CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
VOLUME 148 ISSUE űǡ | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2026
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO
Runner-up North Carolina native and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye walks off the field after being sacked six times in a bruising loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.
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BRIEF this week
ICE chief defends officers’ actions before Congress after deaths of 2 protesters Washington, D.C. The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is defending his officers, saying they won’t be intimidated while carrying out President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. Todd Lyons, along with other agency leaders, faced tough questions from Democrats during a congressional hearing Tuesday. Lyons blamed elected officials for rhetoric that endangers officers. The hearing followed recent scrutiny after two protesters were shot and killed by Homeland Security officers in Minneapolis. Democrats have criticized the administration’s immigration policies, while officials argue their actions make the country safer. The hearing marks the first time these leaders have appeared in Congress since receiving increased funding.
Trump set to change U.S. climate change policy, environmental regulations A White House official said the Trump administration is expected this week to revoke a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. The EPA will issue a final rule rescinding a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding. That Obama-era policy determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. Legal challenges are certain.
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TriRiver provides updates on Pittsboro water projects The county handed over control of its water systems about a year and a half ago By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners was presented with an update from TriRiver
Water at its Feb. 9 meeting. Chatham County merged with TriRiver just under two years ago, handing over the handling of their water and wastewater systems to the City of Sanford.
“Over a year and a half, we feel like we’ve gotten a pretty good idea and comfort with the Pittsboro system, and we feel like we’re in a pretty good spot with what we’ve seen operationally and where we’re headed moving forward,” said TriRiver Director of Business and Management Dick Fortune. TriRiver’s presentation pri-
marily focused on current projects related to Pittsboro, with a centering theme of building capacity and system resiliency. “We’ve been merged for about a year and a half, and we’re still continuing to learn things throughout the system,” said Director of Engineering Jason Bertoncino. The first project TriRiver provided an update on was the Pittsboro to Sanford Pump Station and Wastewater Force Main Project. “The project is underway and on schedule,” Bertoncino said. “We have all the pipe on-site and See PROJECTS, page A2
GOP lawmakers both critical, cordial with Charlotte leaders after high-profile crime Republican legislators grilled Charlotte officials over recent rail stabbings By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — North Carolina Republican lawmakers pressed Charlotte-area leaders on Mon-
day about crime-fighting efforts following recent light-rail stabbings in the Democratic-led city, with a committee head citing failures in carrying out criminal justice functions.
The August fatal stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, followed in December by a nonfatal stabbing on the same Charlotte rail system, are among the chief reasons for GOP critiques of area law enforcement. The suspect in each stabbing faces charges in state and federal court.
15-week ‘Walk for Peace’ concludes with Buddhist monks’ arrival in Washington Large crowds marked the end of their 2,300-mile journey By Tiffany Stanley and Deepa Bharath The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of Buddhist monks reached Washington, D.C., on foot Tuesday, walking single file across a bridge over the Potomac River to cap a 15-week trek from Texas that has captivated the country. The monks in their saffron robes have become fixtures on social media, along with their rescue dog Aloka. After spend-
ing Monday night at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, they crossed over the Chain Bridge into the District of Columbia shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday. They walk to advocate for peace. That simple message has resonated across the U.S. as a welcome respite from conflict and political divisions. Thousands gathered along Southern roadsides — often in unusually chilly weather — to watch the monks’ quiet procession that began in late October. Large crowds greeted them during their two-day stay in Washington. The Metropolitan See MONKS, page A10
“In these divisive times, we saw entire towns in the Bible Belt coming out for these monks ... but being uplifted and moved by it.” Mark Duykers, retired engineer from Michigan
GOP Rep. Brenden Jones, co-chairman of the state House oversight committee that took testimony from several officials, attributed Zarutska’s killing to broad “incompetence.” Zarutska had “come to America for a better life. She didn’t get See CRIME, page A7