VOLUME 148 ISSUE 6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Volunteers and Mountaire employees help pack food boxes at the company’s annual Easter for Thousands food drive.
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BRIEF this week
Supreme Court rules 8-1 against Colorado ban on “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court has ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that banned the discredited practice. The high court majority sided Tuesday with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court. President Donald Trump’s Republican administration supported the counselor. Colorado said the measure simply bars a practice of using therapy to try to “convert” LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality.
Wisconsin judicial panel dismisses Democratic attempt to redraw congressional maps Madison, Wis. A three-judge panel in Wisconsin has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Democratic voters that sought to redraw the battleground state’s Republican-friendly congressional boundary lines ahead of the November midterm election. The Tuesday decision to dismiss the other case can be appealed to the liberalcontrolled Wisconsin Supreme Court. There is a second lawsuit pending also seeking to redraw the swing state’s congressional districts, but it isn’t slated to go to trial until April 2027.
‘Easter for Thousands’ feeds families in need Volunteers packed meals for an estimated 92,000 people across four states By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record SILER CITY — Before sunrise on Saturday, the employee parking lot at Mountaire Farms
Working assembly-line style, volunteers packed boxes containing a full Easter meal: a roaster chicken, canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese, chicken and rice, cornbread mix and brownie mix for dessert — enough food to feed a family of four. “We want everyone to feel good about food security,” said
Chapel Hill to utilize excess fund balance for various needs The town had around $3 million in excess funding from FY 2025 By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill will be utilizing excess funds left over from the
fiscal year 2025 fund balance to cover one-time funding needs. According to Business Management Director Amy Oland, the excess funds are a result of the town ending FY25 in a much stronger financial position than originally anticipated. “Midyear, we were preparing for a very different outcome,” Oland said. “Sales tax revenues
were dropping sharply and we anticipated minimal lapsed salary savings. In response, we asked departments to pause on major expenditures, to delay noncritical hiring and to hold off nondiscretionary projects. These decisions were intentional and designed to protect our year-end financial position.” However, the town had bet-
Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA’s return to the moon “There is no way we could be that same mission or ever hope to even be.” Christina Koch, NASA astronaut
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in Siler City was already buzzing with activity. Church groups, nonprofit volunteers, law enforcement officers and company employees began arriving around 5 a.m. for Mountaire’s annual “Easter for Thousands,” a large-scale meal-packing effort aimed at helping families facing food insecurity across the region.
Artemis brings greater diversity to humanity’s return to lunar orbit By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Apollo moonshots are a tough act to follow, even after all this time. As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable. The world’s first lunar visitors
orbited the moon on Apollo 8. The Artemis II crew will play it safe and zip around the moon in an out-and-back slingshot. Another key difference: Artemis reflects more of society, with a woman, person of color and Canadian rocketing away. While Artemis builds on Apollo and pays homage to it, “there is no way we could be that same mission or ever hope to even be,” said NASA astronaut Christina Koch, part of the Artemis II crew. Here’s the lowdown on Apollo vs. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, as See NASA, page A7
“We’ve got it down to a science. They get started, the music starts playing, and watch out, they’re rolling.” Liz Mauney, Mountaire Cares Liz Mauney, manager of Mountaire Cares. Mountaire Farms, the nation’s fourth-largest chicken company, marked the 30th year of the initiative, which is organized through the company’s See MOUNTAIRE, page A3
ter sales tax and inspection permit revenues, as well as lapsed salary savings, than projected. “After the budget was adopted, the picture improved,” Oland said. As a result, the town had excess savings of around $3 million, and at the town council’s March 25 meeting, the council approved an appropriation in that amount for various items. “Ending the year with excess fund balance reflects strong financial management,” Oland said. “This outcome directly supports the council’s goal of organizational and fiscal See FUNDS, page A2