VOLUME 148 ISSUE 50 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Mr. Plow North Carolina’s limited number of plow trucks were pushed to the max as a winter storm blanketed the area with more snow than many have seen in years.
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Brothers carry on family BRIEF this week tradition of serving others Signs of forced entry found at Arizona home of “Today” show host Guthrie’s mother Tucson, Ariz. Investigators have found signs of forced entry at the Arizona home of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother. That’s according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the host asked for prayers to help bring back the 84-year-old, whom authorities believe was taken against her will. The sheriff said Nancy Guthrie must be found soon because she could die without her medication. Investigators also found evidence showing there was a nighttime kidnapping. Several of Guthrie’s personal items, including her cellphone, wallet and her car, were still at the home.
NASA delays astronauts’ lunar trip after hydrogen leaks mar fueling test Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of leaking hydrogen fuel. The space agency announced the news Tuesday following a critical fueling test of its giant moon rocket in Florida. Hydrogen seeped from the base of the rocket during Monday’s dress rehearsal, which went into overtime Tuesday because of all the problems. Officials say the delay will allow the launch team to conduct another practice countdown before committing four astronauts to humanity’s first moonshot in more than half a century.
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Giving back to the community through faith and friendship By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record WHAT DO ROADSIDE trash, popsicles and basketball have in common?
They’re all part of some of what Siler City brothers Ronnie and Billy Siler Jr. do to serve their hometown and community. The two, both in their early 70s and born 18 months apart, say in addition to being brothers they’re also best friends — “always have been,” Billy said — and that makes what they do special to them.
For starters, they recently received a plaque from the state of North Carolina recognizing 25 years of “distinguished service” in the state’s “Adopt a Highway” trash and litter removal program. Today, that program has more than 120,000 participants overseeing 10,000 miles of state roads, collecting millions of pounds of trash annually.
Stories bring Bynum together at Front Porch series Mill Town Yarns series fuses tradition and connection inside the historic general store By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record BYNUM — The nonprofit Bynum Front Porch, operating at the historic Bynum Gener-
al Store, began hosting storytelling as a regular event in late 2015 under the leadership of Cindy Raxter, herself a storyteller. Eight years later, she approached Ellen Bland, a former Bynum resident and theater professional who estimates she has directed about 100 community theater productions in Chatham County over four decades, to take over as cura-
tor of the storytelling program. At first, Bland admits she underestimated the challenge. “I thought, this ought to be pretty easy, but then I realized, storytelling is not something that people say, they just don’t know what it is,” Bland said. “They think it’s that person who came to their elementary school and told the story about the white-mouthed frog or some-
Carolinas emerge as new population boom states; cost, lifestyle drive growth The Carolinas overtook Florida and Texas as top destinations for Americans on the move By Mike Schneider The Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Move over Florida and Texas. The United States has new hot spots for growth, and they both have Carolina in their name. North Carolina last year attracted more new residents, 84,000 people, from other parts of the country than any other state, a title held by Texas in 2024 and Florida in the two years before that. South
Carolina had the highest overall growth rate last year at 1.5%, a distinction among states held by Florida in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released this past week. Domestic migration, or people moving within the U.S., slowed in Texas. The 67,300 domestic migrants heading to the second most populous state year over year barely squeaked by South Carolina, which had the third highest number of domestic migrants at 66,600. The appeal of Florida, the nation’s third most populous state, dimmed. It dropped to No. 8 for state-to-state migration, as See CAROLINAS, page A10
“North Carolina is attracting younger folks because we have so many nice areas in North Carolina.” Michael Cline, state demographer
“We do four miles,” Ronnie said, “two miles on both sides of the road” — U.S. 64 (East 11th Street in town) from the bridge on the east side of Siler City over 421 to the bridge over North Second Avenue near the highway patrol station. “We do it four times a year; some of the timing depends on the weather,” Billy said. That stretch of road is dedicated to the memory of their parents — Billy Sr. and Marie Siler. It’s the third different sign that has been up through the years. The first went up in 1998 when Ronnie, who was on See SILERS, page A7
thing, so I realized that to market the idea of this, I had to include music and other things.” She expanded the programming last year, announcing a full season in advance. The newly christened Mill Town Yarns monthly series runs from September to April, with a regular music series taking over during the summer months. The name was suggested by volunteer Susie Worley. “It fits,” Bland said, “because this is a former mill town, and the Bynum Mill was actually a yarn mill.” But the name doesn’t limit the See SERIES, page A2