VOLUME 148 ISSUE 33 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Fini flight Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn of Pinehurst sits in a helicopter during his retirement ceremony and symbolic “fini flight” on Sunday at the Pinehurst Harness Track. Illerbrunn, a helicopter pilot with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, was severely injured in a drone attack on Erbil Air Base in Northern Iraq on Christmas Day 2023, sustaining a brain injury that left him confined to a wheelchair and unable to fly. The ceremony included a brief liftoff of the helicopter and a water salute from two fire trucks before Illerbrunn was presented with the Army Commendation Medal.
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BRIEF this week
Supreme Court begins term that will examine Trump’s presidential power Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court has opened its new term. In its first arguments on Monday, the court appeared to be inclined to rule against a criminal defendant from Texas in a case about the constitutional right to a lawyer. A major thrust of the next 10 months is expected to be the justices’ evaluation of President Donald Trump’s claims of presidential power. Pivotal cases on voting and LGBTQ rights also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices heard arguments over bans passed by many states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
Weiss named new editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount buys her website New York Paramount is buying the successful news commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move, while anticipated, is a bold one for David Ellison, new corporate leader of Paramount and CBS. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and be responsible for shaping editorial priorities and driving innovation at CBS News. Ellison said he believes the majority of the country wants news that is balanced and fact-based, and he wants CBS to be their home. “I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.”
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Elections for city council, mayor fast approaching Chatham County’s three main municipalities all have races on this year’s ballot By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS are fast approaching throughout the state, and Chatham County is no exception as each of its three main municipalities
(Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston) will be holding elections for various offices. Specifically, those residing in the following precincts will have municipal contests on the ballot: East Pittsboro, East Siler City, East Williams, Goldston,
Nov. 4 Election Day
Jordan Lake, West Pittsboro and West Siler City, While Election Day is officially Nov. 4 from 6:30 a.m. to
7:30 p.m., Chatham County residents will also be able to vote earlier starting as early as this month. For one, absentee voting by mail opened on Oct. 3, with the deadline to request ballots being Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. Citizens can also take part in early voting starting on Oct. 16 through Nov. 1. Those wishing to vote early will have the choice between two early voting locations: the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center (Oct. 16-17; Oct. 20 to Nov. 1) and New Hope Baptist Church (Oct. 25 to Nov. 1) See ELECTIONS, page A3
House creates committee on involuntary commitment after Charlotte murder The panel will study mental health policies and public safety By A.P. Dillon Chatham News & Record RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall announced the formation, last
week, of a bipartisan committee to examine involuntary commitment policies following recent violent crimes involving individuals with mental illness. The House Select Committee
on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes and public safety. The 18-member panel was created in response to tragedies including the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system. “Recent tragedies in our state,
Changes coming for Liberty Antiques Festival “I’m hoping someone local will want to do it.” Vito Sico, festival organizer
The festival has drawn people from many states since the first edition in 1991 By Bob Sutton Chatham News & Record LIBERTY — The growth of the Liberty Antiques Festival has surprised Vito Sico, but now it has become too big for him to continue to handle. Sico said he’ll step down from his role as operator of the biannual event as it reaches its 35th year, so he’s hoping a suitable replacement comes along. The April 2026 festival will
be the final one with him in charge, but he said he’s confident it will fall into good hands. “We’ve got a lot of people interested,” he said. “I’m hoping someone local will want to do it.” Sico, who turns 80 in January, said it’s time for him to back away. He helped formulate the festival, which is held on farm land outside Liberty, in September 1991. “The aches and pains and headaches are getting harder to handle,” he said. Some of the festivals have drawn more than 320 vendors, See FESTIVAL, page A3
like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure local officials are putting public safety first,” Hall (R-Granite Falls) said. “The committee will work together with law enforcement, district See HOUSE, page A7