Quite a prophet, Ben was. Take the train … unless you need to get to Zimbabwe.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
Once my focus turned to selfcompassion rather than condemnation, the dream’s capacity to feel toxic drained away. Literally.
I HAD THIS DREAM. An embarrassing and mortifying one. Truly mortifying. A dream in which my behavior was seriously o the charts of my waking values system. Just o the charts … I was startled — OK, stunned — remembering the dream. This is not the “me” I am now. I mean, when I was much, much younger, perhaps, but after all the years of therapy and working hard to be accountable to myself? No!
I still dreamed that dream. Even more scary was my concern that, perhaps, I’m not the person I think I am, today. Nope, not an idyllic morning. Waking up startled, followed by a boatload (and I mean, a boatload) of self-criticism. If there had been any wooded hills hereabouts, I would have headed straight for them to soothe my judging heart with a deep dunk in nature. No hills. Anywhere nearby. Just paddling away in my own little sea of churning self-criticism. Wait, is that a shark n I see heading in my direction? Stop!
Do I need to do this to myself? (And sharks, to boot! Give me a break.) For the most part, I’m a caring human being and, like the rest of us, fallible and imperfect. (Come on, don’t tell me you’re not fallible and imperfect.) Nonetheless, trying to take some responsibility for those untoward,
| MARC DION
You know what they say: di erent times, di erent ways of terrorizing your wife.
“TO THE MOON, ALICE!”
That was how ctional television character Ralph Kramden used to threaten his wife, Alice, on the old TV show “The Honeymooners.”
He never actually hit her. That wouldn’t have been funny, not if he hit her really hard, anyway. Threatening to hit her was hilarious, however.
You know what they say: di erent times, di erent ways of terrorizing your wife. Nowadays, you take her cellphone away so she can’t call the police. Technological progress is everywhere.
And it’s not just the ghost of poor Alice. Pretty soon, we may all be going to the moon.
NASA, which increasingly stands for “Not A Serious Agency,” recently announced the United States may well build a nuclear reactor on the moon.
NASA’s had its funding cut, so look for the rst seven or eight attempts to fail with huge explosions and much death. My advice is to begin the e ort using women, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and drag queens. This way, when something goes wrong, you can blame the “DEI hires.”
So that’s what we’re gonna start with?
A nuclear reactor? Not a cozy suburb, a library, a Target or even a Chipotle.
I guess the idea is that once you get the reactor built, you can open a Wendy’s and build some tiny houses for America’s moon pioneers.
Who are gonna be white and probably wealthy, except for convicts shipped up there to do the landscaping.
Better scrap the tiny houses and build some mansions. “Moon-a-Lago” has a nice sound.
This could be our last, best chance at rebuilding America in an airless, sterile environment.
Once the reactor is up and dangerously humming, ship some rich guys in their 40s up there, along with some 14-year- old
dream-based images, streaming through my kind and, yet, foible-based mind.
I don’t understand dream dynamics. Not well, anyway. I am accountable, though, for how I treat myself after remembering that damn dream. My current value system, breached in this dream, doesn’t embrace “let’s beat up Jan because she’s human and has foibles!” Even in a dream. I don’t know if it was the several bites of dark chocolate or (yes, I lied about no nearby nature) looking at the mama deer and her two babies in my backyard. Whichever. Something ipped inside me. I could do the healthy thing and o er myself some semblance of self-kindness. Yep, because, like you, I’m human and unpredictable, even to myself.
Once my focus turned to self-compassion rather than condemnation, the dream’s capacity to feel toxic drained away. Literally. Oh, yeah, that ol’ self-compassion contingency. It’s a cheap date, and I continually forget about it, much to my regret. A much preferred option to paddling in my own, self-created, shark infested waters. You know?
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
wife prospects. It’s OK. There is no age of consent on the moon. There’s also no minimum wage, no unions and no business regulations. It’s a sterile paradise.
Build a golf course. You can use those big craters for sand traps. There’s no gravity, so even if you’re 80 and out of shape, you’re gonna drive the ball maybe six miles. That’ll send you running home to your teenage wife like a bull elephant. More white kids!
The Earth’s never really been livable in a social sense, and it’s getting much worse. You can never get the degree of control you need. You got one whole continent of black people, people with names like “Ernesto” can just walk into your country, and women won’t shut the hell up like they used to. What you want is a place where you can start from scratch, do things right. You de nitely want a place that isn’t on a bus line. If you can take a bus from downtown Cleveland to the moon, the moon’s gonna be a mess in a couple months. Restricting access has always been the key to quality living, high real estate values and good schools.
Ideally, the moon will become the “good neighborhood,” and the Earth will be a combination ghetto/factory/town/farm.
It’s gonna be expensive to build, though. The rich people launched a few rockets with their own money, but they blew up, or they didn’t really get that high up, and none of them made it to the moon. They wanna go any further with this “make our own world” project, they’re gonna need your money.
I’m old enough to remember when they told us kids the moon was made of green cheese, back before it was made of green money.
Marc Dion is a Pulitzer Price-nominated columnist for The Herald News in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Dear Editor,
On Aug. 5, State Auditor Dave Boliek released two audits of the NC DMV, delivering on a key campaign pledge only six months after taking o ce. These reports are about 600 pages in total and represent a big achievement for the State Auditor’s O ce. And while the ndings show the DMV is in worse shape than expected, the reports are a positive rst step in xing the headache that every North Carolinian endures when lining up outside the DMV doors.
Both customer and employee experience at the DMV has gotten worse over the years. Wait times are up 15.5% since 2019, and nearly half of DMV customers are traveling past the o ces closest to them, some traveling hours away for services. Employees interviewed cited burnout, lack of support and inadequate training.
The DMV wasn’t given the attention it deserved these past eight years, but Boliek has made it a front-and-center issue. The biggest recommendation included in the audit is the separation of the DMV and the Department of Transportation. Other key recommended actions straight from Boliek are:
• The DMV should conduct an in-depth sta ng analysis to implement a multiyear, phased sta ng plan that addresses examiner shortages and ensures service equity statewide.
• The DMV should build and maintain a centralized performance dashboard to track and report key service metrics.
• The DMV should partner with an industry expert to develop and implement evidence-based improvements to customer experience and service delivery.
This will be a big haul, but I’m going to do my part in studying the reports and delivering the best outcomes for the people of Robeson County and North Carolina. We’ll need the governor, DOT and DMV to assist as well, but we can all agree that the most customer-facing service in North Carolina must o er fewer headaches and better. Rep. Jarrod Lowery represents District 47 in the NCGA, which includes Robeson County.
COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE
dominance of 21st-century telecommunications
PRESIDENT DONALD Trump’s announcement and executive order to ensure that the U.S. dominates the arti cial intelligence revolution was a welcome America First policy directive. That mostly means keeping the government out of the way.
But an equally vital industry for our economic and national security interests is telecommunications — which is also going through warp-speed technology changes. Here too, the government needs to keep its hands o . No subsidies. No lawsuits. Minimal regulations.
This is why the latest $34.5 billion blockbuster merger between telecom titans Charter Communications and Cox Communications should get the green light from federal regulators.
Some antitrust lawyers at the FCC and the Justice Department worry this marriage would give Charter-Cox too much market share, allowing them to raise prices on consumers.
But companies like Cox that provide internet and TV services over cable transmissions are soon to be outdated by the next generation of ber, satellite, xed wireless and mobile broadband services.
Customers are already “cutting the cable cord” in favor of more e cient and less expensive streaming video services and other digital alternatives.
The synergies and economies-of-scale advantages driving the Charter-Cox merger, which will lead to a company with more than 37 million cable and internet subscribers, make sense.
Is that too much market concentration?
Comcast, the nation’s second-largest cable provider, serves around 12 million cable subscribers. Verizon serves just under 3 million cable subscribers and approximately 146 million mobile subscribers.
AT&T, another big player in this market, has tens of millions of customers of its own. AT&T is moving aggressively into satellite technologies and 5G to deliver calls, data and video. AT&T and Verizon each have a market cap of well over $100 billion. That compares to less than $50 billion for the Charter-Cox union. In other words, competitors aren’t going to be bullied out of the market by Charter-Cox — especially in the lucrative mobile communications arena.
What is ironic is that back in the 1980s, AT&T was forced by the government to break itself up because of alleged market power, and now we could have federal regulators blocking a merger that would bring new competition to AT&T (and other big kids on the block, like Comcast and Verizon).
As for the Charter-Cox potential dominance in cable, sorry, but that’s a declining industry.
Within a decade or so, cable will be as outdated as Blockbuster.
Mergers like this one make U.S. companies more competitive, make money for millions of American shareholders, and make our companies scalable to compete with European, Japanese and Chinese rivals.
Gail Slater, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, recently said she intends to focus on mergers that decrease competition.
“If you’re violating the antitrust laws, we’re going to take a hard look,” she said. “If you’re not violating the antitrust laws, we’re going to get the hell out of the way.”
Those are words to live by.
Stephen Moore is co-founder of Unleash Prosperity and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Aug. 3, 2025
Lawrence Talton Dark III, “Talton” left this life on August 3, 2025, in his 72nd year to be with our Lord and Savior. He will be deeply missed until we are reunited at the resurrection.
Talton was born and raised in Siler City, NC, as the son of the late L.T. Dark Jr. and Christine W. Dark. After graduating from Jordan Matthews High School, Class of 1971, where he played football, he went on to Appalachian State University, where he received his BSBA in 1975. Following in his father’s footsteps, Talton went on to Wake Forest University Law School for his J.D. in 1979. While at Wake Forest, Talton was an active rugby player and an avid skier. Following law school and having passed
the bar exam, Talton held various legal positions until he found his calling as an assistant district attorney in Morganton from 1983 to 1994. In 1995, he opened his private practice in Morganton, from which he retired in 2020 to his home at Lake James.
Talton is survived by his sisters, Christina D. Grady of Richmond, VA and Marcia D. Coreth (Chuck) also of Richmond, VA.; his nieces, Kathryn Geitner (John) of Hickory NC, Anna Noell (Jay) of Conover, NC and Alex Coreth of Denver, CO.; his great-niece Ava Grace Noell of Conover, NC and greatnephews Will Noell of Ashville, NC and Jack Geitner of Hickory, NC.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his nephew, Christopher Coreth.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 11:30 AM at Chatham Memorial Park in Siler City, NC.
In lieu of owers, memorials may be made in Talton’s memory to Friends for Animals Humane Society of Burke County.
Please sign the online guestbook at www. caringcremations.net. The Dark family has entrusted arrangements to Caring Cremations Life Celebrations and Funerals at 828-8553350.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@ chathamrecord.com
June 1, 1950 –Aug. 10, 2025
Ellen Dixon, a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on August 10, 2025, at the age of 75. Born on June 1, 1950, Ellen’s life was a beautiful blend of devotion and unwavering love for her family.
Ellen had a remarkable talent for crafts, particularly in creating stunning wreaths and beautiful tapestries. Her hands brought to life beautiful pieces that adorned her home and the homes of her loved ones, each crafted with care and a personal touch. Her creativity was not just a hobby; it was a way for her to express her love and share joy with those around her.
Sept. 8, 1956 –July 7, 2025
Joan Kay Underwood, a devoted wife, daughter, aunt, and friend passed away unexpectedly on July 7th, 2025, in Siler City, NC at the age of 69. She was born on September 8th, 1956, in Raleigh, NC and lived a life full of warmth, creativity and service to others.
Joan graduated from
Family was the heart of Ellen’s world. She cherished every moment spent with her husband, her children, and grandchildren, who were the light of her life. Family gatherings were lled with laughter, warmth, and the delicious meals she lovingly prepared. Ellen’s home was a sanctuary of love, where her grandchildren would often nd her ready to enjoy each other’s company.
Ellen dedicated many years of her life to the school system as a Lunch Lady, where she played a vital role in nourishing the bodies and spirits of countless children. Her commitment to providing meals re ected her loving nature.
A woman of deep faith, Ellen loved Jesus and found great comfort in singing hymns. Her voice, often heard lifting praises to the Lord, was a source of inspiration to those around her. She believed in the power of Jesus heal and uplift, and her faith was a guiding light throughout her life.
Ellen was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Mike Dixon and grandson Parker Dixon, whose love she carried with her always. Ellen is survived by her loving children, Michael Dixon, wife Christy,
Millbrook High School and began her career at Logan’s Nursery, where her longlife love for owers rst blossomed. It was during her time there that she met Charles Odell Eliason, whom she later married. The two worked together for several years, building a life rooted in mutual support and shared purpose.
Joan had a gift for creating spaces where people could gather and feel at home. She owned and operated several beloved co ee shops in Chatham County, including Courtyard Co ee Shop and Peppercorn Co ee in Siler City, and Blue Dot Co ee Shop in Pittsboro. These shops became important community hubs, known for their welcoming atmosphere and personal touch.
In addition to her business ventures, Joan was dedicated to her community. She volunteered with several local
Becky Hall, husband Jimmy, her adored grandchildren, Jaxon Dixon, Addison Dixon, Lily Hall, Katie Hall, 5 sisters, 2 brothers, and a close circle of friends who will forever hold her memory dear.
A celebration of Ellen’s life will be held on Thursday, August 14th, 2025, at 12 pm, at Meroney Methodist Church 10568 NC-902, Bear Creek, NC, where family and friends are invited to share their memories and honor the remarkable woman she was. The service will be o ciated by Tony Bra ord and Jimmy Hall. Special Music by her granddaughter Lily Hall and nephew Keith Green. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 13th, 2025, from 6-8 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel, and other times will be at Becky’s home.
Ellen Dixon will be profoundly missed, but her spirit will live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her. Her legacy of love, family, and faith will continue to inspire those she leaves behind.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Dixon family.
Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
programs, most notably the Siler City Community Meal, where she shared her time and heart with those in need.
After closing the co ee shops, Joan returned to her rst love - working with owers – at Rock Meadow Farm, the homeplace of her mother-inlaw. There, she found peace and ful llment in tending the land and creating beauty.
Joan was preceded in death by her father, Bobbie Bates Underwood and her sister, Sarah Virginia “Jenny” Underwood. She is survived by her husband, Charles Odell Eliason, her mother, Joyce Stevens Underwood, and her nephew, Daniel Bates Underwood.
Joan will be remembered for her generous spirit, creative soul, and the love she poured into every part of her life. She touched the lives of many and leaves behind a legacy of kindness and community.
He ran for the U.S. Senate and House in the 2010’s
The Associated Press
CARY — A funeral was held earlier this month for Dr. Greg Brannon, a physician in North Carolina and past favorite of political conservatives who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate and House in the 2010s. Brannon, an early personality in the tea party movement, delivered babies over 27 years as an OB-GYN. He died July 27 at his home at age 64, according to an obituary posted by Wake Funeral & Cremation. Funeral home director Britt Paynter con rmed Brannon’s death but said he couldn’t provide information about a cause.
Brannon, from Cary, billed himself as a constitutional conservative when he sought the 2014 Republican nomination for Senate. He nished as the May 2014 primary runner-up to Thom Tillis with 27% of the vote. Tillis went on to defeat Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan that November.
Brannon also nished second to then-U.S. Sen. Richard Burr in the March 2016 GOP primary. Three months later, he ran for a Raleigh-area congressional seat but lost in the party primary.
Republican senatorial candidate Greg
during a televised debate at WRAL television studios in 2014.
Brannon’s funeral was held at Cross Assembly Church in Raleigh. Brannon became an evangelical Christian as a young adult.
“Greg’s goals were to teach people about the love of Jesus Christ, adore Jody, pour into his family, and make people’s lives healthier and happier,” his posted obituary read.
Survivors include his wife, Jody, seven children and two grandchildren, according to the obituary.
Born in a Los Angeles suburb to a single mother, Brannon attended the University of South California and ultimately nished medical school at a Chicago school. Eventually he moved to North Carolina and went into private practice in 1993. Later in life, Brannon was the medical director and founder of a hormone replacement therapy company called Optimal Bio. Messages from mourners on the funeral home website recalled his medical work, in particular during complicated and challenging pregnancies.
Hanks
By Don Babwin The Associated Press
CHICAGO — James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the- y can-do engineering, has died. He was 97.
Lovell died last Thursday in Lake Forest, Illinois, NASA said in a statement Friday.
“Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,” NASA said. “We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements.”
One of NASA’s most traveled astronauts in the agency’s rst decade, Lovell ew four times — Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 — with the two Apollo ights riveting the folks back on Earth.
Lovell and fellow astronauts Fred Haise and Jack Swigert received renewed fame with the retelling of the Apollo 13 mission in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13” where actor Tom Hanks — portraying Lovell — famously said, “Houston, we have a problem.”
In 1968, the Apollo 8 crew of Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders was the rst to leave Earth’s orbit and the rst to y to and circle the moon.
They could not land, but they put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in the space race. Letter writers told the crew that their stunning pale blue dot photo of Earth from the moon, a world rst, and the crew’s Christmas Eve reading from Genesis saved America from a tumultuous 1968.
But the big rescue mission was still to come. That was during the harrowing Apollo 13 ight in 1970. Lovell was supposed to be the fth man to walk on the moon. But Apollo 13’s service module, carrying Lovell and two others, experienced a sudden oxygen tank explosion on its way to the moon.
The astronauts barely survived, spending four cold and clammy days in the cramped lunar module as a lifeboat.
‘’The thing that I want most people to remember is (that) in some sense it was very much of a success,’’ Lovell said during a 1994 interview. ‘’Not that we accomplished anything, but a success in that we demonstrated the capability of (NASA) personnel.’’
A retired Navy captain known for his calm demeanor, Lovell told a NASA historian that his brush with death affected him.
“I don’t worry about crises any longer,” he said in 1999. Whenever he has a problem, “I say, ‘I could have been gone back in 1970. I’m still here. I’m still breathing.’ So I don’t worry about crises.”
Lovell had ice water in his veins like other astronauts, but he didn’t display the swagger some had, just quiet con dence, said Smithsonian Institution historian Roger Launius. He called Lovell “a very personable, very down-to-earth type of person, who says, ‘This is what I do. Yes, there’s risk involved. I measure risk.’”
But if historians consider Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 the most signi cant of the Apollo missions, it was during Lovell’s last mission that he came to embody for the public the image of
the cool, decisive astronaut.
The Apollo 13 crew of Lovell, Haise and Swigert was on the way to the moon in April 1970, when an oxygen tank from the spaceship exploded 200,000 miles from Earth.
That, Lovell recalled, was “the most frightening moment in this whole thing.” Then oxygen began escaping and “we didn’t have solutions to get home.”
“We knew we were in deep, deep trouble,” he told NASA’s historian.
Four- fths of the way to the
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him employed by the county through June 2029.
“I thought it was awfully gracious of Dr. Jackson to turn down the bonus,” Leonard said.
“I just want the public to know that.”
Chatham County Schools, much like most districts in the state, is dealing with tightening budgets as cuts continue to come down from the state and federal level.
The board was also given an update on the district’s Yondr Pouch program, which will be expanding to include Chatham Central and Northwood High School following their spring pilot.
Yondr Pouch is a device that helps create phone-free spaces by securely locking phones away during instructional hours. The pouch allows students to keep the devices with them on their person but prevents them from using it while inside the classroom.
With the expansion, all traditional 6-12 schools in the district will now be utilizing the pouches.
The expansion also coincides with the new state law which requires all public schools to adopt policies prohibiting the use of wireless devices during instructional time.
“The state has implemented a cellphone ban, but we’ve been ahead of the game,” Jackson said. “We have a tool to help us so that our teachers don’t have to be cellphone police or cellphone wardens so they can actually teach.”
According to sta surveys, teachers are reporting improvements in student behavior, engagement, academic performance and school climate due to the implementation of the Yondr Pouches.
The board was also given an update on the removal of AP exam funding from the state’s budget.
“In the spring, the North Carolina Senate proposed the reduction of $14 million from the next budget cycle, and this funding had covered the North Carolina AP Partnership,” said Executive Director of Secondary Education and CTE Michelle Burton. “This partnership not only covered the cost of AP exams but also scholarships to train teachers in a variety of AP courses.” AP courses o er high school
moon, NASA scrapped the mission. Suddenly, their only goal was to survive.
Lovell’s “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” a variation of a comment Swigert had radioed moments before, became famous. What unfolded over the next four days captured the imagination of the world.
With Lovell commanding the spacecraft, Kranz led hundreds of ight controllers and engineers in a furious rescue plan.
The plan involved the astronauts moving from the service module, which was hemorrhaging oxygen, into the cramped, dark and frigid lunar lander while they rationed their dwindling oxygen, water and electricity. Using the lunar module as a lifeboat, they swung around the moon, aimed for Earth and raced home.
“There is never a guarantee of success when it comes to space,” McClintock said. Lovell showed a “leadership role and heroic efforts in the recovery of Apollo 13.” By coolly solving the problems under the most intense pressure imaginable, the astronauts and the crew on the ground became heroes. In the process of turning what seemed routine into a life-and-death struggle, the entire ight team had created one of NASA’s nest moments.
“They demonstrated to the world they could handle truly horri c problems and bring them back alive,” said Launius.
“There’s some money issues going on at the federal and state level, but the board felt that he was deserving of that.”
Gary Leonard, board chair
students the opportunity to earn college credit, and prior to this year, the state had covered all of the costs for students to take those respective exams. However, that will no longer be the case with the newly adopted budget.
Last year in Chatham County, 1,485 AP exams were given to students at the district’s four high schools, accounting for more than $145,000 in exam fees.
Each test costs a student $98, and those who qualify for waivers can see that amount reduced down to around $36 per test.
“Students are eligible for waivers if they qualify for free or reduced lunch, and then they can petition for additional hardship waivers through the College Board,” Burton said. “However, none of the waivers cover the full cost of the exam. No $0 fee is eligible based on the waivers I have been able to nd.”
“This is, again, one of those decisions that’s been made outside of our purview that now we have to gure out,” Jackson said. “In years past, we probably could have just found the resources somewhere else, but we’ve been doing that year after year after year, and we just can’t do that this year.”
Finally, Jackson shared the district’s goals for the year, which included all schools earning a ‘C’ grade or better performance grade by the state, increasing composite scores by three to ve points, achieving at least a 92% graduation rate, having all schools meet or exceed Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) growth, reducing turnover by 15%, increasing parent/community engagement by 25% and implementing robust reteaching processes.
The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet Sept. 8.
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NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000371-180
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of James E Beatty late of Chatham County, NC this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before October 27, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate are noti ed to make immediate payment. This is the 27th day of July, 2025 James A Beatty 5200 Beechwood Road Milford, OH 45150 Send claims to: Wells Law, Attorneys at Law 380 Knollwood Street, Suite 710 Winston-Salem, NC 27103
336.793.4378 July 24, 31 Aug 7, 14, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Chatham County 25E000382-180 Having quali ed as Co-Executors of the Estate of Kaja Finkler aka Kay Finkler aka Kaile Nehame Dvora Finkler, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned do hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claim against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned c/o Guido De Maere, P.A. at 100 Europa Drive, Suite 160, P.O. Box 3591, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 on or before the 31st day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 31st day of July, 2025.
Guido De Maere and Dan Oren, Co-Executors of the Estate of Kaja Finkler aka Kay Finkler aka Kaile Nehame Dvora Finkler Attorney for the Estate: Guido De Maere, P.A.
P.O. Box 3591 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3591
To be published: July 31, August 7, 14 & 21, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of RICHARD JAMES MARION, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 24th day of July, 2025.
LYNN MARION, ADMINISTRATOR ESTATE OF RICHARD MARION
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA WAKE COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION
25CV014284-910 NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
Pursuant to N.C.G.S. §1A-1, Rule 4(j1) ULADA ANDREYEVNA HARANINA, Plainti , vs. NICHOLAS JAMES DANIEL, DEFENDANT. TO: NICHOLAS JAMES DANIEL, Defendant
Pursuant to N.C.G.S §50-6, take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is an absolute divorce. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than September 14, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 31th day of July, 2025. Ulada Haranina Plainti 316 Fayetteville St, Raleigh, NC 27601 Telephone: 336-639-2817 July 31, August 7, 14; 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Jacobus E. de Vries aka Jacobus Egbert de Vries, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 24th day of July, 2025.
SARAH ELIZABETH TILLMAN, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF JACOBUS E. DE VRIES AKA JACOBUS EGBERT DE VRIES
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Co-Executors of the Estate of Eleanor Joyce Moore, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, do hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 24th day of July, 2025.
JENNIFER JOYCE MOORE AND SUSANNA MCHUGH MOORE, CO-EXECUTORS, ESTATE OF ELEANOR JOYCE MOORE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Nina W. Moore quali ed before the Chatham County Clerk of Court on July 17, 2025 as The Executor of The Estate of Richard Devon Moore, 11229 Siler City Glendon Road, Bear Creek, NC 27207. This is to notify all persons, rms and corporations, as required by NCGS 28A-14-1, having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney designated below on or before the 31st Day of October, 2025 or this notice will be pled in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payments to the undersigned. Payments and claims should be presented to M. Andrew Lucas, P.O. Box 1045, Sanford, NC 27331-1045. Please Publish: July 31st, August 7th, 14th, 21st, 2025
Notice to Creditors
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Regina Pasterczyk, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of their attorney at 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite 300, Winston-Salem, NC 27103-1958, on or before the 14th day of November, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 14th day of August, 2025. Kenneth Michael Pasterczyk, Executor Estate of Regina Pasterczyk c/o Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP 110 Oakwood Drive, Suite 300 Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker, LLP
Published: August 14, 21, 28 and September 4, 2025
Notice to Creditors
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against William Charles Swan, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 10, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th day of August, 2025. Susan Hodge, Administrator c/o W. Thomas McCuiston 200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, rms, and corporations having claims against Kevin Wayne Anderson , deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 7, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th of August, 2025. Kim McCullough Anderson , Administrator of the Estate of Kevin Wayne Anderson, c/o Amanda Honea, Attorney, 1033 Wade Avenue, Suite 104, Raleigh, NC 27605.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000323-180 ALL persons having claims against Darrell Lloyd Cole, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Oct 24 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 24th day of July, 2025.
Alesia J Purvis, Executor C/O Bowen Law Firm PC 590 New Waverly Pl Ste 120 Cary, NC 27518 J24, 31, 7 and 14
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000390-180 ALL persons having claims against Matthew Gerard Cecil, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Nov 07 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 7th day of August, 2025. Stephen Gerard Cecil, Executor C/O Lenfestey, Maxie & Burger, PLLC 5640 Dillard Drive, Suite 101 Cary, North Carolina 27518 A7, 14, 21 and 28
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25000253-180 The undersigned, JEROME LEE FORSTER, having quali ed on the 6th Day of MAY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ANDREA CLAUDINE FORSTER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH Day OF OCTOBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 24TH DAY OF JULY 2025.
JEROME LEE FORSTER, EXECUTOR
261 JIM GILLILAND RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: Jy24,31,A7,14p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000314-180 The undersigned, HOLLY MEREDITH O’NEILL, having quali ed on the 23RD Day of JUNE, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JESSE KENNETH BOGGS, JR., deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 31ST Day OF OCTOBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 31st DAY OF JULY 2025. HOLLY MEREDITH O’NEILL, EXECUTOR 427 MILLINGPORT LANE NEW LONDON, NC 28127 Run dates: Jy31,A7,14,21p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#23E000694-180 The undersigned, ANGELA VENDEN WALKER, having quali ed on the 16th Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOYCE LILIAN BERRY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 31ST Day OF OCTOBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 31ST DAY OF JULY 2025.
ANGELA VENDEN WALKER, EXECUTOR 955 BEAVER DAM RD. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27517 Run dates: Jy31,A7,14,21p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000401-180 The undersigned, MICHAEL ALFRED JAMES MOORE, having quali ed on the 28TH Day of JULY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MICHAEL THOMAS MOORE deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 7TH Day NOVEMBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
MICHAEL ALFRED JAMES MOORE, ADMINISTRATOR 1705 ELMER MOORE RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000412-180 The undersigned, JOHN MONROE WALTERS, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PHALA DOROTHY LAMOUR WALTERS deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 7TH Day NOVEMBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
JOHN MONROE WALTERS, EXECUTOR 119 CHATHAM DR. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000306-180
The undersigned, RICHARD DAVID WOOD, having quali ed on the 2ND Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of RICHARD JOHN WOOD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 31ST Day OF OCTOBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 31st DAY OF JULY 2025. RICHARD DAVID WOOD, EXECUTOR 65571 AVENIDA CADENA DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA 92240 Run dates: Jy31,A7,14,21p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000228-180
The undersigned, AMY CRABTREE SEAGROVES, having quali ed on the 22ND Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of TERRY GENE SEAGROVES deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 7TH Day NOVEMBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025. AMY CRABTREE SEAGROVES, EXECUTOR 744 LEWTER SHOP RD. APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000182-180
The undersigned, MICHAEL W. PAIGE, having quali ed on the 31ST Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of WILLIAM LEE PAIGE deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 7TH Day NOVEMBER 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 7TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025.
MICHAEL W. PAIGE, EXECUTOR 18818 PIER TRAIL DIVE TRIANGLE, VA 22172
Run dates: A7,14,21,28p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
25E000419-180 NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
The undersigned, Brooke Cole, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of David Perrell, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of November 5, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 7th day of August 2025. Brooke Cole Administrator Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Chatham COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION
25E000168-180 Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Lee Ballard, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said Ronald Lee Ballard to present them to the undersigned on or before the 11th day of November, 2025 (this date being 3 months from the rst publication date of this notice) or same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment.
This the 7th day of August, 2025.
Leonard L. Ballard 532 Stewart Ave Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Administrator of the Estate of Ronald Lee Ballard
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
A public hearing will be held by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Monday, August 18, 2025, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The hearing will be held in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312.
Additional information is available at the Chatham County Planning Department o ce. Speakers are requested to sign up at the meeting prior to the hearing. You may also sign up on the county website prior to the meeting at www.chathamcountync.gov by selecting the heading County Government, then Commissioner Meetings, then Public Input/Hearing Sign Up. The public hearing may be continued to another date at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners.
The purpose of the Public Hearing is to receive input, both written and oral, on the issues listed below: Legislative Request:
A legislative public hearing requested for a Conditional District rezoning from Residential R-1 to CD-IL (CD-Light Industrial) for a major utility, Wastewater Treatment Plant, to be located within the Conservancy at Jordan Lake subdivision, Parcel 97325, being approximately 21.417 acres, Cape Fear Township.
A legislative public hearing requested for a revision to an approved CD-CC (Conditional District – Compact Community), Vicker’s Village, to modify the phasing schedule for Condition Numbers, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 22 of the last modi ed phasing schedule approved in November 2024, located o US 15-501 N and Jack Bennett Road, Williams Township.
A legislative public hearing requested for a Zoning Ordinance text amendment to allow automobile and automobile accessory sales and service to the Table of Permitted Uses, Section 10.13 as “P” Permitted in the Light Industrial zoning districts.
Substantial changes may be made following the public hearing due to verbal or written comments received or based on the Board’s discussions.
Notice to people with special needs: If you have an audio or visual impairment, unique accessibility requirements or need language assistance, please call the number listed below prior to the hearing and assistance may be provided.
If you have any questions or comments concerning these issues, please call the Chatham County Planning Department at 919-542-8204 or write to P.O. Box 54, Pittsboro N.C. 27312. Please run in your paper: August 7th and 14th, 2025
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Section 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5339, 5307 and applicable State funding, or combination thereof. This is to inform the public that a public hearing will be held on the proposed Chatham Transit Network Community Transportation Program Application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation no later than October 3, 2025. The public hearing will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 3:00 pm before the Chatham Transit Network Board of
Chatham que se presentará al Departamento de Transporte de Carolina del Norte a más tardar el 3 de octubre de 2025. La audiencia pública se llevará a cabo el jueves 21 de agosto de 2025 a las 3:00 pm ante la Junta Directiva de Chatham Transit Network.
Aquellos interesados en asistir a la audiencia pública y que necesiten ayudas y servicios auxiliares bajo la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA) o un traductor de idiomas deben comunicarse con Anna Testerman el miércoles 20 de agosto de 2025 o antes, al número de teléfono 919-5425136 x102 o por correo electrónico al a.testerman@ chathamtransit.org.
El Programa de Transporte Comunitario brinda asistencia para coordinar los programas de transporte existentes que operan en el condado de Chatham, así como también brinda opciones y servicios de transporte para las comunidades dentro de esta área de servicio. Estos servicios se prestan actualmente mediante servicios bajo demanda y de suscripción. Los servicios son prestados por Chatham Transit Network. El monto total estimado solicitado para el período del 1 de julio de 2026 al 30 de junio de 2027. NOTA: El monto de la participación local está sujeto
He’s back just weeks after departing
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Food and Drug Administration o cial is getting his job back as the agency’s top vaccine regulator, less than two weeks after he was pressured to step down at the urging of biotech executives, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump.
Dr. Vinay Prasad is resuming leadership of the FDA center that regulates vaccines and biotech therapies, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Monday.
Prasad left the agency late last month after drawing ire of right-wing activists, including Laura Loomer, because of his past statements criticizing Trump.
A longtime a critic of FDA’s standards for approving medicines, Prasad brie y ordered the maker of a gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy to halt shipments after two patient deaths. But that action triggered pushback from the
BOAT from page A1
said Stehle is now stable and “able to communicate brie y when awake” but remains in the early stages of a long recovery at UNC Hospitals.
A GoFundMe campaign for Brooklyn Carroll’s family has raised more than $75,000 to help her parents, Kim and Matt Carroll, cope with funeral expenses and take time away from work to grieve. “BB was a light in every room she entered, with an infectious smile, a loving heart, and a spirit that touched everyone who knew her,” the fundraising page states.
The campaign organizers noted that the funds will help cover living expenses and allow the family to plan meaningful ways to honor Brooklyn’s life. In an Aug. 9 update, the family expressed gratitude for the support: “Your contributions are helping cover living expenses, giving them time away from work, and making it possible to plan meaningful ways to honor Brooklyn’s life and keep her joyful spirit alive in the community she loved.” The family also has a surviving daughter, Ava, according to the fundraising page.
Investigators found dozens of empty beer cans inside the 22-foot Tige wake boat, according to court testimony from District Attorney Je Nieman. Nieman told the court that several cans appeared to have been “shotgunned,” a method of rapid alcohol consumption. The boat was carrying approximately 10 people, including two children, at the time of the incident near the Cross Point Access Area, according to reports.
Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, of Vass in Moore County, was operating the boat while it pulled a tuber around 4:30 p.m. that Saturday afternoon. According to court documents, Kight admitted to investigators that he and all passengers were looking backward at the person being towed — not forward at the water ahead. The boat struck Carroll and Stehle approximately 150 feet from shore and 100 feet from an anchored boat where they had been swimming with Carroll’s mother, court records show. A third swimmer dove clear and avoided injury.
NCWRC o cers reported in court documents that Kight exhibited a “strong odor of alcohol on breath, red glassy eyes, hard to understand speech” and failed eld sobriety tests, being “unable to follow instructions.”
Blood samples were taken for toxicology analysis, with results still pending. A child’s life jacket was found attached to the boat’s propeller after the crash, according to media reports.
Both Kight and the boat’s owner, AnneMarie Flanigan, 56, initially faced felony charges of death by impaired boating and serious injury by impaired boating under North Carolina’s Sheyenne’s Law, enacted in 2016 after 17-year-old Sheyenne Mar-
families of boys with the fatal condition and libertarian supporters of increased access to experimental medicines.
Prasad’s decision to pause the therapy was criticized by The Wall Street Journal editorial board, former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and others. The FDA swiftly reversed its decision suspending the therapy’s use.
Loomer posted online that Prasad was “a progressive leftist saboteur,” noting his history of
Dr. Vinay Prasad is returning to head the FDA’s vaccine regulation center shortly after resigning under pressure from critics.
praising liberal independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.
But Prasad has had the backing of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who have both called for scrutinizing the use of COVID-19 vaccines. Under Prasad, the FDA restricted the approval of two new COVID-19 shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna and set stricter testing requirements for future approvals.
shall was killed by an impaired boater on Lake Norman. The law made impaired boating resulting in death a felony punishable by 38 to 160 months in prison — previously, such incidents were only misdemeanors.
However, the Chatham County grand jury elevated charges against both defendants to second-degree murder on Aug. 11, requiring prosecutors to prove malice. District Attorney Nieman indicated in court that the severity of evidence — including the extensive alcohol consumption, failure to watch where the boat was traveling and Kight’s prior criminal history — warranted the enhanced charges.
Flanigan, described in court as a former Army nurse with four combat tours, owned the boat and was present during the incident. Prosecutors argue she allowed and enabled the dangerous behavior despite witnessing obvious intoxication.
“It is clear that the consumption was happening right there in front of her,” Nieman told the court, according to media reports. She assisted victims at the scene before emergency services arrived but was arrested three days later, on Aug. 5, court records show.
Court records reveal Kight was already out on $15,000 bond for a 2023 felony hit-and-run in Moore County when the Harris Lake incident occurred. In that December 2023 case, which is still pending, Kight allegedly struck motorcyclist Alex Myers while driving left of center and ed the scene, according to court documents. He also has a 2009 DUI conviction from New Mexico, where he pleaded no contest, and multiple speeding violations in North Carolina, records show.
Kight posted a $250,000 bond after his murder indictment, with conditions including continuous alcohol monitoring and a prohibition on operating any motor vehicle, according to court records. Flanigan’s bond remains at $500,000 after prosecutors
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE # 22SP000062-180 NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE NC Hwy 87 Major Lee road W. Woods Doster, Administrator of the Estate of Leo Campbell, Petitioner, vs. Ingrid Campbell; Corey Campbell; Golowis Freeman; Ingird Collette Campbell, Trustee of Trust Number “Tract D” Land Trust; and Ingird Collette Campbell, Trustee of Trust Number 3401 Hwy 87 North Land Trust; Respondents. Pursuant to the Order for Possession, Custody, Control, and Sale of Real Property led on June 23, 2022, in the above captioned proceeding, NOTICE is hereby given that the subject properties described below will be put up for public sale on August 26, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.; the sale will be held at the Chatham County Courthouse in the designated area for sale. The subject properties, which are being sold together, are commonly referred to as Major Lee Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312, Parcel #0080774, and NC 87 N, Pittsboro, NC 27312, Parcel #0005908 and are more particularly described as follows:
TRACT 1:
BEING ALL of that certain 1.50 acres, more or less, designated as “Tract D-1” on the plat hereinafter referred to, together with a perpetual right of way and easement over and upon that certain 30 foot wide access easement extending along the Eastern property line of said Tract D, all as shown upon that certain survey and plat entitled, “Survey for Ingrid C. Campbell, Trustee” dated 7/24/2003 by Dowell G. Eakes, PLS recorded at Plat-Slide 2003-250, Chatham County Registry.
Chatham County Parcel 0080774 Address: Major Lee Road, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312
Brooklyn Carroll was about to start fth grade at West Lake Elementary in Cary.
deemed her a ight risk. Both defendants have court dates scheduled in September at the Chatham County Justice Center in Pittsboro.
“This was a heartbreaking accident, but one that was preventable,” Chatham County Sheri Mike Roberson said in a statement. “Alcohol was a factor, and the decision to operate a boat while impaired had devastating consequences. We urge everyone to think twice before mixing alcohol with watercraft operation. It only takes a moment for lives to be changed forever.”
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Sgt. Claude Smith told media that alcohol and drug-related boating incidents occur throughout each summer.
“This is obviously an extreme example of that. It’s a very tragic accident,” Smith said.
The incident has prompted renewed calls for increased law enforcement patrols on Harris Lake and stricter enforcement of boating while intoxicated laws. Under current North Carolina law, the blood alcohol limit for boat operators matches that for drivers at 0.08%, with basic violations carrying only misdemeanor charges unless injury or death occurs.
West Lake Elementary School has provided counseling resources for students and families processing the loss of a classmate and injury to a sta member, according to media reports. The tragedy struck particularly hard as both victims were integral parts of the same school community — Carroll as a student entering fth grade and Stehle as a social worker who supported students’ emotional wellbeing.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is continuing its investigation, with toxicology results expected to provide additional evidence for prosecution. The sheri ’s o ce said it is assisting as needed and working closely with the District Attorney’s O ce as the case moves forward.
Town
The
Notice of Public Hearings
TRACT 2:
All that certain 7.44 acres, more or less, designated as “Tract D” on the plat hereinafter referred to, together with a perpetual right of way and easement over and upon that certain 30 foot wide access easement extending along the Eastern property line of said Tract D, all as shown upon that certain survey and plat entitled, “Survey For Ingrid C. Campbell, Trustee” dated 7/24/2003 by Dowell G. Eakes, PLS recorded at Plat Side 2003-250, Chatham County Registry.
Chatham County Parcel 0005908
Address: NC 87 N, Pittsboro, NC 27312
A cash deposit from the highest bidder equal to ten percent (10%) of the amount of the bid is required at the time of public sale. Said bid shall be reported to the Court and will remain open for the requisite upset bid period as required by law. The Court reserves the right to approve and reject all bids. THE PROPERTY IS SOLD AS-IS, WHERE-IS, WITH ALL FAULTS.
This is the 31st day of July 2025. Shelby L. Lennon, Attorney for Commissioner Law O ces of Doster and Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 919-842-5007
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
The undersigned certi es that she has this day served upon the below listed persons, a copy of the Notice of Public Sale by depositing a copy in a postpaid wrapper in the United States Postal O ce, properly addressed to each part as follows:
Ingrid Campbell 754 Warrenton Rd. Apt 113175 Fredericksburg, VA 22406 Golowis Freeman 849 Montgomery Street 1 Jersey City, New Jersey 07306 Corey Campbell 438 Cranbrook Court Orange Park, FL 32065
This is the 31st day of July 2025.
Shelby L. Lennon, Attorney for Commissioner Law O ces of Doster and Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 919-842-5007
PUBLIC NOTICE
LEASE OF COUNTY PROPERTY The Board of Commissioners of Chatham County intends to enter into a lease agreement for the following County-owned property: FIRSTHEALTH OF THE CAROLINAS, INC intends to lease o ce space located in a building located at 964 East Street, Suite 103, Pittsboro, in Chatham County, North Carolina, all as more de nitely described on the attached Exhibit A, which is by reference hereto made a part hereof (hereinafter “Premises”) under a lease agreement commencing July 1, 2025. The County intends to lease the property to the FIRSTHEALTH OF THE CAROLINAS, INC. for a period of ve (5) years to terminate on the 30th day of June, 2030 provided all conditions of the Lease have been properly complied with by Tenant. In consideration of the lease, Landlord has agreed to allow the Tenant to use property for the annual sum of $50,940.00. A copy of the Lease is available for review in the O ce of the County Clerk during regular business hours. All persons interested in this lease are invited to attend the meeting of the Board of Commissioners to be held at the Historic Courthouse, 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC, on Monday, September 15, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. At that time the Board intends to authorize the extension of the lease of the property described above. EXHIBIT A By reference to 6,200 square feet and a part of a building or buildings located at 964 East Street, Suite 103, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (“Premises”).
ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings.
This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity. org o 919-726-8625 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE Under and by virtue of an order of the District Court of Chatham County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled COUNTY OF CHATHAM vs. EMMETT W. CALDWELL and spouse, if any, and all possible HEIRS, ASSIGNS OR DEVISEES OF EMMETT W. CALDWELL and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, et al, 08CVD000616-180, the undersigned Commissioner will on the 27th day of August, 2025, o er for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction at the courthouse door in Chatham County, North Carolina, Pittsboro, North Carolina at 12:00 o›clock, noon, the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid, and more particularly described as follows: Beginning at an iron pipe which is located at the intersection of Jones Ferry and River Ave., running thence with the North side of that road 370 feet to an iron stake, the intersecting with the
Players and coaches from all four of Chatham County’s public high school football teams gathered for the county’s preseason media day.
The Chargers will have some new faces making plays in 2025
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — As Dalton Brown becomes Northwood’s rst returning head coach since 2021, the Chargers now have much to replace on the eld.
Some key pieces from last year are back. On the o ensive side, the Chargers are recalling senior quarterback Grayson
Cox, senior running back Robert Tripp, junior receiver Raje Torres and few linemen in Mickell Wilson, Ben Porter and Conner Clark. Defensively, they’re bringing back playmakers in senior linebackers Aiden Hohenwarter and Leo Mortimer, junior defensive lineman Jordan Brimm and junior defensive back Willie Boynton.
But the question remains of who will step into the shoes of last year’s productive senior class.
The most glaring hole is at the receiver position.
Last season, Northwood boasted three senior pass catchers in Isaiah Blair, Beau Harvey and Antoine Brewington, who combined for more than 1,100 receiving yards.
The only returning starter from the group was Torres, who added another 282 yards in the air and four touchdowns in 2024.
“We’re looking for big seasons from Willie Boynton and Nick Armstrong,” Brown said about his receiving corps. “Two guys that have committed to
See NORTHWOOD, page B4
The new sta shakes things up and demands the best this o season
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — At the Chatham County football media day held at Northwood on Saturday, teams were allowed to bring up to ve players to discuss their o seasons and expectations. Every team brought at least four representatives, including their starting quarterback.
Except for Seaforth.
The Hawks only brought two seniors in corner Nick Gregory and safety Patrick Miller — the “backend boys.” The other three seats that the two players moved away from the table at which every team sat were all question marks that even new coach Tolbert Matthews didn’t know how to ll.
That’s because, he said, the construction of his team isn’t up to him.
“It’s football,” Matthews said. “We compete. It’s what we do. Even in our scrimmage yesterday against Willow Springs, I benched our starting quarterback, on the, what, second drive or so? We don’t have any guys that are technically starters. Everybody has an opportunity to earn a position.”
Matthews said he’s looking to put the best guys on the eld, regardless of age and experience.
Knowing that players will make mistakes and come up short at times, he and the coaching sta are looking at how guys respond to the new culture and expectations implemented into the program.
“One thing that we’ve been focused on since my arrival is basically changing the See SEAFORTH, page B3
“Everybody has an opportunity to earn a position.”
Tolbert Matthews
Chatham Central hopes for better results with its best o season
More numbers and coaches have made for better preparation
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — There hasn’t been more promise ahead of a Chatham Central football season under coach Derrin Little.
The spring and summer months have usually been a test of adaptation and uncertainty for the Bears. For the past two years, low numbers and a roster full of players with
little to no prior football experience have put Chatham Central behind leading up to week one, forcing the team to nd itself through the rough lessons of the regular season. However, in many ways, the buildup to this fall has told a di erent story.
“It’s de nitely the best oseason we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Little said. “When you look at it from the very rst year to now, you can see so much development. You can see our guys getting better. Guys are understanding the game itself. There’s not as
much teaching that we have to do now compared to year one and two.”
What has arguably helped the Bears’ development the most this o season was participation.
Chatham Central has a whole unit worth of spare bodies in practice segments now, and the team saw nearly 20 players consistently show up to team activities throughout the summer.
“When I rst got here, it was eight guys that were going to work out compared to
See CENTRAL, page B4
Chatham County Post 292 , softball
Chatham County Post 292 pitcher Maddie Kaczmarczyk earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Aug. 4.
Against South Wake in the rst game of the North Carolina USA Heroes League Softball round-robin tournament, Kaczmarczyk led the team with four RBIs and earned the win in the circle. The pitcher went 2 for 4 at the plate and struck out seven batters in four innings to lead Post 292 to a 15-7 victory. She also walked ve batters and gave up six runs.
Kaczmarczyk is coming o a stellar sophomore season at Chatham Central. She was named the 2025 District 5 pitcher of the year for 1A, and she earned all-state honors (NCSCA 1A West pitcher of the year).
The Jets made a series of changes to improve on last season
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Jordan-Matthews is soaring to new heights of maturity in 2025.
Last season, the Jets, who won the most games (three) since 2015, had to grow up quickly. Injuries to crucial positions, including quarterback, receiver and corner, forced some inexperienced underclassmen to play signi cant roles and adjust to varsity football on the y.
In hopes to be better equipped to take on the demands of varsity football, the players have made the e ort to grow both mentally and physically.
“The guys have been putting in good work in the spring,” Jordan-Matthews coach Kermit Carter said. “We’ve had way better numbers than last year in the spring time as far as attendance at practice, weight room. A lot of guys have made a lot of gains in the weight room.”
Getting guys to take lifting seriously has been huge for the Jets. After previously having players skip workout reps and not work as hard as they could, Carter credits strength coach Darren Beasley with changing the narrative around the weight room.
“He is a vital part of our program,” Carter said. “He has created an environment where our players want to get in the weight room and get stronger rather than dreading it.”
Skill players like junior safety and receiver Namir Wiley, junior linebacker Omar Sanford
“A lot of guys have made a lot of gains in the weight room.”
Kermit Carter
and senior defensive lineman Deantaye Smith have gained weight in preparation for the season. Senior running back and linebacker Jakari Blue, who’s also a standout wrestler, even made the e ort to lose weight to play lighter this year.
“From last year and the years before, I would more so see the gaps and read them, but I couldn’t get there as fast as I wanted to,” Blue said. “So with me dropping weight, I’m reading gaps faster, moving a lot quicker and a whole lot shiftier.”
Mentally, the task has been once again adjusting to what works best for the team and learning new positions.
Last year, Wiley took on the quarterback role despite not playing the position before. He su ered an injury early in the season that forced freshman Nolan Mitchell to take over the o ense, but even he isn’t returning to the position this fall.
The Jets will instead let senior Kamarie Hadley, a leader on the basketball team, play quarterback after discovering his ability to throw the football in the spring.
“He didn’t want to do it at rst,” Carter said. “He wanted to play receiver, in which he is a great receiver. But again, like Namir, he’s doing the best thing for Jordan-Matthews, and he can throw the ball. I just know
Kamarie from — we have a history with basketball. He’s always level-headed. Never get too high, never get too low. He can process stu really well. He’s a quiet leader.”
Hadley said o ensive coordinator Christian Moon has been key in his development as a quarterback this o season.
“He helped me a lot through the process,” Hadley said. “Getting my feet set ready, better ways to throw the ball and reading the defense.”
Other players will take on different roles for the Jets. Mitchell will go from leading the o ense to catching passes as a receiver. He may also spend some time opposite of corner sophomore corner Lennox Mordecai with standout athlete Kenneth Dula transferring to Chapel Hill. Wiley will be featured in the defensive back eld as a safety this season, as well.
“My thing is I just want football guys,” Carter said. “If you’re a football guy, there’s a position for you.”
With their willingness to change and adapt in the team’s best interests, Carter said he feels his team is “hungry to do better” this fall. For the past two seasons, doing better has been adding a win to the nal record as the Jets went from 0-11 in 2022 and 2-8 in 2023 to 3-7 in 2024.
But before Jordan-Matthews starts a new win-loss column at Carrboro on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., an improved season will depend on having a winning mindset.
“I would say for this year, we still have fun, but at the same time, we know when it’s time to get to work and get to practice. Then, it’s game on.”
mindset,” Matthews said.
“Building that mentality. For me, these guys, we needed them to respond. Whether that was responding to being fussed at by the coach, respond to being the last guy when we’re running sprints, respond to making the wrong adjustment or lining up incorrectly when doing our drills. Those things of that nature. Nothing goes unnoticed.”
Several players have shown the potential to hit the eld and make an impact in week one. On o ense, Matthews highlighted seniors Cole Seder and Austin Ingram as a “solid foundation” for the o ensive line and senior running back Evan Minor as a “shifty” option at running back.
Junior Max Hinchman and sophomore Noah Fuller, who emerged as a big playmaker this o season, have stood out as receivers.
“It’s just going to be a lot of explosiveness coming from the offense,” Matthews said.
But who will fuel the re from the quarterback position?
Right now, Seaforth has a quarterback battle brewing between junior Duncan Parker, last year’s starter, and sophomore Mason Pooley.
“Both great kids and both great men of character,” Matthews said of his quarterbacks. “Strengths and di erences are just decision making right now. Both are still young. (I’m) trying to get them to see the eld
The standout forward will play in Detroit this winter
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CHAD GRAVES, Northwood basketball’s standout forward over the past three seasons, made some big decisions on his future last week.
Graves committed to Cal State Fullerton, a Division I program located in Fullerton, California. Cal State Fullerton gave Graves his rst Division I o er in July. The future Titan also announced his plans to play somewhere other than Northwood for his senior season. Graves posted on his X account on Aug. 4 that he will play his nal year at Chandler Park Academy in the Detroit area.
“This decision wasn’t easy because Pittsboro will always be home.”
Chad Graves
“This decision wasn’t easy because Pittsboro will always be home,” Graves said. “This town raised me, this school molded me, and this community supported me through it all. To Coach Poulos, Coach Brown and the entire Northwood community, thank you for the coaching, the care and the belief you showed me every step of the way.”
This past winter, Graves made a considerable jump in his second year as a starter, averaging 9.9 points, six rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Standing at 6-foot-10, he recorded two dou-
ble-doubles and scored at least 10 points in 15 games. Graves scored in double gures in six of seven games from Jan. 17 to Feb. 6, including a pair of 17-point performances against Southeast Alamance and Seaforth.
In the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference tournament championship game, Graves tied his season-high 18 points and recorded 10 rebounds to help the Chargers take down Southeast Alamance and sweep the conference titles.
As a sophomore, Graves averaged 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Before committing to Cal State Fullerton, Graves held an o er from Dean College.
Cal State Fullerton competes in the Big West Conference. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in 2022.
the way I see it. I’m a defensive guy. So I read it very quickly, and I have the frustration with them because they’re not getting it as fast as I need them to. But they both can throw the ball. They both can run the ball. We’re going to be dangerous back there with our QB situation.”
As players, Miller and Gregory agree that both guys are “great leaders” and believe in both to elevate the team. On their side of the ball, Mat-
thews pointed to Alejandro and Jayden Riley as players who can make an impact at the linebacker position, one that will be a question after the graduation of key pieces in Jackson Powell and Alex Hinchman.
Seaforth’s defense, which was a strength last year, is looking to combine aggressiveness, speed and knowledge of the game to go to the next level. The unit will be under the leadership of new coordinator Travis Scales, who has
emphasized the importance of lm study and teaching schemes to his players.
“Our emphasis on defense, we really know what everybody’s doing,” Gregory said. “When we’re in the lm room, everybody is locked in. Notebook, piece of paper, eyes on coach.
There’s no looking o .”
Said Miller, “It’s very serious.
Coach Scales holds us accountable. If no one has a notebook or someone’s not paying atten-
tion, he’ll mark it down. We got punishments after that. From a football knowledge perspective, I thought I knew a decent amount of football this year. But with those two coming in, I don’t know anything compared to what they do.”
Everything has been shaken up at the Hawks’ nest, and the team has just one more week to respond to it all before starting the season at Chapel Hill on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.
The win at Watkins Glen set a rookie record
The Associated Press
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Shane van Gisbergen’s latest victory in NASCAR’s premier series was as historical as it was emotional.
With his father, Robert, on hand for the rst time this year, the Auckland, New Zealand, native set a Cup Series rookie record with his fourth victory, blowing out the competition again at Watkins Glen International.
“It’s just amazing to have him here,” said van Gisbergen, who last saw his father while visiting home over the Christmas break. “It’s been a very tough, tough year for dad, and he hasn’t been able to travel, so to have him here for the next three weeks and share this with him, it’s amazing.”
As amazing as van Gisbergen’s rookie season in the Cup Series.
The Trackhouse Racing driver joined 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Je Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses.
Unlike his prior wins at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to start from the pole position after being edged by Ryan Blaney. After qualifying second, van Gisbergen bided his time and took his rst lead on the 25th of the 90-lap race. He then settled into a typically awless and smooth rhythm on the 2.45 -mile road course.
“I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute,” van Gisbergen said. “The day went awlessly.”
The 36-year-old rook-
NORTHWOOD from page B1
the process and have shown up every day and have put in the work.”
Boynton and Armstrong don’t have much varsity experience, but Torres has seen plenty of action going back to his days as a freshman at Jordan-Matthews.
For Torres, who will be stepping into a bigger role himself, a fresh start at the position has been an opportunity to exhibit leadership.
“Really just holding everybody accountable, making sure they’re running the right routes, right steps,” Torres said.
On the defensive side of things, the Chargers are looking to replace a back eld wrecker in AJ Rhone-Mason and another key lineman in Elijah Farrow. The two combined for 104 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 2024. Rhone-Mason alone accounted for 74 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
“This year, we’re looking at Jaxon Green, who’s a rising sophomore, to make some plays,” Brown said. “Mickell Wilson to continue to make some plays. He made some plays last year, but we need a 100% e ort this year. That’s been a huge message to him, which he’s responded well. And then Max Hohenwarter is another one.”
Even though that senior class
CENTRAL from page B1
now, we’ve got literally our two deep everywhere that we need to have them,” Little said.
“This is the rst time since I’ve been here that we actually have about eight to nine guys we can rotate as far as the O- and D-line. So having that depth will de nitely really help us as well.” The increased numbers have allowed for more productive practices. Players have more opportunities to split o into position groups and get live reps against each other, and they can eld fuller scout teams for 11-on-11 team periods.
It also helps that many of the underclassmen who were thrown into the re last season came back, giving the team some stability to build on.
“I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute. The day went awlessly.”
Shane van Gisbergen
ie made his nal pit stop with 27 laps remaining and cycled into rst place on Lap 74 of a clean race with only three yellow ags. Cruising to a big lead while leading the nal 17 laps, van Gisbergen beat Christopher Bell by 11.116 seconds.
“I’m thrilled because we’ve
been struggling a little bit,” Bell said. “Just trying to execute the races has been tough for us, so really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by (van Gisbergen). He’s doing such a really good job.”
With ve victories in only 38 career starts in NASCAR’s top series, van Gisbergen trails only Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. He also is the fastest to ve wins in Cup since the legendary Dan Gurney, who won his fth race in his 13th start in January 1968. The win validated the decision by Trackhouse to sign van Gisbergen to a multiyear con-
tract extension last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for the series lead in victories, van Gisbergen holds the No. 2 seed in the playo s with two races remaining in the regular season.
The rst round will be held at three oval tracks, where the inexperienced van Gisbergen, who raced exclusively on road and street courses while winning three championships in the Australia-based Supercars, has an average nish of 26.9 this year.
“It ain’t going to be easy, that’s for sure,” van Gisbergen said of his playo outlook. “The rst round, it’s some very dicult left-handed tracks for me, but I’m getting better at it, and
I’m enjoying myself, and it’s a challenge. That’s why we’re here, and we’ll have a proper crack at it.”
Playo watch
Third-place nisher Chris Buescher improved to 34 points ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Preece in the battle for the nal playo spot.
Buescher outdueled van Gisbergen on the nal lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team tailored its strategy Sunday toward amassing stage points instead of following the win-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen.
will be missed, the weight of this year’s success doesn’t all fall on the newcomers.
The returnees, especially the current senior class, have the opportunity to elevate this team and become the next memorable group to exit the program.
For starters, the experienced group gets the luxury of a returning head coach, which means there’s no longer a need to learn new terminology, calls and expectations.
“The consistency has been a really good thing,” Clark said.
Chatham Central went into this summer with a starting quarterback in Brooks Albright, a sophomore who took over at the position midway through last season. Last fall, the quarterback position was a bit of a mystery with a freshman in Reed Douglas getting his rst taste of varsity action, and he went down early with an injury.
It forced veteran athlete Nick Glover to step in at quarterback for a few games, but that only lasted so long as it limited his ability to get out in space and make plays in other positions. Now with a full o season to prepare to be the guy for this o ense, Albright has been working on the little things.
“Just making sure my feet are right, my stance is right and everything,” Albright said.
Said Cox, “Having a coach you can trust that’s coming back for two years after not having that for our entire high school (career), it’s just been di erent.”
For Cox, who endured some high highs and low lows throughout last season, he already has an idea of how he wants to improve on the eld and as a leader.
“I feel like last year there was also a lot of thinking in what I was doing,” Cox said. “I feel like I just need to play football. That’s what I came out here to do.
“It don’t seem big, but it is when you get in the game.”
Glover, a senior, and juniors Sayvion Burnette and Hance Ramirez return as main targets for Albright. Tyler Congrove, the standout sprinter, will have a bigger role at a running back. On both sides of the ball, the o season has looked di erent on the coaching level, too.
Chatham Central brought in co-defensive coordinators with Trevon Tapp and Duane Bland, two former college football teammates at Lenoir-Rhyne. Little described them as “good teachers,” which has been of utmost importance on a team that has players still learning the game.
“They teach us technique and stu , and they make us better by making us under -
There can’t be as much thinking because thinking will tear me down, and that happened last year. It’s just coming in and just playing football and just being con dent in my guys, being condent in myself.”
Tripp, who rushed for 1,128 yards and recorded 127 receiving yards, is looking to add more balance and a better ability to break tackles this fall.
For the whole defense, Hohenwarter wants the unit to embody defensive coordinator Derrick Lee’s emphasis on energy.
stand the game on a smaller level,” Burnette said.
Former athletic director Tommy Peele has also returned to the gridiron to help out the Bears’ o ense. He comes with more than a decade of coaching experience, including a 14 -year stint as an assistant at Lee County and some time as the Bears’ o ensive coordinator before becoming the school’s AD.
“When I was a high school quarterback, Coach Peele actually coached against me,” Little said. “He was the one who actually hired me, and now our running joke is, ‘Hey, I hired you, so make sure you don’t re me.’ Coach Peele just brings the experience. I’ve told all the guys he’s probably forgotten more football than all of us have learned so far. So just being able to have that sound-
“Last year and a lot of this oseason, we just don’t have a lot of energy,” Hohenwarter said. “We don’t have to be executing everything right, but if we don’t have energy, like, we’re not hitting hard, we’re not getting to the play fast, not everyone’s getting to the ball. So we’re really focused on bringing energy and giving 100% in everything.” Northwood will get to see how well the new blends with the old when it opens the season at Harnett Central on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.
ing board for myself, as well as defensively — he’s going to be helping us just saying, ‘Hey, we used to this right here.’ It just brings us another set of eyes that have seen some stu that we haven’t seen.”
The Bears are hoping the new energy in the o season leads to unseen success in the games.
Chatham Central will open the season at Graham on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., starting its goal to earn the 11th game instead of being guaranteed a playo spot due to a small classi cation.
“The feeling is di erent,” Little said. “We love where we are right now. We’re not content. We know we still got a long way to go. We know we’re still building. But for where we are right now, I won’t complain one bit.”
MLB Rivera tears Achilles in Yankees
Old-Timers’ Day game, needs surgery
New York
Mariano Rivera tore his Achilles while chasing a y ball at New York Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day. The 55-year-old closer, baseball’s career leader in saves, will have surgery within a week. The Yankees brought back the Old-Timers’ Day game for the rst time since 2019. Rivera, a Hall of Famer, was playing in the event for the second time. He became the rst unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame in 2019 after helping the Yankees win ve World Series titles.
NFL Lamb takes big hit from sprinting o cial while in street clothes on sideline
Inglewood, Calif.
CeeDee Lamb took a big hit and committed a penalty in the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason opener even though the star receiver wasn’t in uniform. A sprinting o cial ran straight into Lamb’s back on the sideline during the second quarter of the Cowboys’ game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, resulting in a 15-yard penalty for making contact with an o cial.
Dressed in street clothes, Lamb was watching a deep pass when he wandered too far into the white paint on the sideline. The o cial didn’t see him and knocked him down.
NBA Celtics sign coach Mazzulla to multiyear contract extension
Boston The Boston Celtics signed coach Joe Mazzulla to a multiyear contract extension. Length and details of the new deal were not released. The 37-year-old Mazzulla is coming o his third season as Boston’s coach and has guided the team to the playo s each season, including the franchise’s 18th NBA title to cap the 2023-24 season. Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won at least 57 games each of those seasons and topped 60 victories in each of the last two.
Notre Dame loses TE Bauman, RB Young to season- ending knee injuries
South Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame announced sixth-year tight end Kevin Bauman and second-year running back Kedren Young su ered season-ending knee injuries in practice. Bauman su ered an articular cartilage injury in his left knee, which will require surgery. He announced on social media this will be the end of his football career. Young tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Bauman was expected to play a key role for the Fighting Irish this season. Young was projected to add depth to Notre Dame’s already deep back eld.
Workouts are replacing preseason games as the preferred way for coaches to evaluate players
By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayeld got in the middle of a scufe and injured All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs went onto the eld on crutches to join his teammates.
Welcome to joint practices. Players get an opportunity to hit opposing teams, which sometimes can lead to ghting, like the minor tussle between the Buccaneers and Titans.
“Everybody’s in the skirmish,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “Nobody wants to throw a punch. It’s not necessary. We’re not trying to do that right there. They’re not trying to do it as well. If it’s hot and you got pads on, it’s going to happen.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, a former All-Pro linebacker and two-time Coach of the Year in Tennessee, jumped into a pile of players and came out with a bloodied cheek at New
“I think the joint practices are great just because you get to go against another team, get to see, match up and just play football.”
Russell Wilson, Giants quarterback
England’s practice with the Washington Commanders.
But the main purpose of joint sessions is to give coaches a better way to evaluate starters in a more competitive environment than preseason games. Teams don’t want future opponents to see much of their playbook in exhibitions, and most coaches prefer to keep key starters out of harm’s way, so facing opponents within a controlled setting has become a priority for most teams.
Overall, 29 of 32 NFL teams are holding joint practices this summer, up from 27 in 2023 and 23 in 2022. Only the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and New Orleans Saints aren’t doing them.
“These are all pretty standard in the sense that you’re going to get most situational work, you get some base down, some third down, some red
zone, a two-minute drill,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said.
The New York Giants and Jets have two days of joint practices, one at each team’s practice facility.
Veteran Giants quarterback Russell Wilson has played long enough to appreciate the evolution of joint practices and their importance. The NFL decreased the preseason schedule to three games when the regular season went to 17 games, and it may go down to two.
“I think the joint practices are great just because you get to go against another team, get to see, match up and just play football,” Wilson said. “Once again, everything’s about preparation, getting ready for the season.”
“I think it’s really valuable,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Sometimes you can’t do it. I always would like to do it. ... It’s always good to go against
di erent schemes too. Di erent players. We’re going against each other every day. Same guys, same scheme. It gets a little bit old, and it’s a good way to switch it up.”
For a coach on a new team like Vrabel, facing another team in practice also helps build a foundation for his unit. The Patriots are coming o a terrible 4-13 season, and Vrabel is aiming to change the culture.
“The goal is just to be able to put the identity out on the eld against another team, to put the fundamentals that we put out there, the installation, to be able to do it against another defense, to be able to adjust to di erent play styles of players, players that maybe are longer or quicker or stronger, just different play styles of each player throughout this league,” Vrabel said.
The league embraces joint practices from a player health and safety perspective because fewer starters are playing in preseason games, and data has shown players are more susceptible to soft-tissue injuries early in the season if they don’t hit similar load, speed and exertion levels in training camp.
Bridgeman proved having PGA Tour card enough to earn way in golf’s top circuit
The former Clemson player is making progress on the tour
By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press
HIS ROOKIE year on the PGA Tour was challenging enough for Jacob Bridgeman.
He got in 20 tournaments, none of them majors or The Players Championship, $20 million signature events or the FedEx Cup playo s. He did just well enough to keep his heart rate down and his ranking inside the top 125 to keep his card.
And then the PGA Tour approved a plan during thenal week of 2024 to reduce the number of players keeping their cards to 100.
Gulp.
“I think it makes it tougher and tougher on the rookies,”
Bridgeman said. “I feel like my rookie year was really hard, and this one was probably harder because there were less cards.”
Bridgeman said he was neutral toward the change. The purpose was to make sure anyone who had a card could get into enough tournaments, and smaller elds in 2026 would keep rounds from not nishing because of darkness. And yes, it would be more competitive than ever.
Camilo Villegas was chair-
man of Player Advisory Council that proposed the changes and acknowledged it would be harder to keep a card.
“But if we perform, there’s an opportunity to make an unbelievable living,” Villegas said.
Bridgeman performed.
Bridgeman is No. 33 in the FedEx Cup, all but assured of staying in the top 50 to advance to the BMW Championship that will get him in all eight of the $20 million signature events next year.
The ultimate goal — the Tour Championship — is well within range.
Bridgeman began his sophomore season without assurances of being in any of the majors or the signature events.
He closed with a 64 at the Cognizant Classic for a runner-up nish, getting him into Bay Hill and The Players Championship. He slept on the lead the opening three rounds at the Valspar Championship and nished third, getting him into another signature event at the RBC Heritage.
He was among the last three players o the FedEx Cup to ll the eld at the Truist Championship and tied for fourth, and his standing also got him into the U.S. Open.
Bridgeman wound up playing ve signature events, two majors and The Players. He felt it was a disadvantage at the start. It turned into a
big year that isn’t over just yet.
“Not being in those at the beginning of the year was tough,” Bridgeman said. “I went through that last year. I knew how that was and played past all that and still kept my card. I felt like it was a disadvantage, for sure, but not that it was unattainable.
“I just knew if I played well I’d have a chance,” he said. “That was one my goals is playing a signature event early. I got in the Arnold Palmer and rode the wave all the way through.”
That’s how it has been for the 25-year-old Bridgeman. He was No. 2 in the PGA Tour University his senior year at Clemson, which got him Korn Ferry Tour status. He spent 2023 on the developmental circuit and graduated to the PGA Tour.
Being in all the signature events is an advantage, but not a guarantee. Fourteen players who nished in the top 50
last year failed to make it to the postseason.
Three players who were not among the top 50 last year — U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Harris English and Ben Gri n — start the postseason in the top 10.
The turnover rate for those who quali ed for the FedEx Cup playo s was at 30% — 21 players nished in the top 70 who weren’t in Memphis last year. The signature events were a source of consternation when they were rst introduced, mainly the uncertainty of a level playing eld. J.T. Poston said it best.
“As long as there’s a way you still have to perform to stay in, and there’s an avenue for guys who aren’t in to play their way in, I don’t think there’s an issue,” he said. Turns out it wasn’t for Bridgeman.
By Jill Lawless The Associated Press
LONDON — It’s only rock ’n’ roll, but it’s messy.
A guitar once played by two members of the Rolling Stones is at the center of a dispute between the band’s former guitarist Mick Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to the Met as part of what the New York museum calls “a landmark gift of more than 500 of the nest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making.” The donor is Dirk Zi , a billionaire investor and guitar collector.
When the Met announced the gift in May, Taylor thought he recognized the guitar, with its distinctive “starburst” nish, as an instrument he last saw in 1971, when the Stones were recording the album “Exile on Main St.” at Keith Richards’ rented villa in the south of France.
In the haze of drugs and rock ’n’ roll that pervaded the sessions, a number of instruments went missing, believed stolen.
Now Taylor and his team believe it has reappeared. The Met says provenance records show
“Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,’ was with the Les Paul that got stolen.”
Je Allen, publicist and manager
no evidence the guitar ever belonged to Taylor.
“This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,” museum spokesperson Ann Bailis said.
Taylor’s partner and business manager, Marlies Damming, said the Met should make the guitar “available for inspection.”
“An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar’s provenance one way or the other,” she said.
While its ownership is contested, there’s no disputing the instrument’s starring role in rock history. It was owned in the early 1960s by Keith Richards, who played it during the Rolling Stones’ rst appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. The Met says that performance “ignited interest in this legendary model.”
The guitar — nicknamed the “Keithburst” — was also played
by guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Taylor says he got it from Richards in 1967, two years before he joined the Stones, replacing original member Brian Jones. Jones died in 1969.
Taylor left the band in 1974, reuniting with them for the Stones’ 50th anniversary tour in 2012-13.
Je Allen, who was Taylor’s manager and publicist for decades from the 1990s, said Taylor “told me he got it as a present from Keith,” and also mentioned the theft.
“Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,’ was with the Les Paul that got stolen,” Allen said.
The Met’s records say the Les Paul was owned by Richards until 1971, when it was acquired by record producer and manager Adrian Miller, who died in 2006.
The guitar was put up for auction by Christie’s in 2004, when it failed to sell. Zi bought it in 2016 and loaned it to the Met in 2019 for an exhibition titled “Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll.”
It’s unclear what will happen next. The Met, which plans to open a new gallery dedicated to its collection of American guitars, says it has not been contacted by Taylor or his representatives.
King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Queen of Soul die; Woodstock begins; Roanoke Colony vanishes
The Associated Press
AUG. 14
1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, ensuring income for elderly Americans and creating a federal unemployment insurance program.
1945: President Harry S. Truman announced that Imperial Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.
1947: Pakistan gained independence from British rule.
1994: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the terrorist known as “Carlos the Jackal,” was captured by French agents in Sudan.
AUG. 15
1057: Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.
1935: Humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed in the Alaska Territory.
1947: India gained independence after nearly 200 years of British rule.
1969: The Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York; more than 460,000 people attended the three-day festival.
AUG. 16
1977: Elvis Presley died at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, at 42.
2018: Singer Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul,” died in Detroit at 76.
1777: American forces won the Battle of Bennington in what was considered a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
1948: Baseball legend Babe Ruth died in New York at 53.
AUG. 17
1807: Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat made its rst voyage, heading up the Hudson River on a successful round trip between New York City and Albany.
1863: Federal batteries and ships began bombarding Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor during the Civil War.
1945: George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm,” an allegorical satire of Soviet Communism, was rst published.
1920: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was rati ed as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.
1963: James Meredith became the rst black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
AUG. 19
1692: Four men and one woman were hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony; John Proctor’s story later inspired Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”
1959: Trumpeter Miles Davis released “Kind of Blue,” regarded as one of the most in uential jazz albums of all time.
AUG. 18
1590: John White, governor of the Roanoke Island colony in present-day North Carolina, returned after three years to nd it deserted; the fate of the “Lost Colony” remains a mystery.
1914: President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I.
1812: The USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere o Nova Scotia during the War of 1812: Earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
1854: Thirty-one U.S. soldiers were killed after one of the soldiers fatally shot Brule Lakota Chief Conquering Bear, sparking the First Sioux War.
AUG. 20
1858: Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was rst published, in the “Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society”.
1866: President Andrew Johnson declared the o cial end of the Civil War.
The inductees will be formally honored Oct. 6
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
COUNTRY SUPERSTAR
Brad Paisley and Americana powerhouse Emmylou Harris will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced last Wednesday. The new class also includes Steve Bogard and Tony Martin in the contemporary songwriter category, Jim Lauderdale in the contemporary songwriter/artist category and Don Cook in the veteran songwriter category. They will be formally inducted on Oct. 6 during the 55th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala held at the Music City Center.
Paisley, a three-time Grammy-winning country music superstar with a whopping 41 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, is known for writing many of his own hits. Those include “He Didn’t Have To Be,” “Alcohol,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Letter To Me,” and “Remind Me,” a duet with Carrie Underwood. Harris, one of the great American folk singer-songwriters with 13 Grammys to her name, is known for such hits like “Boulder To Birmingham,” “White Line” and “Heartbreak
“To these outstanding songwriters, we say — thank you for sharing your songs and your artistry with us.”
Rich Hallworth, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame chair
Hill.” She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Bogard is known for radio staples like George Strait’s “Carried Away,” Rascal Flatts’ “Prayin’ For Daylight” and Dierks Bentley’s “Every Mile A Memory.” Martin also wrote for Strait — “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye” — as well as Jason Aldean (“A Little More Summertime”) and Keith Urban (“You Look Good In My Shirt”). Urban himself was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023. Lauderdale is known for his own songs, like “I Feel Like Singing Today,” “She’s Looking At Me” and “Mighty Lonesome,” but also those he wrote for others, like Mark Chesnutt’s “Gonna Get A Life” and Patty Loveless’ “Halfway Down.” Cook is notable for T. Graham Brown’s “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again,” Steve Wariner’s “Small Town Girl”
and Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America.”
The chair of the organization’s board of directors, Rich Hallworth, and Mark Ford, its executive director, made the an-
nouncement at Nashville’s historic Columbia Studio A.
“Gathering as we do each year — to reveal and welcome the members of our incoming class — is truly one of the high-
lights of our calendar,” Hallworth said in a statement. “To these outstanding songwriters, we say — thank you for sharing your songs and your artistry with us.”
AUG. 14
Former
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Boxing
A new box set honors Cli ord Antone, owner of the storied Austin, Texas venue Antone’s
The Associated Press
VANESSA KIRBY starring in a gritty lm about the aspirations of home ownership, “Night Always Comes,” and Maroon 5 releasing their eighth studio album with songs featuring Lil Wayne and Blackpink’s LISA are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time: Alicia Silverstone leading a new TV crime drama called “Irish Blood,” the multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark and EA Sports jumps aboard the arti cial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Isaiah Saxon’s “The Legend of Ochi” (streaming Friday on HBO Max) is a handcrafted fantasy throwback seeking to conjure the kind of magic once found in movies like “The Never Ending Story.”
The A24 lm stars Helena Zengel as Yuri, a girl who runs away from the forest home she shared with her father (Willem Dafoe) and brother (Finn Wolfhard). She leaves with a baby Ochi; a creature hunted by her father. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that “(The Legend of Ochi) has the feeling of a lm you might have stumbled on and loved as a kid.”
Kirby may be one of the standout performers of the summer blockbuster “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” but she also stars in a gritty new lm about the aspirations of home ownership. In “Night Always Comes” (Thursday on Net ix), Kirby plays a woman going to extreme lengths to secure a home for her family. The movie, directed by Benjamin Caron and adapted from Willy Vlautin’s best-selling novel, takes place over a single night.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Maroon 5 will release their eighth studio album, “Love is
“(The Legend of Ochi) has the feeling of a lm you might have stumbled on and loved as a kid.”
Lindsey Bahr, AP lm writer
Like,” on Friday via Interscope Records. Expect smooth, funky pop music — like the sultry “All Night.” Singer Adam Levine and Co. continue their trend of unexpected and delightful collaborations as well, with songs featuring Lil Wayne, Sexyy Red and Blackpink’s LISA. You read that correctly. Antone opened Antone’s, one of the most storied music venues in Austin, Texas, with an inaugural performance by the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier in 1975. In the decades since, Antone’s has become the stu of
mythology; a performance space that embraces its history and looks towards its future. On Friday, a new box set from New West Records seeks to celebrate Antone’s legacy with “Antone’s: 50 Years of the Blues.”
SERIES TO STREAM
The multigenerational, wholesome drama “The Chicken Sisters” rolls out its second season on Hallmark. The series stars Schuyler Fisk, Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick and Genevieve Angelson as family members in a small town divided over their rival fried chicken businesses. It’s based on a novel of the same name. The series is streaming on Hallmark+. Silverstone leads the new crime drama called “Irish Blood.” She plays Fiona, a woman who has been led to believe her father abandoned her as a child — and has carried around some heavy emotional baggage ever since.
When she learns the truth is more complicated — not to mention dangerous — she heads to Ireland to investigate. The premiere of the six-part show is streaming on Acorn TV. A new one for the kiddos is the Disney Jr. series “Iron Man and his Awesome Friends,” on Disney+. The rst 10 episodes are now available. The show follows besties and fellow geniuses, Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho, who team up to solve problems.
Chris Hemsworth continues his quest to live a healthier, more present and longer life in a second season of “Limitless,” now called “Limitless: Live Better Now.” The three-part docuseries sees Hemsworth learn more about brain power (with help from his friend and recording artist Ed Sheeran), risk and pain. The three episodes stream on Hulu and Disney+ beginning Friday.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
EA Sports is jumping aboard the arti cial intelligence bandwagon with Madden NFL 26, promising “a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade.” The most intriguing additions are QB DNA and Coach DNA — so, for example, if you’re playing the Kansas City Chiefs, you’ll see the kind of moves you’d expect from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. As always, the goal is to get ever closer to real-life football, with more dynamic weather e ects, more details from pro stadiums and the return (at last!) of team mascots. The cover model this season is Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who’ll be ready to start leaping over defenders Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 and PC.