Chatham News & Record Vol. 148, Issue 48

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. Far more ice and snow could be in the forecast for this weekend.

the BRIEF this week

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all- cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

$2.00

Siler City could be spot for Memorial Day 5K

The community run would give residents a chance to honor veterans

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City looks to be in line to host a new 5K run this year.

At the Siler City Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 12 meeting, the board gave its approval for a Memorial Day 5K run to be held in the town.

The event would be hosted on May 23 and orchestrated by American Legion Snow Camp Post 305.

erybody to attend,” King said.

This also wouldn’t be a competitive run, as no medals will be handed out, but will instead be dedicated to a “memorialization for someone that you hold dear.”

The community run would start and end at the Chatham Rabbit, loop through Bray Park and pass by the West Chatham Veterans Memorial.

“We want to make sure that we make it possible for ev-

“Siler City was the best location because there’s a national guard as well as a veterans memorial,” said Snow Camp Post 305 Commander Christopher King.

Now that the town board has given its blessing, the next steps, per King, are to form a planning committee, secure sponsors and partners, launch marketing and registration campaigns, and coordinate logistics with public safety and local services.

“We need all the support that we can get for everything that we’ve been through for our

Forecasters warn of ‘potentially catastrophic’ winter storm from Texas to Carolinas

Signi cant amounts of snow and ice could be in store

By Je Martin and Haya Panjwani The Associated Press

ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and un-

relenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South.

The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said

Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

Forecasters on Tuesday warned that the ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

“Great swaths” of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

The National Weather Service warned of “great swaths of

“It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi .” Garrett Mitchell

His friends and family urged people to give back “like Bi ” did

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Hundreds in the NASCAR community gathered for a memorial service at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum on Friday for former driver Greg Bi e, his family and others who were killed in a plane crash last month.

NASCAR community mourns Bi e, 6 others killed in plane crash at memorial service See

Bi e was among seven killed along with his wife, Cris-

tina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, when the plane crashed as it returned to the airport in Statesville, according to authorities. Others on the plane were identi ed as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth. Driver/in uencer Garrett Mitchell, known as “Cleetus McFarland” in his YouTube videos and a close friend of Bi e’s, was among those who spoke at the service.

“We have all been saying, ‘Be like Bi ,’ since we lost our hero,”

CRIME LOG

Jan. 12

• Jostin Josue Ramirez-Duarte, 18, of Durham, was arrested for rst degree burglary, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, injury to personal property, felony larceny and nancial card theft.

• Jessica Leann Allen, 36, of Dunn, was arrested for felony larceny and felony injury to property involving nonferrous metal.

• James Warren Edmundson, 32, of Siler City, was arrested for cyberstalking.

Jan. 13

• Randell Scott McKoy, 50, of Pittsboro, was arrested for false pretenses/swindle/con dence game, felony worthless check, securities fraud, securities dealer registration violation, worthless check and obtaining property by false pretense.

Jan. 14

• Guiseppe Lorenzo Cataldo, 49, of Durham, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation and attempt to obtain property by false pretenses.

Jan. 15

• Guiseppe Lorenzo Cataldo, 49, of Durham, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation.

• Willie Douglas Johnson, 63, of Siler City, was arrested for tra cking in methamphetamine, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana up to one half ounce and simple possession of Schedule II and III controlled substances.

Jan. 16

• Diamante Alexander Smith, 28, was arrested for possession of stolen motor vehicle and misdemeanor larceny.

• Tony Ronald McIntosh, 63, was arrested for possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Jan. 17

• Nicholas Aaron French, 39, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, communicating threats, ee and elude arrest with a motor vehicle and possession of open container.

VP Vance, second lady expecting fourth child, couple announces

The new arrival will join Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel

By Ali Swenson The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.

—

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, are expecting a son in late July, they announced in a social media post on Tuesday.

The couple said they were excited to share the news of their fourth child, who will join their other three young kids: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

Vance, 41, and his wife, 40, said in the post that both mother and baby were doing well.

“During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the sta members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” the post read.

The news of the Republican vice president’s growing family comes as he has spent years passionately advocating for Americans to have more children.

Vance repeatedly expressed

CHATHAM happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.

Jan. 22

Bynum Bite Night at BFP

6-8 p.m.

said Mitchell, who befriended Bi e later in his life. “What does that mean? That means to take opportunities when you see them. Whether you are taking opportunity to pass somebody on the track or getting o your couch to chase a dream you have only been talking about for the past ve years.

“It means showing up for your friends and family. It means using your heart to make the world a better place. It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi ,” Mitchell added. Bi e, who was 55, was selected by NASCAR as one of its top 75 drivers in history, was a Hall of Fame nominee for the stock car series and drove for 18 years at the top of the sport.

He drew headlines last year for his tireless humanitarian e orts as a helicopter pilot supplying aid in the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Bi e’s niece, Jordyn Bife, told stories about Ryder’s hero being his father, Emma’s laughter and Cristina’s loving nature.

She said the Bi e family “lived fully, loved deeply and gave freely.”

“Their lives remind us that what matters isn’t how long we are here but how we use the time we are given and how ercely we love while we are here,” Bi e added. “And while this loss is devastating beyond

alarm about declining birth rates as he launched his political career in 2021 with a bid for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. As vice president, he has continued on that mission, saying in a 2025 March for Life speech, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”

The vice president has been accompanied on overseas travels by Usha Vance and their children, the kids usual-

words, their impact remains etched into all of us that were lucky enough to have known them, loved them and be changed by them.”

In the parking lot outside of the coliseum, fans paused to peer inside three race cars Bife drove during his career.

Inside, the pictures of the seven who lost their lives were shown on a videoboard above the makeshift platform in the center of the covered hockey rink. There were seven wreaths on the stage where Mitchell, Bi e and former drivers Je Burton and Phil Parsons addressed the crowd.

Dylan Zirkle, 28, of Archdale, worked one year for Bi e at Roush Racing as a pit support employee while he was in high school.

He said Bi e made a lasting impact on him, and he felt he needed to attend.

“Greg was always a really good guy, and I enjoyed being around him,” Zirkle said. “You could always talk to him at anytime and he was just a real person. You could talk to him about anything.”

Back home, Zirkle still has model racing trucks in his gameroom autographed by Bife that he cherishes.

Zirkle said he didn’t believe the news of the crash when he heard it.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Zircle said. “I was watching some of his YouTube videos the other night, and it just doesn’t seem real at all.”

Tanner Roberts and Jassamin Green made the

ly in pajamas as they board Air Force Two for overnight trips.

Throughout history, it’s been exceptionally rare for the occupants of the highest leadership roles in the U.S. to have children while in o ce. One well-documented exception was President Grover Cleveland, whose wife, Frances Cleveland, gave birth to their second child in 1893 during his second term in o ce.

four-hour trek from Wilmington with their 7-year-old son Bentley after hearing about the memorial.

“He was a good race car driver and I enjoyed him,” Roberts said. “And he was a good person. I grew up watching him and Dale Earnhardt. Them two were my favorites. They were good people and they loved to race.”

The Cessna C550 carrying the Bi e family and the others erupted in ames when it hit the ground shortly after it had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about an hour’s drive north of Charlotte.

The plane crashed while trying to return and land, authorities said.

The crash a week before Christmas left the NASCAR community shaken and was another blow in a long oseason. Ten days later, on the 52nd wedding anniversary of Denny Hamlin’s parents, the house the future Hall of Famer built to repay them for their years of sacri ce burned down. His father, Dennis, was killed, and Mary Lou Hamlin was rushed to a hospital burn unit.

Sheri ’s deputies are also investigating an alleged break-in and theft last week at Bi e’s home in Mooresville that netted $30,000 in cash, some guns and memorabilia. As part of the public tribute, Mitchell planned to do a burnout later Friday near Bife’s marker along the North Carolina Auto Racing Walk of Fame in Mooresville.

If you are an area teen with an inner geek — embrace it with kids who have similar interests at this bimonthly event at BFP. There is a virtual reality (VR) headset on-site so you can go beyond this world for a short time. Bring your projects and games and be ready to discuss your personal passion of the moment! Questions? Call Helbragga (John G.) at 919-593-3559.

Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

Jan. 24

Photographing the Haw 10-11 a.m.

A new exhibition by award-winning photographer Dr. Kevin Ricker will be on display for one day, courtesy of the Chatham County Community Library. The show is open to the public and admission is free.

Holmes Family Meeting Room 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro

Jan. 27

Goldston America

250 Film Series: “The Congress” by Ken Burns 4-6 p.m.

The Chatham Community Library presents a series of documentaries and lms focused on the history of the United States as part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday this July 4. No registration is required.

Goldston Public Library 9235 Pittsboro Goldston Road Goldston

18-year-old to plead guilty to 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh that killed 5

The suspect’s brother and an o -duty police o cer were among the victims

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty to a 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh that left ve people dead — including his older brother — avoiding a trial next month, his attorneys said Tuesday.

A written notice led in Wake County court by the lawyers for Austin Thompson said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges against him.

Thompson was 15 when authorities believe he went on a killing rampage on Oct. 13, 2022, beginning in his Raleigh neighborhood with his 16-year-old brother. A hearing ahead of his scheduled Feb. 2 trial had been set for Wednesday.

But through the intended plea, Thompson “has decided he wishes to save the community and the victims from as much additional in iction of trauma as possible,” attorneys Kellie Mannette and Deonte’ Thomas wrote. The attorneys didn’t immediately respond to emails Tuesday seeking additional information on the decision.

Thompson’s legal proceedings were delayed in part as he recovered from a gunshot wound that a prosecutor concluded was self-in icted before his arrest. His attorneys say it resulted in a brain injury.

Prosecutors had not revealed a potential motive for the shootings but in a court ling said they had intended to prove Thompson’s actions, among other factors, were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” and that he attempted to avoid custody.

Tuesday’s ling by Thompson’s attorneys said that while “the serious brain injury he suffered has made it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did this.”

WRAL-TV VIA AP

Austin Thompson attends a hearing in Wake Superior Court in Raleigh on Jan. 10, 2025.

Thompson was charged as an adult on ve counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault of an o cer with a gun.

A sentencing hearing would be held at a later date after any plea.

Because of his age at the time of the attack, Thompson could not receive the death penalty if convicted. The presiding judge would have to decide whether to sentence him on murder counts to life in prison without parole or with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Tuesday that she was aware of the plea notice. “We are ready to move forward. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Freeman added in a text message later.

Thompson hopes “that the material presented at the sentencing hearing brings as much peace and closure as possible,” his attorneys wrote.

Prosecutors contend that Thompson shot and stabbed his brother James, whose body was found in their home.

Police also said they believed Thompson then shot multiple

heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a “major winter storm”

An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and

the Carolinas, forecasters said. “Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta o ce.

If signi cant accumulations of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees in Atlanta. The city’s high temperature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days.

In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid o an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday. The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic

neighbors on the Hedingham community’s streets, killing o -duty Raleigh police O cer Gabriel Torres, 29, and Nicole Connors, 52. Another neighbor who was wounded survived.

They also alleged that he later fatally shot two others on the nearby Neuse River Greenway trail: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Dressed in camou age with multiple weapons strapped to his belt, Thompson was located by law enforcement in a shed nearby and arrested after an hourslong stando that resulted in another police o cer being wounded. Thompson’s attorneys had indicated last year that they intended to use “diminished capacity” and “voluntary intoxication ... of a prescribed medication” in his defense.

In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun that authorities said was found with his son after the shootings. He received a suspended sentence and probation. Investigators seized 11 rearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some of them empty — from the Thompson home, according to search warrants.

Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a brie ng on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that signi cant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difcult forecast,” Shamburger said.

At an Arkansas hardware store, customers gear up for storm

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a steady stream of customers on Tuesday were stocking up on supplies at Fuller and Son Hardware.

“Right now, parents of young children are getting sleds,” said James Carter, the company’s director of operations.

People were also getting shovels, ice-melting products and covers for outside faucets to keep them from freezing, since low temperatures in the Little Rock area are forecast to fall into the teens, he said.

Church News

OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

As Oakley Baptist Church (2300 Siler City-Glendon Road, Siler City) seeks to begin its next chapter, we are enjoying hearing a word from the Lord from various old and new friends. Our Service begins at 10:30 a.m., but we also have Sunday School classes for every member of the family at 9:30 a.m. We would be blessed if you joined us for any and all of these speakers in the coming weeks.

On Jan. 25, our message will be brought by John Strider, the youth pastor at Oakley. He is the son of Tim Strider, a veteran pastor of over 50 years, and is currently studying to enter the ministry himself. Join us that morning at 8:30 a.m. for a breakfast sponsored by the Brotherhood with all donations going to support the work of Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief (baptistsonmission.org).

Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 brings us Chance Walters (chancewalters. org). Chance grew up at Oakley Baptist Church and started Chance Walters Ministries, through which he evangelizes all over the world.

The Service on Feb. 15 will feature a message from Jason Jones, son of Reverend Walter Jones, an experienced lay speaker from an area church.

On Feb. 22, we’ll hear from Stephanie Moody Sha er, manager of Chaplaincy and Faith Relations for Baptist Retirement Homes (thrivemorenc.org). This is a faith-based, not-for-pro t organization committed to providing quality care and a meaningful way of life for older adults through senior living communities across North Carolina and is linked to the Southern Baptist Convention.

And nally, Spencer Andrews will return on March 1 to speak. Spencer is the former youth pastor at Oakley and is currently ministering at Grace Hill Church in Pittsboro (gracehillchatham.com), a church he helped plant.

We look forward to meeting you at any of these services and in the future and invite you to pray with us as we seek a new pastor. To learn more, go to oakleybaptist.org or email us at oakleybaptistchurch@gmail.com.

5K

country,” said Mayor Donald Matthews, a veteran himself. The board was also presented with the plans for the Siler City Police Department Citizens Academy.

“Throughout 2025, our focus was on providing community-minded service and putting o cers out into the community they serve,” said Chief Brian Regan. The Citizens Academy will be a six-week course that will meet once a week in the spring and aim to help citizens better understand the police department and the work they do.

“The new Citizens Academy initiative will help improve community-police relations by building trust, increasing understanding of our procedures and creating informed, citizen advocates who

“We need all the support that we can get for everything that we’ve been through for our country.”

Mayor Donald Matthews on honoring veterans

share knowledge, can foster collaboration and ultimately to a stronger community engagement with crime prevention and public safety,” Regan said.

The rst day of the academy will be March 12 from 6-8 p.m., and Siler City residents 18 years or older can participate.

The Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 2.

Share with your community!

Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@chathamnewsrecord.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at noon

LUCIFER, THE FALLEN ANGEL

Bible Study: Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:4-9. Church of Living Water; Preacher: James Mitchell.

Lucifer is the name of Satan/Devil. Actually, he was an angel, originally created by God, who served the Lord in righteousness for an undetermined period of time. When he fell, he led a revolution against God, with about one-third of the angels siding with him. Therefore, all the pain, suffering, heartache, death, and deception that have ruled the nations from the very beginning can be laid at the doorstep of this revolution. Lucifer was the head of this rebellion against God. You see the fruit of rebellion against God’s Word in mankind today. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Ever wonder how our children start rebellion so early in life? The answer is, we are all born into sin because fell listening to the serpent Satan. So, the seed of sin passed to all mankind. For all have sinned. Today, we see all the evil because most have rebelled against God. The lying fake news media are reporting their lies for the evil Democrats and a few RINO Republicans. Their minds have been taken over by Lucifer/Satan. Democrats are the most demonic politicians in illegals and criminals. They are giving away our tax dollars to these illegal Somali immigrants that Biden/Harris brought into America. The Democrats in the states have given away our ICE law enforcement which is removing the illegals law enforcement. Thank you, Almighty God, for President Trump, who is saving America and the world. Thank you, God, that you made a way for all sinners to be forgiven. Repent: you must be born again!

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The soul force of MLK today

King declared to “our most bitter opponents” that “we shall meet your physical force with soul force.”

IN SEMINARY, I was given a copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Strength to Love.” This collection of sermons frequently mentions segregation and Jim Crow, for such laws were among the evils of King’s time. However, his sermons resonate with timeless virtues and not mere situational ethics.

Over the years, I’ve wondered what this great American preacher would have said about the particular place in history in which I found myself reading his sermons. What would King have thought of the rst black president? What guidance might he have o ered during the COVID-19 pandemic? How would he respond to our current president, who claims that the civil rights era led to white people being “very badly treated”?

King was very badly treated in his ministry. In July 1962, he was imprisoned in Albany, Georgia, for the “crime” of holding a prayer vigil outside the city hall. King described this jail as “dirty, lthy and ill-equipped” and “the worst I have ever seen.” Despite these conditions, King wrote sermons about loving enemies.

The notion of loving enemies is straight out of the New Testament and directly from the mouth of Jesus (Matthew 5:44), yet it is arguably the most ignored of his commandments. Most Christians treat this commandment like a suggestion or an ideal that can’t possibly be followed. Some, like Nietzsche, have rejected it as weakness and folly.

But our current president goes a step further and heaps disdain on whomever he perceives as an enemy — an increasingly expanding group of people as his approval rating plummets. Apparently, he counts King in that category, a clear break from his Republican predecessors.

It’s not hard to imagine how King would respond,

Observing the

for he was vili ed and slandered by falsehoods in his lifetime. In one of his sermons, King stated that “loving” is not the same as “liking” your adversaries. Pretending to enjoy the company of those who insult and mock you is “hypocritical and psychologically impossible.” King preached that, while we “cannot will friends,” we can “work our wills for good will to our neighbors, to the stranger and to the enemy.”

King was an eloquent, dynamic preacher, yet he fully understood the power of love in action. Such love was the foundation of his nonviolent resistance. Like another follower of Christ who was often unjustly imprisoned, he urged Christians to “repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17). Instead, King declared to “our most bitter opponents” that “we shall meet your physical force with soul force.”

It’s this “soul force” that speaks to me this year. As our president readies 1,500 soldiers for deployment against his fellow Americans in Minneapolis, as he imposes tari s on our NATO allies in his foolish crusade for Greenland, he believes he displays physical force. But our soul force is greater. Our soul force is our capacity to resist peacefully. Our soul force is our determination to hope and our capacity for joy. Our soul force is acting on our belief that every human has sacred worth, and our soul force recalibrates our thoughts so that we can redirect our energies: “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.

speeds, scenery as we travel along life’s roads

There are the twists and turns, ts and starts, times of speeding and those when we were barely moving.

AS I TRAVEL farther down life’s highway, I realize more and more there are signi cant signposts along the way.

Like their actual counterparts on literal roadways, some are on four-lane major highways or interstates where they are many and large with lots of information. Others are on two-lane state and national highways, while some are on rural paved roads. And then there are those on cart paths or what seem to be only trails.

All are important — in life and on the road — and all are going somewhere.

And we’re on them.

I’ve had some major ones, and so have you.

And there were some minor ones — absolutely and by comparison. Obviously, coming to be was a big deal interstate event, although I don’t remember it. Hard to when you’ve just arrived.

Then there are the twists and turns, ts and starts, times of speeding and those when we were barely moving. Di erent folks have di erent ideas about which are which, but I’m pretty sure you can include graduations, rst jobs, Uncle Sam, marriages, children, retirement and on and on somewhere in the mix of big signs. For many of those, the trips happened long ago and we’ve forgotten some of the details. How was the tra c? How was the weather? Did we have much cash? Who were our fellow travelers. How was the scenery?

Did we run out of gas somewhere along the way?

Others were, of course, memorable. And we often relive them; for instance, we’d better remember our wedding anniversary.

Some signs along the way were ignored; others missed by accident. We took a wrong turn here or there and maybe arrived at a di erent destination from where we set out to go. Sometimes that’s OK; sometimes it’s more than OK. It’s better. The Book tells us that in all things, even wrong roads or turns, God works for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

Sometimes that’s not easy to remember, especially when we have a at tire or run out of gas. At this tender young age in my trip, I’m trying harder than ever to remember that.

Sometimes that means getting o the interstate and enjoying the smaller roads around us. Had one of those the other day. My oldest grandchild stopped being a teenager and my second oldest, who happens to be his sister, became one. Shel took great delight in telling that to her mother, my rst-born from one of those mileposts.

My hope and prayer for me and for you is that we’ll see those mileposts, enjoy and give thanks for them, and take in all the scenery.

Happy motoring …

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

I was so mean

A thread of sadness was welling up in me. Sad about my angry reaction to the busy customer rep. Toddled over to her counter and made amends.

Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor. COLUMN |

PAID A VISIT to my neighborhood grocery store, dearly hoping to see Girl Scouts selling cookies. It’s that time of the year. OK, yes, I was salivating … No Scouts around?! Chocolate thin mints, where are you? I’m in deep, deep need.

Begrudgingly accepting the Scouts’ no - show, and yearning for their wickedly good cookies, I elected to stock up on my all-time fave libation, Diet Dr Pepper (DDP) instead. My DDP 6-pack and I nally made our way to the self-checkout machines. I use my iPhone to pay for just about everything these days. Easy-peasy and I get to show o my whiz-bang tech skills for anyone who might be misled by my silver hair. But … no!! My iPhone was sitting in my car! (Prayers for iPhone safety, quickly initiated.) Guess it’s cash this time. I think I remember how to use that wrinkled paper stu , or so I whispered to myself.

Wanting to exit the store and break open a Diet Dr Pepper. I just love the initial bite of that rst sip on my tongue. But for the life of me, I could not nd the checkout doohickey’s cash insertion point. I’m bending over, craning my neck looking at both sides of the machine, bobbing up, bobbing down. Feeling pretty darn stupid while doing so. I hate feeling stupid. Of course, I also hate being caught looking stupid.

I mashed (as they say in Southern idiom) that customer service button for all it was worth! Was my head spinning round and round on its axis, as in the classic, frightening movie, “The Exorcist”?

Whatever, I was not a sight for sore eyes.

The customer service rep, in the cubicle across from me, was on the phone and could see my obvious frustration. She kept pointing downward. Huh? I’m looking at my feet, the ground. What? Finally, I bent my reluctant body down to a hair above my creaky knees. Oh, there’s that sucker, the cash insertion point. A devil of a machine not ergonomically created for aging bodies.

The customer rep probably saw the pointy daggers in my eyes when I looked up at her. If I were a cat, I’d be spitting. (Do cats actually spit?) Mission accomplished. Dollar bills gobbled down by that unrepentant devil of a machine. My consolation prize, Diet Dr Pepper in hand, ready to bust out of that store. Wait a minute. A thread of sadness was welling up in me. Sad about my angry reaction to the busy customer rep. Toddled over to her counter and made amends. Her eyes softened and she gave me a thumbs up. Absolved. I could breathe again. (I’m very fond of breathing.)

Hauled my Dr Pepper 6-pack out to the car, quickly breaking open a bottle of that incredibly zzy stu . Leaning against the front door, relishing that rst biting sip. All was right with the world in that moment. Yep, peace comes cheaply at times. I just need to notice …

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity.

Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune.

BE IN TOUCH

Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed. These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

Mamdani’s fantasy world of equal outcome

NEW YORK CITY

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability. That is your duty.”

Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.”

— A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10th-grade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for opeds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

obituaries

Nancy Carolyn Doss Hardy

Nov. 3, 1950 – Jan. 8, 2026

Nancy Carolyn Doss Hardy, 75, of Goldston, went to her Heavenly home on Thursday, January 8th, 2026, at UNC Chapel Hill surrounded by family.

Nancy was born November 3rd, 1950, in Lynchburg, VA, to the late Charlie and Alese Johnson Doss. She is preceded in death by her parents; her son, Chuck Lindsay; her brothers, Tom Doss and Charlie Doss; and her sister, Jenny Shaw.

Nancy was a nanny to many and loved taking care of children. She worked at GE in Lynchburg, VA and for Quality Mold here in Siler City. She was kind and generous and never met a stranger. She was

Sandra Bish Mcsween

Oct. 20, 1944 –Jan. 13, 2026

Sandra Bish McSween, 81, of Siler City, North Carolina, passed peacefully at home on January 13, 2026. Born and raised in Siler City, Sandy was a graduate of Jordan-Matthews High School. She devoted her daughter’s early years to being

Peggy Alice Johnson Cockman

May 5, 1937 – Jan. 12, 2026

Peggy Alice Johnson Cockman, 88, of Siler City, passed away on Monday, January 12th, 2026, at Randolph Hospice House.

Peggy was born on May 5th, 1937, in Chatham County, to the late Oren Taylor and Myrtle Womble Johnson. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, William “Billy” Larry Cockman; her son, Larry Taylor Cockman; and her brother, Rufus Johnson, Sr.

Peggy worked as a teacher’s assistant and loved teaching the children. She loved planting

one of those people that would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. She always put her family first and loved them wholeheartedly. She was always taking care of others. She loved flowers and cooking. She was especially known for her sweet potato pie. She loved Christmas and decorating for it. She was put in the local paper and was dubbed “The Santa Lady”. She also loved “Bigfoot” and enjoyed anything that was about bigfoot. Nancy also loved animals and was known to take care of them also.

Left to cherish Nancy’s memory is her husband of 33 years, Dallas Junior Hardy of the home; her daughter, Tammy Lindsay of Goldston; her grandchildren, Lyndsay Hamilton and her husband, Jon, Courtney Lindsay, Taylor Lindsay, and Alex Lindsay; her great grandchildren, Scarlet, Mia, Liam, Greyson, and Dallas; her brother, James Doss and his wife, Brenda; her nieces, Wanda and Shelby; and her faithful companion, Cy.

There will be a visitation Saturday, January 17th, 2026, from 5-7 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Hardy family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

a stay-at-home mother. Once her daughter began school, Sandy generously gave her time volunteering at Chatham Trades, later working part-time at Bish Military Surplus. She ultimately retired early to care for her aging parents.

Sandy found joy in life’s simple and meaningful pleasures. She loved to cook, garden, and read. She had a special eye for folk art and North Carolina pottery and was a devoted animal lover, providing a home for stray animals over many decades. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Lou Bish. She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, John McSween; her daughter, Mary; and her grandson, Alex.

In accordance with Sandy’s wishes, no service will be held. Those who wish to honor her memory are encouraged to make a donation to Chatham Animal Rescue & Education.

flowers and being outdoors. She loved watching the birds and deer on Johnson hill. When she wasn’t outside, she was watching Carolina basketball. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Siler City. She loved spending time with her family and making memories with them.

Left to cherish her memory is her daughter, Kim Cockman of Siler City; her precious yorkie, Little Boy; numerous nieces and nephews; and many special friends.

A graveside service will be held Saturday, January 17th, 2026, at 2 pm, at Hickory Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery, with services being officiated by Reverend Allen Admire.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Baptist Church, 314 N. 2nd Ave. Siler City, NC 27344, Hickory Mountain Baptist Church, 1094 Mt. Vernon Hickory Mountain Rd. Siler City, NC 27344, or Randolph Hospice House, 446 Vision Dr. Asheboro, NC 27203. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Cockman family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Dwight Douglas Lindley Sr.

June 3, 1944 – Jan. 12, 2026

Dwight Douglas Lindley Sr., 81, of Siler City, North Carolina, peacefully passed away on January 12, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on June 3, 1944, in Siler City, Dwight was the son of Charlie Jabus Lindley and Lucille Pegg Lindley. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved grandson, Timothy Neill Cameron Jr., and his brothers, Phil Lindley and Michael Lindley.

Dwight was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather who found his greatest joy in being with “his girls.” Family meant everything

Wanda Whitaker Garner

July 11, 1948 – Jan. 14, 2026

Wanda Whitaker Garner of Carthage, NC, went home to be with the Lord on January 14, 2026, while surrounded by her family. She is now peacefully reunited with her husband, Don Garner. Wanda was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many people in the community. Wanda was born in Moore County on July 11, 1948. She was the daughter of the late Elmer Whitaker and Oma Campbell Whitaker. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don

to him. He retired from Wren Brothers after many years of faithful and dedicated service. Known for his warm smile and friendly nature, Dwight truly never met a stranger and was always ready to lend a helping hand, guided by a generous and caring heart.

We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.

He took great pride in tending his garden and keeping a beautiful yard. Dwight was an avid Green Bay Packers fan, enjoyed watching tractor pulls, and loved sharing jokes and stories that filled rooms with laughter. He found peace outdoors and was especially known for the cakes he baked—each one made with love and joy for those whom he cared.

A man of strong and unwavering faith, Dwight loved gospel music and faithfully served as a deacon at Rocky River Baptist Church, where he was a devoted member for many years. He shared a special bond with his father and deeply treasured the time they spent together. He also loved fishing and being outdoors, particularly when it meant spending time with his beloved “Bo Dog.” Dwight’s life was a beautiful reflection of faith, hard work, kindness, and an enduring love for his family.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Martha Brewer

Garner. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Wilton Ray Whitaker and Roy Whitaker; and her sisters, Shirley Walsh and Sybil Garner. Wanda devoted her life to caring for others. She served as Postmaster in Glendon and Bennett, NC. She later ran a home daycare, caring for many children, including her own grandchildren. Known for her sense of humor, welcoming home, and excellent cooking, Wanda’s strong faith guided her life. She and her husband also founded the Five Mile Flea Market on Joel Road in Carthage, NC, reflecting their shared love for people and community. From an early age, Wanda shared her faith through music. She sang with her sisters as a member of The Whitaker Girls, a Southern Gospel group that performed in churches, at revivals, and on local radio. Their harmonies continued to bless family gatherings for many years. She is survived by her three sons, Brian Phillips of Carthage, NC; Kevin Phillips (Kellie) of Conover, NC; and Shannon Phillips of Highfalls, NC; her stepdaughter, Donna Garner Murphy (Brad) of Glendon, NC;

Lindley; his daughters, Donna Lindley Cameron (Timothy) and Susan Thomas Buchanan; his sons, Dwight Douglas Lindley, Jr. (Paula) and Todd Thomas; his granddaughters, Morgan Cameron, Andie Jo Lindley, and Abby Buchanan; and his grandson, Charlie Lindley. A service will be held on Friday, January 16, at 11:00 a.m. at Smith & Buckner Chapel. Following the service, the family will welcome friends and loved ones to Dwight and Martha’s home (2347 S. 2nd Ave. Ext., Siler City, NC 27344) to share memories and celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Rocky River Baptist Church (4436 Siler City Snow Camp Road, Siler City, NC 27344) or Liberty Hospice (401 E. 3rd Street, Siler City, NC 27344) in honor of Dwight’s memory. Dwight Douglas Lindley, Sr. leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and kindness and will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who were blessed to know him. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Lindley family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

and her stepson, Ryan Garner (Kim) of Highfalls, NC. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Jacob Phillips of Bennett, NC; Hannah Phillips of Charlotte, NC; Samuel Phillips of Carthage, NC; Maddy Phillips of Conover, NC; Jack Phillips of Conover, NC; Makayla Garner of Highfalls, NC; and Van Ritter of Glendon, NC; her siblings, Janet Frye of Albemarle, NC; Lucille Collins (Billy) of Vass, NC; Bonnie Garner of Vass, NC; and Gail Gathagan (Gene) of Knoxville, TN; Russell Whitaker (Mary Ruth) of Carthage; as well as multiple nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly. On Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Yates Thagard Baptist Church in Carthage, NC, a visitation will take place at 2:00 pm. Then, a Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00 pm with Sammy Frye officiating. Burial will follow at Yates Thagard Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest beside her husband.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Wanda Garner to Gentiva Hospice (1836 Doctors Drive, Sanford, NC 27330) or Yates Thagard Baptist Church (3820 Vass-Carthage Road, Carthage, NC 28327).

James “Jimmy” Franklin Warfford

Sept. 8, 1940 – Jan. 15, 2026

James “Jimmy” Franklin Warfford, born September 8, 1940, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was a pillar of the Siler City, North Carolina community for decades, leaving a lasting legacy through service, leadership, and mentorship.

Coach Warfford devoted more than 30 years to JordanMatthews High School, where he served as a long-time baseball

coach, athletic director, and multisport coach. In recognition of his extraordinary commitment and impact, the Jordan-Matthews baseball field was named in his honor upon his retirement. He also coached football at both the junior varsity and varsity levels and served as the junior varsity women’s basketball coach. His contributions to Jordan-Matthews athletics were further honored with his induction into the JordanMatthews Hall of Fame.

A former collegiate athlete, Jimmy Warfford played baseball at Mars Hill University prior to beginning his distinguished coaching career. Known simply as “Coach” to generations of students and athletes, he was respected not only for his knowledge of the game, but for the character, discipline, and care he instilled in those he coached. To many, he was far more than a coach; he was a mentor, role model, and friend.

He married the love of his life, Linda Cowan Warfford, on June 22, 1968. She preceded him in death.

Beyond athletics, Jimmy was deeply rooted in the Siler City

ROBIN LOU FLYER

AUG. 17, 1943 – JAN. 18, 2026

community. He was an active member of First Baptist Church of Siler City and a proud member of the Freemasons, living out his faith and values through service to others.

Jimmy also honorably served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Specialist Four (E-4) He is survived by his daughters, Mary Beth Cooke and Jenny Lind DeWeese; his sons-in-law, Buddy Cooke and Brad DeWeese; and his beloved grandchildren, CharlieMae Cooke, Wade Cooke, Reece Cooke, Addalyn DeWeese, Brinley DeWeese, Harlow DeWeese, and Axton DeWeese.

Coach Jimmy Warfford’s influence extended far beyond the field. He was a coach and a friend to everyone he met, and his legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched through leadership, kindness, and unwavering dedication to his community.

Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Warfford family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Mrs. Robin Lou Flyer, 82, of Bear Creek, NC, went to her Heavenly home on Sunday, January 18, 2026.

Robin was born on August 17, 1943, in Texas, to Charles Rickard and Floy Lou Mordoff Rickard.

Robin is a graduate of Kent State University and taught adult services education. Her passions included a homesteading lifestyle, growing vegetables in her garden and canning what she harvested. She lost her son, Matthew Thomas Flyer on October 24, 2025.

Surviving Robin is her high school sweetheart and husband of 55 years, Thomas Flyer, of the home and her daughter-in-law, Lynn Flyer, of Goldston, NC.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.

Chatham County Aging Services

Mildred Joann Lindley

Sept. 23, 1934 –Jan. 11, 2026

Mildred JoAnn Lindley, age 91, passed away January 11th, 2026, at Liberty Commons Skilled Nursing in Burlington, NC. She was born in Alamance County on September 23rd, 1934, but lived most of her life in the Silk Hope community of Chatham County. She was the daughter of the late Harlow and Ruth H. Lindley. JoAnn was also preceded in death by her brother, Gerald V. Lindley, wife Shirley, and great nephew, Joseph Leitch, III. After graduating from Silk Hope High School in 1952, she began her career at Siler City Manufacturing Hosiery Mill in Siler City. She retired 55 years later from the same location which had changed ownership several times through the years. JoAnn was on a bowling team in Siler City for several decades. She was a lifelong member of South Fork Friends Church where she sang in the choir for 70+ years and in a trio and mixed chorus along the way. She was a devoted member of the church missionary society and served for many years on the home visitation committee. One

of her greatest joys in life was spending time with her brothers’ families (Gerald and Harry). Although she never married, she claimed her multiple nephews and nieces as her children and her great nephews and nieces as her grandchildren. To them she was affectionately known as “JoJo”. Prior to entering the nursing facility, she lived 17.5 years with her niece Melanie and Joe Reece and their children, Ruthie, Caroline, Eleanor, and James.

JoAnn is survived by her brother, Harry Lindley and his wife, Brenda; nephews, Greg Lindley and his wife, Toni, Michael Lindley, Kevin Lindley and his wife, Julie, Erik Lindley and his wife, Denise; nieces, Jamie Lamm and her husband, Jeff, Melanie Reece and her husband, Joe; great nephews, Graham Lindley and his son, Rylan, Brock Lindley, and James Reece; great nieces, Stacey Walker and her husband, Cody and their daughter, Joy, Emma Claire Lindley, Ruthie Vickrey and her husband, Landon, Caroline Reece, Evey Lindley, Ember Lindley, Eleanor Reece, and Eden Lindley.

The service will be held at South Fork Friends Church on Friday, January 16th, 2026, at 11:00 am with her pastor, Reverend Dr. Daniel Thames. Visitation and reception will follow in the church chapel. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to South Fork Friends Music Fund in c/o Judi Harris, South Fork Friends Church, 359 South Fork Bethel Road, Snow Camp, NC 27349. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Lindley family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Dilbert comic creator Scott Adams dead from cancer at 68

The author and commentator had been fighting prostate cancer

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

SCOTT ADAMS, whose popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern office culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks, has died. He was 68.

His first ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced the death last Tuesday on a livestream posted on Adams’ social media accounts. Adams revealed in 2025 that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Miles had said he was in hospice care in his Northern California home last Monday.

“I had an amazing life,” the statement said in part. “I gave it everything I had.” At its height, “Dilbert,” with its mouthless, bespectacled hero in a white short-sleeved shirt and a perpetually curled red tie, appeared in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in at least 70 countries and 25 languages.

Adams was the 1997 recipient of the National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award, con-

sidered one of the most prestigious awards for cartoonists. That same year, “Dilbert” became the first fictional character to make Time magazine’s list of the most influential Americans.

The collapse of “Dilbert” empire

It all collapsed quickly in 2023 when Adams, who was white, repeatedly referred to black people as members of a “hate group” and said he would no longer “help black Americans.” He later said he was being hyperbolic, yet continued to defend his stance. Almost immediately, newspapers dropped “Dilbert” and his distributor, Andrews McMeel Universal, severed ties with the cartoonist. The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, decided to keep the “Dilbert” space blank for a while “as a reminder of the racism that pervades our society.” A planned book was scrapped. “He’s not being canceled. He’s experiencing the consequences of expressing his views,” Bill Holbrook, the creator of the strip “On the Fastrack,” told The Associated Press at the time. “I am in full support with him saying anything he wants to, but then he has to own the consequences of saying them.”

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IN SEARCH OF SOMEONE

I met you at Dollar Tree in Siler City, you paid for a Birthday Gift Bag. I want to meet you again to thank you. I live on Hwy.902 at 11348, Bear Creek, NC. My phone # is 919-837-5280.

the maximum income to qualify for 2025 tax deferment is $58,200. If you meet the quali cations your taxes could be signi cantly lowered. Please contact our o ce or visit our website for more details on this program and to obtain an application.

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR DISABLED VETERANS: This program excludes the rst forty- ve thousand dollars ($45,000) of the appraised value of a permanent residence owned and occupied by a North Carolina Resident, who is an Honorably Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran, or the unmarried surviving spouse of an Honorable Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran. Please contact our o ce or visit our website for more details about this program. Chatham County Tax Department P O Box 908, Pittsboro NC 27312 (919) 542-8250

NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM

The undersigned, Autumn Shuke Norris, having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Joyce Carter Shuke, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the Estate to present such claims to the undersigned in care of the undersigned’s Attorney at their address on or before April 24, 2026 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the above named Administrator CTA. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. Autumn Shuke Norris, Administrator CTA Estate of Joyce Carter Shuke Daniel Jenkins, Esq. Carolina Estate Planning 380 Knollwood St. Suite 500 Winston Salem, NC 27103 January 22, 29, Feburary 5 and 12, 2026

NOTICE

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Annie Faye Braxton, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations, having claims against the said estate to present them to the undersigned at 1153 Hu man Mill Road,Burlington, NC 27215 on or before the 9th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations, indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment. This the 8th day of January, 2026. Janet F. Braxton, Administrator Seth M. Gerringer, Attorney Deal Law, PLLC 1153 Hu man Mill Road Burlington, NC 27215 Publication Dates: Jan. 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2026

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Carol Triplett Robbins a/k/a Carol T. Robbins, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 15th, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 15th day of January 2026. Antony Derek Roberson, Executor Estate of Carol Triplett Robbins c/o Roberson Law Firm 1829 E. Franklin St., Ste. 800C Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Run Dates: 1/15, 22, 29, 2/5

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

25E000680-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Walter D. Jones, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of John T. Jones, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of April 15, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 15th day of January 2026.

Walter D. Jones

Administrator

Marie H. Hopper

Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000025-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Barbara Moore, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of James McGrath, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of April 20, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 22nd day of January 2026.

Barbara Moore Executor

Marie H. Hopper

Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE OF PRIMARY ELECTION

CHATHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

The statewide primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote.

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without ID.

Voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. Find out more at ncsbe. gov/voter-id.

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. The following precincts will be open on Election Day: 3-Albright-9-Bonlee-15-BynumGLD118-Goldston-MON113-Moncure-21-HadleyCRD118-Crossroads-30-Hickory Mountain-ECL109-East Chapel-WCL108-West Chapel-42-Jordan Lake- WPP114-West Pittsboro-EPP112-East Pittsboro-ESC114-East Siler City-85-West Siler City75-East Williams-NWM117-North Williams-78-West Williams

Early voting will be held at the following locations from Thursday, February 12, 2026, through Saturday, February 28, 2026.

• Chatham County Agriculture Conference Center-1192 US -64 BUS, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (County Board of Elections o ce In Lieu of Site)

• Goldston Town Hall – 40A Coral Ave., Goldston, NC 27312

• Earl B. Fitts Community Center – 111 S. Third Ave., Siler City, NC 27312

• CCCC Health Science Center – 75 Ballentrae Ct., Pittsboro, NC 27312

• New Hope Baptist Church – 581 New Hope Church Rd., Apex, NC 27523

Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM

Saturday – February 14th & 21st 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Sunday – February 22nd 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Saturday – February 28th

8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Last Day)

Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning January 12, 2026

Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on March 3, 2026. A voter can ll out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe.gov, or by lling out a request form provided by the county board of elections o ce.

The request must be received through the website or by the Chatham County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. February 17, 2026.

In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the general election on November 3rd. Contests on the ballot include U. S. Senate, U.S. House, N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, N.C. House and Senate, and county o ces. In the primary, voters a liated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party, if their party has a primary. Una liated voters may choose to vote in any party’s primary, but they may select only one party’s ballot.

The Board of Elections will meet on the following dates at 5:00 PM for the purpose of approving absentee ballots.

January 27th February 3rd February 10th February 17th February 24th March 2nd March 3rd

The voter registration deadline for this election is 5 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2026. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. Individuals registering to vote at an early voting site will be required to provide current documentation of their residence (for example, a government ID, other government document, or a paycheck, bank statement, or utility bill). Voters who wish to change party a liation must do so by the February 6 deadline.

Questions? Call the Chatham County Board of Elections O ce at 919-545-8500 or send an email to elections@chathamcountync.gov

Tad VanDusen, Chair Chatham County Board of Elections

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Seth Andrew Laws late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 8th day of January, 2026.

Kelli Denise Laws, Administrator Of the Estate of Seth Andrew Laws 2621 Arthur Teague Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344

MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of William Larry Cockman late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 6th day of January, 2026. Kimberly Rose Cockman, Executor Of the Estate of William Larry Cockman 1034 Stage Coach Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

4tp

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Sue Loy late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 8th day of January, 2026. Robyn Thomas Walker, Executor Of the Estate of Sue Loy 69 Fox Chapel Lane Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the Executor does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to F. Gordon Battle, Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson, c/o Patrick E. Bradshaw, Attorney for the Estate, at Bradshaw Robinson Slawter & Rainer LLP, PO Box 607, Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 15th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the Executor. This 8th day of January, 2026. F. Gordon Battle Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson Patrick E. Bradshaw Bradshaw Robinson Slawter & Rainer LLP PO Box 607 Pittsboro, NC 27312 (For Publication: 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 and 1/29/2026)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

25E000017-180 ALL persons having claims against Robert James Gabor, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Apr 22 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. Robert Gabor, Jr., Executor C/O Alisa Hu man, PLLC 701 E. Chatham Street, Ste. 209 Cary, NC 27511 J22, 29, 5 and 12

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25 E 00695-180

The undersigned LYNN S. CRAYCROFT, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ARLINE J. SENKPIEL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000683-180

The undersigned ANGELA CAMILLE CLINE, having quali ed on the 22ND Day of DECEMBER 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of BLANCHE ELIZABETH CLINE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026. ANGELA CAMILLE CLINE, ADMINISTRATOR 1268 WILSON ROAD GOLDSTON, NC 27252 MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: LEWIS FADELY, PLLC 119 N FIR AVE. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000022-180 The undersigned JEREMY KNOTT AND TRACEY JONES, having quali ed on the 9TH Day of JANUARY 2026 as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the Estate of CAROLYN ANNE KNOTT aka ANNE PRINCE KNOTT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. JEREMY KNOTT, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 430 JOHNSON FARM ROAD NEW HILL, NC 27562 MAIL TO: TRACY JONES, CO-ADMINSTRATOR 791 KODIR WOMBLE DRIVE NEW HILL, NC 27562 Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000002-180 The undersigned BARBARA GILMORE, having quali ed on the 2ND Day of JANUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DAVID CLARK GILMORE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026. BARBARA GILMORE, ADMINISTRATOR 217 QUINTER DRIVE CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000693-180 The undersigned RICKY DAYE, aka RICHARD L. DAYE, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MARY H. MERTENS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. RICKY DAYE aka RICHARD L. DAYE, EXECUTOR 5328 CHIMNEY SWIFT DRIVE WAKE FOREST, NC 27587 Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000665-180

The undersigned KEENAN B. JONES, RYAN L. JONES, AND KARA J. OLDHAM, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of RODGER L. JONES, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 8th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 8th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. KEENAN B. JONES, CO-EXECUTOR 1473 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 KARA J. OLDHAM, CO-EXECTUTOR 1482 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: RYAN L. JONES, CO-EXECUTOR 1642 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: J8,15,22,29

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001413-180

The undersigned MAURICE A. WICKER, having quali ed on the 5TH Day of AUGUST 2024 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of LORENA EASTRIDGE WICKER aka LORENA E. WICKER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026.

MAURICE A. WICKER, ADMINISTRATOR 369 RC OVERMAN ROAD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor, the Estate of Robert E. Allen, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said Decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before April 30, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment.

This the 16 day of January, 2026.

Vicky LeGrys, Executor 111 Pokeberry Lane, Pittsboro NC 27312

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor. A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one

of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant AG

actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to Florida pad ahead of astronaut launch

as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apol-

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

lo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.

theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court lings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October.

Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased

threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ash-bang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

CHATHAM SPORTS

Northwood’s Bakari Watkins celebrates his 1,00th career point after his second basket against

Watkins scores 1,000th point as Northwood routs Jordan-Matthews

The Chargers improved to 3-0 in conference play

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — Northwood senior Bakari Watkins made sure his performance matched the occasion during the Chargers’ 75-36 win over Jordan-Matthews on Friday.

On his way to a 19-point and eight-assist performance, Wat-

kins notched his 1,000th career point with his second make of the game, becoming the fourth Charger to reach the milestone in four seasons. He amassed most of his points in his three seasons at Carrboro.

“It’s been a goal I’ve had for a while now since December before freshman year,” Watkins said. “Just to nally achieve it means a lot to me.

Going into the game, I knew it was four points I needed, so I had to score early and keep

focus on winning the game.”

After a stoppage of play to celebrate and honor Watkins for his achievement, he went right back to work. He dropped three more buckets, starting 5 for 5 from the eld and leading the Chargers to a 19-6 lead by the end of the rst quarter. Watkins found success with strong nishes at the rim and mid-range jump shots while also creating looks for his teammates.

“Tonight really showed what

Seaforth’s Gabe Rogers holds his 150-win poster with coaches Pete Rogers and Fredy Stroker.

Rogers

notches career milestone, Seaforth wins big at senior night quad

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

“A lot of hard work went into it, and it’s nice to nally get the accomplishment.” Gabe Rogers

“It’s

With his 150th win imminent, Rogers, the future Binghamton University grappler, approached his milestone-clinching bout “like any other match.”

on

he can do on the oor,” Northwood coach Matt Brown said.

“I think tonight was one of his better games, and hopefully we can build on that. He’s coming along really nicely and t into the system, and he’s very coachable. I’m just really happy for him.”

Northwood senior Cam Fowler also scored 19 points, including 11 in the rst half, to get the win.

Eight di erent Chargers made a shot in their second quarter surge in which they outscored Jordan-Matthews 25-11 for an 44-20 lead at halftime.

For most of the rst half, Northwood forced the Jets into tough shots, and its trap defense led to multiple turnovers that turned into points on the other end.

Fowler and senior Chad Graves, who nished the night with 13 points, carried that momentum into the second half,

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Northwood is still undefeated in 2026 after a 67-54 win over Garner at the Garner MLK Showcase Saturday. Seaforth had six players score in double digits, including a team-high 20 points from senior Campbell Meador, to edge Eastern Alamance 83-80 in overtime on Jan. 15. Tied at 76 with under four minutes to play in overtime, junior Cole Davis’ steal and assist to senior Patrick Miller for an and-one sparked a late surge for the Hawks. The following night, South Granville snapped Seaforth’s six-game win streak and handed the Hawks their rst conference loss 79-59. Woods Charter extended its win streak to six with wins over Research Triangle (54-42) and Clover Garden (47-41). Junior Levi Haygood led the Wolves in scoring, posting double-doubles in both games. Chatham Central fell to Winston-Salem Prep in overtime 65-62 Friday.

Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

Central Tar Heel 1A: T1.

combining for 14 of Northwood’s 20 third quarter points. Jordan-Matthews shot 39% from the oor and was held to less than 50 points for the sixth time this season. Sophomore Matthew Victorino scored a team-high 11 points for the Jets, who fell to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in Four Rivers 3A/4A conference play with the loss. Northwood improved to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play with its third straight win. As of Friday, the Chargers have

“I think tonight was one of (Watkins’) better games, and hopefully we can build on that.” Matt Brown 2

Double-doubles for Levi Haygood in the Wolves’ two wins last week

Woods Charter (11-3, 4-0); T1. Southern Wake (11-4, 3-0); T1. Chatham Charter (11-7, 3-0); 4. Clover Garden (5-9, 3-2); 5. Ascend Leadership (3-14, 1-3); 6. River Mill (1-15, 1-5); Central Carolina (1-12, 0-5) Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1. South Stokes (14-2, 5-0); T1. Bishop McGuinness (12-3, 4-0); T3. College Prep and Leadership (5-12, 3-3); T3. Winston-Salem Prep (7-10, 3-3); 5. North Stokes (4-12, 2-3); 6. Chatham Central (9-6, 1-4); 7. South Davidson (0-15, 0-5) Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Northwood (11-4, 3-0); T1. Southwestern Randolph (8-6, 2-0); T3. Uwharrie Charter (10-5, 1-1); T3. Jordan-Matthews (8-8, 1-1); T5. Eastern Randolph (2-11, 0-2); T5. North Moore (4-7, 0-3) Big Seven 4A/5A: T1. Seaforth (9-5, 4-1); T1. Webb (7-7, 4-1); 3. Orange (4-11, 3-1); 4. South Granville (7-7, 3-2); 5.

Cam Fowler

Northwood, boys’ basketball

Northwood senior Cam Fowler earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Jan. 12.

In the Chargers’ win over Jordan-Matthews on Friday, Fowler logged 19 points, four assists and three steals. He followed that with a season-high 31 points to help Northwood down Garner 67-54 at the Hoopstate MLK Showcase Saturday.

Fowler has once again led the scoring e ort for Northwood this season, averaging 20 points per game. He has scored at least 10 points in every game this season, including greater than 20-point performances in three of the Chargers’ last four games as of Sunday.

War ord, longtime J-M baseball coach, dead at 85

The J-M Athletics Hall of Famer coached from 1981-2010

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

WHETHER HE GREETED you with his renowned smile or lit a re under you as a player, Jimmy War ord, the longtime baseball coach at Jordan-Matthews, valued balance.

He knew when it was time to share his “tremendous sense of humor,” and he knew when it was time to be serious. But for many decades of his life, it was always time for the Jets.

“Nobody bled royal blue more than Jimmy,” John Phillips, former Jordan-Matthews basketball coach and athletic director said.

War ord, 85, died Jan. 15, days after su ering injuries from a fall. His funeral service will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Siler City.

Although his physical presence will no longer be felt at the Jordan-Matthews athletic facilities where he was often found, his legacy and memories live on through his family, the lives he touched and the baseball eld that bears his name.

Born on Sept. 8, 1940, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, War ord began his journey in Jordan-Matthews athletics as a pioneer.

War ord, a 1959 Jordan-Matthews graduate, scored the rst touchdown on the eld at what is now Phil E. Senter Stadium.

“The joke was it was a 1-yard run, and it got 1-yard longer every year, and he got so old that it was a 90-yard run,” Phillips said.

After graduating, War ord played baseball at Mars Hill. He also served in the U.S. Army.

War ord taught and coached at West Montgomery High School from 1968-72. He returned to Siler City and served as the town’s rst recreation director for seven years, and he also served as the rst community schools coordinator for Chatham County Schools.

In the fall of 1981, War ord returned to his alma mater as a health and physical education teacher and the varsity baseball coach.

Ti any Tyson, a former track and eld athlete at Jordan-Matthews who grew close with the War ord family, was one of his P.E. students and remembered

“Nobody bled royal blue more than Jimmy.”

John Phillips

him always being “joyful” with a smile on his face.

“We could go talk to him about anything,” Tyson said. “In P.E. class, he would get on the court and play basketball with us. He was always active in P.E. class with us. That’s how he always kept us going.”

War ord coached the baseball team from 1982-2010, including eight seasons after retiring from teaching in 2002.

He led the Jets to multiple state playo appearances, and he also coached the local American Legion program. Warfford was inducted into the Jordan-Matthews Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Nobody out there is like Coach War ord,” Rick Parks, a 2001 Jordan-Matthews baseball alum, said. “He was one of a kind. He was very knowledgeable in the game of baseball, and I had the privilege of playing four years for him.”

Parks even got the opportunity to coach against War ord when he became Northwood’s baseball coach in 2007, and he made sure his team played well and with good sportsmanship in their meetings. From Warfford, Parks implemented his relaxed and patient approach to the game into his own coaching style.

“It’s kind of like playing in front of your dad,” Parks said about his matchups with Warfford as a coach. “I was in the middle of my junior season, and

that’s when my dad passed away. I think that’s part of the reason I became so close to so many coaches at J-M.” Said Parks, “Coach War ord even helped get a game moved because the funeral service was on the day of the game. We were supposed to play Chatham Central.”

For many years, War ord’s dedication to high school sports was a year-round a air. From 1981-88, War ord coached junior varsity football in the fall and junior varsity basketball in the winter prior to his baseball seasons. After stepping away from JV basketball, he continued leading JV football through 1996.

“He used to love the play called 22 power,” Husani Williams, who played JV football for War ord said. “My favorite memory all time is when he used to come in that football huddle, grab me by the shoulder, and he’d say, ‘Let’s get it right, Husani. Let’s get it right.’ And then, he’ll say the play. And when he said that, I knew he meant business.”

At home, War ord was a dad to Mary Beth Cooke and Jenny Lind DeWeese (2007 Jordan-Matthews Athletics Hall of Fame inductee). He and his wife, Linda, were married for 43 years until her death in 2011. Jordan-Matthews named its baseball eld in War ord’s honor during the nal regular season game of the 2008 season against Chatham Central.

After his decades-long service to Jordan-Matthews athletics, War ord still found time for it. He continued to come around the school to watch games and maintain the baseball eld where his name lives on forever.

Oliver reaches historic heights for Woods Charter girls’ basketball

The senior became the school’s rst girl to reach 1,000 points

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CHAPEL HILL — Minutes before the Woods Charter girls’ basketball team tipped o at home against Clover Garden Friday, fans shu ed around for scarce seating, and to the right, the entire team warmed up with “1,000” on its back.

After tipo , even when “ohs” of disappointment followed the early misses, it was always a matter of when, never if, history would be made that night.

With her second made 3 of the game in the second quarter, senior guard Wesley Oliver ended the anticipation. Oliver became Woods Charter’s rst girl to reach 1,000 career points and the second player in school history to reach the milestone after girls’ basketball assistant coach Fleet Morgan. Coming into Friday’s game, Oliver only needed four points.

“I was super nervous not just because of the points but also

ROUNDUP from page B1

Carrboro (1-13, 1-3); 6. Durham

School of the Arts (6-10, 1-4); 7. Cedar Ridge (2-11, 0-4)

Power Rankings (week of Jan. 12): 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Jordan-Matthews; 5. Chatham Central; 6. Chatham Charter

Last week’s rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Jordan-Matthews 5. Chatham Central; 6. Chatham Charter

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Northwood smothered Jordan-Matthews 54-10 Friday for its third straight win.

Seaforth lost consecutive games for the rst time this season with losses to Eastern Alamance (69-37) and South Granville (41-25) last week.

Prior to the loss to Clover Garden on Friday, Woods Charter dominated Central Carolina 63-14 and Research Triangle 36-19 last week. Senior guard Wesley Oliver scored a combined 41 points in the two games.

Chatham Charter sophomore scored 22 points to help the Knights beat River Mill 59-34 Friday.

Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

Central. Tar Heel 1A: T1. Clover Garden (9-5, 5-0); T1. Southern Wake (6-2, 3-0); 3. Woods Charter (19-5, 3-1); 4. Chatham Charter (5-13, 2-1); 5.

because I knew it was a big game,” Oliver said. “It was just a lot to think about right before the game. But as the game got closer, I got less nervous.”

Woods Charter coach Carmen Wood said Oliver didn’t really think about the points leading up to the game. At times, Wood had to check in with Oliver to remind her how close she was.

“It speaks so much about her leadership and what she does for the team,” Wood said.

“Just working hard every single game.” Oliver wasn’t aware of the team’s warmup shirts Friday, which also featured a game photo of her on the front. Someone spoiled the warmup plans to Oliver prior to the game, but she forgot anyway, providing a surprise on her special night.

“It was just so cool,” Oliver said. “My team means the world to me, and I’m so thankful for their support.”

For Morgan, watching Oliver join him in the school’s history books was a “great experience.”

“I think I probably was the only Woods Charter fan that was disappointed that she

River Mill (2-14, 2-4); 6. Ascend Leadership (1-14, 1-4) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Bishop McGuinness (12-2, 3-0); T2. South Stokes (9-7, 3-1); T2. North Stokes (7-8, 3-1); 4. College Prep and Leadership (15-4, 3-2); T5. Chatham Central (7-7, 0-4); T5. South Davidson (0-15, 0-4) Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Northwood (10-5, 3-0); T1. Southwestern Randolph (11-2, 1-0); T3. Uwharrie Charter (12-3, 1-1); T3. Jordan-Matthews (4-12, 1-1); T5. Eastern Randolph (1-10, 0-1); T5. North Moore (2-10, 0-3)

Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Orange (9-5, 4-0); T2. South Granville (8-6, 4-1); T2. Seaforth (9-3, 4-1); 4. Durham School of the Arts (6-10, 2-3); 5. Carrboro (4-8, 1-3); 6. Webb (4-10, 1-4); 7. Cedar Ridge (2-10, 0-4)

Power Rankings (week of Jan. 12): 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Chatham Charter

Last week’s rankings: 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Chatham Charter

WRESTLING

Boys

Top individual performances: Seaforth’s Jordan Miller, 120 pounds, and Gabe Rogers, 144 pounds, nished rst in their respective brackets at the Dash Classic Saturday. Their teammate Harrison Compton nished second in the 190-pound

“My team means the world to me, and I’m

so thankful

for their support.”

Wesley Oliver

passed it,” Morgan joked. “Wesley’s awesome. Much better shooter than I was. I hope she breaks however many points I scored. She’s been a great point guard. I think it’s awesome when you can score that many points and also get your teammates involved, get them to score, make them better.”

As of Sunday, Oliver leads the 10-5 Wolves in average points (16.6), assists (1.9) and steals (3.6).

The Wolves didn’t end Friday night how they wanted, taking their rst conference loss to rst-place Clover Garden 42 -34. Regardless, Wood sees Oliver’s big moment leaving a positive impact on the future of the program.

“For this program, it speaks volumes of where we’re at right now,” Wood said. “If you look

at the history of our program, we’ve been up and down. Sometimes, we didn’t have girls that wanted to play. And so when you have someone who can come out and accomplish that

through hard work and dedication, that’s what the kids look up to, and that’s going to bring more girls to our program to try to reach the heights that she’s reached.”

division, and Luke Ayers took third in the 126-pound bracket. Jordan-Matthews’ Christopher Crutch eld (113), Jhonatan Saldana (120) and Joel Garner (106) earned rst-place nishes, while Jakari Blue (190) and William Coykendall (126) nished second at the Buccaneer Cup Saturday. Chatham Central 138-pounder Gavin Vanderford posted a 17-0 tech fall and two pins to take rst place at the

Patriot Invitational on Saturday. Carson Williams, another Bear, nished third in the event’s 150-pound bracket.

Girls

Top individual performances: Jordan-Matthews’ Alexandra Zumano Garcia and Johanna Carter earned rst-place nishes in the girls’ Buccaneer Cup Saturday.

Garcia pinned four opponents.

INDOOR TRACK

Boys

Top individual performances: Chatham Charter’s Torris Price nished seventh in the boys’ 1,600 at The VA Showcase over the weekend with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 21.82 seconds.

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the all-time

wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles. But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the mak-

ing, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a con-

From sideline sprints to surprise interviews, ESPN’s Rutledge enjoys a hectic football season

Already busy, the veteran added a “Monday Night Football” role this season

By Joe Reedy

The Associated Press

LAURA RUTLEDGE’S schedule during football season has always been hectic.

The ESPN reporter has hosted “NFL Live,” the network’s year-round weekday news show, since 2020, along with “SEC Nation” on college football Saturdays.

Rutledge took on another assignment this season when she became a full-time sideline reporter on “Monday Night Football.”

With her seemingly e ortless transition from host to reporter — sometimes in a matter of minutes — and her uency in both college football and the NFL, the always enthusiastic Rutledge has become the face of football on ESPN.

Rutledge’s typical schedule was hosting “NFL Live” on Mondays from the game site and then doing sideline reports for the game. Then it was back to ESPN’s studios in Bristol,

NORTHWOOD from page B1

won eight of their last nine, including six victories by at least 30 points.

Although the Chargers seem to be rolling to start 2026, Brown feels like his team

WRESTLING from page B1

“I stayed calm before, like I always do, and just went out there, picked my shots and had some fun out there,” Rogers said. Rogers could have reached 150 wins earlier this season, but a knee injury kept him sidelined for the entire month of December. After rest and rehab, Rogers is back to feeling “100%” and “better than ever.” He returned to action at the Jolly Roger Invitational on Jan. 10 and pinned three opponents on

“It was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild” Laura Rutledge

Connecticut, where she anchored “NFL Live” from Tuesday through Thursday before traveling on Friday and hosting “SEC Nation” on Saturday.

Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has been on “SEC Nation” since it started. She also has had other roles in ESPN’s college football coverage.

“Whether she’s reporting on-air or feeding key information to the truck … Laura’s natural reporting instincts and storytelling ability are spot- on,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president of production. “She brings an energy and passion that are contagious, and she genuinely lifts everyone around her.”

ESPN approached Rutledge during the spring about doing a full “Monday Night Football”

still has as “long ways to go.”

After the win over Jordan-Matthews, Brown pointed out his team’s defensive mistakes with communication and switching, which led to some open looks for the Jets in the rst half.

the way to a rst-place nish in his weight class. Rogers’ return couldn’t have had better timing as he’s available to help the Hawks make some noise in the upcoming dual team playo s and compete to for a chance at back-to -back individual state titles. With 152 career wins as of the end of the quad, he could possibly pass former Seaforth wrestler Layne Armstrong’s program record of 164 wins too. But those are still achievements yet to be captured. The proof of perfect timing revealed itself in that Rogers was able to

schedule. She understood she would be adding more responsibility and not trading one job for another.

“I think when it comes down to what the schedule ended up being, it was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild,” Rutledge said last week as she prepared for Sunday’s divisional-round game between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. “It was sort of like this revolving-door cycle throughout each week, but what an honor to be on these things. I mean, it’s beyond even my wildest dreams. I think for me that was what I’ve constantly reminded myself of when things get a little hairy with the schedule.”

Rutledge has also showed during college football and NFL coverage that she can quickly adjust on the y.

During the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, ESPN’s cameras caught Rutledge running from one sideline — where she was reporting for “SEC Nation” on SEC Network — across the eld to anchor halftime coverage on ESPN.

But as the Chargers work to clean some things up during conference play, Brown noted the team’s player-led initiative, something exempli ed before Friday night’s game, as a special feature of the group.

“It was today during our

reach new heights in the nal regular season home meet of his career.

“It’s pretty cool in general just to see the amount of time he puts into the sport,” Pete Rogers, also an assistant on the Seaforth coaching sta , said.

“It’s probably just another win, but it’s just exciting to see him pursue something like that.”

Others Seaforth seniors honored included Palmer Moade, Jacob Winger, Ian Winger, Evan Norris, Derrick McLaughlin, Harrison Compton and Jordan Miller.

Seaforth nished the night

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.” Will Power

ting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

tract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and get-

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

The 45-second dash even got a full highlight narration from Chris Berman, who whooped with delight as he watched Rutledge weaving her way through the Mississippi band.

“I’ll never get over it,” Rutledge said. “It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me in my life. He’s been an incredible mentor to me, so it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”

Rutledge can also give rsthand perspective on trying to get a postgame interview immediately after a game when time is at a premium because of the 11 p.m. local news.

That happened after the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-19 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 8, when Rutledge buttonholed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert immediately after the game and seemingly caught him o guard.

Rutledge got the interview —

walkthrough. I was checking up on Cam and his heel,” Brown said. “I usually run all of our plays and all of our sets, and I’m usually there kind of directing it. And I walk in. They’re already doing them. They go through all the sets.

3-0 after defeating Northwood 50-24 and Jordan-Matthews 57-21. The Hawks pinned 10 opponents in the two duals. Northwood beat South Granville 54-22, and Jordan-Matthews took advantage of multiple forfeits to also defeat the Vikings 59-24. The postseason is quickly approaching, with the dual team playo s beginning with the rst and second rounds on Jan. 31.

The top 32 teams in the 3A, 4A and 5A RankWrestlers dual rankings make the state dual team playo s. As of Sun-

even if Herbert was reticent at rst — after the Eagles appeared to be driving for the winning score and Rutledge was on the other side of the eld.

“We had even less time than we normally would, and I was still trying my best to let Justin Herbert shake the hands that he wanted to and see the people that he wanted to,” Rutledge said. “From my perspective too, you never want the player to be caught unawares. So we’re trying to be sensitive to so much. And then yet when a team has said, ‘You’re going to get this player,’ that’s what we have to do.

“I don’t fault anybody in that scenario. We were both trying to do our jobs, and he stood there and did the interview.

“I try to never say anything publicly about these things. but I’m not going to have people trashing these guys. They deserve better than that.”

They sub out themselves. Them just taking ownership and accountability to do things and do it right and go through it hard says a lot about the group, and it’s something that I’ve hadn’t had in my nine years here.”

day, Northwood, 7-7 in duals this season, ranks 23rd in the 3A rankings. Jordan-Matthews, 12-15, ranks 30th in 4A and is still in good standing to make its rst dual team playo appearance. Chatham Central ranks sixth in the 1A rankings with a 4-5 record. Every team quali es for the dual team playo s in 1A. Seaforth sits at 9-4 on the season and ranks 12th in the 5A standings. The Hawks have won four straight duals which is their longest win streak of the season.

SIDELINE REPORT

TENNIS

Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Melbourne, Australia

Zeynep Sönmez stopped a game to help an ailing ballkid during her rst-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. The Turkish quali er was receiving serve in the second set when the ballkid wobbled and stumbled backward near the umpire’s chair. The ballkid stood up again but was clearly o balance when Sönmez stopped play. She held the ballkid around the waist and walked her toward some shade. Tournament o cials and medical sta took over and, after a delay of around seven minutes, the match continued.

MLB Tucker, Bichette sign free agent contracts

Two of the biggest free agents of the o season found new teams. Kyle Tucker agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Tucker is among baseball’s best all-around players. But he has played just 214 regular-season games the past two years. Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract. Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop with Toronto, will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, despite never playing a professional game there. Bichette can opt out after the rst or second season.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Oregon QB Moore to return to Ducks rather than declare for NFL Draft Eugene, Ore.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL Draft. The 20-year-old Moore announced his decision on ESPN. Moore completed nearly 72% of his throws for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Oregon nished 13-2. Moore had been forecast to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL Draft behind Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Division I cabinet changes transfer portal windows for basketball, other sports Oxon Hill, Md. The transfer portal for men’s and women’s basketball will open the day after the championship game for a period of 15 days. The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved changes to the window in several sports, including men’s wrestling, men’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s track and eld. The changes are e ective immediately. The transfer period after a head coaching change starts ve days after a new coach is hired or publicly announced. That window opens on the 31st day if the new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the last coach’s departure.

Ice dance champ Papadakis says she lost Olympic commentary role for NBC over dispute with ex-partner

Her new book made revelations that started the controversy

By Jerome Pugmire

The Associated Press

PARIS — Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis says she lost her commentary role with NBC at the upcoming Winter Olympics because of her former skating partner’s response to revelations in her new book.

In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe on Friday, the retired French skater said the decision was taken after Guillaume Cizeron publicly contested what she wrote in “So as Not to Disappear,” released last week.

Cizeron asked his lawyers last Tuesday to formally put all parties involved on notice to cease the “ dissemination of defamatory statements” about him.

“To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume ling a formal notice, which was made public, (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games,” Papadakis told L’Équipe.

“I’m not dealing with it very well, I’ve cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just beginning that career as a commentator.”

The 30-year-old Papadakis, who retired in December 2024, said: “To lose the opportunity to start a new career

is very di cult to take. I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

In her book, Papadakis described su ering in a deeply unbalanced relationship with longtime ice dance partner Cizeron, with whom she broke the world record when claiming gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Papadakis wrote that, at a certain point, the idea of nding herself alone with him terri ed her. She wrote about him being a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and expressed a feeling of “being under his grip” at times.

In Friday’s interview, she expanded further on their relationship.

Ukraine’s young skiers practice in bombed-out Olympic training base

Aspiring champions train amidst war and destruction

By Illia Novikov The Associated Press

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine

— Young athletes in northern Ukraine spend their days cross-country skiing through a scorched forest, focused on their form — until a siren inevitably shatters the silence.

They respond swiftly but without panic, ditching their skis and following coaches to an underground bomb shelter.

It’s an ordinary training session at the complex that produced Ukraine’s rst Olympic medalist.

Sleeping children no longer dream of Olympic glory in the facility’s bombed-out dormitories, and unexploded ordnance has rendered nearby land o limits. But about 350 kids and teens — some of the nation’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes — still practice in fenced-o areas amid the sporadic buzz of drones passing overhead then explosions as they’re shot down.

“We have adapted so well — even the children — that sometimes we don’t even react,” Mykola Vorchak, a 67-year-old coach, said. “Although it goes against safety rules, the children have been hardened by the war. Adapting to this has changed them psychologically.”

Sports in the cross re

War has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian sport. Athletes were displaced or called up to ght. Soccer matches are often interrupted by air raid sirens so attendance is capped by bomb shelter capacity. Elite skaters, skiers and biathletes usually train abroad, with attacks and frequent black-

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will. This is the next generation of Olympians.”

Nina Lemesh, former Olympic biathlete

outs shuttering local facilities.

But the government-run Sports Ski Base of the Olympic Reserve is open for cross-country skiing and biathlon, the event which combines skiing with shooting. The sprawling complex is on the outskirts of Chernihiv, a city two hours north of Kyiv along the path of destruction Russia’s army left in its 2022 attempt to capture the capital. Chernihiv remains a regular target for air attacks aimed at the power grid and civilian infrastructure.

Several temporary structures at the sports center serve as changing rooms, toilets and coaches’ o ces. Athletes train on snowy trails during the winter and, throughout the rest of the year, use roller skis on an asphalt track pocked by blast marks.

Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal

Valentyna

Tserbe-Nesina spent her adolescence at the Chernihiv center performing these same drills, and won bronze at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer. It was Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal as an independent country.

“The conditions weren’t great, but we had nothing better. And for us, it was like a family — our own little home,” she said inside her apartment, its shelves and walls lined with medals, trophies and souvenirs from competitions around the world.

I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

Gabriella Papadakis

the labels being attributed to me,” Cizeron said. “These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time ... thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.

“I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”

“As long as I took a backseat role while Guillaume was the leader, everything went well,” she said. “It’s when I wanted to be an equal in this relationship that things started to become more and more di cult.”

They also won an Olympic silver medal, ve world championships and ve European Championships together, as well as the Grand Prix Final twice.

Last Tuesday, Cizeron said Papadakis was spreading lies about him leading up to the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with

Cizeron said he had shown “deep respect” for Papadakis and that their working relationship had seen “moments of success and mutual support.”

Papadakis refuted that the book’s release was timed to coincide with Cizeron’s participation at next month’s Olympics.

“I can understand this perception from the outside,” Papadakis said. “But the publication date was already planned before the announcement of his return (with his new skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry).”

Fournier Beaudry previously competed for Canada. She recently gained French citizenship, clearing the path for the pair to compete together at the Olympics, where they will be among the top contenders.

Tserbe-Nesina, 56, was shocked when she visited the complex in 2022. Shelling had torn through buildings, re had consumed others. Shattered glass littered the oors of rooms where she and friends once excitedly checked taped-up results sheets.

“I went inside, up to my old room on the second oor. It was gone — no windows, nothing,” she said. “I recorded a video and found the trophies we had left at the base. They were completely burned.”

Tserbe-Nesina has been volunteering to organize funerals for fallen Ukrainian soldiers in her hometown while her husband, a retired military o cer, returned to the front. They see each other about once a year, whenever his unit allows him brief leave.

Act of de ance

One adult who in 2022 completed a tour in a territorial defense unit of Ukraine’s army sometimes trains today alongside the center’s youngsters. Khrystyna Dmytrenko, 26, will represent her country at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that start Feb. 6.

“Sports can show that Ukraine is strong,” Dmytrenko said in an interview next to the shooting range. “We rep-

resent Ukraine on the international stage, letting other countries, athletes and nations see our unity, strength and determination.”

The International Olympic Committee imposed bans and restrictions on Russian athletes after the invasion of Ukraine, e ectively extending earlier sanctions tied to state-sponsored doping. But a small group of them will participate in the upcoming Winter Games.

After vetting to ensure no military a liation, they must compete without displaying any national symbols — and only in nonteam events. That means Russian and Ukrainian athletes could face one another in some skating and skiing events. Moscow’s appeal at the federation level to allow its biathletes to compete is pending.

That’s why many Ukrainians view training for these events as an act of de ance.

Former Olympic biathlete Nina Lemesh, 52, noted that some young Ukrainians who rst picked up ri es and skis at the Chernihiv ski base during wartime have become international champions in their age groups.

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will,” she said, standing beside the destroyed dormitories. “This is the next generation of Olympians.”

Thousands of fans celebrate life of legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Weir in San Francisco

The jam band icon died Jan. 10 at age 78

By Janie Har The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Thou-

sands of people gathered Saturday at San Francisco’s Civic Center to celebrate the life of Bob Weir, the legendary guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead who died last week at age 78.

Musicians Joan Baez and John Mayer spoke on a makeshift stage in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium after four Buddhist monks opened the event with a prayer in Tibetan. Fans car

ried long-stemmed red roses, placing some at an altar filled with photos and candles. They wrote notes on colored paper, professing their love and thanking him for the journey.

Several asked him to say hello to fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia and bass guitarist Phil Lesh, also founding members who preceded him in death. Garcia died in 1995; Lesh died in 2024.

“I’m here to celebrate Bob Weir,” said Ruthie Garcia, who is no relation to Jerry, a fan since 1989. “Celebrating him and helping him go home.”

Saturday’s celebration

“The show must go on.” Monet Weir

brought plenty of fans with long dreadlocks and wearing tie - dye clothing, some using walkers. But there were also young couples, men in their 20s and a father who brought his 6 -year - old son in order to pass on to the next generation a love of live music and the tight -knit Deadhead community.

The Bay Area native joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He wrote or co -wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.” He was generally considered less shaggy looking than the other band members, although he adopted a long beard like Garcia’s later in life.

The Dead played music that pulled in blues, jazz, country, folk and psychedelia in long improvisational jams. Their concerts attracted avid Deadheads who followed them on tours. The band played on decades after Garcia’s death, morphing into Dead & Company with John Mayer.

Darla Sagos, who caught an early flight out of Seattle on Saturday morning to make the public mourning, said she suspected something was up when there were no new gigs announced after Dead & Company played three nights in San Francisco last summer. It was unusual, as his calendar often showed where the band would be playing next.

“We were hoping that everything was OK and that we were going to get more music from him,” she said. “But we will continue the music, with all of us and everyone that’s going to be playing it.”

Sagos and her husband, Adam Sagos, have a 1-year-old grandson who will grow up knowing the music.

A statement on Weir’s Instagram account announced his death Jan. 10. It said he beat cancer but succumbed to underlying lung issues. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who were at Saturday’s event.

His death was sudden and unexpected, said daughter Monet Weir, but he had always wished for the music and the legacy of the Dead to outlast him.

American music, he believed, could unite, she said.

“The show must go on,” Monet Weir said.

this week in history

California gold rush begins, Battle of the Bulge ends, Auschwitz and Birkenau liberated

JAN. 22

1901: Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

1953: Arthur Miller’s drama “The Crucible” opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.

1973: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the Constitution protects a nationwide right to abortion.

1973: Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch at age 64.

JAN. 23

1368: China’s Ming dynasty began after Zhu Yuanzhang was acclaimed the Hongwu Emperor following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

1789: Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

1870: About 200 Piegan Blackfeet tribal members, mostly women, children and older adults, were killed by U.S. Army troops under Maj. Eugene M. Baker in Montana, in what

became known as the Baker Massacre.

JAN. 24

1848: James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California, sparking the California gold rush.

1945: Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among captives executed by German soldiers at the Mauthausen- Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

1965: Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

1989: Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair.

JAN. 25

1924: The rst Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

1945: The World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as the German army concluded its nal o ensive on the Western Front; about 19,000 U.S. soldiers were killed during the ve-week campaign.

1961: President John F. Kennedy held the rst live televised presidential news conference.

1971: Charles Manson and three followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and

On Jan. 22, 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at 81, ending a reign of more than 63 years that helped de ne the Victorian era and the height of the British Empire.

conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

JAN. 26

1887: Groundbreaking began for the Ei el Tower; it was completed just over two years later.

1905: The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found at 3,106 carats, was discovered in South Africa.

2020: NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year- old daughter Gianna and seven others

were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense fog in Southern California; the former Los Angeles Lakers star was 41.

JAN. 27

1756: Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.

1880: Thomas Edison received a patent for his incandescent electric lamp.

1945: During World War II, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi concentration camps in Poland.

JAN. 28

1547: England’s King Henry VIII died at 55 and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

1813: Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” was rst published anonymously in London.

1922: Ninety-eight people were killed when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., collapsed under the weight of nearly 2 feet of snow.

1956: Elvis Presley made his rst national TV appearance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

Domingo, Hemsworth, Schnapp among celebrities to pack Ralph Lauren’s Milan Fashion Week show

The fashion icon opened the season with a star-studded front row and an Olympics tie-in

By Colleen Barry

The Associated Press

MILAN — Colman Domingo, Liam Hemsworth and Noah Schnapp were among the celebrities who packed the Ralph Lauren front row during Milan Fashion Week on Friday for the launch of a Milan-centric season that includes dressing Team USA for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.

Domingo was fresh o the Golden Globes red carpet, Hemsworth took a break from the ski slopes, and Schnapp just wrapped the “Stranger Things” nale. Ralph Lauren’s runway collection for next winter was Americana, featuring layered outerwear, Texan suiting and hand-knit ski sweaters.

Hundreds of screaming fans waited outside the brand’s Milan palazzo for K-pop star Mark Lee, rushing his vehicle as he stepped out to give fans a big heart sign.

The Canadian-born singer said that K-pop’s massive appeal continues to catch him o guard.

“It surprises me even to this day. I was born in North Amer-

ica, and even then, K-pop wasn’t this big,’’ Lee said from the front row before the show. “I am honored to be able to be a part of this phenomenon. I feel like it’s kind of my responsibility to share the good in uences that I have in K-pop, for the world.’’

During the show, singer Nick Jonas and actor Tom Hiddleston anked David Lauren, the fashion house’s brand and innovation leader who will be back in Milan as Team USA is tted for the opening and closing ceremony looks for the Feb. 6-22 Games.

After the release of “Stranger Things’” nal season, Schnapp said he is reading scripts and looking perhaps beyond the sciworld.

“I’m pretty proud of what we have done,” the 21-year-old actor said before the show. “I am

“I love Italy, I love the Italian people, and I love this brand.”

Noah Schnapp

happy to close it out. I think it’s time. I am excited about what’s to come.”

“I love Italy, I love the Italian people, and I love this brand,’’ said Schnapp, wearing a smart double-breasted Navy jacket with golden buttons. The University of Pennsylvania senior said he would be back in Italy in a couple of weeks to watch some Olympic ice hockey games with his Canadian-born parents.

Domingo turned heads at the Golden Globes with a lapel full of Boucheron diamonds. For Ralph Lauren, he wore Boucheron stud earrings to accompany his three-piece suit with a matching overcoat ung jauntily over his shoulders.

Domingo, a darling of the fashion world who won an Emmy for “Euphoria,” said the collection felt “very modern.”

“I think that is the most beautiful expression of Ralph Lauren. You feel the aspirational American values in your clothing,’’ Domingo said.

famous birthdays this week

Neil Diamond hits 85, Linda Blair is 67, Cajun musician Doug Kershaw turns 90, Alicia Keys is 45

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

JAN. 22

Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (“The Galloping Gourmet”) is 92. Singer Steve Perry is 77. Film director Jim Jarmusch is 73. Actor Linda Blair is 67. Actor Diane Lane is 61. DJ Jazzy Je is 61. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 58.

JAN. 23

Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is 90. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 83. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 76. Retired airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (“Miracle on the Hudson” landing) is 75. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 73.

JAN. 24

Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 90. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 87. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 85. Singer Aaron Neville is 85. Comedian Yakov Smirno is 75. Actor William Allen Young is 72. Musician Jools Holland is 68.

JAN. 25

Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller is 84. Actor Leigh Taylor-Young is 81. Actor Jenifer Lewis is 69. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios is 64. Actor Ana Ortiz is 55. Actor Mia Kirshner is 51. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 48. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is 45.

JAN. 26

Actor David Strathairn is 77. Football Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood is 76. Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 73. Singer Anita Baker is 68. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter is 49.

JAN. 27

Actor James Cromwell is 86. Rock musician Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) is 82. Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov is 78. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Jus-

EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP

Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, pictured at the 77th Tony Awards in 2024 in New York, turns 45 on Sunday.

tice John Roberts is 71. Political and sports commentator Keith Olbermann is 67. Actor Bridget Fonda is 62.

JAN.28

Actor Alan Alda is 90. Former NBA coach Gregg Popovich is 77. Golf Hall of Famer Nick Price is 69. Film director Frank Darabont is 67. Singer Sarah McLachlan is 58. Rapper Rakim is 58. Humorist Mo Rocca is 57.

the stream

AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

The thrash metal band announced a

‘The

Smashing Machine,’ Louis Tomlinson,

‘The Beauty,’

Lucinda Williams drops “World’s Gone Wrong”

The Associated Press

DWAYNE JOHNSON transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming o erings worth your time this week: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their nal, self-titled album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his e orts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”

HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!” arriving Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien. The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me

From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Written and directed by Scott Cooper,

Bruce Springsteen biopic

RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Lauren Hashian, left, and Dwayne Johnson arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The couple stars in “The Smashing Machine,” which comes to HBO Max this week.

the lm stars White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”

A few other lm festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a ctional Italian president.

MUSIC TO STREAM

You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash

metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their nal album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.

Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Tomlinson will release his third solo album Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct inuences, Britpop chie y among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.”

The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those in uences are still present but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop-rock choruses.

The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk —

and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.

SERIES TO STREAM

FX’s new series cocreated by Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so - called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.

“Drops of God” also returns to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Ge rier

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabeled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world. On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Net ix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a gure skater training for the world championships, who nds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.

Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died, and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close, but Malcolm and Lori nd themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy o ce cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show o that in uence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.