VOLUME 148 ISSUE 27 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Time for kickoff!
Youth tackle football is underway again in Siler City, across four age groups, thanks to programs from Siler City Parks and Recreation. On Saturday, the Siler City Jets played Triad Elite in their first game of the season.
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BRIEF this week
NC’s Main Street revitalization program accepts Siler City
DOT threatens funding for 3 states for not enforcing trucker English proficiency
The town will receive two years of downtown technical assistance through the program
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn earlier this month found what Duffy called significant failures in the way all three states are enforcing rules that took effect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can’t demonstrate English proficiency.
SILER CITY — The Town of Siler is making headway in its efforts to revitalize its downtown.
Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE denied immunity A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. Adelman’s decision could be appealed.
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
Cowboy churches promoting traditional Chatham culture A little bit cowboy, a little bit Jesus Christ By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record IN HIS BOOK of words, Mr. Webster defines “culture” as “the concepts, skills, arts and institu-
tions of a given people in a given period.” And while that’s true, at times, through no fault of their own, those given people can see outside forces affecting changes in their culture, as is happening across many parts of Chatham County now. Despite those changes, however, two nontraditional local
churches are working to maintain and even grow a culture that harkens back to earlier days in Chatham County — namely, a cowboy culture. “We call ourselves cowboy churches,” said the Rev. Wesley Thomas, pastor of Cool Water Cowboy Church, which meets in the Asbury commu-
NC Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lockdown lawsuits can proceed The lawsuits can proceed under the state constitution’s “Fruits of Labor” clause The Associated Press
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At the Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 18 regular business meeting, town staff presented that Siler City has been accepted into the North Carolina Main Street
Downtown Associate Community (DAC) program. The DAC program is focused on creating economic development strategies that will transform downtown through an implementation plan methodology organized around a revitalization process focused on economic vitality, design,
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions first issued by then-Gov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.
“On the Fruits of Labor claim, we modify and affirm in part the decision of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court to reopen factual discovery and provide a new discovery schedule for the parties,” Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. wrote in the majority opinion in N.C. Bar and Tavern Ass’n v. Stein. “We reverse the Court of Appeals on its Equal Protection determination and affirm on plaintiffs’ statutory claims.” Chief Justice Paul Newby authored the ruling in the second See BARS, page A3
“From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment.” Zack Medford, N.C. Bar and Tavern Association president
promotion and organization. Acceptance into the DAC program is also the first step toward an N.C. Main Street designation. “This was a really huge collaborative effort,” said Community Development Planner Sara See PROGRAM, page A10
nity near the Chatham-Lee county line. “It might be more accurate to think of us as rural. I like to say if you’re comfortable shopping at Tractor Supply, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve got some folks who still are active farmers and cowboys, but there are also others who were raised on the farm but maybe aged out of horses and went into other professions.” “Either way,” he said, “our objective is to impact Chatham County with a cowboy culture See COWBOY, page A7