VOLUME 148 ISSUE 29 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
KAREN PYRTLE / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Remembering 343
The American flag flies over the Siler City Fire Department on Tuesday just ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Three-hundred forty-three New York City firefighters were killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
the
BRIEF this week
Pittsboro to put out request for bids for new town hall project
Michigan judge tosses case against accused fake electors in 2020
The proposed facility is anticipated to have a construction cost north of $13 million
A Michigan judge has dismissed the criminal cases against 15 people accused of acting falsely as electors for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. District Court Judge Kristen Simmons decided in a Tuesday hearing that the cases won’t go to trial. Charges were brought by the state’s Democratic attorney general over two years ago. The people charged include a few high profile members of the Republican Party in the battleground state. Each faced eight charges of forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery. They had been accused of submitting certificates that falsely said Trump won the election in Michigan.
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
RFK Jr.’s latest “Make America Healthy Again” report calls for oversight of drug ads The Trump administration is urging public health agencies to prioritize investigations of vaccine injuries, prescription drug use, and the cause of autism. The call is part of a new report released Tuesday. Overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the report aims to end childhood diseases in the U.S. by refocusing public health on his so-called “MAHA” movement’s priorities. The report suggests using personal medical records and health insurance data to investigate diseases and disorders, including autism. It also addresses issues like ultraprocessed food consumption and water quality. The report calls for increased oversight of prescription drug ads, especially those by social media influencers.
PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners is making headway toward the construction of a new town hall building. At its Sept. 8 meeting, the board was presented with a feasibility study — done by Hobbs Architects and Frank Land Design — for a potential town hall. The proposed site for the new town hall will be off of J A Farrell Street, where the current Lil’ Tikes Learning Academy is located. “This piece of land is really sandwiched between two of our major thoroughfares being East Street and Thompson Street, and it’s only three or four blocks off of Hillsboro Street,” said Hobbs Architect co-founder Taylor Hobbs. “So we’re going to have folks coming from all different directions. It is a central
Jonathan Franklin, town manager chitect Principal Chevon Moore. “We then sought to arrange them in certain ways that kept the areas that were needed to be accessed by the public, easily and clearly accessible, and then also with a way to secure the areas that did not need to be accessed by the public.” The total construction cost estimate from the architects puts the project at potentially around $14 million. “We worked with a professional cost estimator that we’ve worked with for a couple of decades now, and he looked at the
Democratic governor, Republican legislature: How Josh Stein navigates North Carolina politics “What they want is for whoever are in these positions to get things done that make their lives better, and that’s my job.” Gov. Josh Stein
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location that has walkability to downtown, has walkability up to East Street, and we really think works well for its intended use. “We’re in a real transition zone here between commercial and residential, and what we’re trying to do is respond to both, with the architecture and the development and the site layout,” Hobbs said. “Respecting the residential areas, trying to keep this a passive corner.” The site plan lays out around 15,000 square feet on the first floor with two separate wings (government and administrative) and then about 10,000 square feet on the second floor with spaces on both floors for offices, conference areas, work rooms, storage, break rooms, mechanical/engineering, bathrooms as well as public spaces. “We had several meetings with town staff to identify what the needs are for the new town hall building,” said Hobbs Ar-
“They knocked it out of the park if they were designing a showstopper town hall. From a budget standpoint, we are nervous about that cost.”
The first-term executive works with the GOP on storm recovery and other priorities By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press FLETCHER — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has taken an unusual approach with Republican political opponents in his first eight months leading a highly competitive state where divided government has become the norm. He’s trying to get along with them. Stein, who succeeded fellow Democrat Roy Cooper in January, has made an effort to work with the GOP-controlled General Assembly on things
like storm recovery — still a top priority nearly a year since Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding — and on other issues broadly popular with North Carolinians. He’s kept communication lines open with legislative leaders, even as they back President Donald Trump and oppose many Stein policy prescriptions. The public, Stein said in an interview with The Associated Press, doesn’t “care whether I’m a Democrat or Republican, or that the legislature is a Democrat- or Republican-led body.” “What they want is for whoever are in these positions to get things done that make See STEIN, page A7
proposed building and the proposed site and priced it as if it were being bid today,” Moore said. “This represents if it were to go out to bid in today’s market.” Following the presentation, the board approved town staff to move forward with the posting of a request for quotation for public facility design for construction. “You saw a town hall that I think meets our needs size wise,” said Town Manager Jonathan Franklin. “Certainly I think they knocked it out of the park if they were designing a showstopper town hall. From a budget standpoint, we are nervous about that cost, and the timeline is tight. We have probably a couple of months to spare for when our lease is up at our current space, so I don’t think we have any time to waste.” The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet Sept. 29 for a special joint session alongside the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.