VOLUME 148 ISSUE 34 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Look both ways
Chatham County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined students, parents and staff from Pittsboro Elementary School and George Moses Horton Middle School during a Walk to School Day event last week that started at the Chatham Community Library.
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Board of Education adds HVAC, BRIEF this week roofing replacements to CIP plan Pa. man pleads guilty in arson attack while Shapiro’s family slept in governor’s mansion Harrisburg, Pa. A man who scaled a security fence in the middle of the night and set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Cody Balmer entered the plea Tuesday for the April attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned building in Harrisburg. Gov. Josh Shapiro and members of his family were inside and had to be evacuated. No one was injured, but authorities say the 38-year-old Balmer told them he planned to beat the governor with a small sledgehammer if he encountered him. Balmer’s family has said he has a history of mental health problems.
SpaceX launches 11th test flight of mega Starship rocket with another win SpaceX has launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight. The 403-foot Starship thundered into the evening sky Monday from Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending into the Indian Ocean. It’s similar to the previous test flight in August, which scored a success following a string of explosive failures. SpaceX’s Elon Musk intends to use Starship to send people to Mars. NASA cannot land astronauts on the moon by decade’s end without Starship.
The board also approved MOUs related to CTE curriculum and after-school care By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education approved its annual, seven-year capital improvement project (CIP) plan
Siler City to focus on potholes The town will use municipal tag fee revenues to address road issues By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City will be working to fill some potholes starting as early as this fiscal year.
The town had previously raised municipal tag fees by 200%, going from $5 to $15, and the plan was to utilize that additional revenue to fund street rejuvenation projects. However, after a survey of town-owned streets, staff felt that the prevalence of potholes was a more pressing issue for the town. At its Oct. 6 meeting, the
Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners voted to approve utilizing the revenues, approximately $60,000, to fund the fixing of 204 identified potholes, with the idea that the rejuvenation projects will start to take place in fiscal year 2027. Siler City will do the repairs on the smaller potholes in-house, but they’ll need to contract with another company to
Belichick’s first season with Tar Heels has run into problems on, off field “It’s not the kind of thing we judge after four games or even after one season.” Lee Roberts, UNC Chancellor
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at its latest meeting on Oct. 6. While the list includes projects that have already been either started or are scheduled to be funded in the coming years, the district is also recommending that roofing and HVAC replacements throughout the
school system be scheduled in the coming years. According to Randy Drumheller, director of maintenance and new construction, many are approaching the end of their life cycle and the district would like to begin working on those before leaks or failures start to arise. “It’s far less expensive to do the replacements or updates
A TV show about his first year as head coach has been canceled By Aaron Beard The Associated Press OF ALL THE UGLY moments so far — bad play, blowout losses, home fans fleeing early for the exits — the most telling moment of Bill Belichick’s first season at UNC came during an open week. It took the form of a pair of terse statements from Belichick and athletic director Bubba Cunningham posted on social media last Wednes-
day, reaffirming the marriage between the six-time Super Bowl winner from the NFL’s New England Patriots and the school desperately seeking to elevate its football program beyond decades of also-ran status. “I’m fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here,” Belichick said. The fact it came at all, though — following a day of speculation and reports of behind-the-scenes troubles in the program — said more about how the first few weeks See BELICHICK, page A3
now then it is if we’re waiting for there to be leaks or whatnot,” said board member Ana Carlson. The list also had the top future projects for the district, which include security renovations, land acquisition for future schools, construction of a new elementary school at Chatham See BOE, page A7
work on some of the bigger ones. The board also approved terminating its incentive agreement with Innovative Construction Group. The town had entered into an agreement with ICG back in May 2024, but the company seemingly isn’t in a position to reach its previously agreed-upon thresholds. “Per their incentive agreement, the company was supposed to invest in the construction of a facility on or before See POTHOLES, page A7