VOLUME 148 ISSUE 32 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Wrapped up JordanMatthews — and sophomore Lennox Mordecai (5) — were smothered by ALA-Johnston last week, with the Jets falling 41-6. For more, turn to page B1.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
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BRIEF this week
Nebraska joins Trump program to use public money for private school tuition Omaha, Neb. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has opted Nebraska into a federal program to use taxpayer dollars for private school tuition. The move comes despite Nebraska voters repealing a similar state law last year. The federal program is part of the federal tax and budget bill passed in July. It allows taxpayers to direct up to $1,700 in federal income taxes they owe to scholarship groups for private school expenses. Critics argue it undermines the will of the voters. Pillen insists the measure won’t affect public school funding, saying it benefits both public and private schools.
U.S. government starts phasing out use of paper checks Washington, D.C. The U.S. government is phasing out paper checks for most programs. The change started Tuesday and affects recipients of benefits like Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and tax refunds. Nearly 400,000 Social Security and SSI recipients still rely on paper checks. The director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says many of these people lack access to digital services. President Donald Trump’s Republican administration says electronic payments and collections will speed up processing and cut costs. The Social Security Administration says it will continue issuing paper checks if a beneficiary “has no other means to receive payment.”
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Chapel Hill considering multiple townhome, apartment developments The proposed projects could construct up to just under 1,000 units if fully approved By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Town Council met Sept. 24 with an agenda containing
three conditional zoning applications related to high-density development. The first hearing was for 45 acres of property located between Interstate 40 and Weave
Dairy Road to go from MixedUse Office/Institutional and Residential to Mixed-Use Village Conditional Zoning District. The proposed development would have two buildings, one with between 350 and 575 multifamily units for rent, and one with 100 to 135 for-sale townhome units.
‘Political terrorism’ bill passes NC House with bipartisan support The measure cited recent political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — In the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, the North Carolina House last week passed the Politi-
cal Terrorism Prevention Act. The bill, contained in Senate Bill 13, aims to enhance criminal penalties for politically motivated acts of violence while balancing protections for free expression and democratic engagement.
“You have a First Amendment right to say outrageous things,” House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) told reporters in response to questions about toning down political rhetoric. “If you’re an elected official, you probably ought to use good sense when you’re saying those things. And things get heated sometimes. But even in those circumstances, it
US House members hear pleas for tougher justice policies after stabbing death of refugee The House judiciary subcommittee held a field hearing in Charlotte By Erik Verduzco and Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — U.S. House members visited the state’s largest city on Monday to hear from family members of violent-crime victims who pleaded for tougher criminal justice policies in the wake of last month’s stabbing death of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte commuter train. A judiciary subcommittee meeting convened in Char-
lotte to listen to many speakers who described local court systems in North Carolina and South Carolina that they say have failed to protect the public and keep defendants in jail while awaiting trials. The meeting was prompted by the Aug. 22 stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on a light rail car and the resulting apprehension of a suspect who had been previously arrested more than a dozen times, according to court records. “The same system that failed Mary failed Iryna. Our hearts are broken for her family and her friends and we grieve with See HEARING, page A3
“The same system that failed Mary failed Iryna. Our hearts are broken for her family and her friends and we grieve with them.” Mia Alderman, grandmother of a 2020 murder victim
“What I see in this project that I like is that it’s providing a type of home in a place that makes sense that we desperately need,” said council member Theodore Nollert. “The townhomes that are to be added here are the only types of places See HOMES, page A3
shouldn’t come to physical attacks on people.” The bill’s language includes a passage referring to “a disturbing rise in politically motivated acts” and lists the attempted assassinations of Congressman Steve Scalise, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the two attempts on Donald Trump during last year’s campaign. Also mentioned are the arson attack on the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the assassinations of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Kirk. The bill states, “these attacks See BILL, page A7