VOLUME 148 ISSUE 4 | THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Topping up Siler City firefighter Nolan White, top, fills the foam tank on Engine 914 with an assist from firefighter Matthew White, middle, and Capt. Aaron Dorsett supervising from the ground last Wednesday. Soap-like foam is mixed with water to improve the cooling performance of water spray by dramatically increasing its surface area and thus heat absorption.
the
BRIEF this week
Cuba’s latest blackout underscores deepening economic crisis; Rubio calls for new leadership U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is calling for “new people in charge” of Cuba as the Caribbean nation experienced its third islandwide blackout in four months. U.S. President Donald, who has called Cuba a “very weakened nation,” said on Monday he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.” On Tuesday, Rubio — who is of Cuban heritage — said the current government is incapable of addressing the problems. The island’s government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The country’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages.
Trump postpones China trip to focus on Iran President Donald Trump is delaying a diplomatic trip to China that was planned for months but began to unravel as he pressured Beijing and other world powers to form a military coalition to protect the vital Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Tuesday while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office that he would be going to China in five or six weeks’ time instead of at the end of the month. Trump’s visit to China is seen as an opportunity to build on a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers, but it became tangled in his effort to find an endgame to his war in Iran.
Seaforth sophomore wins SAR oratory contest in Chapel Hill The Pittsboro student advanced to the state competition By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — A Seaforth High School sophomore from Pittsboro took top honors this month at a regional orato-
American Revolution and challenges high school students to deliver original, memorized speeches examining events, figures or themes connected to the Revolutionary era. Greto’s winning oration connected the spirit of the nation’s founding to modern civic life, drawing parallels between the challenges faced in 1776 and debates shaping
Revolutionary War sign coming to George Moses Horton Middle The marker designates the route used by commanding officers By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of
Education met March 9 for its regular business meeting. The board approved a memorandum of agreement with the Chatham County Historical Association for the placement of a sign on school property (George Moses Horton Middle School), to document the historical significance of the site.
“The Chatham County Historical Association is leading a project to document the route of Gens. George Cornwallis and Nathanael Greene through Chatham County during the American Revolution,” said Interim Assistant Superintendent Chris Poston. “As part of this effort, the association is
CORA’s Empty Bowls fundraiser sets record with $98K raised “We had such a great evening of fellowship with our community of supporters.” Rebecca Hankins
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ry contest focused on the history and ideals of the American Revolution. Giuliana Greto won the Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest on March 14 at Governors Club in Chapel Hill with a speech titled “Americans: Resilient Through and Through.” The annual competition is sponsored by the Sons of the
The event sold out for the second consecutive year By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham Outreach Alliance Food Pantry’s annual Empty Bowls event raised more than $98,000 this year, marking its most successful fundraiser yet. The 14th annual event, held Feb. 28, sold out for the second consecutive year. Attendees sampled soups from local restaurants, enjoyed homemade desserts and breads,
browsed handcrafted pottery and listened to live music from the Popcorn Blue Band. “From the delicious soups and the homemade desserts and breads to the gorgeous pottery and the lively music from Popcorn Blue Band, we had such a great evening of fellowship with our community of supporters,” said Rebecca Hankins, CORA’s development and communications director, in an interview. A highlight of the evening was the “Fund a Need” segment, which targeted the See CORA, page A2
the country today. Her speech also aligned with the upcoming America 250 commemoration marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. The contest, hosted by the General Francis Nash Chapter, featured four student speakers from schools across the Triangle region. About 45 attendees See CONTEST, page A7
creating a trail with state-approved historical road markers. One of the identified sites is located on the property of George Moses Horton Middle School.” Greene and Cornwallis were opposing American and British commanding officers in the American Revolutionary War, and generals met multiple times throughout the war, including in one of the largest battles of the war at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina. The marker will be placed See SIGN, page A3