VOLUME 149 ISSUE 2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Free parking Pittsboro elected officials and other dignitaries brought out their ceremonial shovels to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Lewis Freeman Park at 56 Rectory St. on Saturday. The park honors the legacy of Lewis Freeman, the first recorded free black settler in Pittsboro who lived in in the area from the late 1700s until his passing in 1845.
the
BRIEF this week
Father who gave gun to Ga. school shooting suspect as gift guilty of 2nd-degree murder A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school has been convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Colin Gray also was found guilty Tuesday of all other charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray is one of a number of parents prosecuted after their children were accused in fatal shootings. Prosecutors said he gave his son access to a gun and ammunition despite “sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger” other people.
Noem blames “violent protesters” for Minneapolis chaos under tough questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended her agency in testimony and under questioning at a Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday. It was her first congressional hearing since two protesters were killed in Minneapolis by Homeland Security officers in January. Noem’s department sent hundreds of officers to Minnesota. Protesters marched and tracked enforcement activity. An ICE officer shot Renee Good, while Border Protection officers shot Alex Pretti. At the hearing, Noem blamed “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.
$2.00
Cooper, Whatley win nominations for US Senate, setting up high-stakes fall fight to succeed Tillis Control of Congress’ upper chamber hangs in the balance By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and ex-Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley each won their party’s U.S. Senate nominations in North Caro-
lina on Tuesday, setting them up for a fall campaign that could determine control of Congress’ upper chamber. Whatley and Cooper are seeking the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who chose last June not to seek a third term. The two announced their campaigns weeks later and easily won their respective primary elections over crowded fields. Cooper’s candidacy brought optimism to Democrats aim-
ing to take back the Senate this year with a net gain of four seats. Whatley, who is also a former state Republican chairman, entered the race when President Donald Trump endorsed him after Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, declined to run. North Carolina, a traditional battleground where Democrats have been able to hold the governor’s seat even as voters helped send Trump to the White House, was one of three states kicking
Chapel Hill council approves rezoning for new housing development project The project will bring around 600-700 residential units to town By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Town Council met Feb. 25
with an agenda primarily focusing on two rezoning cases. The council first held a hearing for a conditional rezoning request for approximately 45 acres of property located at 860 Weaver Dairy Road to be rezoned to a Mixed-Use Village Conditional Zoning District in order to develop a mixed-use project.
The project will contain have 500-575 multifamily units, 100-135 townhome units as well as a greenway trail, a five-story parking structure and a future commercial space. According to EB Capital developer Ernie Brown, who was representing the applicant, the plan is for the western portion
Takeaways from first elections of 2026 midterm campaigns Texas Democrats chose a consensus builder over a firebrand By Steven Sloan The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The midterms are here. The 2026 campaign kicked off Tuesday with high-profile primary elections in Texas, where Republican Sen. John Cornyn is heading toward a runoff vote against state attorney general Ken Paxton. Democrats chose state Rep. James Talarico over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to be their candidate. For all the focus on Texas, elections in
North Carolina could have a bigger impact on which party ultimately wins the Senate majority in the fall. In the first election since President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching dramatic attacks on Iran, there were also contests in Arkansas. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday night. Democrats choose their fighter in Texas By rallying behind Talarico, the party sided with someone who pledged to change Washington while finding consensus. See MIDTERM, page A2
off this year’s midterm elections, along with Texas and Arkansas. Tuesday’s slate of primaries came against the backdrop of the U.S. and Israel attack on Iran, which began over the weekend. What’s at stake North Carolina’s election this year could be crucial for determining which party controls the See SENATE, page A7
of the property to contain the multifamily portions, to have mixed-use, nonresidential in the center and then for there to be for sale townhomes on the eastern portion. “The project aligns with the town goals,” Brown said. “Everything that you guys have in Sub Area D and that is already planned out in the future land map, we feel like this fits within those goals.” In terms of affordable housing, the project will offer 10% of the See HOUSING, page A3