Chatham News & Record Vol. 149, Issue 3

Hot tip

UNC’s Jarin Stevenson (15) jumps against Duke’s Maliq Brown to start the rivalry game that ended the ACC regular season. Stevenson, a Seaforth grad, scored 10 points with nine rebounds as UNC lost 76-61.

Pittsboro’s Tilley honored with court naming at Georgia university

The longtime women’s basketball coach guided Truett McConnell to a national championship in 1980

Americans unite in aggravation over sticker shock at gas pump

It seems that a country divided on many fronts is nding common ground at the gas pumps. The cost of the Iran war is hitting Americans squarely in the wallet and aggravating people across the political spectrum. That was the message from Associated Press interviews Monday with people at gas stations and beyond in ve states. The national average gas price was $3.48 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 a month ago, before the war, according to tracking by AAA. But in interviews, some owners of electric vehicles expressed renewed gratitude for their vehicle choice as they sit out the sticker shock.

Anthropic sues

Trump administration seeking to undo “supply chain risk” designation

Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon’s decision designating the arti cial intelligence company a “supply chain risk” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. It led two lawsuits Monday, each challenging di erent aspects of the Pentagon’s actions against the company. The Pentagon formally designated the company a supply chain risk after an unusually public dispute over how its AI chatbot Claude could be used in warfare. The lawsuits aim to undo the designation and block its enforcement.

$2.00

By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record

THE UNC Tar Heels play their home basketball games on Roy Williams Court. Over in Durham, Duke does the same on Coach K Court.

Now you can add another North Carolina name to the list of university basketball courts honoring retired coaches — and this time, it belongs to a Chatham County native.

Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Geoirgia., named

its basketball court after Colby Tilley on Feb. 14, honoring the man who led the school’s women’s program to its only national championship in 1980.

Tilley, a member of Pittsboro High School’s Class of 1967, guided what was then Truett-McConnell Junior College to the NJCAA title that year, nishing the season 36-2. Over nine years at the school, he compiled a 234-46 record — an .836 winning percentage — and won ve consecutive Georgia state championships.

The weekend celebration began with a dinner on Feb. 13 attended by former players, colleagues and members of the university community. The court dedication took place the next

Pittsboro approves new major subdivision

The development will contain all single-family, detached houses

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro continues to see steady growth. At the Town of Pittsboro

Board of Commissioners’ March 9 meeting, the board approved the preliminary plat for the Corbinton development, a 32-acre, 98-lot major subdivision located on Old Graham Road.

The development is projected to be all single-family detached houses, each with a garage and driveway that will provide two parking spaces per unit.

The project also includes 14 acres of open space, a 10-foot multiuse path on the periphery of Robeson Creek and 5-foot sidewalks on both sides of all internal subdivision streets.

The property is currently undeveloped.

The board also held a public hearing for an economic incentive agreement discussed back in 2018 and pertaining to the Mosaic commercial development.

Chapel Hill considering a ordable housing improvements

As bond issuer, the town would carry no legal or nancial risk

By Ryan Henkel

& Record

Chatham News

CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill could soon be seeing the rehabilitation of some of its a ordable housing.

At the Chapel Hill Town Council’s March 4 meeting, the council held a public hearing to consider the issuance of multifamily housing revenue bonds for the acquisition and redevelopment of Chase Park

and Elliott Woods Apartments.

“The town is being asked to consider taking on the role of bond issuer to support the preservation of the Chase Park and Elliott Woods apartments, two a ordable housing rental communities in Chapel Hill,” said Interim Housing and Community Development Director Loryn Clark.

The projects will be developed by Vitus, a company that has specialized in the preservation of affordable properties since 1993.

The two projects, which account for around 80 units on

See CHAPEL HILL, page A3

“The tax credits that they have been awarded will apply to the whole project and add an additional level of a ordability to all units.”

A ordable Housing Manager Emily Holt

“No contract was ever entered into between the town and the hotel developer before the hotel was actually constructed, but now, Mosaic Hospitality LLC has asked that the town honor its commitments from 2018,” said Town Attorney Paul Messick Jr.

CRIME

March 2

• Irvin Uriel De La Rosa Rojas, 24, was arrested for manufacturing, selling, delivering or possessing with intent a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

• Grace Joselyn Godina, 29, was arrested for manufacturing, selling, delivering or possessing with intent a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, simple possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

• Cameron Christopher Moore, 28, was arrested for assault on a female, communicating threats and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

• John Mark Ellington, 62, was arrested for indecent liberties with a child.

March 3

• Lorenzo Eavan Nettles, 35, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, selling or delivering a controlled substance, manufacturing, selling, delivering or possessing with intent a controlled substance at a child care center, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance.

• Grayling Antonio Matthews, 34, was arrested for assault by strangulation, assault on a female, communicating threats and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

• Tre Jordan Hopper, 33, was arrested for misuse of the 911 system and violation of a domestic violence protective order.

• Calvin Bernard Bragg, 57, was arrested for shoplifting by concealment of goods and misdemeanor larceny.

March 5

• Faith Christian Lynch, 23, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, manufacturing, selling, delivering or possessing with intent a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Jose Isaias Martel-Arriaga, 24, was arrested for soliciting a child by computer, extortion, indecent liberties with a child, rst-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and soliciting prostitution of a minor.

• Demetris Christian Goins, 29, was arrested for breaking and entering, misdemeanor larceny, violation of a domestic violence protective order and communicating threats.

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano activity triggers park, highway closures

The eruption blanketed communities in ash, forcing highway to close

By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher

The Associated Press

HONOLULU — The lat-

est lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash.

Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-ando eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.

The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked

HONOR from page A1

day between the women’s and men’s basketball games inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena.

“We loved him, and we would have run through a brick wall for him,” Martha Moss, a member of the 1980 championship team, said at the dinner.

Tilley, a Pittsboro native, said a coaching career was never part of his plan.

“I was going to come back to Pittsboro High School and teach P.E. and coach football for 30 years,” he says.

That didn’t happen.

A three-sport letterman in high school, Tilley spent his rst year of college at Elon.

“After that year, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he said, “but I knew I wasn’t going back to Elon.”

That summer, Billy Joe Willett, pastor at Hanks Chapel Church, was taking his youth group to camp at Piedmont College in north Georgia, where Willett had attended school, and asked Tilley to come along as a counselor.

It was at that camp that what Tilley calls the “Truett-McConnell connection” was born.

“I’ll always think Rev. Willett was behind this,” he said, “because he knew I wasn’t going back to Elon, and one day the Piedmont registrar came by and asked me if I might have any interest in coming to school there. I told him I didn’t have any other plans and asked him if they’d take any of my Elon credits, and he said they’d take them all. So I enrolled.”

Tilley said he was still nding his way when he arrived at Piedmont.

“That was the rst time I’d been away from home, and when I watched my mom and dad and younger brother drive away, if I could have run after the car and caught it, I would have gotten into it and gone home,” he said. “Elon was only 45 minutes from Pittsboro, and here I was hundreds of miles from home and not knowing anybody.”

The loneliness didn’t last long.

“The two years I was there, I was on ‘work-aid’ working two shifts in the cafeteria,” he said.

“When I got paid every month, I took the check straight to the registrar’s o ce.”

Tilley wanted to major in U.S. history, but Piedmont didn’t o er the degree. “So I transferred to Appalachian State, where Jimmy was” — his twin brother — “and changed my degree to P.E.”

After graduating, Tilley was attending graduate school at Georgia Southern University when Merritt Wilson, associate superintendent of Chatham County Schools, called with a job o er. There were two history openings at Chatham Central High School: U.S. and world.

“I wanted the U.S., but the other guy got there rst,” Tilley said. “I had to be the worst world history teacher ever.”

After a year, Central athletic director Ronald Scott told Tilley he could become football coach if he’d come back to teach world history.

“But I just didn’t want to

the eruption’s 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours.

Like other times, the molten rock was con ned within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.

But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.

Hawaii County o cials also

opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.

The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning. Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county ofcials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, ofcials said.

Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said.

Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

COURTESY TRUETT MCCONNELL UNIVERSITY

Pittsboro native Colby Tilley, who spent 35 years coaching women’s college basketball, stands on the court bearing his name at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia, after the school honored him on Feb. 14.

teach world history,” Tilley said.

He transferred within the county system to teach seventh grade at Horton Middle School.

“At the end of the year, I knew that wasn’t what I was supposed to do,” he said.

It was then that the “Truett-McConnell connection” paid o . Ronald Weitman, who had been academic dean at Piedmont during Tilley’s time there, had since become president of Truett-McConnell.

“He called me and asked me to come there as a P.E. teacher and run the intramural program,” Tilley said. That was 1975. “One day afterwards, he called me into his o ce and asked me if I’d ever coached women’s basketball. I told him ‘no,’ and he said, ‘Well, you’re about to.’”

The school’s student population was growing, and the coach at the time was also an enrollment recruiter who couldn’t continue in both roles. Tilley took over and good things happened quickly. The previous coach, Joe Campbell, had recruited four players who were state all-stars.

“That rst year, the team went 17-10, and the die was cast,” Tilley said. “All I had to do that year was stay out of the way and let them play. I learned a lot from them.”

Four years later, the school won the national championship. That success eventually led to other o ers. After nine years, Auburn University at Montgomery came calling, o ering Tilley the chance to start a women’s program. In nine seasons, his teams compiled a 218-74 record, making six NAIA national tournament appearances. Two teams — 1993-94 and 1994-95 — each had 34-win seasons.

In 1995, Tilley became head coach at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, the nal leg of his “Truett-McConnell connection.”

“When I was at Truett-McConnell, I needed someone to keep records and statistics,” he said. “Scott Whitlock was a student at the time, and he took it on. After I left, we stayed in touch, and he eventually became softball coach at Kennesaw. One day while I was in Montgomery, he called and said

March 14

there was an opening at Kennesaw State in women’s basketball, and I wound up there.”

In 17 years at the Atlanta-area school, the Owls compiled a 290-207 record as Tilley guided the program through the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I.

Over his 35-year career, Tilley’s teams posted a combined 742-327 record. At each level, his teams won regular-season and tournament championships as well as state, district and regional titles. He coached All-American players and earned more than 15 Coach of the Year honors. He’s also been inducted into four halls of fame: Truett McConnell, Auburn Montgomery, Kennesaw State and the Northeast Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. At the dinner held in his honor, Tilley invoked Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell address at Yankee Stadium.

“I feel like I’m the luckiest man on earth for having come here,” Tilley said. “Although I left Truett-McConnell, Truett-McConnell never left me as a coach and as a person. There are so many people who had so much to do with all this.”

At the court dedication the next day, the school made reference not only to wins and losses but also to Tilley’s legacy “built on grit, determination and standing your ground.”

“Future players will stand on the ground of your integrity that’s heart-woven into the integrity of the school,” the university said. “Naming the court is a small gesture of thanks.”

Today, Tilley is a retired basketball coach — sort of. He’s visiting family in Kentucky, where he’s a volunteer coach for his grandson Jack’s high school team.

“He’s a much better player than I ever was,” Tilley said. “These are great memories, just to be able to do this and be with him.”

But as he looks back to 1967 and how life turned out, Tilley says he sees the bigger picture.

“I had some plans,” he said.

“But I guess the Lord had different plans. I couldn’t have done all this on my own. It had to be God.”

March 17 Baby/Toddler

March 28

Front Porch Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

April 11

Community Yard Sale@BFP 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community yard sale Front Porch Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ chathamnewsrecord. com

Weekly deadline is Monday at noon

Chatham emergency management specialist earns U.S. Army civilian medal

Katie Taggett received the Public Service Commendation Medal

Chatham News & Record sta

CHATHAM COUNTY

Emergency Management Specialist Katie Taggett has received the Public Service Commendation Medal, the fourth-highest public service decoration the U.S. Army can award to a civilian.

The medal was presented by Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) in recognition of Taggett’s work supporting Army missions and strengthening coordination between Chatham County Emergency Management and military personnel.

“We are incredibly proud of Katie for receiving such a distinguished civilian award from the U.S. Army,” said Mike Reitz, Chatham County Emergency Operations Director. “This honor re ects not only her commitment to supporting our military partners, but also the critical role she plays in strengthening preparedness and response e orts for the residents of Chatham County.”

Taggett earned a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from NC State. Her background helps the county track and anticipate weather-related emergencies, providing leadership with critical information for

Chatham County Emergency Management Specialist Katie Taggett displays her Public Service Commendation Medal and certi cate at the county’s Emergency Operations Center.

decision-making during severe storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and other weather threats.

“Having the meteorological background is quite useful in emergency services, because I have that knowledge of what to look for in anticipation of things especially if there is severe weather coming through,” said Taggett. “I can look at radar images and see early signs of if that storm has the potential for tornadoes. I can alert the Emergency Operations Center, along with those in the eld and key stakeholders across the county. I present information to help save lives.”

The Public Service Commendation Medal is awarded to civilians who are not Army em-

“I can look at radar images and see early signs of if that storm has the potential for tornadoes.”

Katie Taggett, Chatham County Emergency Management specialist

ployees, military personnel or Army contractors. It is often given to community partners, federal o cials involved in policy development and technical experts who assist the Army in advisory or consulting roles.

McMahon calls on Stein to opt into Education Freedom Tax Credit

Rep. Virginia Foxx and U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley joined the Education secretary in High Point

By A.P. Dillon Chatham News & Record

RALEIGH — At a Monday press conference held in High Point, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon urged North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein to enter state into the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit program.

The press conference was held at the Phoenix Academy Primary School Library.

As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the program o ers a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for individuals contributing to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs), which must be a 501(c)(3) organization.

“I’m here today because I believe it is unfortunate that North Carolina Gov. Stein is preventing families in the Tarheel State from taking advantage of the support this measure will provide, such as access to scholarships for tuition and tutoring, specialized services, homeschool materials, cutting edge technology, or even after school supports to keep kids on track,” McMahon said.

Joining McMahon at the event were Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk), who sits on the House Education Committee, state Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson) and Michael Whatley, the Republican candidate for the state’s U.S. Senate seat.

“The Education Freedom Tax Credit isn’t some distant idea,” McMahon said. “It’s a homegrown solution that puts North Carolina families in charge of their children’s education.”

McMahon refuted some of the claims Stein has made about the program.

“Contrary to Gov. Stein’s claims, the tax credit doesn’t take a single dollar away from public schools,” said McMahon.

“It raises additional funding for education by stimulating private donations by federal tax incen-

“Contrary to Gov. Stein’s claims, the tax credit doesn’t take a single dollar away from public schools.”

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon

tives — including those students who remain in public schools.”

She added the program “builds directly” on the state’s “thriving Opportunity Scholarship program,” which gives funding to students to attend the private school of their choice, with a prioritization on low-income households.

McMahon remarked that the Education Freedom Tax Credit goes beyond the state’s scholarship program, allowing students in traditional public schools to receive scholarship funds without changing schools.

“The Trump administration is your ready partner. Opt In,” McMahon said near the closing of her remarks.

Whatley spoke brie y, saying the tax credit program was important not just for North Carolina but the entire country as well.

“It is ridiculous that the legislature moved immediately to be the rst state to opt into this tremendous program,” he said while blaming former Gov. Roy Cooper, his opponent for U.S. Senate, for rejecting the idea.

Last year, Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) ran House Bill 87, the Educational Choice for Children Act, to opt the state in. The bill quickly passed and was sent to Stein, who vetoed the it a week later.

“Once the federal government issues sound guidance, I intend to opt North Carolina in so we can invest in the public school students most in need of after school programs, tutoring, and other resources,” Stein wrote in his veto message. “Therefore, HB 87 is unnecessary, and I veto it.”

The guidance mentioned by Stein was issued last fall. Stein did not respond to North State Journal’s requests for comment

Church News

OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

As Oakley Baptist Church (2300 Siler City-Glendon Road, Siler City) seeks to begin its next chapter, we are enjoying hearing a word from the Lord from various old and new friends. Our service begins at 10:30 a.m., but we also have Sunday School classes for every member of the family at 9:30 a.m. We would be blessed if you joined us for any and all of these speakers in the coming weeks.

March 15 – Chance Walters

March 22 – John Hill

March 29 – John Strider

We look forward to meeting you at any of these services and in the future, and invite you to pray with us as we seek a new pastor. To learn more, go to oakleybaptist. org or email us at oakleybaptistchurch@gmail.com.

PRAISE CHURCH OF DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES

PASTORS: PASTOR JAMES & PROPHETESS PASTOR CALLIE PEOPLES

We are at 525 Culmore Drive, Fuquay-Varina, NC

We are on the Facebook every Sunday at 7 p.m. and every Wednesday at 7 p.m. for Bible Study. We also have service in Carthage, once a month and we’ll let you know when and the time. We will also be working in Siler City as well.

If you are interested in counseling or have another problem that you need to talk to someone about life, call us and make an appointment to set up a meeting.

Phone: 984-368-2942 / 984-270-3011

We are a nondenomination Deliverance Ministry. Be glad to talk to you. You may be interested in fellowshipping. We are state certi ed for a church. We have ordained Bishop Willie Gilmore of 444 Stage Road in Carthage. If we can be of help, please let us know. If you are looking to come to our services, just give us a call. To get us on Facebook, search my name: James Peoples

If you are interested in what we do or when we have church from week to month or day, just give us a call.

Thank you very much, Pastor James & Prophetess Callie Peoples

on his veto claim that he would opt the state in following such guidance.

“The fact is we need Gov. Stein to opt into this,” Whatley said. “Dollars should follow students whether it is to a public school, a private school, a charter school or homeschooling.”

Foxx echoed McMahon’s remarks on the program and education as vital to student success.

“It’s a perfect example of providing opportunity for students and families,” said Foxx. “And it’s truly unfortunate that students and families in our state are being denied that.”

On the same day as her press event, McMahon issued an opinion article on the tax credit in the North State Journal, focusing on Stein’s inaction.

“North Carolina remains on the sidelines while 27 other states have already opted in,” wrote McMahon. “This isn’t leadership; it’s partisan delay dressed up as caution.”

Last month, a coalition of union-linked organizations and nonpro ts ran a campaign urging the remaining governors, including Stein, not to opt into the program. Stein’s o ce did not respond to North State Journal’s request for comment on the campaign.

North State Journal has again reached out to Stein’s o ce for comment about McMahon’s visit, and a spokesperson issued the following statement:

“Governor Stein continues to await nal guidance from the U.S.Treasury and the IRS about the federal tax credit for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations that HR1 established. Depending on federal guidance, there could be potential opportunities for the federal tax credit program to bene t North Carolina’s public school students – which would factor into the Governor’s decision.

“The Governor has long supported magnet schools and accountable charter schools because public schools open doors of opportunity for kids in every corner of the state. He believes that school choice is good for students and parents, provided appropriate measures are in place to ensure accountability and prevent discrimination.”

CHAPEL HILL from page A1

about 10 acres of property are over 50 years old and haven’t been rehabilitated since 2011.

If approved, the town would issue $7 million in bonds over 2-3 years that Vitus would pay o . Vitus has also proposed to nance the rehab with 4% low-income housing tax credits, tax exempt bonds and HUD loans.

“Acting as bond issuer does not carry any legal or nancial risk for the town, and the town has no obligation to repay the bonds nor will they affect the town’s debt capacity, limits or ratios,” said A ordable Housing Manager Emily Holt.

In terms of current tenants, the project will extend the current Section 8 contract, which covers nearly half of the units across the two projects for another 20 years, and Vitus has applied for additional vouchers for the remainder of the projects whose rents are not currently restricted by any public subsidy.

“Even without those additional vouchers, the tax credits that they have been awarded will apply to the whole project and add an additional level of a ordability to all units,” Holt said. The developer is also prom-

ising to temporarily relocate current residents into hotels as units are renovated.

The nal decision of the council is expected to be made at its March 25 meeting.

The council also held a second public hearing for an economic development incentive for Eats2Seats, a technology enabled sta ng and concession company.

“It’s a local company that was started by a sophomore at UNC in 2018,” said Economic Development Director David Putnam. “It’s got a really great story behind it and is something that you all should be really proud of.”

According to Putnam, this project is a headquarters investment in downtown and the company is proposing to bring in 41 jobs with an average wage of around $122,000.

The town’s proposed incentive package involves 10 parking spaces for up to ve years, which is valued at around $87,000 of in-kind parking credit and tied to the company’s full-time job creation, relocation and retention goals.

“This is a priority industry, a local business and a high-impact project with a highgrowth opportunity,” Putnam said. Following the hearing, the council approved the request.

The Chapel Hill Town Council will next meet March 18.

JMHS CLASS OF 1971 55TH REUNION

SATURDAY, APRIL 18TH, 2026

CONTACT - JIM SIZEMORE 919-545-5006

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Misunderstood truth

We prayed not only for ourselves but also for the su erings of the community, the county and the world.

A CHILD AT CHURCH thought I recently invited people to the front during a worship service to “annoy them with oil.” Of course, I said “anoint,” but truth be told, aren’t we all a little irritating sometimes?

The child’s comment reminded me of a poem by Maggie Smith (the writer, not the actress), who misheard her priest say, “The Earth is a bowl of blood” instead of “full of love.”

But again, I resonate with the truth of the misunderstanding, for our world often feels more like a bloody mess.

The annoying, I mean, anointing oil was during a service for healing and wholeness. People of various denominations and religions came together to sing softly and pray ercely. The oil is an ancient practice for recognizing leaders and is also added to prayers for healing. We prayed not only for ourselves but also for the su erings of the community, the county and the world.

I prayed for the people across the Middle East. Civilians, including children, are dying from bombs, missiles and drone strikes. I realize geopolitics are complex and dangerous, yet I lament any loss of life. My mind recalled the pictures and videos of smoke billowing out of apartments, bloodied men staggering in the streets and children covered in ash.

I continue to pray for the souls of the dead and for all those

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

mourning their loved ones. I pray for leaders to exercise restraint and show mercy, for no child is ever “collateral damage.” Each of us is made of stardust and dreams, and it is love that animates the spiraling galaxies and the whirling planets, and love that lls the Earth and your own unique and wondrous heartbeat.

Later that week, I anointed the forehead of a friend lying semiconscious in a hospital bed. She is under the care of hospice. Her partner of 40 years was there along with their tiny, aged dog, who growled protectively as I approached. I sure was annoying him! Gently, I let the dog sni my ngers. He settled back down on the bed, although I could feel his eyes on me as I prayed and made the sign of the cross on my friend’s forehead.

Having nished my prayer and the anointing, I rose and o ered my ngers once again to the dog again. This time, perhaps because he smelled the oil or maybe because he had come to trust me at least a little, his tiny tail began to wag — a gesture that I understood his blessing.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.

Ol’ Man Winter reserving right to make return visit

Usually the weather follows this pattern: It’s too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, too this or too that.

LONG AGO and far away, the late American philosopher and humorist Will Rogers was known to say, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”

That was, of course, his nod to the fact the weather a ects us all in varying degrees, but there’s not a thing we can do to cause it or change it; all we can do is respond to it and how we dress, work or play. That’s why, of course, when the TV weather geeks say “snow” we all run (or drive) to the grocery for milk and bread even if we’ve already got some, don’t particularly like one or the other or rarely consume much of either. We’ve just got to have some on hand.

Usually the weather follows this pattern: It’s too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, too this or too that. Just like right now, for me it’s too dry; a little shower would do wonders for the chicken byproduct and commercial fertilizer some folks are spreading on their pastures after taking out a mortgage on their rst-born to pay for the stu . Just as an aside, I wonder when folk who can do something about runaway in ation will realize at the rate we’re going that soon pork chops are going to be more costly than gold and the nickel candy bar will cost $11.

I say all that to say the weather is a big deal; so big, in fact, that folks down through the ages have written all sorts of proverbs and sayings about it, particularly this time of year and the month of March. Among them are: “A dry March and a wet May ll barns and bays with corn and hay,” and, “March winds and April showers bring forth May owers.”

Also included is, “As it rains in March so it rains in June.” That one isn’t especially cute and certainly doesn’t rhyme. And don’t forget perhaps the most famous March weather saying, namely, “If March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb.”

That, of course, is testimony to the reality that March

can be the forerunner of spring or the dead of winter. It means if March comes in harsh (lion) it will end nicely (lamb). That old saying is often said in reverse, as well.

And the reality now of the weather this third month, as well as the immediate forecast for much of it, shows signs of both spring and summer. At the moment it’s spring — actually more like summer. And great kite- ying winds earlier this week. And somehow, the last few days of February and the rst several of March are more like June or even July, just without the humidity.

But I remember — as do many local folks — the March of 1960, not all that long ago for me but ancient history for this year’s crop of seventh graders. It was in that ancient time that Chatham County, as well as a good chunk of the Piedmont, had snow every Wednesday, at least the rst three, of the month. And I don’t mean a dusting.

It snowed.

Snow fell on top of snow. In some places there was ice on snow on ice on snow; made for great sledding. Even if you didn’t have a fancy store-bought sled you got along very nicely, thank you, on a big round metal Coke sign or one side of a cardboard box that recently was a refrigerator shipping carton.

As I remember, we went to school about ve days that month. We went on Saturdays. The state just simply forgave some days. It snowed so much we got tired of snow.

So are we in for more of that or something similar, or is winter really over? Well, apparently only the Good Lord and the groundhog know. But don’t be surprised if we don’t pay for these last several days of 70-plus degrees with a big ol’ honking blizzard about mid-March.

And, by the way, if you’re looking for a good saying about a month, try this one: “Why is the calendar so tired on April 1? Because it just nished a march of 31 days.”

Bob Wachs is a

Eat your smackerels

The customer service rep didn’t know how to address this problem, revisiting the same questions over and over.

MY BODY’S CHEMISTRY set had a temper tantrum. Excuse me?

Oh, you want more information? Okey- doke.

One of my previously purchased Amazon videos made a totally unexpected metamorphosis. A fave, the funny and uplifting “Hairspray” (2007), morphed into a violent thriller, “Fracture.” (Blood and guts is not my idea of heartwarming entertainment.) Clicking on “Hairspray,” the video “Fracture” played instead, just brimming with all the stu from which I hide my eyes. What happened to “Hairspray?” I want it back!

Emailed Amazon. Received a friendly reply telling me to click on the enclosed link and connect to their digital services. The link did not work.

Determined “Hairspray” groupie that I am, Amazon’s customer service number was in line for a call. I won’t regale you with all (well, maybe just a few) of the grueling 20 minutes of customer service details. My recovering victim addiction doesn’t really need more fuel.

The customer service rep didn’t know how to address this problem, revisiting the same questions over and over. I was left wondering if “I don’t know” is banned from Amazon customer service terminology. Still wondering ... And, me, Ms. Wholly Invested In Civility? Despite my values, and also as a never-to -be-perfected human being, I descended into snarliness. Out of volitional control. Where the heck was my self-appointed internal nastiness censor?

still snowing

This kind of weather is why the great Russian writers were so damn gloomy. You give me another week of this, and I’ll be Dostoevsky.

I’M WRITING IN the worst part of a blizzard.

What a satisfying, heroic way to start a newspaper column.

I’m not kidding, either. Here in Tiverton, Rhode Island, on the shores of Narragansett Bay, hard by the Massachusetts line, we’ve got more than 2 feet of snow on the ground, and we’re supposed to end up with about 36 inches.

To cliche up, it’s wet snow, heavy as lead, and the wind sounds like a freight train.

There’s a driving ban. If you’re not an “essential worker,” you can’t be on the roads. Mayors have pulled the plows o the roads because the drivers can’t see through the blowing snow. In a nearby city of 100,000 people, only two legal marijuana stores remain open. The National Guard is on its way with front-end loaders and dump trucks.

This kind of weather is why the great Russian writers were so damn gloomy. You give me another week of this, and I’ll be Dostoevsky.

There are several ways to write the “horri c act of nature” column.

You can always fall back on the “nature’s fury makes me feel insigni cant” column, but I’ve been married for 16 years, so I feel insigni cant every day. I don’t think anyone believes that kind of column anyway. If I’ve just discovered my own insigni cance, why am I writing about how the storm makes me feel?

I could exhaustively research and write a column about how a blizzard doesn’t mean global warming is a hoax, and how weather isn’t the same as climate, but most people wouldn’t read all the way to the end of that column, and about 40% of you would just call me a communist.

There remains the “most vulnerable” column in which the writer centers on any group of beings who su er the most in extreme weather. Feral cats. The homeless. Any half-bright writer can milk that until he’s got a bucket of tears. If I did that, I’d go for the feral cats angle. People feel a lot worse for homeless cats than they do for homeless people.

Napping? When my nastiness sensor did awake, in no uncertain terms, I was ordered to “Get out of Dodge.” (Vis-à-vis, Marshall Matt Dillon from the 1950s TV show “Gunsmoke.”) Plumbing the dregs of my civility storage tank, I managed to end the conversation.

Then, only then, did I realize how hungry I was. Really, really ravenous. I could almost hear my beloved childhood companion, Winnie the Pooh, intoning, “Time for a smackerel.” Out of respect for both Pooh and, yes, myself, I ingested quite a few smackerels. My feet found the ground again. Hangry, hangry, hangry! Hunger and anger combined become one of my top- ve hellscapes. And there I was. Hellscaping. Completely oblivious to my need for oral sustenance, in conjunction with a poor customer service rep who didn’t know how to say, “I don’t know.”

I’m usually cognizant of my much-valued civility entering a nosedive, as low blood sugar encroaches. However, when a fast approaching cli eludes me, “Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hutton” roar into the picture. It ain’t pretty, and I’m embarrassed.

I owe my body‘s biology an apology, having failed to notice my nemesis, incivility, creeping up on my smackerel-less tummy. Inadvertently, I failed myself and the Amazon customer rep. Had I bene ted from a smackerel- lled stomach, I wonder if there’d be need for this mea culpa you’re now reading (and, geez, I’m having to write!)

Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Trump eradicates 47 years of feckless foreign policy

IF ONE OF your national slogans is “Death to America,” you should be living in persistent and paralyzing fear of the United States. Say what you will about President Donald Trump, America’s enemies aren’t making any more demands after Operation Epic Fury. Not after the president shattered nearly ve decades of Washington foreign policy appeasing, legitimizing and emboldening the Iranian regime, one of our most enduring and dangerous enemies.

The U.S. can break Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities and its internal repression machine. It is under no obligation to clean it up.

Trump has already reset American foreign policy by rejecting both the technocratic naivety of neoconservatism and the unfeasible demands of isolationism. He has also shed the convoluted, pseudointellectual foreign policy theories that had congealed as conventional Washington wisdom.

A lot of cities open special shelters for

the homeless during periods of intense cold or blizzards. The bene t to the reporter/ columnist is you can nd the homeless, or at least the less stubborn homeless. You go down to the shelter, and there they are, full of misery and quotes. If you can, nd a homeless veteran. People feel worse for an Iraq War veteran who “turned to drugs” than they do for some clown who started using drugs in junior high and hasn’t done anything since then but use drugs.

The feral cats are harder to nd. They’re dying under snow-caked shrubs, and “meow” is a lousy quote. If you could nd a former military dog, one of those bomb-sni ers, and it was dying under a shrub, a whimper would be a hell of a good quote. If you ran a picture of the dog, and you set up a GoFundMe for the pooch, he’d be adopted and butt-deep in kibble by the end of the week.

A couple of days before the blizzard, my wife Deborah and I prepared. We used the traditional male/female division of labor: She went to the grocery store, I went to the liquor store. We ended up with a big bunch of groceries and a 30-pack of cheap beer.

Standing in line at the liquor store, the day before it hit, I was struck by my own insigni cance in the face of nature’s fury. No matter what kind of horrifying act of God was about to come out of the clouds, I still didn’t have enough money to buy good beer, imported beer, craft beer.

It makes a man think.

We still have power in our house, even though tens of thousands of people in the state are without electricity. If the power goes out, and the outage lasts for several days, and my wife and I freeze to death, when they nd us, I’m going to be clutching a can of beer that costs $20 for a 30-pack. That’s less than a buck a can.

Marc Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.” (Copyright 2026 Creators.com) COLUMN

You don’t know how big a failure you are until you’re freezing to death under a shrub, being let into the emergency shelter or facing the cold wrath of God with a can of cheap beer in your hand.

Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

One of the bogus “norms” propagated by experts, and now “America First” isolationists, is that any military action needs to be contingent on short-term “imminent” threats against the U.S. Why should the U.S. sit around until the breaking point to act in our interests? This is a self-applied, short-sighted limitation. It’s almost surely the case that the landscape would have been far more dangerous had Trump allowed the regime to regain its footing after months of protests and Israel’s summer o ensive. Trump struck the regime when it was at its weakest, before it could stockpile enough ballistic missiles and advanced weaponry to create a quagmire. Preemptively eliminating long-term threats is a way to mitigate harm against the U.S. Iran could have agreed to stop enrichment at any time in the past 47 days, or even 47 years, and avoided con ict. U.S. special envoy Steve Witko claims that the regime’s negotiators in Geneva bragged that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs.

Trump now has clear, achievable objectives: Ensure the mullahs don’t get their blood-stained hands on any nukes, end the regime’s ballistic missile capabilities and destroy the Iranian navy so it can’t threaten world shipping. There are also unstated goals. The U.S. acted to undermine Chinese military expansion into the Middle East. China was about to sell Iran supersonic missiles that would have allowed it to target the American military. The clerics pay for military upgrades in oil. Nearly all of Iran’s crude exports already go to China, virtually its only consumer. As with removing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, weakening the mullahs weakens China.

Another bogus “norm” of the past decades was famously summed up by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who warned then-President George W. Bush before the 2003 Iraq invasion: “You break it, you own it.” The “Pottery Barn rule” contends that the U.S. has a responsibility to reconstruct countries after having beaten them. Sometimes it bene ts us to participate in rebuilding projects to create stability, and sometimes it doesn’t. The U.S. can break Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities and its internal repression machine. It is under no obligation to clean it up.

Over the years, the Washington foreign policy blob has convinced many people that the U.S. has a duty to marshal a large contingent of nations before acting — namely, weak-kneed European countries with signi cant Muslim populations who o er little military value. Similarly, some people are under the impression that the U.S. needs permission from the United Nations, a bastion of strongmen, theocrats and fascists, to act. It does not.

“International law” has done little but hamper our ability to alleviate threats while allowing our enemies to act with impunity.

On the other hand, before Trump, U.S. administrations have refused to openly operate with our most-trusted ally, Israel, in militarily dismantling the Iranian threat. The idea was that Israel’s presence would undermine support from the Arab world. It’s in our interests to embrace Israel’s tech, intel, and military swagger and competence. “Capable partners are good partners,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said of Israel, “unlike so many of our traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force.”

Moreover, we’re not living in 1973 anymore. The bene ciaries of Israel’s operation in Iran have also been Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom joined the Americans in denouncing the regime.

Making predictions about the outcome of war in the Middle East is foolish. But the unknown shouldn’t paralyze us either. The best-case scenario for Operation Epic Fury is an organic uprising by Iranians that transforms that nation into a nonhostile entity that ceases exporting terrorism and Islamic fanaticism around the world. In the worst-case scenario, a weak, rump Islamic Republic survives.

Right now, no matter what happens, the clerics are gelded. That alone is a win.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

obituaries

IN MEMORY

William Harrison Elder

Jan. 13, 1934 –March 5, 2026

William Harrison Elder of Siler City, age 92, passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026. A lifelong resident of Siler City, he was the son of the late Harland H. Elder and Nell Welch Elder.

Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara Meadows Elder; stepdaughter, Lisa Meadows Barbee and her husband, Dale, of Siler City; stepsons, William David Sellers and his wife, Janie, of Burlington, NC and Kendall Ernest Sellers and his wife, Vicki, of Stephens City, VA; step-grandchildren, Whitt Sellers and his wife, Chrissy, Taylor Barbee, Chelsea Barbee, Jameson Sellers, Sasha Sellers Boyd and her husband, Ryan, Kiersten Cohen, Miranda Pirchuski and her husband, T.J.; ve step-greatgrandchildren, Jacqueline, Kinsleigh, Felix, Brady and Ember. He is also survived by his sister, Dorothy Elder Harris; along with eight nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his rst wife, Sara Walker Elder; sisters, Jenny Elder Fitch and Ruth Elder Phillips; and his step-granddaughter, Christine Sellers.

Bill achieved numerous milestones throughout his life. He attended public schools in Siler City and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a

member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. After completing his education, he returned to Siler City. During his career, he was President of Elder Oil Company, Elder Heating and Air and Elder Electric. He also served for a time as Communications Director for Chatham County. He later taught computer courses at Central Carolina Community College. Bill was proud of his service to our country. He served many years as Commander of the Army National Guard and then as a member of the Army Reserve. He was assigned to the Signal Corp and was appointed to serve some time at the Pentagon. He retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. Bill was devoted to his community. He was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church, where he taught an adult Sunday School class for many years. His leadership extended to various organizations. He was a member and former Secretary of the Masonic lodge, member and past Worthy Patron and past Secretary of Eastern Star Chapter, past President of the Jaycees, past President of Lions Club, former Commander of the American Legion, past member of Rotary Club and Chatham County Wildlife Club. He was a charter member of the Siler City Country Club. His hobbies included photography, painting, gourmet cooking, building model ships, reading and working Sudoku puzzles.

A Memorial Service will be held at First United Methodist Church at 1101 W. Raleigh Street, Siler City, NC on Saturday, March 14, at 2:00PM, followed by a visitation and reception in the church fellowship hall. A private family graveside service with military honors will precede the church service. Memorial contributions may be sent to First United Methodist Church or the Randolph Honor Guard.

We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.

SCOTT WILLIAM PETERSON

JULY 3, 1983 – FEB. 26, 2026

Scott William Peterson, 42, passed away on Thursday, February 26, 2026, surrounded by his lifelong friends and loving family.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, with details to be announced. Born on July 3, 1983, in Hamilton County, Ohio, Scott was the beloved son of David Scott Peterson and Ruth Ann Taylor Peterson.

From an early age, he was known for his steady kindness, strong work ethic, and willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need, qualities that de ned his life. Scott dedicated his professional career to caring for others as a radiologic technologist with UNC REX Hospital and FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. He truly loved his work and the opportunity it gave him to be there for others.

Colleagues and patients alike appreciated his calm demeanor, compassion, and sense of humor. His sel ess spirit was evident not only in his career, but also in his choice to be an organ donor, allowing him to continue helping others even after his passing. Outside of work, Scott found joy in woodworking, crafting beautiful pieces for others to cherish. He was passionate about health and tness, enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes, and loved gathering around the table with those he cared about. A devoted sports fan, he faithfully supported Duke Basketball, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Yankees, rarely missing a game and always ready to celebrate a victory.

Above all, Scott cherished his family. He was a loving and devoted husband to Jessica and a proud, engaged father to Ava and Liam. His greatest happiness was found in time spent traveling, riding roller coasters, and hiking together.

Scott is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their children, Ava and Liam; his parents, David and Ruth Ann Peterson; his sister, Marsha Peterson O’Hare and her husband, Aidan; his grandmother, Henrietta Bray Taylor; his niece, Allison O’Hare; his nephew, Sam O’Hare, all of Bear Creek; his devoted dog, Max; and a host of extended family members and dear friends who will miss him deeply.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the rst responders, FirstHealth EMS, Chatham Hospital, the sta of UNC Hospitals, and HonorBridge for their compassionate care and support during this di cult time.

RONALD GEOVANI LOPEZ SANCHEZ

APRIL 16, 1985 – MARCH 2, 2026

Ronald Geovani Lopez Sanchez, 40, of Siler City, passed away on Monday, March 2, 2026 at UNC Hospital.

The visitation and service will begin at 8:00 p.m. at Iglesia de Dios Liero de los Valleson on Sunday, March 8, 2026 with Pastor Rigoberto Zacarias presiding. Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026 at Chatham Memorial Park.

Ronald was born on April 16, 1985 to Andres Isaias Lopez and Erundina Sanchez. He worked with his family in the grocery business. He enjoyed playing and watching soccer, shing and board games. He loved watching movies with his family and cherished their time together.

Ronald is survived by his wife, Teresa Mancilla, of the home; children, Camila Lopez Mancilla, Ileana Isabela Lopez Mancilla, Benjamin Geovani Lopez Mancilla and Joseph Emiliano Lopez Mancilla; parents, Andres Isaias Lopez and Erundina Sanchez, of Siler City, sisters, Flor de Maria Lopez Sanchez (Abel Moreno), of New Jersey, Erica Beatriz Lopez Sanchez, of Siler City, Carmen Iliana Lopez Sanchez (Sergio), of Siler City and a host of family and friends.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamnewsrecord.com

Alexander Butter eld, Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dead at 99

His revelation of the secret taping system ultimately forced Nixon’s resignation

By Douglass K. Daniel The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Alexander Butter eld, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval O ce and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

His death was con rmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butter eld, help expose the wrongdoing.

“He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system,” Dean said. “He stood up and told the truth.”

As a deputy assistant to the president, Butter eld oversaw

the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon’s o ce in the Executive O ce Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Butter eld later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of sta H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.

“Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance,” Butter eld told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.

The tapes would expose Nixon’s role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Butter eld believed he’d had

a hand in the president’s fate.

“I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Butter eld, a college friend of Haldeman’s at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.

The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee sta ers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate breakin. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean’s testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.

When Butter eld acknowl-

edged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president’s conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest for determining what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out. E orts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.

The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique if often un attering view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international gures.

“I just thought, ‘When they hear those tapes …’ I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Buttereld told the Nixon Library. “I guess I didn’t foresee that the president might be put out of o ce or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of o ce. It had never happened before.”

Alexander Porter Butter eld was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida. He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1967. In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force. Butter eld was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. He believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.

Man who helped recruit players into sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty

A Charlotte man became the rst to plead guilty in a scheme that defrauded sportsbooks

By Marc Levy The Associated Press

ONE OF THE SO-CALLED

xers in a sprawling betting scheme that allegedly raked in millions of dollars o of big bets on rigged NCAA basketball games pleaded guilty Monday.

Jalen Smith appeared in federal court in Philadelphia and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges, becoming the rst of 26 people charged in the scheme to formally do so. It came a week before the start of March Madness, in which bettors will wager billions legally — and illegally — on the 68 college basketball teams in the tournament.

Smith, of Charlotte, trained and developed local basketball players for professional scouting combines and used those connections with players when he became part of the scheme, according to prosecutors.

The charges against Smith and 25 others were unsealed in January. Smith’s lawyer, Rocco Cipparone, said in an interview that Smith pleaded guilty to get the matter behind him, serve whatever sentence he’ll be given and “move forward in his life in

a positive direction.”

Smith had begun talking to prosecutors about a guilty plea well before he was formally charged, and the possibility that others in the case might plead guilty didn’t have any impact on his decision making, Cipparone said.

Besides the xers who recruited players and placed bets, the charges targeted 17 former college basketball players and four other players who were active with their college teams this season.

More than a dozen players tried to x games as recently as last season and some helped recruit other players, federal prosecutors said.

Two of the players charged were banned by the NCAA after a separate point-shaving inves-

tigation. One of the two, former University of New Orleans player Dae Dae Hunter, said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he participated in point-shaving to get money to care for his child.

It is the latest gambling scandal to hit the sports world since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision unleashed a meteoric rise in legal sports betting.

Smith was active in helping x games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, placing bets and recruiting players with the promise of a big payment in exchange for purposefully underperforming during a game, prosecutors said.

The xers would then bet against the players’ teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, authorities said.

“(He’s hoping to) move forward in his life in a positive direction.”

Rocco Cipparone, Jalen Smith’s lawyer

Smith often traveled to meet players to deliver cash payments by hand, prosecutors said. In one case, Smith traveled to Louisiana to arrange the delivery of about $32,000 in cash to two of the players charged in the scheme, prosecutors said.

Smith also pleaded guilty to a separate weapons charge, stemming from an FBI search of Smith’s bedroom at a house in North Carolina last May where agents found a loaded handgun in a hamper underneath some clothing.

Smith was prohibited from possessing the weapon as a condition of a drug conviction in 2018, and told agents that he had bought it from a man outside a sneaker store in Charlotte, the plea agreement said. Agents later found that it had been reported stolen.

The point-shaving scheme began with two games in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2023, according to the indictment. Successful there, xers recruited Smith and two other xers and moved on to rigging

NCAA games, and the last game they xed was in January 2025, it said.

Their scheme grew to involve more than 39 players on more than 17 di erent NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, who then rigged and attempted to rig more than 29 games, prosecutors said.

They wagered millions of dollars, raking in “substantial proceeds” for themselves, and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to players in bribes, prosecutors said. Payments to players typically ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, they said.

Prosecutors named more than 40 schools where games were allegedly targeted by the scheme. Those included Tulane University and DePaul University.

Rigged games included major conferences and some playo s, including the rst round of the Horizon League championship and the second round of the Southland Conference championship, prosecutors said.

Players often recruited teammates to cooperate by playing badly, sitting out or keeping the ball away from players who weren’t in on the scheme to prevent them from scoring. Sometimes the attempted x failed, meaning the xers lost their bets, prosecutors said.

Meta to acquire Moltbook

The acquisition re ects a heated tech race to control AI agent networks

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Meta said Tuesday it is acquiring Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for arti cial intelligence agents to make posts and interact with each other. A takeover of the AI experiment by the parent company of Facebook and Instagram comes weeks after Moltbook attracted viral attention as an unusual Reddit-like hub for AI systems trading gossip.

Meta’s move re ects the tech industry’s ongoing fascination with the promise of AI agents that go beyond a chatbot’s capabilities in being able to act and perform tasks on a person’s behalf.

Meta said in a statement that Moltbook introduced novel ideas in a “rapidly developing space” and will open “new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses.” Meta said it was hiring Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr. The deal’s nancial terms weren’t disclosed. In a similar move, OpenAI,

PITTSBORO from page A1

The agreement from then was that the town would provide an annual performance-based incentive grant equal to a percentage of the property taxes paid on the hotel.

The incentive would pay annually for up to ve years and range in percentage from 40% up to 53%.

In return, the developers were required to invest at least $14 million in the development of a hotel, employ at least one-third of its full-time sta from local residents, as well as meet other various metrics.

Following the hearing, the board unanimously approved the economic incentive agreement.

Finally, the board selected HH Architecture for the design of the new Town Hall for an amount not to exceed $888,000.

“HH Architecture is a Raleigh based, midsize rm with a very strong project portfolio and extremely good references,” said Project Engineer Ben

maker of ChatGPT, last month hired the creator of AI agent OpenClaw, formerly called Moltbot and the technology upon which Moltbook was built.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said at the time that Peter Steinberger would join OpenAI “to drive the next generation of personal agents” that will interact with each other “to do very useful things for people.”

OpenClaw operates on users’ own hardware and runs locally on their device, meaning it can access and manage les and data directly, and connect with messaging apps like Discord and Signal. Users who create OpenClaw agents then direct them to join Moltbook. OpenAI also earlier this week said it was acquiring Promptfoo, an AI security platform that tests the behaviors and risks of agents.

Questions about the authenticity of content posted on Moltbook swirled in its rst week of operation, when it was at its peak virality. Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security platform, published a report shortly after the platform launched detailing security vulnerabilities on the site, which have since been patched.

Schmadeke. “The evaluation committee really appreciated their project approach and experience.” According to Schmadeke, the current projected budget for the town hall is around $13 million, with a projected completion date around the end of 2028.

“The preliminary engineering study that you all saw was with a $16 million budget and that did not include design, contingency, furnishings and some other things,” said Town Manager Jonathan Franklin. “So to get to this $13 million, with everything included, I think sta has done a really good job of putting together this approach.”

“We will have up to date costs on the design that is being put together throughout the process,” Franklin said. “We’ll have touchpoints throughout the process to know that this design is staying on budget so we don’t get surprised.”

The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet April 13.

CLASSIFIED ADS

REAL ESTATE

LEARN ABOUT LAND - Chatham Land Experts, www.learnaboutland.com - 919-3626999.

JY2,tfnc

FOR RENT

POWELL SPRINGS APTS. Evergreen Construction introduces its newest independent living community for adults 55 years or older, 1 and 2 bedroom applications now being accepted. O ce hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 919533-6319 for more information, TDD #1800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible.

A2,tfnc

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, on-site laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-663-1877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc

AUCTIONS

RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERSEquipment, business, liquidation, estates, land, houses, antiques, personal property, coins, furniture, consignments, bene ts, etc., NCAL #7706, 919-548-3684, 919-663-3556. Jy6,tfnc

SERVICES

RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available. A26,tfnc

JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-5422803. A2,tfnc

LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-2583594. N9,tfnc

FOR SALE

1.2 ACRE LOT on 295 Pine Forest Drive in Siler City Country Club. Call 336-207-3141. 4tp

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of MARY BETTY SOLOMON BASS, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 10th day of June, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 12th day of March, 2026. DIANNE BASS HINSON, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF MARY BETTY SOLOMON BASS

NOTICE

TOWN OF SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA LEGAL NOTICE – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RE-ADVERTISEMENT)

The Town of Siler City, North Carolina is issuing a re-advertisement for sealed proposals from quali ed contractors for the Bray Park Recreation Fields Turnkey Construction Project located at Bray Park, 800 Alston Bridge Road, Siler City, North Carolina. Sealed proposals will be received until 4:00 PM on April 10, 2026, at the Town of Siler City O ces, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, NC 27344, at which time proposals will be publicly opened and recorded. Proposal documents and construction plans may be obtained by visiting the Town of Siler City website or by contacting the Town Clerk. Town Clerk Contact Information: Briana Martinez Town Clerk Town of Siler City 311 North Second Avenue Siler City, NC 27344 Phone: 919-742-4731 Email: bmartinez@silercity.gov Contractors are encouraged, but not required, to visit the project site prior to submitting proposals. The Town of Siler City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities as permitted by North Carolina law.

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having quali ed on the 26th day of February, 2026, as Executor of the Estate of Don Eugene Tucker aka Don E. Tucker, deceased, of Chatham County does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before June 10th, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 5th day of March, 2026. Janet E. Tucker Executor of the Estate of Don Eugene Tucker aka Don E. Tucker c/o J Alan Campbell Law PO Box 850 Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-451-5441

Notice to Creditors

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of MARGARET KAY HIRSCHMAN HICKS, late of Chatham County, North Carolina (26E000085-180), the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 29th day of May, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 26th day of February 2026. Charles Hirschman Administrator of the Estate of Margaret Kay Hirschman Hicks c/o Lisa M. Schreiner Attorney at Law P.O. Box 446 114 Raleigh Street Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 (For publication: 02/26, 03/05, 03/12, 03/19/2026)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000079-180 NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, James Yuschik, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Elaine Marie Gregg, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of May 27, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 26th day of February 2026. James Yuschik Administrator Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICEDISTRICT COURT DIVISION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO: 25CV000653-180

This is an action for Absolute Divorce To the attention of Nanette A.Newton Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: ABSOLUTE DIVORCE You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than Forty (40) days after the date of the rst publication of this notice and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought. This, the 5th day of, March 2026. Johnathan Newton 898 Bish Rd Staley, NC 27355

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000097-180

The undersigned RICKY HALL, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MICHAEL ALLEN HALL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 26TH Day OF MAY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 26TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. RICKY HALL, ADMINISTRATOR 881 BIG PEAK CREEK ROAD LAUREL SPRINGS, NC 28644 Run dates: F26,M5,12,19p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000095-180

The undersigned NATALIE HARRIS, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SUZANN MARIE MARCLE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 5TH Day OF JUNE 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 5TH DAY OF MARCH 2026. NATALIE HARRIS, EXECUTOR 4671 PEACE FOREST LANE CLIMAX, NC 27233 Run dates: M5,12,19,26p

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that on February 20th, 2026, William J. Vick was appointed Personal Representative of the Estate of Beverly A Vasko, deceased, by the Clerk of Superior Court, Chatham County, North Carolina. All persons having claims against the decedent are required to present their claims to the aforenamed Personal Representative, at 2212 Briland Ct. Fuquay Varina, NC 27526, or le them with the Clerk of the Court, 40 E Chatham St, Pittsboro, NC 27312, within 3 months from the date of the rst publication of this notice, or said claims will be forever barred.

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM PUBLIC NOTICE HEARING ON INTENT TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE A PORTION OF NC HWY 902 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Chatham County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing to consider the closing of a portion of NC HWY 902. The public hearing has been scheduled for March 16, 2026, at 6:00 o’clock p.m. at the Superior Court Courtroom, Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. The hearing is being held pursuant to the provisions of NCGS §153A-241 and the Resolution of Intent to Permanently Close a portion of NC HWY 902 that was approved and adopted by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on February 16, 2026 upon Petition led by Gavin Mekemson, Maura McKeon and Triple A Homes, Inc. (“Petitioner”). This the 16th day of February, 2026. Chatham County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: Clerk to the Board Chatham County Board of Commissioners

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Sandra G. Funk aka Sandra Gail Funk, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 19th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 19th day of February, 2026. SARAH ELIZABETH TILLMAN, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF SANDRA G. FUNK AKA SANDRA GAIL FUNK

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Chatham County, North Carolina RE: THE ESTATE OF JOHN THOMAS NASH – 25E000476-180

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of John Thomas Nash, deceased, Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 19th day of February, 2026. Leigh Goodwin, Executrix DSR Legal, PLLC PO Box 51596 Durham, NC 27717

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor/ Administrator of the Estate of Donald G. Cheek, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate to present them to the undersigned on or before May 19, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 19 day of February, 2026. Danis A. Smith

Executor/Administrator of the Estate of Donald G Cheek Jr 3630 Lyle Creek Ave NE Conover, NC 28613 Dates of Publication: February 19, 2026 February 26, 2026 March 5, 2026 March 12, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000033-180

The undersigned KENNETH WARREN

STURDIVANT, having quali ed on the 10TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of LARRY STURDIVANT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 19TH Day OF MAY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 19TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. KENNETH WARREN STURDIVANT, EXECUTOR 714 MT. PISGAH CHURCH RD. APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: F19,26,M5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000119-180

The undersigned MAX WILEY BUTLER, having quali ed on the 2ND Day of MARCH 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SYLVIA HOLT BUTLER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 5TH Day OF JUNE 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 5TH DAY OF MARCH 2026. MAX WILEY BUTLER, EXECUTOR

616 PALMERA DR. E PONTE VERDE BEACH, FL 32082

MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: BELLE B. BROOKS C/O SYLVIA BUTLER 475 HENRY WEBSTER RD. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: M5,12,19,26p

Notice to Creditors

State of North Carolina Chatham County The General Court of Justice Superior Court Division 25E000584-180 Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Frieda Lobe, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them, duly veri ed, to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of June 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned. This the 12th day of March 2026.

Ingrid Maria Rubenacker, Executor 75004 Miller Chapel Hill, NC 27517 Address where claims can be sent: Fidelity Law Group ATTN: John Riordan 8936 Northpointe Executive Park Drive STE 260 Huntersville, NC 28078 File #25E000584-180. ###### Published Mar 12, 19, 26 and Apr 2, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000120-180 The undersigned JANET DUNN FRANTZ, having quali ed on the 3RD Day of MARCH 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOSEPH GLENN DUNN, SR., deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 12TH Day OF JUNE 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 12TH DAY OF MARCH 2026. JANET DUNN FRANTZ, EXECUTOR 1525 RED LANE EXTENSION SALEM, VA 24153 Run dates: M12,19,26,A2p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA Chatham COUNTY 26E000098-180 All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Frankye Carlene Spiller, deceased, late of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 5th day of June, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 5th day of March, 2026. Patricia Diane Bonvissuto, Executor c/o Hemphill Gelder, PC PO Box 97035 Raleigh, NC 27624-7035 Pub dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, and 3/26/2026

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having quali ed on the 3rd day of February 2026, as Administrator of the Estate of Mary Frances Sutton , deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 19th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 16th day of February 2026. W. Woods Doster, Administrator of the Estate of Mary Frances Sutton 206 Hawkins Avenue

Sanford, NC 27330

Attorneys: Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330

Publish On: February 19th, 26th of February & 5th and 12th of March 2026.

Notice to Creditors

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Patricia C. Dutcher, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before June 1, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 26th day of February, 2026. Paul C. Dutcher, Administrator c/o W. Thomas McCuiston 200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms, and corporations having claims against Frederick R Stagg, Jr., deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 19th, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 19th of February, 2026. Ryan Frederick Pamplin, Executor of the Estate of Frederick R Stagg, Jr., c/o Jessica Mantekas, Attorney, 1255 Crescent Green, Suite 200, Cary, NC 27518.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000087-180 The undersigned MARY BETH COOKE, having quali ed on the 17TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR, CTA of the Estate of JAMES FRANKLIN WARFFORD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 26TH Day OF MAY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 26TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. MARY BETH COOKE, ADMINISTRATOR CTA 1176 ASHEFORD GREEN AVENUE NW CHARLOTTE, NC 28207 Run dates: F26,M5,12,19p

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having quali ed on the 30th day of October 2025, as Administrator of the Estate of Edward Joe Truett, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of May, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 10th day of February 2026. W. Woods Doster, Administrator of the Estate of Edward Joe Truett 206 Hawkins Ave Sanford, NC 27330 Attorneys: Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330 Publish On: February 19th, February 26th, March 5th & 12th 2026.

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations

holding claims against Dorothy H King aka Dorothy King Harris aka Dorothy Herring King, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are noti ed to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before May 29, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 26th day of February 2026. Sandra King McGraw, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

A public hearing will be held by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Monday, March 16, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The public hearing will be held in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. Additional information is available at the Chatham County Planning Department o ce. Speakers are requested to sign up at the meeting prior to the hearing. You may also sign up on the county website prior to the meeting at www. chathamcountync.gov by selecting the heading County Government, then Commissioner Meetings, then Public Comment. The public hearing may be continued to another date at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to receive input, both written and oral, on the issues listed below: Legislative Request: A legislative public hearing requested by the Chatham County Planning Department to amend the e ective date of the adopted Uni ed Development Ordinance from June 1st, 2026, to June 1st, 2027, as a result of legislative action S382. A legislative public hearing general use rezoning requested by EC PROPCO, LLC to rezone Parcels 5377, 5376, 78264, 5470 from R-1 Residential to Ind-H Heavy Industrial, on 292.288 acres, located o Christian Chapel Church Rd., Cape Fear Township. A legislative public hearing rezoning requested by Fearrington Property Development, LLC to rezone Parcels 2867, 2868, 2869, 2842, 2807, 2820, 95254, located o 724 Andrews Store Rd, Parker Herndon Rd, and Morris Rd., from R-1 Residential to CD-CC Conditional District Compact Community, being approximately 371.822 acres, Baldwin Township. Substantial changes may be made following the public hearing due to verbal or written comments received or based on the Board’s discussions. Notice to people with special needs: If you have audio or visual impairment, unique accessibility requirements or need language assistance, please call the number listed below prior to the hearing and assistance may be provided. If you have any questions or comments concerning these issues, please call the Chatham County Planning Department at 919-542-8204, or write to P.O. Box 54, Pittsboro N.C. 27312. Please run in your paper: March 5th and 12th, 2026

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS COUNTY OF CHATHAM THE UNDERSIGNED, having quali ed on the 17th day of February 2026, as Ancillary Co-Executors of the ESTATE OF HERMON O. LEE, Deceased, hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 6th day of June, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 5th day of March 2026. Diana Lee & Marzell Lee Ancillary Co-Executors Estate of Hermon O. Lee c/o Shirley M. Diefenbach, Attorney Walker Lambe, PLLC Post O ce Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717

NOTE: For publication in The Chatham News on the following dates: March 5th, March 12th, March 19th, and March 26th. Please send the Statement and Proof of Publication to Walker Lambe, PLLC, Post O ce Box 51549, Durham, North Carolina 27717-1549. 4914-7900-5072, v. 2

Notice to Creditors ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Virginia Dare Taylor, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before May 22, 2026, or this notice

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000081-180 The undersigned RHONDA BOONE POE, having quali ed on the 11TH Day of FEBRUARY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BARBARA HOLT BOONE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 19TH Day OF MAY 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 19TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026. RHONDA BOONE POE, EXECUTOR 4577 PINEY GROVE CHURCH RD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: F19,26,M5,12p

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF Frederick Oscar Bowman, Jr. All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Frederick Oscar Bowman, Jr., late of Chatham, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to Frederick O. Bowman, III or John S. Bowman as Co-Executors of the decedent’s estate on or before May 23, 2026, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor. This the 19th day of February 2026. Frederick O. Bowman, III, Co-Executor John S. Bowman, Co-Executor c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000121-180 The undersigned COURTNEY H. KNOLL, having quali ed on the 9TH Day of MARCH 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BARBARA DUNNAVANT HEDGEPETH deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 12TH Day OF JUNE 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 12TH DAY OF MARCH 2026. COURTNEY H. KNOLL, EXECUTOR 153 EDGEWOOD DRIVE DURHAM, NC 27713 Walter B. Cates, Attorney HUBBARD, CATES AND GROCE, PC P.O. Box 679 Roxboro, NC 27573 Run dates: M12,19,26,A2p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#17E000351-180 The undersigned DOBORAH LOFTON AND MAURICE NUNN, having quali ed on the 12TH Day of JANUARY 2026 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of ELSIE ROSETTA HARRIS NUNN deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 12TH Day OF JUNE 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 12TH DAY OF MARCH 2026. DEBORAH LOFTON, CO-EXECUTOR 50 NEW HOPE CHURCH RD. APEX, NC 27523 MAURICE NUNN, CO-EXECUTOR 93 NEW HOPE CHURCH RD. APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: M12,19,26,A2p

‘Christ

is king’ becomes loaded phrase in US political debates, especially on the right

A sacred phrase becomes a rallying cry for some extremists targeting Jews

By Peter Smith

The Associated Press

ON ITS OWN, the phrase

“Christ is king” sums up a core tenet of the Christian faith, that Jesus is the divine ruler of the universe. Catholics and many Protestants celebrate a Christ the King Sunday each year.

But the ancient proclamation can morph into something political, controversial or even sinister, depending on who says it and how it’s said.

In recent years, “Christ is king” and similar phrases have been chanted at political rallies, posted on social media and proclaimed in speeches by voices on the right.

At times the phrase is used to support the notion of America as a Christian nation or as one that owes its allegiance specically to the Christian God. Some current Cabinet o cials and recent members of Congress have used the phrase in speeches and on social media.

But other times, political activists have paired “Christ is king” with anti-Zionist statements or negative Jewish stereotypes.

The phrase has gained popularity among far-right gures and their followers. Conservative in uencer Candace Owens, who shares antisemitic conspiracies, sells branded “Christ is King” co ee mugs and T-shirts.

The controversy connects to a larger schism on the right, with some conservatives pushing back against an increasingly vocal faction whose denunciations of Israel, critics say, often combine with blatant antisemitism. Some of the latter group insist they’re not antisemitic, just anti-Zionist. That itself is a sharp break from what was once a near-consensus of pro-Israel sentiment among Republicans.

But there are times when the use of the phrase “Christ is king” is unquestionably hostile toward Jews, said a 2025 report by the Rutgers University-a liated Network Contagion Research Institute.

Analyzing social media postings between 2021 and 2024, the institute reported a dramatic increase of the phrase “Christ is king,” often used as a hate meme targeting Jews. The report lamented this deviation from its historical use as a hopeful, sacred a rmation with biblical roots.

“The weaponization or hijacking of ‘Christ is King’ represents a disturbing inversion of its original intent. Rather than sacralizing shared values, extremists have exploited this religious expression to justify hatred,” the report said.

Controversy spotlighted at religious liberty hearing

A recent meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission, a

group President Donald Trump created and appointed, put the phrase and related controversies in the spotlight.

At a Feb. 9 hearing focused on antisemitism, a witness, Seth Dillon, spoke of often hearing people use the phrase “Christ is king” followed immediately by a highly contemptuous slur toward Jews.

“This should o end every Christian,” said Dillon, the CEO of the conservative satirical site

The Babylon Bee. Commission member Carrie Prejean Boller repeatedly grilled witnesses about whether opposing Zionism could be construed as anti-Jewish. She said that as a Catholic she opposes Zionism but that this is not antisemitic.

She asked Dillon if he thought “saying ‘Christ is king’ is antisemitic.”

Dillon said no and that, as a Christian, he regularly declares that “Christ is my king” — but context matters.

He testi ed that the phrase has been co-opted by Groypers, alluding to the followers of far-right in uencer Nick Fuentes, who has spread antisemitic views.

It’s “using the Lord’s name in an abusive manner,” Dillon said.

Fuentes’ supporters chanted “Christ is king” at the Million MAGA March, a November 2020 rally denying the Republican Trump’s defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in that year’s presidential election.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who chairs the Religious Liberty Commission, announced Prejean Boller’s removal from the panel after the meeting. He asserted that she tried to “hijack” the hearing for her own agenda.

Following the commission meeting, Prejean Boller has posted proli cally on X, denouncing “Zionist supremacists” and repeatedly using the phrase “Christ is King.” She also has de-

nounced the war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.

A recent Catholic convert, she said she opposes a popular evangelical view that modern-day Israel exists in ful llment of biblical prophecy.

A religious phrase “co - opted by extremist gures”

The commission hearing was hardly the rst forum to air controversy over “Christ is king.”

The Network Contagion Research Institute’s 2025 report noted that while many “Christ is king” references on social media are strictly religious, the phrase has been “systematically co-opted by extremist gures.”

The report said Fuentes and other extremists use the phrase as a “white supremacist mantra publicizing their antisemitic beliefs.”

Fuentes has said the Holocaust was exaggerated, and he has denounced “organized Jewry in America.” He has claimed to be in battle with “satanic, globalist elites,” an antisemitic trope.

The religious phrase “Christ is king” is not inherently political, said Brian Kaylor, president and editor-in-chief of Word&Way, a progressive site covering faith and politics.

But that fact provides a “deniability” to those politicizing it, he said.

“We’re at a dangerous point with the phrase ‘Christ is king’ because of the heavy activity and use of it on the far right in very fascist, antisemitic ways,” said Kaylor, a Baptist minister and author of several books on religion and politics. “We’re at the danger of that phrase losing its meaning to where this new antisemitic use is the dominant de nition.”

The phrase has also gained popularity in political settings with some on the Catholic and evangelical right who are strongly pro-Israel and have repeatedly denounced antisemitism, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Kaylor said the phrase is often used as “a declaration of Christian nationalism ” asserting that “the nation should be brought under the dictates of Christ.”

FBI hunts for clues after 2 men charged with lighting bombs at NYC protest

Two Pennsylvania men told authorities they were inspired by the Islamic State

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Investigators are trying to learn more about two Pennsylvania men accused of bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, told authorities after their arrests that they were inspired by the Islamic State group, law enforcement o cials said, but much remains undisclosed about their motives and how much they planned.

The FBI said Monday that it had conducted multiple searches in connection with the investigation, including an examination

of a Pennsylvania storage unit. Tests were being performed on some of the devices recovered at the scene.

Balat’s lawyer, meanwhile, portrayed him as a confused teenager who didn’t know what he was doing.

Prosecutors, police and FBI o cials say Balat and Kayumi, who lived in Philadelphia’s suburbs, drove to New York City on Saturday and joined a throng of counter protesters at a small, anti-Muslim rally organized by the far-right Christian nationalist Jake Lang.

Journalists photographed Balat hurling a device, smoking with a lit fuse, that was later found to contain the explosive TATP. The object, which also contained nuts and bolts, extinguished itself without harming anyone.

Balat then dropped a second

A dispute over politics and religion

The controversy has highlighted both religious and political ssures. The Vatican has diplomatic relations with Israel and has also recognized a state of Palestine. Pope Leo XIV has called for a two-state solution while denouncing antisemitism. During the Israel-Hamas war, popes Francis and Leo denounced the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and Israel’s massive military response, with Leo demanding a halt to Israel’s “collective punishment” of Gaza’s population.

Other Catholics on the Religious Liberty Commission noted that Jesus and his followers were Jews and that a seminal 1965 Vatican document rejects antisemitism and the blaming of all Jews, including those alive today, for Jesus’ cruci xion. Patrick, the commission chairman, said the dispute with Prejean Boller re ects “a real problem with a very small group in our Republican Party.” Antisemitism needs to be repudiated or “this is going to destroy our party,” he said on “The Mark Levin Show,” a podcast.

But Prejean Boller has galvanized supporters from a staunchly conservative group called Catholics for Catholics, a lay-led, self-described “militant organization dedicated to the evangelization of this great country.”

It plans to honor Prejean Boller at a March 19 event with a Catholic Champion Award in Washington featuring speakers such as Owens.

Prejean Boller has reposted announcements of the event on X, including one post that shared a Spanish-language statement that translates to “We will not rest until we convert the USA into a Catholic nation.” The post concluded in English with “Christ is King!”

object near some police o cers and tried to run, but was tackled and arrested, according to a court complaint.

Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after a court appearance Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.

Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said outside court that his client, a high school senior, had “complicated stu going on” in his personal life.

“I believe he’s 18 and he doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing,” Essmidi said. He added that he didn’t believe Balat and Kayumi had known each other long.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there were no indications Monday that the attack was connected to the ongoing war in Iran.

After Balat was arrested, police o cers asked him whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people.

“No, even bigger,” Balat replied, according to a criminal complaint.

CHATHAM SPORTS

“I could not be more proud of the e ort that they established and displayed in today’s game.”

The Chargers fell to Goldsboro 54-44

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

GREENVILLE — The Northwood girls basketball team’s beeline sprint from the turn of 2026 to the state playo s ended one game short of the nish line Friday at ECU.

Trailing No. 2 Goldsboro 26-20 at halftime of the 3A East regional nal, the fourth-seeded Chargers got outscored 11-3 in the third quarter and couldn’t overcome the

expanded de cit in a 54-44 loss.

Goldsboro senior Aziyah Boyer led all scorers with 20 points to go along with nine rebounds. Her teammate, freshman Kennedy Barbour, scored most of her 18 points during the Cougars’ game-changing burst out of the break.

“Unfortunately, the ball didn’t fall in the basket as much as we’re used to and as we would have liked,” Northwood coach Kerri Stubbs said. “But I could not be more proud of the e ort that they established and displayed in today’s game.”

The night began as a tug-of-war with possession as

both teams combined for 12 turnovers in the rst quarter.

Boyer broke the ice with the game’s rst two points over two minutes into the opening period. After Northwood took its rst and only lead of the night at 4-2 minutes later, Boyer caught re with eight straight points to help Goldsboro take a 16-9 advantage.

Northwood punched back in the second quarter, though, as its multiple trips to the free throw line turned into foul trouble for the Cougars. Barbour and junior guard Nieirah Smith, two of Goldsboro’s starters, had three fouls each, and Boyer n-

ished the rst half with two. Senior guard Neah Henry got to the line three times and led the Chargers with seven points at halftime.

“After the rst quarter, we just were making sure that they knew that we just need to play our game and to settle down, and to start to run our o ense and just take a breath” Stubbs said. “I think we did a better job after that rst quarter of doing that.”

Coming out of the break, Goldsboro held the Chargers scoreless for the rst ve minutes of the third quarter. After Boyer carried the load in

Kerri Stubbs

the rst half, Barbour came alive in the second. She scored 12 straight points in a ve-minute stretch from the end of the third to the beginning of the fourth quarter, helping Goldsboro reach its largest lead of the night (14 points). Northwood kept ghting in the nal minutes, but the Cougars had a response to almost every inch of progress it made. The Chargers shaved the de cit to nine with under a minute left

The Jets came close but fell short of snapping their skid

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

SILER CITY — Jordan-Matthews was arms-length away from its rst win in over a season, but Wheatmore scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to deny the Jets in a 10-4 decision on March 4.

With the game tied at four runs apiece, Wheatmore’s decisive batting turn started with a groundout. Then, three straight walks and a wild pitch allowed junior Nathan Oxendine to score the go-ahead run, and a sacri ce bunt by Shannon McCauley scored Jackson Gallimore to put the Warriors ahead 6-4.

Facing two outs and a 3-1 count, freshman Grayson Stewart singled to score freshman Christian Tuttle.

Jordan-Matthews then switched out sophomore pitcher Elijah Rodriguez for sophomore Austin Morgan. Morgan walked his rst two batters, and an error on a ground ball hit by Wheatmore’s Greyson Atkinson scored two more runs. Wheatmore landed itsnal blow in the next at-bat as another error committed by the Jets’ defense on a ground ball from Gavin McPherson

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record Baseball

Seaforth extended its win streak to three with a 5-4 win over Leesville Road on March 3 and a 2-1 win over Cleveland on Friday. Junior pitcher Jaedyn Rader closed both games with zero hits and zero runs allowed in the nal inning. After losses to Trinity (11-1) and Southern Alamance (6- 4), Northwood avoided a three-game skid with a 3-2 win over Southeast Alamance on March 5. Junior Campbell Parks singled and scored sophomore Brody Zsuppan for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman pitcher Mason Lutterloh closed the win with a three up, three down inning, including two strikeouts. Chatham Charter bounced back from its 3-1 season-opening loss to Southern Alamance with an 8-4 win over Cornerstone Charter on Friday. The Knights built a 6-0 lead through the fth inning, and Jax Young went 2 for 3 with one run and two RBIs. Chatham Central started the season with back-to-back losses to South Stokes, losing 4-0 on March 3 and 11-1 Friday. Jordan-Matthews fell to R.J. Reynolds 6-1 Friday.

Power Rankings (week of March 2): 1. Seaforth; 2. Chatham Charter; 3. Northwood; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews Softball

Jordan-Matthews senior pitcher Lilli Hicks threw a no-hitter in the season-opening 4-0 win over Carrboro on March 3. Hicks then went 2 for 3 and gave up zero runs in the last four innings of Jordan-Matthews’ 4-3 win over Providence Grove on March 4. The Jets notched 12 hits, and Ella Parks recorded three RBIs in their 10-0 win over Wheatmore on Friday. Seaforth’s Emma Grace Hill sent the Hawks over Middle Creek in the season opener 3-2 on March 4 with a walk- o RBI. Caroline Cook scored the winning run. Hill recorded four RBIs and struck out 11 batters in the Hawks’ 12-2 win over Holly Springs on Friday.

Former locals take on postseason tournaments

10

Jordan-Matthews,

softball

Jordan-Matthews senior Lilli Hicks earns athlete of the week honors for the week of March 2.

In the Jets’ 4-0 win over Carrboro on March 3, Hicks pitched a no-hitter and struck out nine batters in a full seven innings. She also scored two runs. On the very next night, Hicks came up huge once again in a 4-3 win over Providence Grove. With the Jets holding on to a one-run lead, Hicks allowed one hit and gave up zero runs in the nal four innings.

Hicks capped o her week with nine strikeouts and two hits allowed in a 10-0, ve-inning win over Wheatmore on Friday.

NORTHWOOD from page B1

to play, but they couldn’t complete a comeback.

Henry nished the night as Northwood’s leading scorer with 16 points. Senior Alyia Roberts and sophomore Noelle Whitaker poured in eight points each, while senior Shaylah Glover recorded six points a team-high seven rebounds.

Northwood made the regional nal for the rst time since the 2022 state title run and nished the season 21-6 overall and 10-0 in Four Rivers 3A/4A conference play.

The 2026 senior class of Henry, Roberts, Glover, Mikaylah Glover and Amari Bullett completed three 20-win seasons, including two regular season conference titles and a conference tournament title in 2024.

After the game, a few of the seniors shared that the friendships formed with each other are one of their biggest takeaways from their high school careers.

“These girls, they’ve given me something that I’ve craved in life, while also playing the sport that I love, which is sisterhood,” Henry said.

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

IT’S BRACKET SEASON, and Chatham County’s past standout hoopers are taking part across numerous levels of college basketball.

Here’s a rundown of how the former local athletes have already fared in conference or national tournaments and where to watch them in upcoming tournament action.

Women

Former Seaforth standout

Gabby White made her debut in the ACC Women’s Tournament last week as eighth-seeded Virginia fell to No. 9 Clemson 63 -50 in the second round. White played 17 minutes o the bench and recorded ve points and two rebounds. White’s status on making her NCAA Tournament debut isn’t certain as multiple projections have the Cavaliers as a double-digit seed and on the bubble as either one of the last four in or one of the rst four out. Virginia’s fate will be determined Sunday during the Women’s Tournament selection show at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

McKenna Snively, who played at Northwood, helped lead Christopher Newport to the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Tournament. Snively scored 10 points in the Captains’ 74-62 rst round win over Gettysburg College. Christopher Newport fell

to Washington and Lee 61-55 in Saturday’s second round, and Snively, a senior, scored eight points. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Snively helped the Captains win their seventh straight conference championship with a 73-57 win over Salisbury in the Coast-To-Coast Women’s Tournament nal.

Skylar Adams, the former Northwood guard, made her second appearance in the CIAA Women’s Tournament with Shaw. The Bears fell to Blue eld State 82-56 in the rst round on Feb. 24. Adams was in the starting lineup, but she didn’t take a shot attempt in her six minutes of play. She averaged 3.6 points this season.

Former Seaforth guard Hannah Ajayi and fth-seeded Guilford fell to No. 4 Shenandoah 61-60 in the rst round of the Women’s ODAC Tournament. Ajayi scored four points and went 2 for 2 from the eld in 12 minutes of play. In her sophomore season, Ajayi averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds.

Men

Former Northwood standout Max Frazier and Central Connecticut State fell to Wagner

70 -60 in the quarter nals of the Northeast Conference Tournament on March 4. Frazier, a junior, nished the game as Blue Devils’ second leading scorer with 10 points.

Colby Burleson, the former Northwood guard, helped Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semi nals after a 76-73 win over Salem State in the quarter nals. The Trailblazers fell to West eld State 95-68 in the semi nal on Feb. 27, and Burleson scored three points.

Former Chatham Central forward Brennen Oldham helped Catawba Valley CC to the NJCAA Region 10 Division II seminal Friday. Catawba Valley fell to the eventual region runner ups Bryant & Stratton College 108-84, and Oldham scored three points in the loss. In the quarter nal win against Cleveland CC, Oldham shot 4 for 4 from the oor for eight points, and he grabbed six rebounds. In that same bracket, Oldham’s Chatham Central teammate Reid Albright helped Central Carolina CC reach the semi nal. Central Carolina fell to the eventual region champions Davidson-Davie CC 90-70. In the quarter nal, Central Carolina defeated Fayetteville Tech 75-66.

Former Seaforth star Jarin Stevenson will make his ACC Tournament debut with North Carolina Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Kenan Parrish, the former Northwood 7-footer, will face Penn in the Ivy League Tournament semi nals Saturday at 2 p.m.

Three local teams eld boys’ volleyball teams

Chatham Charter will play for the rst time

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

ANOTHER SEASON of boys’ volleyball has begun in Chatham County.

This year, Seaforth, Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Charter will participate in the club sport. Chatham Charter will play for the rst time this season.

Seaforth and Jordan-Matthews have already started their regular seasons. The Hawks opened the year with a 3-2 loss to Millbrook on March 2, but they bounced back with a 3-0 win over Carrboro on March 5.

Junior Zach Evans led the way with 6 kills, junior Lucas Ferri logged a team-high 17 assists and junior Kleber Corzo recorded 18 digs.

Jordan-Matthews started the season with a 3-1 loss to Phoenix Academy on March 2.

Last year, Seaforth went 15-10 and made it to the NC Boys’ Volleyball Association 1-3A Elite Eight, falling to the eventual state champions Triangle Math and Science Academy. Class of 2025 outside hitter Broden Jones earned First Team All-State honors, and Ferri made Second Team All-State.

In 2025, Jordan-Matthews went 8-10 and fell to Seaforth in the rst round of the state playo s.

Boys’ volleyball is not sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, but it’s status could change soon.

The NCHSAA requires at least 25% of its membership to participate in a sport before it gets sanctioned and culminates in a state championship.

Last year, HighSchoolOT reported that 105 NCHSAA

ROUNDUP from page B1

Northwood started 3-0 for the rst time since 2020, taking down Chapel Hill (5-2), Felton Grove (18-3) and Carrboro (16 - 0). The Chargers scored 16 runs in two innings, and freshman Logan Thompson allowed zero hits and struck out eight batters in the three innings needed to beat the Jaguars.

Chatham Charter recorded 10 hits, including a home run by junior Allie McLeod, to defeat Ascend Leadership 15-0 in three innings Friday. Before that game, the Knights fell to Providence Grove 10-0 and beat Central Carolina 6-0.

Chatham Central started the week with big wins over Overhills (16-1) and Lee Coun-

Seaforth players earned all-state honors in 2025

members (135 schools in total across North Carolina) elded boys’ volleyball teams. With there being 447 total NCHSAA members, last year’s participation comes out to 23%. More teams have been added for the 2026 season.

During the NCHSAA Regional Meetings, commissioner Que Tucker said it “won’t be long” until the Board of Directors forms a committee for boys’ volleyball. “Boys’ volleyball is gaining momentum,” Tucker said.

Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for local boys’ volleyball teams.

Seaforth: March 11 — vs. Southeast Alamance; March 13 — vs. NCSSM: Durham; March 17 — at Triangle Math and Science; March 18 — vs. Durham School of the Arts; March 23 — vs. Cary Academy; March 25 — at Chapel Hill; March 26 — at Jordan-Matthews; April 9 — vs. Eno River; April 11 — at Hillside; April 11 — TBD; April 14 — vs. Triangle Math and Science; April 15 — vs. Carrboro; April 17 — at Riverside-Durham; April 17 — TBD; April 21 — at Durham School of the Arts; April 22 — vs. Panther Creek; April 27 — at NCSSM: Durham; April 30 — vs. Jordan Jordan-Matthews: March 13 — at Southeast Alamance; March 16 — vs. Ben L. Smith; March 19 — at Asheboro; March 23 — at Triad Math and Science; March 26 — vs. Seaforth; April 8 — vs. Southwest Guilford; April 10 — at Cary

ty (9 -3), but it fell to Falls Lake 10-9 Friday despite a 4-for-4, three-RBI night from junior Maddie Kaczmarczyk.

Power Rankings (week of March 2): 1. Jordan-Matthews; 2. Seaforth; 3. Northwood; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Chatham Charter

Girls’ lacrosse

Seaforth picked up big wins over St. Mary’s (21-10) and Jordan (14-0) to start the season last week.

Boys’ lacrosse

Seaforth defeated Jordan 13-7 on March 3.

Northwood fell to Southern Alamance 10-4 and East Chap -

Seaforth and Jordan-Matthews compete in a 2025

Academy; April 13 — at Page; April 15 — vs. Chatham Charter; April 17 — at Eastern Alamance; April 20 — vs. Southeast Alamance; April 22 — vs. Ashe-

el Hill 10-9 to start the season.

Girls’ soccer

Seaforth posted back-to-back 9-0 wins over South Granville and Webb to start the season.

Senior So a Viana scored four goals in the season opener and recorded a hat trick in the win over the Warriors. Following a 2-1 loss to Cedar Ridge, Northwood defeated Northern Durham 9-0 to notch its best four-game start since 2019 (3-1). Jordan-Matthews snapped its three-game losing streak with a 9-0 win over Phoenix Academy on March 5.

Chatham Charter lost its season opener to Cornerstone Charter 6-0 on March 5.

boro; April 24 — vs. Carrboro; April 29 — at Ben L. Smith; May 1 — vs. Eastern Alamance Chatham Charter: March 16 — at Carrboro; April 11 — vs.

Central Carolina; April 15 — at Jordan-Matthews; April 18 — vs. Carrboro; April 25 — at Triangle Math and Science; May 2 — vs. Central Carolina

Blaney ends Reddick’s streak to give Team Penske weekend sweep at Phoenix

Reddick nished eighth, while Blaney took the lead with 10 laps left

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan

Blaney completed a Team Penske sweep at Phoenix Raceway by winning the Cup Series race, denying Tyler Reddick a fourth consecutive win to start the Cup Series season.

Blaney was the race favorite after winning last November in the season- nale on the mile oval but he had to overcome at least three tire problems that cost him track position. He chased down Ty Gibbs — the 49th car he passed Sunday — to take the lead with 10 laps remaining and seal his 18th career victory.

“Just perseverance,” Blaney said. “We had a couple mistakes that we learned from, got better, had to come from the back a couple times. It’s cool to win, especially after a day like that. Can’t say enough about the (team) for keeping their head down and doing what they do.”

As he celebrated on the frontstretch, his parked Ford began to roll away and Blaney had to chase after it to ensure it was in park.

The victory came during a weekend celebration of Team Penske’s 60th season of competition and during a “desert doubleheader” that bundled IndyCar and NASCAR together at Phoenix. David Malukas won the IndyCar pole for Roger Penske and then Josef Newgarden won Saturday’s race; Joey Logano won the pole for the Cup race and then Blaney completed the sweep.

“Really proud of everybody at Team Penske,” Blaney said.

“We swept the weekend, Newgarden winning yesterday, us winning today. Can’t wait to see Roger.” Christopher Bell nished second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson was third in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and Gibbs dropped to fourth.

Denny Hamlin, who lost the championship last November at this track, was fth as JGR drivers took three of the top ve positions. Bell dominated the race the same way Hamlin did in November and, just like Hamlin, lost because of the wrong pit strategy.

Hamlin in November took four tires on the nal stop and

Iran soccer team exits Women’s Asian Cup, faces prospect of return home

It’s unclear if the women’s players will return to Iran

The Associated Press

GOLD COAST, Australia — Iran’s soccer team lost its last group match at the Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday and had to contemplate returning home to a country embroiled in war.

The Iranian women’s squad arrived in Australia for the continental championship last month, before the war that began with the U.S. and Israel Feb. 28 strikes on Iran. Teams ousted during the group stage usually leave within days but organizers have not announced details for the departure of the Iran delegation.

Their silence during the anthem before an opening loss to South Korea last Monday was viewed by some as an act of resistance and others as a show of mourning. The team hasn’t clari ed. But the players sang the anthem and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their 4-0 loss to Australia last Thursday and a 2-0

BASEBALL from page B1

put the game comfortably in the Warriors’ control.

“We felt like we were going to make a necessary change, and it didn’t work out the way we thought it would,” Jordan-Matthews coach Will Felder said.

“That’s something to kind of just rediscover as we move on with the season.”

After the inning ended with a y out, the Jets entered their last stand with the middle of their lineup, but only one batter reached a base before Tuttle clinched the win on the mound with a strikeout.

Prior to the late-game explo -

“I

want to be with my country and home ... We are eager to come back.”

Marziyeh Jafari , Iranian head coach

loss to Philippines on Sunday.

Amid concerns for player welfare following reported criticism in the Iranian media, the Australian Iranian Council wrote to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urging the government to protect the squad members while they’re in Australia.

It launched an online petition, which had more than 50,000 electronic signatures before kick-o Sunday, urging Australian authorities to “ensure that no member of Iran’s women’s national football team is to depart Australia while credible fears for their safety remain” and also to provide independent legal advice, support and interpreters.

Iran team management and players have mostly declined

sion, Wheatmore jumped out to a 4-1 lead through the top of the fth inning.

The Warriors opened the game with a walk from senior Lukas Usterbowski and a single from Atkinson, and McPherson singled to third base to score Usterbowski for the first run. In the top of the second inning, Usterbowski scored McCauley on a ground out, and in the next at-bat, Stewart scored on a wild pitch to put the Warriors ahead 3-0.

The Jets didn’t score until the bottom of the fourth in which junior Omar Sanford stole third and home

to comment on the situation at home during more than a week preparing for and playing games on Australia’s Gold Coast, although Iran forward Sara Didar choked back tears in a news conference last Wednesday as she shared their concerns for their families, friends and all Iranians during the con ict.

The Australian Associated Press reported late Sunday that protestors chanting “let them go” slightly delayed the departure of the Iran squad from the stadium.

Australia’s national news agency quoted Iran’s head coach Marziyeh Jafari saying the squad “want to come back to Iran as soon as we can.”

“I want to be with my country and home ... We are eager to come back,” AAP quoted Jafari as saying.

The Australian Iranian Council’s online petition asked local authorities to ensure any player seeking protection “can do so safely, privately, and without interference” and to “make clear that Australia will uphold its … humanitarian protection obligations in relation to any

base during junior Elvis Nino-Chay’s at-bat. McPherson returned the Wheatmore lead to three runs with another RBI single in the next inning.

With Jordan-Matthews still near the top of its lineup entering the bottom of the fifth inning and Tuttle coming onto the mound for the first time, senior Landon Moser started the Jets’ rally with a single. He advanced to third base, and freshman Will Murchison reached first on a Wheatmore error. Then, another error by the Warriors allowed Moser to reach home. Morgan followed the score

“It’s cool to win, especially after a day like that.”

Ryan Blaney

It was a day that we needed.”

Bubba Wallace was sixth for 23XI, William Byron was seventh for Hendrick, and Reddick was eighth. Toyota drivers took six of the top 10 spots.

“It would have been nice to make it four,” Reddick said. “Scored the fourth-most amount of points on the day ... solid day. If we’re not going to win, these are the kind of days we need to have.”

The race was slowed by a record-tying 12 cautions, most caused by a rash of tire failures.

Gibbs responds

Ty Gibbs has chosen not to comment on the federal lawsuit his grandfather’s race team led against its former competition director, even after court declarations from Chris Gabehart claimed he left Joe Gibbs Racing in part because of the young driver.

Ty Gibbs said ahead of the race Sunday he’d let his performance on track speak for him and then delivered with his second consecutive fourth-place nish.

“Very happy with my team. All the guys, I’m with the right guys. That makes a di erence,” Gibbs said. “So we’re running good because of that. It shows.”

was beat for the championship by Larson, who took two tires.

On Sunday, Blaney took two tires while Bell and Hamlin each took four.

“You win some, you lose some,” said Bell, who led 176 of the 312 laps. “This one stings, but on the positive side, I’m really proud of our entire team. It’s something to build on.

Ty Gibbs is in his fourth full Cup season driving for his grandfather. Ty Gibbs was successful in NASCAR’s second-level series, where he won 12 races and the 2022 championship by winning the nale at Phoenix. His father, Coy, was found dead in his Phoenix hotel room the morning after the championship.

Ty Gibbs moved to the Cup Series in 2023 and is winless in 127 starts. The 23-year-old nished a career-best 15th in the 2024 Cup standings.

player at risk of persecution or serious harm.

“Where credible evidence exists that visiting athletes may face persecution, imprisonment, coercion, or worse upon return, silence is not a neutral position,” it said. “The current wartime environment has intensi ed repression, fear, and the risks faced by anyone publicly perceived by the Islamic Republic as disloyal.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong declined to comment on whether the Australian government had made contact with individuals but told domestic media Australia stood in solidarity with the Iranian women’s team.

“It has been really moving for Australians to see them in Australia, and (Australia’s women’s team) swapping jerseys with them was a very evocative mo -

“We’ve got a young team, and they were the better group tonight. It happens.”

Will Felder

with a single to left field, sending Murchison home. Sophomore Dylan Leysath kept the hot streak going with a single immediately after that, allowing freshman Eliel Tomas to score the tying run. Morgan reached third during the next at-bat, but the Jets were

ment,” Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday. “We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women.”

Iranian Australian activist

Tina Kordrostami, a local government member in Sydney’s Ryde Council, told The Australian newspaper the Iranian players “need an opportunity, a safe space, a chance to actually speak up about what their needs are and what their requirements are.”

“We can’t give them that space without the government helping us,” she said.

The Iranian women’s team needed to beat Philippines to maintain any chance of advancing to the Asian Cup quarternals, which would have extended its stay in Australia for more than another week.

unable to bring him home for the lead.

“I think really it’s more of just seeing pitches,” Felder said about the fifth inning spark. “Both of (McCauley and Tuttle) were very similar in their delivery and their velocity. Coach Byrd does a good job with those guys. He’s got a young team. We’ve got a young team, and they were the better group tonight. It happens.” With the loss, Jordan-Matthews fell to 0-2 on the season. The Jets are still looking for their first win since 2024. Wheatmore picked up its first win of the year and improved to 1-2.

SIDELINE REPORT

MLB Doubles, triples dwindling in MLB; blame better positioning, ballpark layout

Glendale, Ariz.

The number of doubles and triples in the major leagues went down again last year. There were 7,745 doubles, down from 7,771 in 2024 and 8,254 a decade ago in 2016, according to Sportradar. Triples dropped to 628, compared to 697 in 2024 and 873 in 2016. Defensive positioning and ballpark dimensions are two of the biggest factors in the decline.

WNBA

Ogunbowale arrested after allegedly punching man at club

Miami Dallas Wings star Arike

Ogunbowale was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after police say she punched a man in the face at a Miami nightclub. Ogunbowale was celebrating at club E11EVEN after winning the Unrivaled championship with the Mist. According to police, Ogunbowale punched the man in the face, knocking him to the ground, and security cameras captured the act.

NHL Penguins’ Malkin suspended 5 games for slashing Sabres’ Dahlin Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was suspended for ve games for slashing Bu alo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The punishment will cost the Penguins forward nearly $160,000. The NHL announced that Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross- checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct. Pittsburgh is already without captain Sidney Crosby for a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury.

NFL

Ravens nix trade for Raiders’ Crosby after pass rusher reportedly fails physical

Baltimore The blockbuster trade sending star pash rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens is o — and the fallout from that reversal could have a ripple e ect throughout the NFL on the eve of the new league year. The Las Vegas Raiders said Tuesday night that Baltimore backed out of the trade that was supposed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two rst-round draft picks. The deal was agreed to last Friday but couldn’t be nalized until Wednesday.

NCAA BASKETBALL

UConn’s Hurley bee ng with o cials again, draws $25K ne from Big East Milwaukee Add another chapter to UConn coach Dan Hurley’s combative history with o cials just as March Madness is approaching. Hurley was ejected from the fourth-ranked Huskies’ 68- 62 loss to Marquette after picking up two technical fouls with one second remaining. Hurley argued that UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. was fouled by Marquette’s Ben Gold while driving to the basket with the Huskies trailing 64 - 62. Hurley approached John Ga ney and got his chest next to the o cial’s right shoulder while voicing his displeasure. The Big East ned Hurley $25,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Team Venezuela expects WBC to be celebration, even on US soil

Venezuela’s players and sta are avoiding comments on the U.S. invasion in January

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

MIAMI — A Venezuelan ag was stitched on the right side of Omar López’s cap. And an American ag was positioned a few feet to his left.

Baseball, meet politics. Politics, meet baseball. Like it or not, it’s happening.

The World Baseball Classic started pool play in four locations, including Miami. And, to no surprise, Venezuela’s team is a top attraction for the games in Latin-centric South Florida.

Sporting events having geopolitical ties is nothing new, but the situation the Venezuelan team — managed by López — faces in this tournament is unusual. These games come two months after the U.S. executed a military operation in Venezuela to capture deposed leader Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug tra cking charges.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” López insisted Thursday. “I’ve been working in baseball for 28 years and I don’t talk about political stu , to be honest. I’m here to talk about our Venezuelan team. I’m not here to talk about anything about political situations around the world, around my country. We are alive, we are here and we want to play for our team to win every single game here.”

When news of Maduro’s capture seeped out in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, many Venezuelans — it’s believed, based on U.S. Census estimates, that about 200,000 people who identify as being from that country live in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area — took to the streets in celebration. Much of that was centered in the Miami suburb of Doral, which has the largest Venezuelan population in South Florida and also is where

“I can control what I can control. The rest, God has control of that.”

Team Venezuela’s Salvador Perez

President Donald Trump owns a golf resort that will host the G20 Summit later this year.

And based on just the numbers of tickets that are available and their resale prices online, Venezuela’s four games at loanDepot Park — the home of the Miami Marlins — between Friday and Wednesday will draw large crowds.

“I’m super happy, super happy to be here in my city,” Marlins utilityman Javier Sanoja said. “I love Miami because it’s the closest we have to our country, and seeing it full of Venezuelans lls me with pride.”

That won’t just be the case for Venezuelans, of course. Events like the WBC — not unlike the Olympics, the Ryder Cup and more — are designed to stoke national pride, even in

unusual times both in the U.S. and abroad.

The tournament is beginning less than a week after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran to start a new war in the Middle East. At the WBC, the U.S. is playing its pool play games in Houston; Israel has its pool games in Miami. Cuba — a longtime political adversary of the U.S. — is opening in San Juan but could get to Miami if it advances out of pool play. And all of this, plus soccer’s World Cup later this year, is happening amid an immigration crackdown that has some wondering if it’s safe to even try and visit the U.S. There were no noticeable protests outside the ballpark in Miami on Thursday when teams worked out, and

it’s unknown if there will be any sort of politically charged events either inside or outside the stadium when games happen over the next few days.

“To put it mildly, it’s interesting times right now,” Israel manager Brad Ausmus said. “So, I hope there is that kind of unifying joy that all these players, coaches, they’re representing their heritage, but they all have one thing in common and that’s baseball. I hope the fans enjoy it.”

Venezuela’s players all say some version of the same thing, that they’re here to play baseball — even with the country’s deposed leader in a jail cell in New York. The political times, to those players, don’t make the games any more or less signi cant.

“I don’t try to pay attention to that, you know,” Venezuela captain Salvador Perez said. “I understand when fans buy a ticket, they want to see the team win. Win or lose, it’s part of the game. ... I can control what I can control. The rest, God has control of that.”

Braves’ Profar suspended for 2026 season following second positive drug test

The punishment leaves a hole at DH for Atlanta

By Rondald Blum The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves out elder Jurickson Profar was suspended for the 2026 season by Major League Baseball on Tuesday following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.

Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, the commissioner’s o ce said, which means testosterone that was not produced by his body. Because it was a second o ense, the length of Profar’s suspension was 162 games.

The players’ association led a grievance at Profar’s request to appeal to baseball’s independent arbitrator, Martin F. Scheinman, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity, because no announcement had been made.

An All-Star in 2024, Profar was suspended for 80 games last March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps production of testosterone. He issued a statement then saying: “I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

His agent, Dan Lozano, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Braves released a statement that they “were incredibly disappointed” about the failed drug test.

last September.

“Our players are consistently educated about the (MLB Drug Prevention and Treatment) Program and the consequences if they are found to be in violation,” the club said. “The Atlanta Braves fully support the Program.”

Profar homered in his return from suspension on July 2 and nished with a .245 average, 14 homers, 43 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 80 games. He batted .280 in 2024, when he set career highs with 24 homers, 85 RBIs and an .839 OPS.

Profar said at the start of spring training that he had sports hernia surgery in November, requiring a six-week recovery time. He has appeared in four spring training games this year, going 3 for 10 with three RBIs.

Under the suspension, he is ineligible for the postseason

and the World Baseball Classic. A native of Curaçao, Profar had been set to play for the Netherlands. Profar will lose his $15 million salary for this year as part of a $42 million, three-year contract through 2027. He lost half his $12 million salary in 2025 due to the initial suspension. He became the seventh player suspended 162 games for a second PED infraction after New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia (July 2015), Cleveland out elder Marlon Byrd (June 2016), free agent catcher Cody Stanley (July 2016), Houston pitcher Francis Martes (February 2020), Mets second baseman Robinson Canó (November 2020) and Milwaukee pitcher J.C. Mejia (September 2023). Mejia received a lifetime ban

7

in February 2016 after a third positive test, the only player to be given a permanent ban since drug testing with penalties started in 2004.

Four players had been suspended previously this year for positive tests, including free agent out elder Max Kepler for 80 games under the major league program following a positive test for Epitrenbolone. Following the o season signing of left elder Mike Yastrzemski to a $23 million, two-year deal, Profar had been targeted to be the Braves’ primary designated hitter. When catcher Sean Murphy returns from a hip injury, perhaps in May, 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin could ll in at DH when not behind the plate. With Yastrzemski, Michael Harris and Ronald Acuña Jr. in the out eld, Eli White could be a DH option. The Braves also are without projected starting shortstop Ha- seong Kim due to a nger injury. Mauricio Dubon, expected to serve a utility role, is scheduled to open the season as the starting shortstop.

The loss of Profar could create an opportunity for Dominic Smith, who signed a minor league deal on Feb. 17.

this week in history

Uranus discovered, Einstein born, “The Godfather” premieres, My Lai massacre in Vietnam

The Associated Press

MARCH 12

1912: Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah, Georgia, founded the rst American troop of the Girl Guides, the beginning of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

1928: The St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles failed, sending more than 12 billion gallons of water into San Francisquito Canyon and killing more than 400 people.

1930: Mohandas Gandhi began his 24-day, 240-mile Salt March to the Indian village of Dandi, launching a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience against Britain’s salt tax.

MARCH 13

1781: The seventh planet of the solar system, Uranus, was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel.

1925: The Tennessee General Assembly approved the Butler Act, banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. The law was challenged later that year in the Scopes “Monkey Trial” and repealed in 1967.

1954: The pivotal Battle of Dien Bien Phu began during the First Indochina War as Viet Minh forces attacked French troops.

MARCH 14

1794: Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that transformed the American cotton industry.

Mohandas Gandhi, right, stands with Manilal Kothari at the start of a march to protest British salt laws during Gandhi’s Civil Disobedience Campaign, which began March 12, 1930.

1879: Albert Einstein, who would revolutionize physics and the human understanding of the universe, was born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany.

1964: A Dallas jury found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced him to death. The conviction and sentence were later overturned.

MARCH 15

44 B.C: Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated in on the “Ides of March” by senators including Brutus and Cassius.

1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson, addressing a joint session of Congress, called for federal legislation guaranteeing every American’s right to vote, leading to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

1972: “The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola’s lm based on the Mario Puzo novel and star-

ring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premiered in New York.

MARCH 16

1802: President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation authorizing the establishment of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

1935: Adolf Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by ordering Germany to rearm and resume military conscription.

1968: During the Vietnam War, U.S. Army troops searching for Viet Cong ghters killed as many as 500 unarmed villagers in the hamlets of Son My village in 1968, in what became known as the My Lai massacre.

MARCH 17

1762: New York held its rst St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1762.

1776: The Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.

1959: The nuclear-powered USS Skate became the rst submarine to break through the ice and surface at the North Pole.

MARCH 18

1922: Mohandas Gandhi was sentenced in India to six years in prison for civil disobedience. 1925: Nearly 700 people were killed in 1925 when the Tri-State Tornado tore through southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.

1942: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the War Relocation Authority, which forced Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II.

J Balvin collaborates on remake of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ as World Cup anthem

The song also features virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, Travis Barker and Amber Mark

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

NEW YORK — In need of a global superstar for a sports anthem? Colombian singer J Balvin is the right man for the job.

“Our biggest moments in history, of happiness, surround sports,” he says of Colombia. “Of course, music, but sport has this power (to) unite a whole country and vibe in a really positive way. So that’s part of my DNA.”

Balvin is one-fourth of Coca-Cola’s o cial anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a reimagination of Van Halen’s “Jump” that also features drummer Travis Barker, pop/ R&B singer Amber Mark and guitarist Steve Vai.

Last year, Joshua Burke, head of global music and culture marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, approached Balvin with the idea. The sing-

Before his return to Academy Awards, Lanthimos nds still moment in Athens

The exhibition at the Onassis Foundation runs through May 17

By Derek Gatopoulos and Thanassis Stavrakis

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece — Oscar-nominated lmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos paused his lmmaking and promotion schedule this week to celebrate a quieter creative pursuit: photography.

The 52-year-old Greek director on Friday inaugurated an exhibition of his photographs in his hometown of Athens, presenting images he has taken over the past ve years — many captured while making his lms, wandering through movie sets and nearby neighborhoods, or on trips back to Greece.

The exhibition gathers 182 still photographs, in color and in black and white, from the lmmaker known for his distinctive — and often disturbing — cine-

“In lm school you learn that cinema is basically 24 photographs per second. So photography is where it all begins.”

Yorgos Lanthimos

matic style. It opens days before Lanthimos returns to Hollywood for the March 15 Academy Awards ceremony. In his latest lm, “Bugonia,” a pair of conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap a powerful female executive they accuse of being an alien.

The movie received four Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actress for Emma Stone, along with nods for adapted screenplay and original score. The photos, all shot with a lm camera, features several portraits of Stone, a frequent star in his lms.

Lanthimos on Friday said he was happy to dive into some -

J Balvin arrives at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1 in Los Angeles. The Colombian singer has recreated Van Halen’s 1984 hit “Jump” as Coca Cola’s o cial FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem.

er initially felt trepidation.

“I’m really precautious when it comes to songs like this one,” Balvin said. “It’s like touching the Mona Lisa.”

“I have so much respect for anthems like that,” he said. So he had to take “a totally di erent approach” to make it work; he wanted to avoid straightforward comparisons to the original recording.

“It was like a puzzle,” he says.

Mark’s rich, crystalline

voice is the rst heard on the track; she sings the song’s original English lyrics. Vai transforms its iconic guitar; Barker ampli es its percussion.

The greatest di erence is found in Balvin’s contributions. He wrote a new verse — in Spanish — atop production courtesy his collaborator L.E.X.V.Z, a sound he describes as “Brazilian funk with hard strings, kind of like hip-hop.”

“’Jump’ is not a fútbol song,” he said of the original, using the Spanish word for soccer. “So that’s why I had to put the Latin love and passion for fútbol (in the lyrics).”

“El fútbol es nuestro idioma / Aquí todos somos mi gente,” he raps. In English: “Football is our language / Here, we’re all my people.”

“Fútbol is about bringing everyone together,” he says. It’s a particularly resonant message as sports fans and organizers alike are considering the ways in which President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown may impact the tournament.

“I wish this administration

open their mind and see, like, this is a world event. This is for all of us,” he said. “Let the people really have fun and enjoy and show that the United States can de nitely pull o a World Cup.”

Coca-Cola has been an ofcial sponsor for the FIFA World Cup since 1978 and has produced a number of its own anthems for the event, including Jason Derulo’s “Colors” in 2018 and a reimagining of Queen’s “A Kind of Magic” in 2022 featuring Mexican singer Danna Paola, Egyptian rapper Felukah and Saudi Arabian singer TamTam.

“Reimagining a song as iconic as Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ came with a real sense of responsibility,” Burke wrote to The Associated Press in an exclusive statement. “All four artists leaned into the process as if this was their own single. Our goal was to create an anthem that celebrates the full spectrum of emotions of the tournament and feels just as powerful in a stadium as it does blasting from a car with your friends. We were able to do exactly that.”

thing di erent. Photography, he said, began for him as a technical foundation for lmmaking but gradually became something more personal.

“In lm school you learn that cinema is basically 24 photographs per second,” he said. “So photography is where it all begins.”

Over time, working with still images opened a creative outlet separate from the complex machinery of movie production, he added.

“You can be alone with a

camera, walking without having something speci c in mind,” Lanthimos said. “A photograph can have value on its own, but many photographs together can create another kind of value.” For Lanthimos, photography also o ers something cinema rarely can: immediacy.

“You create something and almost immediately it exists,” he said, describing the process of shooting and developing lm in a darkroom. “You can take a photograph, print it and hold it

in your hands. That satisfaction is very direct.”

While Lanthimos remains one of contemporary cinema’s most distinctive lmmakers, he said photography will play a growing role in his creative life.

Unlike movies, he said, photographs are free to evolve long after they are taken.

“You can present them in a book, in an exhibition, combine them in di erent ways,” Lanthimos said. “There’s a freedom in photography that is very exciting.”

famous birthdays this week

Liza Minnelli turns 80, Billy Crystal turns 78, Judd Hirsch is 91, Queen Latifah turns 56

The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

MARCH 12

Politician and civil rights activist Andrew Young is 94. Actor Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) is 93. Actor-singer Liza Minnelli is 80. Politician Mitt Romney is 79. Singer-songwriter James Taylor is 78. Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 69.

MARCH 13

Songwriter Mike Stoller is 93. Actor William H. Macy is 76. Actor Dana Delany is 70. Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota is 69. Jazz musician Terence Blanchard is 64. Tennis star Coco Gau is 22.

MARCH 14

Actor Michael Caine is 93. Country musician Michael Martin Murphey is 81. Actor-comedian Billy Crystal is 78. Country singer Kristian Bush is 56. Actor Corey Stoll is 50. Actor Chris Klein is 47. Actor Jamie Bell is 40. NBA star Stephen Curry is 38. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Simone Biles is 29.

MARCH 15

Actor Judd Hirsch is 91. Singer Mike Love (The Beach Boys) is 85. Filmmaker David Cronenberg is 83. Musician Ry Cooder is 79. Actor Frances Conroy is 73. Rock singer Bret Michaels (Poison) is 63. Singer-TV host Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) is 58.

MARCH 16

Business executive Sanford Weill is 93. Actor Erik Estrada is 77. Football Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure is 75. Rock musician Nancy Wilson (Heart) is 72. Football Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome is 70. Rapper-actor Flavor Flav is 67. Folk musician Patty Gri n is 62.

MARCH 17

Civil rights activist Myr-

lie Evers-Williams is 93. Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin’ Spoonful) is 82. Actor Kurt Russell is 75. Actor Gary Sinise is 71. NBA executive Danny Ainge is 67. Actor Rob Lowe is 62. Rock musician Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) is 59.

MARCH 18

Composer John Kander is 99. Actor Brad Dourif is 76. Jazz musician Bill Frisell is 75. Filmmaker Luc Besson is 67. TV personality Mike Rowe is 64. Singer-actor Vanessa L. Williams is 63. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Bonnie Blair is 62. Rapper-actor Queen Latifah is 56.

‘Zootopia 2,’ Oscars, Kim Gordon, ‘One Piece’

“Sesame Street” comes to Net ix

The Associated Press

TAYLOR SHERIDAN’S

neo-Western family drama series “The Madison” debuting on Paramount+ and the animated smash “Zootopia 2” landing on Disney+ are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you. Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The Academy Awards streaming on Hulu, Nicole Kidman bringing crime writer Patricia Cornwell’s famed forensic pathologist character Kay Scarpetta to life in a new series and Kim Gordon’s third solo album, “Play Me.”

MOVIES TO STREAM

After collecting $1.85 billion in box o ce, the Disney animated smash hit “Zootopia 2” has come to Disney+. The lm, a sequel to 2016’s “Zootopia,” follows the continuing adventures of rabbit police o cer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her partner fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). In their new case, the arrival of a mysterious viper (Key Huy Quan) leads to new revelations about the animal metropolis. In his review, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle called it “a timider and tamer movie that leans largely on the (still winning) duo of Hopps and Wilde.” For the rst time, the Oscars will be streamed. In addition to the live broadcast on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, the 97th Academy Awards will be streamed on Hulu. The show will be available to all subscribers and not require a cable subscription. (The Oscars are moving to YouTube, but not until 2029.) That also means this week is your last chance to catch up on the nominees, most of which are streaming. That includes: “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” “Weapons” and “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” on HBO Max; “Frankenstein,” “Train Dreams,” “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Blue Moon” on Net ix; “Bugonia,” “Hamnet” and “Song Sung Blue” on Peacock; “F1” on Apple TV+; and “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident” on Hulu.

sess a keen ability to process and re ect the world. Start with the castigation of convenience culture and passive listening on its title track. Stay for “Subcon,” an examination of the world’s growing billionaire class and their fascination with space colonialization in a period of economic insecurity. To call them veterans almost feels like too slight a word. Giants of the American heavy metal Lamb of God will release their 10th studio album, “Into Oblivion,” on Friday. The title re ects how frontman Randy Blythe sees the current state of the a airs — an appropriate launchpad for 10 tracks of ferocity.

SERIES TO STREAM

MUSIC TO STREAM

On Friday, Gordon — a revolutionary force in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, the ’80s New York no wave scene and the space between art and noise — will release her third solo album, “Play Me,” as The Associated Press exclusively announced back in January. It follows the Grammy nominated “The Collective,” her beat-heavy 2024 album that surprised and delighted audiences with its oddball trap blasts. “Play Me” shares in that spirit. It’s full of propulsive production and confrontational songs that pos-

“Sesame Street” has four new episodes on Net ix. The legacy preschool show found a new home on the streamer ahead of its current 56th season. Net ix’s live-action-adventure series “One Piece” returns for its second season. It’s based on a massively popular Japanese manga series by Eiichiro Oda. The show follows a young man named Monkey D. Lu y whose dream in life is to be a

“Zootopia 2” is a tamer, more timid lm that leans largely on the still-winning duo of Hopps and Wilde.

Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer

pirate. In Season One, Lu y recruited his fellow pirates called the Straw Hats. In Season Two, Lu y and his crew set out to nd treasure in a dangerous stretch of water called the Grand Line. There are eight episodes in “One Piece: Into the Grand Line.”

Kidman brings crime writer Cornwell’s famed forensic pathologist character Kay Scarpetta to life in a new series. The story unfolds over two timelines: Scarpetta as a younger woman played by Rosy McEwen and in present day, played by Kidman. Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Ariana DeBose, Jake Cannavale and Hunter Parrish also star. Sheridan’s neo-Western family drama “The Madison” debuts on Paramount+ on Saturday. At its center is the Clyburn family of New York, led by matriarch Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfei er) who moves her family to Montana after a tragedy. Kurt Russell, Patrick J. Adams, Matthew Fox and Beau Garrett also have roles. A second season has already lmed.

GAMES TO PLAY

VIDEO

When you want to hunt monsters, there’s Monster Hunter. When you want to team up with monsters, there’s Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Re ection, the new chapter in Capcom’s spino series. Once you join forces with a beast, you can y around on it and ght other creatures — though you might want to think twice before tackling the “Calamitous Elder Dragons.” The story itself revolves around two warring kingdoms on the verge of apocalypse, and the gameplay is the kind of turn-based combat you’d expect in a classic role-playing adventure. Take ight Friday, March 13, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 or PC.