VOLUME 149 ISSUE 24 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Hallworthy Longtime Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly caps his football career Saturday when he joins 386 of his fellow players to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the bigger highlights of his career, pictured, was when he picked off Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the second play of a 2016 NFC divisional playoff game, running it back for a touchdown. Carolina won that game 31-24 and continued on to play the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. For more, turn to NSJ sports. CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO
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Chatham County Schools facing BRIEF this week difficulties with technology acquisition Divided federal appeals court says Trump administration wrong to terminate climate funds Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration improperly ended a multibillion-dollar program for clean energy projects. This decision supports a lower court’s ruling that nonprofits chosen to run the Biden-era effort should have access to the funds. The ruling is temporarily on hold, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency time to appeal to the Supreme Court. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, known as a “green bank,” was designed to finance small energy projects. The Trump administration accused the nonprofits of mismanagement and fraud, freezing the funds. The groups denied wrongdoing and sued, claiming legal violations.
Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., into 2029 will cost roughly $1.4B, estimate shows The extension of the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., until January 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress. The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city’s autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation’s capital.
Chromebook prices have increased by more than $100 in the last year By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education met Aug. 3 for a myriad of items.
year because of budget concerns.” Samberg pointed to the rising cost of equipment spurred on by rising memory costs and how within the last year, prices for units have increased by more than $100 from when the district last purchased them. “Due to these rapid price fluctuations, we used to get a quote from these companies that would be good for 30 days and
we’d bring it to the board, but now with the vendors we typically use for computer equipment, the best we’ve gotten for validity of quotes is a week and most are doing 24-48 hours tops because the prices are changing so fast,” Samberg said. Because of these challenges, the board authorized a See SCHOOLS, page A7
Silk Hope Ruritan Club announces 2026 scholarship recipients Scholarship funds totaling $12,000 were awarded By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record SILK HOPE — In mid-July, the Silk Hope Ruritan Club met and presented its annual schol-
arship awards, giving out a total of $12,000. “The criteria for eligibility for scholarships from the organization are that the student must either go through Silk Hope School, attend Silk Hope School, or be a child or a grandchild of a Ruritan member,” said Michael Rogers, current Ruritan Club
president and chairman of the scholarship committee. The 2026 scholarship winners, with the school they are attending, are Carly Cardman, Reyna Nava Catalan, UNC Chapel Hill; Gracie Debnam, NC State; Emily Dekaney, UNC Wilmington; Aidan Leysath, University of Alabama; Abby
Stein, Jackson plan to hold Duke Energy ‘accountable’ in data center pledge “Data centers must pay their own way to protect families from rising electricity costs.” Gov. Josh Stein
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The board was first presented with some of the issues that the technology department has been facing with the rapid fluctuation of tech prices. “Normally, at the end of every school year, we purchase Chromebooks that we deploy over the summer and the next school year,” said Chief Technology Officer Mark Samberg. “We did not do that this past
More than 200 organizations have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge
By Jessica Taylor For Chatham News & Record RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson urged Duke Energy to create a legally binding contract to abide by the promises it has made after joining the federal administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
“Duke just promised the federal government that it won’t shift the cost of data centers onto families,” said Jackson in the press release. “We agree, but a promise in Washington doesn’t lower a power bill in North Carolina. We’re calling on Duke to make that same promise to the Utilities Commission, in writing, where it can be enforced.” “I am pleased to see that Duke Energy has signed on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” added Stein. “Now, Duke EnSee PLEDGE, page A7
McPherson, NC State; Landon Moser, Guilford College; Grant W. Smith, NC State; Lilliana Hicks, Campbell University; Mallory Jones, UNC Chapel Hill; Mayson Walters, NC State; and Sanyia White, Sandhills Community College. See WINNERS, page A7