Chatham News & Record Vol. 149, Issue 9

Heapin’ helpin’

Siler City re ghters cooked up plenty of barbecue for the department’s annual BBQ Fundraiser last Wednesday.

the BRIEF this week

Supreme Court to hear from religious preschools challenging exclusion from taxpayer-funded program

The Supreme Court will hear from Catholic preschools that say it’s unconstitutional to exclude them from a state-funded program because they won’t admit kids from LGBTQ+ families. Colorado’s St. Mary Catholic Parish and the Archdiocese of Denver argue Colorado is violating their religious rights by barring them from the taxpayer-funded universal preschool program over their faith-based admission policies. The state says religious schools are welcome to participate but are required to follow nondiscrimination laws. The case will be heard in the fall.

About 25 arrested in clashes at beagle breeding facility

About 25 protesters were arrested as about 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to enter a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. The protest on Saturday was the second attempt in two months to take beagles from Ridglan Farms. O cers red rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. The Dane County sheri ’s o ce reported a calmer protest on Sunday with about 200 people. Protesters previously took 30 dogs in March. Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed to give up its state breeding license by July 1 to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.

$2.00

Chapel Hill considering potential representation changes

The council will hold a public hearing on the mayoral term and council size

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

CHAPEL HILL — The Chap -

el Hill Town Council will hold a public hearing in order to have discussions on potential

changes to the town’s charter.

At the council’s April 15 meeting, the council voted to approve the holding of a public hearing for potential changes to both the mayor’s term (from two years to four years) and a re-

duction in the size of the town council (from eight members to six).

The item was originally on the consent agenda but was pulled for discussion by council member Theodore Nollert.

“For a fundamental restructuring of our town’s charter to be on the consent agenda, that really gave me pause,” said council member Paris Miller-Foushee.

However, Mayor Jessica Anderson reiterated the fact that everything had been done as set out by state law.

“I want to assure the public that this has been a procedurally sound and very transparent process,” Anderson said.

Redistricting battle narrows for US House as states seek partisan

Each party expects to gain up to 10 seats through redistricting e orts

By David A. Lieb The Associated Press

THE BATTLEFIELD is narrowing and the timeline is tightening in a congressional redistricting contest among states

edge in November

seeking a partisan advantage ahead of the November midterm elections.

Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment authorizing a Democratic redistricting plan that could help

the party win several additional House seats in this year’s elections. Next up could be Florida, where lawmakers are to begin a special session April 28 for a Republican attempt at congressional redistricting.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after each census. But President Donald Trump triggered an unusual

Federal jury nds Uber liable for actions of driver who grabbed passenger’s inner

“They picked all the criteria — this is the case that they picked, that they wanted to try. And the jury believed the plainti and they lost.”

Ellyn Hurd, plainti ’s lawyer

The Charlotte jury awarded the plainti $5,000

By Audrey McAvoy

The Associated Press

RIDESHARE GIANT Uber is liable for the behavior of a driver who grabbed the inner thigh of a passenger as she was leaving the front seat of his car and asked if he could “keep her” with him, a jury in Charlotte found Monday.

The federal jury awarded the plainti $5,000 in damages, said Ellyn Hurd, one of the plainti ’s lawyers.

The so-called bellwether case is part of a broader group of sexual assault lawsuits led against Uber in multiple jurisdictions around the country and is the third to go to trial.

In February, a federal jury in Arizona ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said one of its drivers raped her during a trip using the platform. Last year, a California jury found Uber not liable for the alleged assault of a rider. Uber, in an emailed statement, took note of the relatively small nancial judgment in the North Carolina case and

round of mid-decade redistricting last year when he urged Texas Republicans to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections. California Democrats reciprocated, and redistricting e orts soon cascaded across states. So far, Republicans believe

CRIME LOG

April 13

• Timothy Lamont Jones, 52, of Sanford, was arrested for driving while impaired and an open container after consuming alcohol.

April 14

• Paul William Eaves, 71, of Pittsboro, was arrested for obtaining property by false pretenses and exploitation of a disabled or elderly adult.

• David Gerardo Moreno Rodriguez, 23, of Siler City, was arrested for manufacturing, selling, delivering or possessing a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance; and possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver marijuana, and other charges.

• Earvin Roger Martinez, 34, of Carthage, was arrested for assault on a female and domestic violence.

• Timothy Bruce Lee, 59, was arrested for obtaining property by false pretenses and identity theft.

• Jose Maria Salas Sanchez, 30, was arrested for driving while impaired.

April 15

• Connor Thomas McCeney, 34, of Pittsboro, was arrested for driving while impaired and failure to maintain lane control.

• William Earl Everwine, 65, of Scotland Neck, was arrested for driving on a revoked license and unsafe lane change.

• Micaleb Isaiah Campbell, 24, was arrested for driving while impaired.

April 17

• Darren Gerard Clay, 60, of Siler City, was arrested for simple possession of a controlled substance.

• Gwen Hill Higgins, 62, of Pittsboro, was arrested for identity theft, obtaining property by false pretenses and nancial card fraud, and other charges.

• Jose Luis Enamorado Flores, 22, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for attempted rst degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in icting serious injury and discharging a rearm in a city, and other charges.

Water delivery

Silk Hope Volunteer Fire Department and Staley Fire, along with First Health of the Carolinas — joined by Siler City Fire Department’s Engine 912 — responded to a residential structure re north of Siler City. Crews deployed a hand line and were able to hold the re to the front carport and a portion of the attic.

Central Electric providing grants to local educators to fund innovative projects

Teachers, are you looking for new opportunities to fund projects for your classroom?

Central Electric is awarding up to $15,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to local educators in K-12 classrooms for the 2026-27 school year. Educators in K-12 classrooms with creative ideas for learning projects are encouraged to apply for a grant up to $2,000.

Grant applications will be accepted through Sept. 15. However, it pays to apply early.

All teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of Aug. 15 will be entered into a drawing for one of ve $100 Visa gi cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply!

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.

April 23

“How Housing Happens” Community Panel 4 p.m.

A panel of nonpro t and private housing developers explains how residential projects are conceived, nanced and built in Chatham County. The free public event requires no registration, though organizers encourage signing up at bit.ly/chathamhousing.

Chatham Agriculture and Conference Center 1192 U.S. Highway 64 Business

April 24

A

and camping on the 17-acre eco-industrial park campus. Roy Underhill of The Woodwright’s Shop headlines the event.

The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro

April 25

Day of the Books / El Día de los Libros

10 a.m.

The Chatham County Partnership for Children hosts this bilingual family festival celebrating literacy, multiculturalism and early childhood education, with live arts performances, music, interactive crafts, free multicultural book giveaways and a take-home lunch for families. The event runs until 2 p.m.

Bray Park 700 Alston Bridge Road Siler City

Dogs of Chernobyl

1 p.m.

A special library presentation on the descendants of pets abandoned after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, exploring the ongoing scienti c and humanitarian work with the animals that still inhabit the exclusion zone.

Chatham Community Library 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro

US Navy seizes Iranian- agged ship near Strait of Hormuz; Tehran vows swift

The ship seizure jeopardizes fragile talks as the cease re nears expiration

By Michelle L. Price, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States attacked and seized an Iranian- agged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile cease re into question days before it expires.

It was the rst interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a cease re violation, the state broadcaster said.

With the U.S.-Iran stando over the strait sharpening and the cease re expiring by Wednesday, it was not clear where President Donald Trump’s earlier announcement on new talks with Iran now stood. He had said U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday.

The uncertainty sent oil prices rising again. One of the worst global energy crises in decades threatened to deepen.

Trump on social media said a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman warned the Iranian- agged ship, the Touska, to stop and then “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.” U.S. Marines had custody of the U.S.-sanctioned vessel and were “seeing what’s on board!”

It was not clear whether anyone was hurt. The U.S. Central Command, which didn’t answer questions, said the destroyer had issued “repeated warnings over a six-hour period.”

Iranian state media suggest new talks won’t take place

There was no comment from Iranian o cials directly addressing Trump’s announcement of talks. However, Iranian state media, without citing anyone beyond unnamed sources, issued brief reports suggesting that they would not happen.

Minutes after the ship seizure was announced, Iranian state media reported on President Masoud Pezeshkian’s phone conversation with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, earlier Sunday. U.S. actions, including bullying and unreasonable behavior, have led to increased suspicion that the U.S. will repeat previous patterns and “betray diplomacy,” the reports cited Pezeshkian as saying.

Two previous attempts at talks — last June and earlier this year — were interrupt-

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.

April 26 – Spencer Andrews May 3 – Eddie Ellison

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.

response

ed by Israeli and U.S. attacks.

On another phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, that recent U.S. actions, rhetoric and contradictions were signs of “bad intentions and lack of seriousness in diplomacy,” Iran’s state broadcaster said. Pakistan did not con rm a second round of talks, but authorities had begun tightening security in Islamabad. A regional o cial involved in the e orts said mediators werenalizing preparations and U.S. advance security teams were on the ground. The o cial spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss preparations with the media.

The White House had said Vice President JD Vance, who led the rst round of historic face-to-face talks over 21 hours last weekend, would lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan with envoys Steve Witko and Jared Kushner.

Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States. While Iran’s chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, late Saturday said “there will be no retreat in the eld of diplomacy,” he acknowledged a wide gap remained between the sides.

It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s announcement on talks repeated his threats against Iranian infrastructure that have drawn widespread criticism and warnings of war crimes. If Iran doesn’t agree to the U.S.-proposed deal, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote.

Iran wants to control strait until “war fully ends”

Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit the strait, with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance.

Security of the strait is not free and “the choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of signi cant costs for everyone,” Mohammad Reza Aref, rst vice president of Iran, said in a social media post calling for a lasting end to military and economic pressure on Tehran.

Roughly one- fth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertilizer for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan.

Iran had announced the strait’s reopening after a 10 - day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold last Friday. But then Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States. Iran said it would again enforce restrictions it imposed early in the war. On Saturday, Iran red at ships trying to transit.

For the Islamic Republic, the strait’s closure is perhaps its most powerful weapon, in icting political pain on Trump. For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran’s already weakened economy. Each side has accused the other of violating the cease re.

Since most supplies to U.S. military bases in the Gulf region come through the strait, “Iran is determined to maintain oversight and control over tra c through the strait until the war fully ends,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said late Saturday. That means Iran-designated routes, payment of fees and issuance of transit certi cates.

The council has recently acted as Iran’s de facto top decision-making body.

The war is now in its eighth week after the U.S. and Israel launched it on Feb. 28 during talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. At least 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen

soldiers in

Applications are being accepted for Horton High School Alumni Association 2026-2027 Scholarship

Descendent of Horton High School alumnus or attendee of Horton High School may apply.

• Apply on website: www.hortonhighalumni.com

• CLICK: “Scholarship”

Deadline for application: June 1, 2026

I Am Retiring From The Practice Of Law Effective April 23rd, 2026

THE CONVERSATION

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

Be like a sunflower

We will plant sun ower seeds. I imagine most people are moved by the beauty of these tall plants with sunshine faces.

MY CHURCH will celebrate Earth Day on Sunday with prayers for the health and well-being of our planet. We confess our sel shness, our shortsightedness and our lack of regard for the air and sea, the dirt beneath our feet and the living beings dependent upon an unpolluted world. We pledge our faithful action in promoting sustainable practices for the present and the future. We recommit ourselves with hearts and minds, our eyes open to the wonder around us and our actions dedicated to welfare of life in every corner of globe.

We will plant sun ower seeds. I imagine most people are moved by the beauty of these tall plants with sunshine faces. If you’ve ever watched a bee giddy in that ower, you quickly realize sun owers are excellent for pollinators.

But did you know that sun owers also take toxics out of the soil? Through the process called phytoremediation, sun owers can absorb heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium from the soil.

As I consider the dire situation of our polluted planet, the signs of climate change are obvious. Last week, we had record high temperatures and remain in a terrible drought. Yet, if anything, those who deny the science of climate change and the solutions regarding renewable energy seem to have more political power, which undermines e orts to

address the urgent environmental issues we face. It should be added that Christians have been unhelpful due to toxic misinterpretations of scripture, such as the verse in Genesis that is often translated as giving humans “dominion” over life on Earth (Genesis 1:28). So - called dominion theory is the claim that this biblical injunction justi es mistreatment of the ora and fauna and the planet itself. This interpretation contradicts the Genesis text where God explicitly creates all life and declares it “good.” Mistreating the Earth also de es common sense. I’m reminded of Art Cullen’s provocative title of his book about the damage of climate change, “Dear Marty, We Crapped in Our Nest.” We have soiled our land, skies and seas. People of faith must channel our energies into convincing our friends, neighbors and family of the truth. Sustainable solutions for our planet’s future are not going to occur without changing people’s hearts and minds. We must be part of the repair and restoration. Since I believe that all humans are created in the image of the Creator God, I’d even go as far as to claim that this detoxifying work is our calling.

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.

COLUMN

| BOB WACHS

Rain, rain, don’t stay away; come again real soon, I say

I could do without peanut butter for months, food in general, although I’d miss it.

WE’RE IN DRY times now. How dry, you might ask.

Well, the other day I saw a duck walking down the road carrying a pail of water. As it stands now, I think we could use a little rain. And then maybe some more. Funny thing about rain — and many other things — is that it often depends on your perspective. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve fussed at the TV weather people who present the evening forecast and then start moaning and whining about “all the great weather we’ve been having is going to come to an end with rain Friday night.”

Makes me wonder if they have any idea about the connection between rain and the food they eat. Reminds me of the time a few years ago I saw some testimony before a Congressional subcommittee from a “typical,” as she was called, American housewife about the price of food. Turned out she was from inner -New York City, and I’m not sure how “typical” that is, but the kicker to the whole thing was her heartfelt comment of, “Why should we worry about farmers when we’ve got grocery stores?”

There are, of course, many things in life we need but of them all, it likely is water that we need more than anything over the long haul. I could do without peanut butter for months, food in general, although I’d miss it for awhile, and shelter, heat and cool for some time. Even clothing, but that would not be a pretty sight. But water? Only a few days, the experts tell us.

Without water, of course, there’s no life. And for living organisms, the same thing can be said for blood. I’ve used those two items as sermon topics and truths

though the years, and it never ceases to amaze me at how simple and true that is.

I’ll always remember the simple truth my daddy taught me years ago about water when we raised hogs for the winter freezer to help him and Mama feed their growing brood of sons. “Pigs,” he told me more than once, “have to have water to drink and also to make a mud hole to lie around in.” I understood the drinking part, but when I asked him about the mud, he shared with the me the anatomical oddity that pigs do not sweat mainly because they can’t. So to keep their internal thermostat in order, you cool their outside.

To make that happen on the ol’ farmstead, he volunteered me to haul as many 5 -gallon buckets of water as necessary to make a big ol’ mudhole. Problem for me was that hole was about a hundred yards from the spigot, so not all the water in each bucket made it to the hole by the time I got there.

Still, I persevered because I like pork chops. Some years later, however, when I went o to college and Daddy was still in the swine business, I came home one weekend to discover he had purchased enough hose to reach from the water supply to the hog lot. When I inquired about this expenditure and asked him why he didn’t do such a thing while I was at home, he said to me, “I didn’t need to.” Tonight when you say your prayers, ask for rain … for me, the pollen, gardens all around and for pigs everywhere who need mud.

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

Life lessons, mice, and chocolate

The esteemed Dr. Google says mice love chocolate. I wanted the mouse out, so I went for the premium attractor.

CARNAGE!

Yes, carnage. It was as simple as opening my storage closet door and being stunned at the unexpected destruction. A good-sized bag of birdseed, gnawed at the bottom, spilling its considerable (and not inexpensive) contents all over the closet oor; several hot pepper suet bars, thoroughly masticated. And, oh God, no! My yearslong winter companion, an electric throw, displayed ragged holes in the fabric, itty-bitty chewed heating coils, and mice scat, galore. ’Twas mousy carnage of the highest order. I hate feeling powerless. Just hate it. I’d loved that throw! Mousy, you gotta go! But, Ms./Mr. Mousy, you will exit, fully alive, because I’m a very soft-hearted critter lover. This soft-hearted, but sorely aggravated, critter lover managed to hunt up her humane mouse trap. You know, the kind where the trapped mouse lives another day, but not in my house. There was, however, a missing necessary ingredient, so I sped to the store for a Hershey’s Chocolate Almond bar. A Hershey bar? C’mon! The esteemed Dr. Google says mice love chocolate. I wanted the mouse out, so I went for the premium attractor. Truly hoped a little chocolate sliver (containing an almond, of course) would be a su cient mousetrap attractant. Yours truly could then eat the rest of the chocolate bar. Not a fair exchange for residential mousy carnage, but relishing the remaining chocolate bar would have to do. Next morning — bingo! A little mouse was sitting in the humane trap and the chocolate had disappeared into a mousy tummy.

I threw on sweats, put the mousetrap in my car, and drove to an isolated gravel road two miles away. (Dr. Google always prescribes moving a trapped mouse quite a distance, so

How Biden’s DOJ went after pro-lifers

That’s not law enforcement. That’s a political operation.

WE NOW KNOW something the Biden administration spent years denying: It wasn’t merely enforcing the law around abortion clinics — it was allegedly partnering with abortion activists to identify, track and ultimately prosecute pro-life Americans.

Start with former President Barack Obama, who famously tried to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to violate their religious conscience.

According to reporting from The Daily Wire, Biden’s Department of Justice relied on intelligence gathered from radical pro-abortion groups to monitor peaceful pro-life activists — people who had not yet been charged with any federal crime — and then build cases that ended with FBI arrests.

The federal government was reportedly outsourcing its surveillance and investigative e orts to activist organizations that have a direct political and ideological stake in crushing the pro-life movement.

That’s not law enforcement. That’s a political operation.

The Daily Wire cites a DOJ report titled “The Biden Administration’s Weaponization of the FACE Act,” which examined more than 700,000 records. The FACE Act was originally intended to prevent physical obstruction of abortion clinic entrances. It was also meant to protect churches from disruption.

The records included dossiers on pro-life activists who had not been charged with federal crimes but who were nevertheless treated as threats, largely because abortion groups agged them as such.

And if that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly the pattern we’ve seen repeatedly from the modern left: government agencies using ideological “cutout” organizations to do what the government isn’t supposed to do openly.

According to the report, much of the escalation traces back to former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to resurrect the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

That task force reportedly operated out of the DOJ Civil Rights Division under the direction of Sanjay Patel, who was red this week. Patel, according to the DOJ report, was in direct communication with the National Abortion Federation’s security team and regularly coordinating with Planned Parenthood and the Feminist Majority Foundation.

So we’re not talking about vague ideological sympathies here.

We’re talking about open coordination between the federal government and the activist wing of the abortion industry.

Daily Wire reporting compared sentencing requests and outcomes for pro-life defendants versus pro-abortion defendants. The Biden DOJ, they found, sought longer average sentences for pro-life activists — and the nal outcomes re ected that imbalance: Pro-life defendants received an average sentence of 14 months, while pro-choice defendants averaged three months.

Fourteen months versus three.

they won’t return.) Opened both ends of the trap and — nothing! The little critter wouldn’t budge. At all. Tried to gently prod the mouse with a stick. Nope, it was not leaving the mousetrap. I sat there, looking at the trees for four or ve minutes, really, really hoping the mouse would nd its courage and leave. Waited and waited, becoming really cranky. (I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.)

l lost it. Picked up the humane trap and violently tried to shake the mouse out. The shaking dislodged the critter, and I felt terrible. The little mouse just plopped onto the grass and didn’t move. Not a bit. The other 3-4 mice I’ve trapped always scampered away once the trap was opened. Did I mortally injure the little critter? (Where’s a nearby veterinarian when a mouse is hurting and so is my heart?)

Feeling powerless and upset, I returned to the car and left. Kicked myself all the way home, and continued to do so once I reached the house.

Geez, as much as my impulsive behavior seemed to warrant emotionally beating myself up, my soul would be bruised. I’m fond of my soul, even when I crash and burn. (Self- agellation is not on my bucket list. Such a relief.)

Still, I sat in the living room, feeling sad, looking out the window. Soon, I began to hear a familiar song playing in my head. It was the late Otis Redding’s golden oldie, “Try a little tenderness.” Was Otis suggesting that this avowed critter lover, the one who had just blown it, try a little tenderness for herself? I think so. So I did …

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

The implosion of Eric Swalwell: What

was he thinking?

WHEN THEN-REP. Eric Swalwell (D - Calif.) announced his candidacy for governor of California, I was beyond surprised. Rumors of sexual misconduct, including allegations of blatant and serial in delity, had been circulating for years. Having run for this very o ce, I experienced rsthand the intense level of local, state and national scrutiny one receives when seeking the top job in the biggest state in the country.

The left-wing media treats liberal Democrat candidates di erent from how it treats conservative Republican candidates, but the media are not the problem if one’s candidacy starts to resonate. The heat comes from the same-party campaign rivals.

When I decided to run for governor of California, I sought the advice of several experienced strategists, politicians, pundits and some professors. They all said the same thing, only worded di erently: “Is there anything in your background that would be a problem?”

That is not “equal justice under law.” That is animus made policy.

Democrats have been weaponizing the administrative state for decades. This is not some brand-new Trump-era phenomenon, no matter how often the cable news panels pretend otherwise.

The Obama administration used the IRS to harass conservative and pro-life organizations. Clinton-era politics normalized the idea that federal power could be turned on political enemies. Biden’s DOJ, if these reports are accurate, simply continued the tradition — with a more aggressive posture and a more open contempt for religious dissent.

Imagine the scandal if the Trump administration had coordinated with pro-life organizations to build cases against abortion advocates.

But because the targets were pro-lifers, the story is treated like a niche controversy — something for conservative media to discuss, while the mainstream press quietly looks the other way.

That brings us to one of the most important questions of all: How were the people involved in this allowed to remain embedded inside the DOJ for so long?

Because it lends credibility to something the political class has mocked for years: the existence of a bureaucratic deep state — career o cials who outlast elections, ignore the will of voters and quietly advance an ideological agenda regardless of who sits in the Oval O ce.

This is what it looks like when a permanent governing class decides it is untouchable.

And it also illustrates why the ght to remove ideological holdovers inside federal agencies is not some paranoid fantasy. It’s a real, ongoing struggle — one that will de ne whether elections actually matter.

The bigger issue here isn’t just abortion politics — it’s the steady normalization of using government power to punish religious Americans.

The Democratic Party has shown, again and again, that it is willing to use the apparatus of the state to crush dissent from people of faith. Not because those people are violent. Not because they are criminals. But because their beliefs are inconvenient.

If Democrats ever gained full control of the judiciary, especially if they succeeded in stacking the Supreme Court — which you can be sure former Vice President Kamala Harris would have attempted to do if she had won in 2024 — this is exactly the direction they would push the country.

This is why the Biden administration may go down as the worst in modern American history — even worse than Obama’s.

Not because Obama didn’t do the same things.

But because Obama understood enough to keep it quiet.

Biden said the quiet part out loud.

Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law SchOol, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

These questions, they advised, include but are not limited to: Skeletons in your closet? What about your friends, associates and family members? Taxes? Sexual harassment or misconduct or assaults? Any present or past behavior that could be deemed scandalous? Dating history, marriage or divorce? Outstanding warrants? Tra c tickets? Unpaid tra c tickets? DUIs? Automobile accidents you caused or were involved in? Arrests? Misdemeanors? Felonies? Unpaid bills? Credit card debt? Lawsuits led by or lawsuits against you? Drug use and drug abuse? Alcoholism? Abuse of prescription drugs? Sketchy business dealings? Bankruptcy? Inappropriate internet activity, including porn sites, other illicit sites or sending “compromising pictures”? Social media posts that could come back to haunt you? 911 calls from your home? Your work history? To what church do you belong? Who is your pastor? Ever been red? If so, why? Is your campaign biography accurate, with no exaggerations or embellishments? Do your neighbors like you? And, for good measure, I was advised to hire a private detective to investigate myself. My experienced campaign manager took me on only after I addressed all those questions — and others — and obtained a report from a well-regarded private investigator. My campaign manager cautioned, “If you are accused of picking your feet in Poughkeepsie — especially if you did pick your feet in Poughkeepsie — it will come out.”

This brings us to Swalwell, who, according to a University of California, Berkeley poll conducted in March, was the leading Democrat in the primary. He was endorsed by Sen. Adam Schi (D - Calif.), who, like Swalwell, served as a prosecutor in an impeachment trial against President Donald Trump. According to Reuters, “A fth woman came forward to accuse Swalwell of unwanted sexual contact, saying the Democratic lawmaker drugged and raped her during an encounter in 2018.” Swalwell rst denied the accusations. He then dropped out of the race for governor, followed by his resignation from Congress.

Former House Speaker and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D - Calif.) claimed she knew nothing about the rumors against Swalwell. But Willie Brown, once a mentor to former Vice President Kamala Harris and a former mayor of San Francisco, and who for 15 years served as speaker of the California Assembly, said, “No, I’m not surprised frankly because there have been rumors after rumors after rumors, his colleagues in Washington pretty much said that. That’s what Adam Schi said, that’s what Nancy Pelosi said.”

But Swalwell’s problems are just beginning. The sheri of Los Angeles County has launched a criminal probe, as has the Manhattan District Attorney’s O ce. Civil lawsuits may follow. Then there are Swalwell’s nancial issues. Despite a combined income with his wife of over $400,000, he is deeply in debt. He owes $100,000 in student loans, borrowed against his retirement account to help fund his campaign and deferred paying income taxes to conserve cash ow. This is not exactly a good look for someone vying to be the chief executive of a state with a budget de cit and massive unfunded pension liabilities.

On top of everything, these scandals could cost the father of three children his marriage. After all, Swalwell set the standard. During the con rmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Swalwell considered Kavanaugh un t due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell tweeted, “Support survivors. Believe survivors. We are with you.”

All of this raises a question: When Swalwell decided to run for governor, “What was he thinking?”

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

obituaries

Coy Burke Caudle

March 3, 1946 –April 20, 2026

Coy Burke Caudle, 80, of Bear Creek, went to his Heavenly home Monday, April 20th, 2026, at his home surrounded by family.

Coy was born March 3rd, 1946, in Chatham County, to the late Andrew “Leroy” and Sallie Burke Caudle. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Virginia Brady.

Coy was a 1964 graduate of Chatham Central High School, where he played basketball and was the senior class president. He was the Pepsi man for many years and then was an auditor for The Pantry and other convenience stores. Coy enjoyed coaching and o ciating rec league basketball and baseball. He was PTA president at Bonlee School and the Athletic Booster Club President at Chatham Central for many years. He was very involved in his community working with Meals on Wheels and driving buses for multiple sports teams. He took pride in his yard and always made sure it was well maintained. Coy was a very giving man and loved

helping those in need. He was a member of Goldston Baptist Church, where he was also a Deacon and Adult Sunday school teacher.

The family would like to send a special thank you to Coy’s special caregivers, Dana Vest and Buck Wiley, and the sta from Liberty Hospice for the love and care they provided.

Left to cherish Coy’s memory is his wife of 54 years, Karen Moon Caudle; his daughters, Laurie Caudle Paige and her husband, Shane of Bear Creek, and Kathryn Caudle Perry and her husband, Clint of Bear Creek; his grandchildren, Hasten Paige, Anderson Paige, Lane Perry, and Madison Perry; his sister, Jane Campbell and her husband, Jerry of Goldston; his brother, Howard Caudle and his wife Maude of Summerville; his brother-in-law, Ledford Brady of Bennett; numerous nieces and nephews; and his faithful canine companion, Tanner.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, at 3 pm, at Goldston Baptist Church with Reverend Bob Wachs and Pastor Bruce Macinnes o ciating the services.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, from 6-8 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel in Siler City.

Burial will follow the service Thursday at Sandy Branch Baptist Church Cemetery. Memorials can be made to Liberty Hospice, 401 E 3rd St, Siler City, NC 27344. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Caudle family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

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

Garret Anderson, talented out elder and Angels career hits leader, dead at 53

He led the Angels to their only World Series championship

By Greg Beacham The Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Garret Anderson, the multitalented out elder who became the Los Angeles Angels’ career hits leader and led the team to its only World Series title, has died. He was 53.

The Angels announced Anderson’s death Friday morning without immediately disclosing the cause or location.

Anderson reached the majors with the then-California Angels in 1994 and played for the club until 2008, primarily as a left elder. Known for both his superb swing and his no-nonsense professionalism, Anderson was a xture in the heart of the Halos’ batting order for his entire tenure, becoming the franchise’s career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8).

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the out eld and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels will wear a memorial patch this season bearing Anderson’s initials, the team announced. The club held a moment of silence for Anderson at Angel Stadium before its game against the San Diego Padres, and both teams lined up on the eld to watch a video of Anderson’s career highlights.

“Been talking to teammates that played with him this morning, and just hearing the great things they said about him,” three-time AL MVP Mike Trout said. “Seeing some of the numbers this morning, it was incredible what he brought. Nothing but great things people were saying about him. The baseball family lost a good one.”

Anderson was a three-time AL All-Star who nished as

Don Schlitz, country songwriter behind such hits as ‘The Gambler,’ dead at 73

He won two Grammy Awards and is in the Country Music Hall of Fame

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Don Schlitz, the storied country music songwriter known for such hits as “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand” and “Forever and Ever, Amen,” died last Thursday at a Nashville hospital. The North Carolina native was 73.

The cause of death was not immediately known. A press release from the Grand Ole Opry described it as a sudden illness.

The two-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwrit-

ers Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. “I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends,” Schlitz said in 2017, when he learned of the Country Music Hall of Fame honor. “That’s the only way I can deal with this.”

Schlitz made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and was later inducted in 2022. He is the only non-artist to receive the honor in the Opry’s 100 years. The historic venue’s Saturday night show will be dedicated in his honor. He was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1988 through 1991. He also wrote music and lyrics for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” the 1999 Broadway musical.

Former Los Angeles Angels out elder Garret Anderson throws the ceremonial rst pitch after he was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame during ceremonies before a baseball game between the Angels and the New York Yankees in Anaheim, California in 2016.

“He did everything right. There was never anything ashy. Everything that he did was just professional.”

Kurt Suzuki, Angels Manager

high as fourth in the AL MVP balloting during his 17-year major league career. He won two Silver Slugger awards, and he memorably won both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP award in 2003 in Chicago. His 272 career homers are third in Angels history behind Trout and Tim Salmon. Only Trout has scored more runs in an Angels uniform than Anderson.

“He did everything right,” said Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, whose 16-year career as a major league catcher overlapped with the end of Anderson’s playing career. “There was never anything ashy. Everything that he did was just professional. When you have your kids playing the game, for me anyway, that’s who I want my kids to model themselves after. Just play the game right, do things right, never bring attention to yourself. And that’s the type of player he was. He was phenomenal at it, too.”

In 2002, Anderson batted .306 and drove in a team-leading 123 runs for the then-Ana-

He also wrote “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Rogers and Dolly Parton; their rst duet since 1983’s “Islands in the Stream.”

“Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.”

Kenny Rogers

Schlitz’s songs are widely considered some of the most unwavering in country music, and have been recorded by such hitmakers as Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler,” “The Greatest”), Randy Travis (“On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen”), The Judds (“I Know Where I’m Going”), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“I Love Only You,”) Tanya Tucker (“I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,”) Mary Chapin Carpenter (“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”) and many others.

Schlitz, a North Carolina native, was born in 1952 and raised in Durham before packing his bags and heading to Nashville. His rst recorded song, “The Gambler,” is perhaps his most enduring hit and the tent-pole of his legacy. The song, which was recorded by Rogers in 1978 and certi ed ve times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), opened doors for country music in the ‘70s, a track that was not only a huge genre hit but also a pop crossover one.

As Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.”

“We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz. Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every

heim Angels, who won 99 games and earned a wild- card playo berth. The Halos stormed through the playo s to this franchise’s only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series decit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Anderson was a key factor in the Fall Classic, batting 9 for 32 with six RBIs. He drove in the nal three runs of the series with a tiebreaking three-run double in the third inning of the Angels’ 4-1 victory over the Giants in Game 7.

Anderson’s other baseball accomplishments included a 10 -RBI game on Aug. 21, 2007. Anderson nished his career with Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement in 2011. He batted .293 with 2,529 hits, 287 homers and 1,365 RBIs in the majors. Anderson was inducted into the Angels’ Hall of Fame in 2016, and he had regularly worked for the team as a television broadcaster on its pregame and postgame shows over the ensuing decade. He lived in coastal Newport Beach with his family.

Anderson was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1972. He attended Granada Hills High School in the suburban San Fernando Valley before the Angels drafted him in the fourth round in 1990.

The Angels said Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret “Trey” Anderson III.

stage and every lyric he ever wrote,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, wrote in a statement last Friday. “Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

“Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler,’” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote in a statement last Friday. “Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley.

UK police arrest 2 in connection with weekend arson attack on synagogue

Police suspect Iran is hiring local criminals to carry out the attacks

By Danica Kirka The Associated Press

LONDON — British police said Monday they arrested two teenagers in connection with an arson attack on a synagogue in northwest London over the weekend, as Jewish leaders express concern about a wave of incidents targeting their community.

Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes of London’s Metropolitan Police Service said o cers arrested two young men, aged 19 and 17, overnight in relation to the attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in the borough of Harrow. The department has made a total of 15 arrests related to six attacks on Jewish targets and a Persian-language media organization critical of Iran’s government that occurred over the past few weeks, he said in an interview with the BBC.

One “serious line of inquiry” is that Iran is hiring local criminals to carry out these attacks amid tensions in the Middle East, including the U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic, Jukes said.

“We’ve seen a pattern with other actors of thugs for hire,

people taking cash that looks like quick and easy money,” Jukes said. “This is part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies.”

In the most recent incident, a bottle containing a ammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Harrow synagogue on Saturday night, causing smoke damage, police said.

Counterterrorism police are investigating the series of incidents, which began on March 23

when an arson attack destroyed four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity that serves people of all faiths in north London. No one has been injured in the incidents.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s o ce said he “shares the country’s shock at the recent antisemitic attacks.”

“He stands with the Jewish community and he is determined to do more to give them

the security they deserve,” his spokesman, Dave Pares, said Monday.

Police last Friday closed Kensington Gardens, a central London park visited by thousands of tourists and local residents every day, after a group that Israel has linked to Iran posted a video claiming Israel’s nearby London embassy was going to be attacked with drones carrying dangerous substances.

CHAPEL HILL from page A1

“This was about voting to even talk about it. This is an issue that we should absolutely have a debate about, and all of us care about doing things the right way and having processes that best serve the interest of the public.” Anderson also stated that the council was asked in advance if it was OK with the item being placed on the consent agenda, and there were no complaints received at that time.

While most council members did say they were looking to have more discussions on the ordinance at the public hearing, many made their initial positions known.

“I do see a lot of merit in the idea of a four-year term for the mayor,” Nollert said. “I don’t see, and haven’t been persuaded in my conversations yet, that there’s much merit in the idea of shrinking the council.”

Police said the embassy was not attacked, but the force shut the park as o cers examined discarded items including two jars containing powder. Police said nothing harmful was found.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on Sunday that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”

“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he said on X.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said police are aware that a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia had claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in Britain. The same group has claimed responsibility for incidents in recent months at places of worship, business and nancial institutions across Europe, all of which appear to be linked to Jewish or Israeli interests, she said.

Israel’s government has described Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, whose name means the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, as a recently founded group with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy.”

The U.K. has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil targeting opposition media outlets and the Jewish community. Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service says that more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots were disrupted in the year to October.

Council member Melissa McCullough and Mayor Pro Tem Camille Berry also both stated they felt the expanded council has allowed for, and achieved, increased representation.

“I think that’s more important than saving some money,” McCullough said.

Miller-Foushee was in opposition to both aspects of the ordinance.

Council members Amy Ryan, Elizabeth Sharp and Wes McMahon seemed to be the most in favor of the changes, as all three cited things such as redundancy, potential e ciency improvements and cost savings.

The public hearing will be held Wednesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Town Hall, with the item to then be considered at the council’s May 6 meeting.

The Chapel Hill Town Council’s next regular business meeting will be April 30.

Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@chathamnewsrecord.com.

THE TRUTH!

Bible Study: II Timothy 4:1-5 Church of Living Water; Preacher: James Mitchell.

God saved, God called, and God sent preachers will tell us what we need to hear. The other lying devils don’t really care about us. God offers all a choice: Heaven or hell, peace of mind or misery. God will forgive every sin if we acknowledge that we have sinned. Yes, all have sinned, but a loving, caring God has made the way for us. Repent, be willing to turn from sin, and believe Jesus died and arose for our sins. Then call on God, asking forgiveness for the way we have lived. Afterward, make a true vow to the Father that we will live for and by Him according to His Holy Word. Praise God for His mercy and His grace! Children of God, stay true to your vows! Love God and love one another. Don’t let fear and doubt hinder our faith. We don’t always understand the why’s in our lives, but God’s got it. A true God-sent preacher will need to rebuke us so we don’t miss the Father’s blessing. Don’t let pride stand in the way of admitting when we’re wrong. As God forgives us, we must forgive one another. Pope, Democrats, rhino Republicans, lying fake news media, stand illegals and criminals over American citizens? Why do you want citizens? Why don’t you want to ensure that only American citizens vote in our elections? Why do you want to transgender our children by mutilating their bodies? Why do you care more about the evil defeated; Hamas has been defeated! Thank God for President Democrats want open borders, bringing in illegals and criminals for their votes. To my Black, Brown, and White brothers and sisters, let’s stand united against the evil that’s trying to take over America. Radical Muslims, socialists, and communists have been gaining power. That’s why NATO and Europe are not standing with America. You shall reap what you sow! God will bring evil down. God and His people shall be victorious! Praise God!

REAL ESTATE

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AUCTIONS

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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

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All Proceeds go to fund our Mission Trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 1tp

Chatham, Guilford and Surrounding Counties

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF DAVID MANSFIELD BUNNELL-FILE

NO.26E000166-180 ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against David Mans eld Bunnell, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before July 20, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 16th day of April, 2026.

Anne E. Bunnell, Executor c/o Whitaker & Hamer, PLLC 121 E. Main Street Clayton, NC 27520 Chatham News + Record 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of David Clement McCormick, deceased of Chatham County, North Carolina, on the 2nd day of April, 2026, the undersigned hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of the attorney for the estate on or before the 18th day of July, 2026, or this Notice will be pled in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. Issued this 16th day of April, 2026. Barbara L. McCormick, Personal Representative, c/o Christina Goshaw Hinkle, Attorney for the Estate, 3211 Shannon Road, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27707. Chatham News & Record: 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS COUNTY OF CHATHAM THE UNDERSIGNED, having quali ed on the 30th day of March 2026, as Executor of the ESTATE OF ABNER GRISWOLD BEVIN, AKA ABNER GRISWOLD BEVIN JR., Deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of July 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 9th day of April 2026. CHRISTOPHER MARSHALL BEVIN SR., EXECUTOR ESTATE OF ABNER GRISWOLD BEVIN c/o Shirley M. Diefenbach, Attorney Walker Lambe, PLLC Post O ce Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed on the 26th day of March, 2026, as Co-Executors of the Estate of Evelyn Barrow, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of July, 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 2nd day of April, 2026. Peter Barrow and Nancy Serrurier, Co-Executors of the Estate of Evelyn Barrow c/o Gwendolyn C. Brooks, Kennon Craver, PLLC 4011 University Drive, Suite 300 Durham, North Carolina 27707 THE CHATHAM NEWS: 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, and 4/23/2026

NOTICE

Notice to Creditors File Number: 26E000115-180

Having Quali ed as Executor of the Estate of John Alfred Gorman, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of July, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment. This the 3rd day of April, 2026. Executor for the Estate Lynn Elizabeth Williford 87603 Aycock Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Cathy Blair Regan, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before July 23rd, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 23rd day of April 2026. Kimberly Wallace, Executor Estate of Cathy Blair Regan c/o Roberson Law Firm 1829 E. Franklin St., Ste. 800C Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Run Dates: 4/23, 30, 5/7, 14

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Chatham County, North Carolina

RE: THE ESTATE OF DOMENIC MAROTTA–

26E000068-180 Having quali ed as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DOMENIC MAROTTA 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 1st day of July, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 2nd day of APRIL, 2026. ALFONSO MAROTTA, EXECUTOR DSR Legal, PLLC PO Box 51596 Durham, NC 27717

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000168-180

The undersigned CARLA REIL, having quali ed on the 27TH Day of MARCH 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BARBARA FARRELL, 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 9TH Day OF JULY 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 9TH DAY OF APRIL 2026. CARLA REIL, EXECUTOR 1270 MARTHAS CHAPEL ROAD APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: A9,16,23,30p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#23E000651-180

The undersigned GEORGE DAVIS CATES, having quali ed on the 9TH Day of APRIL 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of GEORGE DAVIS CATES, 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 16TH Day OF JULY 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 16TH DAY OF APRIL 2026. VIRGINIA B. CATES, EXECUTOR 87 EASY ST. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: A16,23,30,M7p

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 25CV000297-180

linda harris, Plainti vs. SHIHEIM MONTRELL SUGGS, Defendant TO: SHIHEIM MONTRELL SUGGS

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above Court in the aboveentitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is compensation for bodily injury arising from an automobile accident on 1/15/2023. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than May 26, 2026, and upon your failure to do so, the parties seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.

This 8th day of April, 2026. Eliot F. Smith FARRIS & THOMAS LAW, P.A.

Attorneys at Law P. O. Box 2848 Wilson, NC 27894-2848 Telephone: (252) 243-3000 PUBLISH DATES: 4/16/26, 4/23/26, 4/30/26

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000193-180 The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Rachel O. Brooks, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, noti es all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned at her address, 1179 Charlie Brooks Road, Moncure, North Carolina, 27559, on or before the 16th day of July, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment.

This 10th day of April, 2026. Amy Jo Brooks 1179 Charlie Brooks Road Moncure, North Carolina 27559

GUNN & MESSICK, PLLC P. O. Box 880 Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312-0880 April 16, 23, 30, May 7 NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Patricia Collins Perry of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of July, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 26th day of March, 2026. Ronald P. Collins, Executor Of the Estate of Patricia Collins Perry 117 West Raleigh Street Siler City, North Carolina 27344

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

26E000189-180 ALL persons having claims against Joyce Ellis Clark, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Jul 23 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 23rd day of April, 2026.

MELVIN ALAN CLARK C/O SIMPSON LAW FIRM, Executor C/O Simpson Law Firm 1188 Stonecrest Blvd, Suite #105 Fort Mill, SC 29708 A23, 30, 7 and 14

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF Dora Elizabeth Bachtel Mathisen

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Dora Elizabeth Bachtel Mathisen, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit them to Barbara Jean Ramsland as Executor of the decedent’s estate on or before July 18, 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 16th day of April 2026. Barbara Jean Ramsland, Executor c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE

“All persons having claims against the estate of SALLY CHENEY MILLER of Chatham County, NC, who died on February 27, 2026, are noti ed to present them on or before Friday, July 17, 2026 to True Campbell, Executrix for the estate of Sally Cheney Miller, c/o Schupp & Hamilton, PLLC, 3013 Rippy Lane, Hillsborough, N.C. 27278, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.” DATES: 04/16/2026, 04/23/2026, 04/30/2026, 05/07/2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000175-180 The undersigned LATOYA FOX, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of MARCH 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of ALYEASE FOX, 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 23RD Day OF JULY 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 23RD DAY OF APRIL 2026. LATOYA FOX, ADMINISTRATOR 97 RILEY LANE SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: A23,30,M7,14p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000181-180 The undersigned HELEN FAYE MARKHAM, having quali ed on the 1ST Day of APRIL 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of PHILLIP

LAWRENCE MARKHAM, 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 9TH Day OF JULY 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 9TH DAY OF APRIL 2026.

HELEN FAYE MARKHAM, ADMINISTRATOR

4090 NC HWY.751 APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: A9,16,23,30p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000169-180

The undersigned JAY W. MARSHALL, having quali ed on the 9TH Day of APRIL 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOANNE MARSHALL, 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 16TH Day OF JULY 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 16TH DAY OF APRIL 2026. JAY W. MARSHALL, EXECUTOR 5696 SUGAR GROVE ROAD GREENS FORK, IN 47345 Run dates: A16,23,30,M7p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000130-180

The undersigned WALTER RICHARD O’CONNELL, JR., having quali ed on the 9TH Day of MARCH 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of NANCY WRIGHT BEACH 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 2ND Day OF JULY 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 2ND DAY OF APRIL 2026. WALTER RICHARD O’CONNELL, JR., ADMINISTRATOR 740 PENINSULA FOREST PLACE

CARY, NC 27519

Run dates: A2,9,16,23p

NOTICE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Brooks Energy, LLC

Project No. 6276-042

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL

ASSESSMENT (April 14, 2026)

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Commission or FERC) regulations, 18 C.F.R. Part 380, Commission sta reviewed Brooks Energy, LLC’s application to surrender its exemption from licensing for the Lockville Dam Hydroelectric Project No. 6276 and have prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project.1

The exemptee has determined that the project is no longer economical and is requesting to surrender its exemption from licensing. The generating equipment has not operated since 2020 and the dam was breached in 2023. No modi cations to the existing dam, buildings, structures, or ground disturbing activities are proposed. After the surrender of the exemption, the dam is proposed to be removed by American Rivers and Resource Environmental Solutions as part of American Rivers’ Watershed Restoration of the Upper Cape Fear and Lower Deep Rivers Project, with funding and collaborative support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project is located on the Deep River at a point where it forms the border between Chatham and Lee counties, North Carolina.

The EA contains Commission sta ’s analysis of the potential environmental e ects of the proposed surrender, alternatives to the proposed action, and concludes that the proposed surrender of the Lockvilee Dam’s exemption from licensing would not constitute a major federal action that would signi cantly a ect the quality of the human environment.

The EA may be viewed on the Commission’s website at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number (P-6276) in the docket number eld to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at 1-866208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. You may also register online at http://www.ferc. gov/docs- ling/esubscription.asp to be noti ed via email of new lings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. All comments must be led May 14, 2026, 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic ling. Please le comments using the Commission’s eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs- ling/ e ling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/ docs- ling/ecomment.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. In lieu of electronic ling, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: DebbieAnne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The rst page of any ling should include docket number P-2082-074. For public inquiries and assistance with making lings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the O ce of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov. For further information, contact Rebecca Martin at 202-502-6012 or rebecca.martin@ferc.gov.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary.

NOTICE

VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

PUBLIC HEARING

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, as required Internal Revenue

Code Section 147 (f) the undersigned will hold public

hearing on May 4, 2026 at 6 PM at the location of the undersigned listed below to discuss its acquisition by lease purchase of 3 acres of improved land for future re station and Apparatus Purchase and nancial arrangements related thereto

Maximum amount of issue: $10,000,000 All interested persons are invited to attend IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand

O cial Seal at my o ce in Siler City this day of April 17th, 2026

Jonathan Robert Van Sickle

Corporate Secretary Silk Hope Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. 8110 Silk Hope Gum Springs Rd Siler City, NC, 27344

CREDITOR’S NOTICE

Having quali ed on the 17th day of April 2026, as Executor of the Estate of Benner Henry Stinson, Jr., 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 23rd day of July 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 20th day of April 2026. Margaret S, Stinson, Executor of the Estate of Benner Henry Stinson, Jr. 904 Delphus Stinson Road Goldston, NC 27252

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

Publish On: April 23, 30, and May 7, 14, 2026

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY 25 SP 000117-180

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Jared Spruill, Mortgagor(s), in the original amount of $197,150.00, to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (“MERS”) as bene ciary as nominee for AdvantageFirst Lending Inc. , Mortgagee, dated January 21st, 2023 and recorded on February 9th, 2023 in Book 2347, Page 0562, Chatham County Registry. Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust

Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of termination. If the Trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Substitute Trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Anchor Trustee Services, LLC Substitute Trustee By: David Neill, NCSB #23396 McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC Attorney for Anchor Trustee Services, LLC 3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 260 Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 404-474-7149 (phone) 404-745-8121 (fax) dneill@mtglaw.com 25-001620-01 PUBLIC NOTICE The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEAPart B, Public Law 108.446) Project is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Chatham Charter School proposes for Federal funding for the 2026-2027 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The IDEA-Part B Project is open to the public for review and comments during the days of May 14,15,18,19, 2026 2026 in the o ce of Julie Franklin located at 2200 Hamp Stone Rd, Siler City, NC 27344.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against THOMAS BRIEN NEFF, deceased, of Chatham County, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before, the 23rd day of July, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the Estate will please make immediate payment. This 23rd day of April, 2026. PAMELA STRAUB NEFF, Executrix

THOMAS BRIEN NEFF c/o Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130 Chapel Hill, NC 27514

they could win up to nine additional seats in states where they have redrawn congressional districts while Democrats think they could gain up to 10 seats elsewhere because of redistricting. But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November. And that’s uncertain, especially since the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms and Trump faces negative approval ratings in polls.

Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, potentially allowing them to obstruct Trump’s agenda.

Next up on

redistricting: Florida

Current map: 8 Democrats, 20 Republicans

Proposed map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a special legislative session to begin April 28 on congressional redistricting. Republicans haven’t yet publicly released a speci c plan.

Challenges: The state constitution says districts cannot be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.

Where new House districts were approved

New U.S. House districts have been adopted in seven states since last summer. Five took up redistricting voluntarily, one was required to by its state constitution and another did so under court order.

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised

House map into law last August that could help Republicans win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It put on hold a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, 9 Republicans New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win ve additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February allowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

Missouri

Current map: 2 Democrats, 6

Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last September that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A Cole County judge ruled the new map is in e ect as election o cials work to determine whether a referendum petition seeking a statewide vote complies with constitutional criteria and contains enough valid petition signatures. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit claiming mid-decade redistricting is illegal. It’s scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.

North Carolina

Current map: 4 Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave nal approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: 5 Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election, because Republicans had approved the prior map without su cient Democratic support after the last census.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, 4 Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: A federal court panel and the state Supreme Court, in February, each rejected Republican challenges to the judicial map selection.

Virginia

Current map: 6 Democrats, 5 Republicans

New map: Voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing new U.S. House districts backed by Democrats that could help the party win up to four additional seats.

Challenges: The state Supreme Court allowed the referendum to proceed, but it has yet to rule whether the e ort is legal. The court is considering an appeal of a Tazewell County judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated their own rules while passing it.

Where redistricting e orts were denied

Governors, lawmakers or partisan o cials pushed for congressional redistricting in numerous states. In at least ve states, those e orts gained some initial traction but ultimately fell short in either the legislature or court.

Maryland

Current map: 7 Democrats, 1 Republican

Proposed map: The Democratic-led House in February passed a redistricting plan backed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore that could help Democrats win an additional seat.

Challenges: The legislative session ended in April without the Democratic-led Senate voting on the redistricting plan. The state Senate president said there were concerns it could back re on Democrats.

New York

Current map: 19 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Proposed map: A judge in January ordered a state commission to draw new boundaries for the only congressional district in New York City represented by a Republican, rul-

UBER from page A1

that the jury found that battery had occurred and not sexual assault.

“The jury’s award here should further bring these cases back to reality, as it represents a tiny fraction of previous demands,” the Uber statement said, adding that the company has strong grounds for appeal because it believes the jury was incorrectly instructed on the question of liability.

The AP does not typically name people who have said they were sexually abused unless they have given consent through their attorneys or come forward publicly.

Hurd said the verdict bodes well for other plainti s, saying that Uber, not the plainti s, selected the North Carolina case as a test case for the broader group of pending lawsuits.

“This was a case that they thought going in that they were going to win,” Hurd said. “They picked all the criteria — this is the case that they picked, that they wanted to try. And the jury believed the plainti and they lost.”

The lawsuits follow years of criticism of Uber’s safety record, including thousands of incidents of sexual assault reported by both passengers and drivers. Because Uber drivers are categorized as gig workers — working as contractors, rather than company employees — the platform has long maintained it’s not liable for their misconduct.

The judge presiding over

ing it unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of black and Hispanic residents.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in March granted Republicans’ request to halt the judge’s order, leaving the existing district lines in place for the 2026 election.

Indiana

Current map: 2 Democrats, 7

Republicans

Proposed map: The Republican-led House passed a redistricting plan in December that would have improved Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: Despite pressure from Trump to adopt the new map, the Republican-led Senate rejected it in a bipartisan vote on Dec. 11.

Kansas

Current map: 1 Democrat, 3 Republicans

Proposed map: Some Republican lawmakers mounted an attempt to take up congressional redistricting.

Challenges: Lawmakers dropped a petition drive for a special session on congressional redistricting in November, after failing to gain enough support.

Illinois

Current map: 14 Democrats, 3 Republicans Proposed map: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in October proposed a new U.S. House map that would improve Democrats’ chances of winning an additional seat.

Challenges: The Democratic-led General Assembly declined to take up redistricting, citing concerns about the e ect on representation for black residents.

the group of lawsuits, U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer, ruled that Uber was a “common carrier” under North Carolina law and was thus liable for the driver’s action. Breyer said Uber holds itself out to the public as a transportation provider through its advertising and the control it exerts over Uber rides and the safety of its passengers. North Carolina could have explicitly exempted Uber and other rideshare providers from its common carrier liability, as Florida and Texas have, but did not, he said.

Hurd said that means the North Carolina jury only had to decide whether the attack happened.

The driver denied touching the plainti , Uber said. The company said the plainti never reported the incident to law enforcement and it only learned of it when the lawsuit was led three years later.

Hurd said just because the plainti didn’t report it to law enforcement doesn’t mean it’s not true. During the trial, which started last Wednesday and wrapped up Monday, the jury heard testimony from the driver, the plainti and friends of the plainti who corroborated her story, Hurd said.

Breyer, who is based in San Francisco in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is due to hear two more sexual assault test case trials against Uber. The next is scheduled for mid-September in San Francisco.

CHATHAM SPORTS

Willauer

job back there communicating and stu .”

Despite the loss, Fann found Friday’s showing to be the height of the Hawks’ up and down spring.

The short-handed Hawks couldn’t land a goal in the 1-0 loss

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CARRBORO — Without its leading scorer in senior So a Viana, the Seaforth girls’ soccer team struggled to score in a 1-0 loss to Carrboro Friday.

when the opportunities came.

Carrboro sophomore Ali Stuntebeck assisted senior Quinn Benedick for the Jaguars’ lone score with 22 minutes left to play in the rst half. Numerous saves from Seaforth’s senior goalkeeper Katie Leonard and crucial defensive stands kept the Hawks within striking distance, but they couldn’t land goals

“I thought we controlled the game,” Seaforth coach Michael Fann said. “We had more shots on goal than they did. We made one mistake that cost us, and they scored.”

Seaforth was shut out for the fourth time this season, which is the most times in pro

gram history. Nevertheless, it was a much

better defensive game for the Hawks after giving up three goals to the Jaguars in a loss on April 15.

“I love what they do,” Fann said about his team’s defenders. “We’re a little bit more aggressive because most teams, like what we just played, play four defenders. We only play with three. So we’re a little bit more aggressive, and they do a great

“We played the whole 80 minutes,” Fann said. “We never stopped.” Said Fann, “We’ve been very inconsistent all season, but today, it was just top to bottom, it was the best game we played all season.”

Part of the Hawks maintaining a high level of play throughout the game was due to the bench.

“We didn’t have a drop o ,”

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

The Chargers were outscored 6-1 in the second half

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CARRBORO — Carrboro scored six unanswered goals in the second half to defeat the Northwood boys’ lacrosse team 10-7 Friday. Senior Tyler Pease led the way for the Jaguars, notching a game-high six goals. With Carrboro trailing 6-4 at halftime, Pease sparked the game-changing run with a goal late in the third quarter and a game-tying score with seven minutes left in the fourth.

Less than two minutes later, junior Eli Beaven-Louey’s rst goal of the night gave the Jaguars the lead for the rst time since the beginning of the second quarter. Over the next minute, Carrboro landed three more scores from senior Nathan Pickles, junior Jake McGrath and Pease. The Chargers struggled to win face-o s during the run as face-o specialist Eli Minges did not play.

“We had a couple of boys

that were out tonight,” Northwood coach Randy Cox said.

“We come with who you have, and we play with the 10 that are on the eld, and their 10 at times were a little bit better than our 10.”

Northwood junior Malik El Yosef stopped the avalanche with his only goal of the night, but with three minutes left to play, the Chargers could not pull o a comeback.

“Our guys fought to the end,” Cox said. “A couple of things happen a little bit di erently, and maybe the margin isn’t what it is, 10-7. So I’m proud of the way they played.”

Northwood threw the rst punches and took a 2-0 lead after goals from seniors Grayson Cox and Jackson Glinksi in the rst quarter.

Carrboro quickly tied the game with consecutive goals from sophomore Adam McGrath and Pease. Glinski and Pease each stuck their second scores of the night to make it a 3-3 game at the end of the rst quarter.

Pease’s third goal a minute into the second quarter gave Carrboro its rst lead

Jax Young

Chatham Charter, baseball

Chatham Charter junior Jax Young earns athlete of the week honors for the week of April 13.

Young was a huge part of the Knights’ dominant run of three games last week. In the 19-0 win over Triangle Math and Science on April 13, Young pitched a no-hitter and struck out all 15 batters he faced. Against Southern Wake the next day, he went 3 for 4 from the plate, including a triple, with four RBIs and three of the Knights’ 31 runs.

As of Sunday, Young leads Chatham Charter in on-base percentage (0.593) and is second on the team in batting average (.500). On the mound, he’s logged a 2.51 ERA while striking out a career-high 46 batters.

Northwood honors Brice with jersey retirement

Brice played 14 seasons across the MLB and the minor leagues

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — Many numbers de ned Austin Brice’s impact on Northwood baseball in the late 2000s.

Some of them showed up on his uniform, while others, which were unforgettable gures thrown towards home plate, showed up on radars.

So which one will forever lie on Northwood’s baseball scoreboard? None.

Northwood retired Brice’s No. 20, which he wore as a soccer player, before its baseball game against Cornerstone Charter on April 15. Brice developed into a star pitcher in his four seasons with the Chargers, and less than a month after his senior year in 2010, he was selected by the Marlins in the ninth round of the MLB Draft. He played 14 seasons across the major and minor leagues, and now, his number is situated on the baseball scoreboard.

“I was actually kind of thrown o by it,” Brice said. “You think as a kid like, oh, you got your high school number retired, and you kind of like, ‘ah,’ you know? And then it happens, and you’re like, ‘Man, this is a really, really awesome situation, opportunity to have something like this.’”

Brice’s family, teammates and high school coach Rick Parks, who stood next to Brice alongside current Northwood coach Brent Haynes during the ceremony, attended his jersey retirement.

They shared memories of Brice’s rise from a “spindly” freshman to the rocket arm who threw a 97-mph pitch against South Granville as a senior.

“He’s probably 5-foot-11, 6 footish freshman year,” Parks said. “He’s 135, 145 pounds. And then by the time he’s a senior, you’re looking at him going, OK he’s (6 feet, 3 inches). He’s pushing 200 pounds, and it’s like holy cow. This kid couldn’t wear the same, that’s why he had four different jersey numbers, I think, over four years because he kept outgrowing them.”

Due to unfortunate circumstances at the beginning of his freshman year, Brice had to grow quickly.

The Chargers lost multiple starting in elders before the start of the 2007 season, leaving a green Brice to step up in

his rst varsity game against a top-ranked Fuquay-Varina team.

“I’m out there, and I’m just, you know, my eyes are the size of doughnuts,” Brice said. “I’m just like, ‘Man, I do not belong here right now.’”

After a few errors in that game, he was sent to junior varsity, but it was only for a few weeks. As a rst-year head coach in Parks was trying to nd his own footing and navigate a season plagued with injuries, Brice got more opportunities to start his development early.

“I always had a really good arm, but I could never quite put it together,” Brice said. “It just seemed like I was going through growing pains a lot. Like, I would gure something out and then the next thing I would struggle with, and I could never quite tie it together. And then all of sudden, my junior year rolls around.”

Said Brice, “I got some coordination about me and started evolving from there.”

Brice helped the Chargers to a 63-30 record in his four seasons.

As a senior, he struck out 76 batters and achieved a batting average of .442, earning conference player of the year and All-State honors. The speed at which he pitched that season caught the attention of MLB scouts. Parks recalled up to 15 scouts showing up to Northwood’s games at times, including those from the Angels and the Yankees.

“I had some heart palpitations to be honest with you, going into some of the games,” Brice said. “You would go to pitch, and you can see from the mound you’re looking dead into the crowd and all of a sudden, you see all these radar guns pop up. It was intimidating at rst, but it kind of was that reminder like, ‘Hey, this

is happening. Just take a deep breath and try to take it all in.’”

Brice initially committed to App State but instead decided to go pro after high school. He spent his rst six seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut with Miami against the White Sox on Aug. 12, 2016, becoming the rst Hong Kong-born player to appear in the majors. In that game, he struck out two batters in one inning.

“I wasn’t really nervous at all for my rst game,” Brice said. “I didn’t really get nervous until I realized that I was in the major leagues. And it took me a few outings to realize like, ‘Oh, I’m here now.’ And then, you start getting some butter ies going into games because you’re like, ‘There’s no more going up from here. All you can do is go down.’” In the majors, Brice also made stops in Cincinnati, Boston and Pittsburgh. His best season came with the Marlins in 2019 when he logged career bests of a 3.43 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 442⁄3 innings pitched.

Northwood inducted Brice into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

Despite all the numbers that told the story of his career on the diamond, including the numerous ones he wore at Northwood, Brice chose to be honored by the one that pays homage back. No. 20 was worn by his brother, and Brice donned it while leading the Chargers to a soccer state title appearance in 2009.

“I just wanted it to be a little tip of the hat to that,” Brice said. “I also just didn’t want to take a number from one of these (current baseball players). I don’t even know if anybody even wears the No. 20 in baseball. So, it was more so like a humble approach.”

Yardbirds make additions to 2026 roster

Chatham County will begin ONSL play May 23

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

AS OPENING DAY approaches, the Chatham County Yardbirds’ roster is taking shape.

Since the beginning of April, the Yardbirds have signed 12 players. All are from North Carolina, including some former Chatham County high school athletes.

The Yardbirds will open their season against Wake Forest at Flaherty Park on May 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Here’s a look at each signing.

Aidan Allred (William Peace, in elder)

Allred, the former Chatham Charter standout and a sophomore at William Peace, will return for his third season in the Old North State League.

While playing for the Randolph Ropin’ Roosters (now Chatham County) last summer, Allred logged a .297 bat-

LACROSSE from page B1

ting average, 19 hits, a home run and nine RBIs in 64 at-bats. He notched 23 putouts and eight double plays as a shortstop, earning an All-Star selection in the 2025 season.

Daniel White (Wake Tech, pitcher)

Former Seaforth pitcher and out elder Daniel White will return to Chatham County after his freshman season at Wake Tech.

White has appeared in two games for the Eagles as of Sunday. In high school, he helped lead Seaforth to back-to-back trips to the third round of the state playo s, including its rst playo win in program history.

Jackson Shaner (Guilford, in elder)

Shaner, the Northwood alum, will suit up for Chatham County after his junior season at Guilford.

In 2024, Shaner played for the Sanford Spinners. He’s recorded two hits in nine at-bats for the Quakers this spring.

of the game. However, three straight Northwood scores from junior Asher Savage, Cox and senior Braeden Spacek gave the Chargers another lead and the momentum going into halftime.

“Games are won and lost at the beginning of the second half, right?” Cox said. “We wanted them to come out red up, and we did, right? But, we didn’t score any in the third quarter.”

With the loss, Northwood fell to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Carrboro, after improving to 9-5 overall, is now tied for second with the Chargers in the conference standings. After hosting rst-place Orange Monday, Northwood has two remaining conference games against Seaforth and Cedar Ridge. Both games will be at home, and Northwood defeated both in their rst meetings.

As of Sunday, the Chargers are in good standing for the state playo s as they rank 16th in the 1A-6A RPI rankings. They’ll get a chance to pick up some quality wins against Union Pines (third in the 1A-6A RPI standings) on April 29 and Pinecrest (10th in the 8A RPI standings) on May 7.

“I think we’re poised to do some great things,” Cox said. “We just got to get a couple of kids healthy.”

Said Cox, “I think their mindset is right. Every year, teams grow, and they develop, and this team has done that this year. And so, I think their con dence has grown.”

.369

Weston Rhem’s career batting average at Raleigh’s Broughton High School

Jace Young (Guilford, catcher)

Young, a senior at Chatham Charter, will play for the Yardbirds before heading to Guilford for his senior season.

This spring, Young has recorded career highs in batting average (.436), on-base percentage (.515), slugging percentage (,745), OPS (1.260), RBIs (31) and home runs (2). He’s logged 161 putouts with a .988 elding percentage.

Aidan McCandless (Guilford, utility)

McCandless, a Western Alamance alum, is a junior at Guilford. This season, he’s made six starts and logged a career-best .259 batting average, seven

hits and eight RBIs in 27 at-bats.

Camden McCandless (Guilford, pitcher)

McCandless is a freshman at Guilford. He graduated from Western Alamance and is the younger brother of Aidan McCandless.

Simon Schreiber (USC Sumter, out elder)

Schreiber, a Chapel Hill native, will play for Chatham County before his freshman season at USC Sumter.

Andrew Mullis (Mid-Atlantic Christian, pitcher)

Mullis is a redshirt sophomore at Mid-Atlantic Christian University. This spring, he’s struck out nine batters and holds a 9.92 ERA in 161⁄3 innings pitched. He’s a Raleigh native.

Jack Bolte (Kenyon College, in elder)

Bolte, a senior at Cardinal Gibbons, will spend the summer with the Yardbirds before

starting at Kenyon College. This spring, Bolte is batting at .240 with 12 hits and seven RBIs in 50 at-bats.

Darius Davis (Barber-Scotia, out elder)

Davis plays at Barber-Scotia college. He is a Northern Durham alum where he recorded a .254 batting average, 15 hits, 13 RBIs and 13 runs as a senior.

Weston Rhem (Belmont Abbey, out elder)

Rhem is an out elder at Broughton High School. Throughout his prep career, he’s logged a .369 batting average, 82 hits, 57 RBIs and 59 runs.

Andrew Riedel (Denison, catcher)

Riedel, a senior catcher at Cardinal Gibbons, is going for career-highs in batting average (.421) and hits (24) this spring. He’s also notched a .990 elding percentage as of Sunday. After high school, Riedel will play at Denison University.

SIDELINE REPORT

NFL

Panthers agree to terms with QB Grier

Charlotte Quarterback Will Grier is returning home to the team that drafted him. The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday they’ve agreed to terms on a contract with Grier, their third-round draft pick (100th overall) in 2019 who played high school football in the Charlotte area. Grier gives the Panthers added depth at the position behind starter Bryce Young. He is expected to compete for the No. 2 spot with Kenny Pickett.

MARATHONS

Men caught competing in the women’s category of a prestigious South African marathon Johannesburg

Two male runners in South Africa were discovered fraudulently competing on behalf of female colleagues in a top marathon and disquali ed. They could face two-year bans from the event, along with the two women who swapped their bibs with the two men. The two men both nished within the top 10 in the women’s marathon at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town. But marathon board member Stuart Mann said the deception was discovered, and the men were disquali ed from their seventh-and 10th-place nishes.

WNBA

Bird, Rapinoe announce break-up, will phase out podcast Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are splitting up. The sports power couple announced they are ending their 10-year relationship and phasing out their popular podcast. They dropped the news together on the podcast. Bird is considered one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history. Rapinoe rose to fame as a member of the Women’s World Cup team in 2011, 2015 and 2019. Bird said they will host six more special episodes.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Newly crowned UFC champ Ulberg says he lost title belt while celebrating win New York

Carlos Ulberg fought through an injured right knee to capture the light heavyweight title in UCF 327. He says he lost it hours later, literally. The 35-year-old from New Zealand defeated Jiri Prochazka in the main event at UFC 327 by knockout in Miami to become the new champion of the light heavyweight division. He told Fox Sports Australia he misplaced his golden title belt

United States enters World Cup with worries in goal, on defense

The host country hopes for its rst knockout win since 2002

By Ronald Blum The Associated Press

THE UNITED STATES heads into the World Cup hoping for its rst knockout-stage victory since 2002.

While the Americans enter with their weakest goalkeepers in four decades and only a few central defenders playing in a top league, they bene t from being seeded as a co-host in the expanded tournament, which could keep them from playing an elite opponent until the round of 16.

“It would be everything to win, and especially to do it in your home, in front of your friends, your families, the people that have supported you throughout your whole career that are closest to you,” mid elder Weston McKennie said.

The U.S. hopes to advance far in the tournament and show it is making progress in a sport that trails the NFL, MLB and NBA in popularity at home. The Americans are 1-7 in knockout World Cup matches, the only win over Mexico in 2002.

Since reaching the seminals of the rst World Cup in 1930, the furthest the U.S. has advanced was the 2002 quarter nals. While it has lost eight straight matches to European opponents since 2022, getting outscored 22-6, the Americans have a high level of con dence.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino,

hired in September 2024 after the U.S. was eliminated in the Copa America group stage, told players they can win the title.

“Why not us?” he said during a March training camp. “We need to really believe that we can be there. We need to dream.”

The Americans open against Paraguay on June 12 before facing Australia and Turkey in Group D.

Long line of top goalkeepers has ended

Goalkeeper used to be an American strength, with Tony Meola, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard and Brad Guzan all highly regarded.

Matt Turner, the U.S. starter in 2022, has been displaced as No. 1 by Matt Freese. The Americans are likely to head to the World Cup without a Europe-based keeper for the rst time since 1990.

“We had this goalkeeping thing gured out for a long time, didn’t we? Going all the way back,” Howard said. ”It just seems like we’ve had a little bit of a rut.”

Pulisic scoring drought a concern

Christian Pulisic, the top American player, hasn’t scored an international goal in eight games since November 2024.

He also headed into mid-April scoreless in 14 games with AC Milan since Dec. 28.

“He’s going to score because he has the quality,” Pochettino said. At 27 in his prime, Pulis-

ic is expected to carry the U.S. in the tournament as he did in 2022, when his goal in the group-stage nale against Iran advanced the Americans to the knockout stage.

“There’s pressure, I feel it. Yes, it’s there but it’s nothing that I can’t handle,” he said.

Options thin in central defense

Chris Richards is a rare American central defender playing in a top league, at 26 having an outstanding season at Crystal Palace. He missed the 2022 tournament because of a hamstring injury.

Tim Ream, the U.S. captain for much of World Cup lead-up under Pochettino, is 38 and left Fulham for Major League Soccer’s Charlotte after the 2023-24 season.

Auston Trusty, 27, has been a starter for Scotland’s Celtic since late October and Mark McKenzie, also 27, is a regular for Toulouse.

Pochettino has at times since

LIV Golf leader says show

will

last fall used a three central defender back line.

Injury worries

Right back Sergiño Dest, a starter in 2022, hopes to heal in time from a hamstring injury sustained playing for PSV Eindhoven on March 7. Central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, another 2022 veteran, will miss the tournament because of an Achilles injury and John Tolkin, No. 3 on the left back depth chart behind Antonee Robinson and Max Arfsten, is uncertain because of a knee injury.

Son of Super Bowl winner

Defender Alex Freeman, is a son of Antonio Freeman, a former All-Pro wide receiver who won the 1997 Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers.

“Growing up I always got asked if football was the path, but when I was younger I always had a secret love for soccer,” Alex said.

go on amid reports of Saudi funding uncertainty

The tour’s CEO sent out a memo to address concerns

By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press

LIV GOLF CEO Scott O’Neil sought to quell speculation about the league’s nancial future with a memo to his sta that said the 2026 season will continue as planned without interruption and “at full throttle.”

The memo followed a long day of reports suggesting Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund was on the verge of cutting its nancial backing of the upstart league.

The newsletter Money in Sport reported in February that LIV Golf already had spent $5.3 billion and was projected to surpass $6 billion by the end of the year.

“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil said. “While the media landscape is often lled with speculation, our reality is de ned by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more in uential than ever before.”

Left unclear was how long the funding would last for LIV Golf, which launched in June 2022 by paying roughly $1 billion in signing bonuses to some of the PGA Tour’s biggest names, such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson,

Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm.

Prize money for individuals and the 13 teams was raised to $30 million this year.

Koepka since has left LIV and was allowed to rejoin the PGA Tour this year with stipulations. Patrick Reed also left LIV and is playing a European tour schedule this year. He is virtually certain to be eligible to return to the PGA Tour in 2027 through the European tour points race.

Questions about LIV’s future funding were raised as the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia revealed a new ve-year investment strategy.

“The 2026-30 strategy marks a natural evolution as PIF moves from a period of rapid growth and acceleration to a new phase of sustained value creation, with a strengthened focus on maximizing impact, raising the e ciency of investments, and applying the highest standards of governance, transparency and institutional excel-

lence,” the PIF said in a release.

The plan was developed before the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor who loves golf and was behind LIV Golf, told the London-based Financial Times, “Of course the war would add more pressure to reposition some priorities.”

LIV players at Chapultepec Golf Club for LIV Golf Mexico that starts Thursday did not have answers as speculation ran rampant throughout the day.

One player said Al-Rumayyan met with players the rst week of March in Hong Kong and said funding for LIV was set through 2032. The player also said O’Neil arrived in Mexico City and was to meet with the players.

LIV Golf promoted the Mexico event on social media with the message, “Slow news day? We are ON.”

LIV has played ve events this year, in Saudi Arabia, Aus-

tralia, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa. It celebrated an inspirational victory at its biggest event in Australia when Anthony Kim won after the American had been away for 12 years while battling drug and alcohol addiction.

DeChambeau won the last two events in playo s, and this week tries to become the rst LIV player to win three in a row. DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion, missed the cut in the Masters last week.

LIV’s focus has been on a global reach, with its rst U.S. tournament not scheduled until May 7-10 at Trump National in northern Virginia.

“The life of a startup movement is often de ned by these moments of pressure,” O’Neil said. “We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we’ve answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.”

He ended his note to the sta by saying, “We are pioneers, and while the road isn’t always smooth, the destination is worth every mile. Let’s go out and show the world why LIV Golf is the future of the game.”

LIV is in the second year of a Fox Sports television deal, with network putting it on various platforms like FS1. The opening round of the Mexico event has three hours on the Fox Sports app. The previous two years, its U.S. broadcast partner was the CW.

SOCCER from page B1

Fann said. “In the past we’ve had, when our starters come o , we’d have a drop o . Tonight, we didn’t do it. So everybody stepped up and played good tonight. They were really loose. They were having fun, and I think they enjoyed it a lot tonight.” Carrboro, which moved to 11-1-3 overall, took a stronger

hold of rst place in the Big Seven 4A/5A conference standings and moved two games ahead of second-place Seaforth, which fell to 7-4-1 overall. The Hawks’ two losses to the Jaguars were their rst conference defeats since their inaugural season in 2022, snapping a streak of 42 straight conference wins. The 2022 campaign was the last time Seaforth did not win the conference title.

Seaforth still has plenty of opportunities to make up ground and keep itself in contention for a conference crown. After rematches against Cedar Ridge and Durham School of the Arts (Seaforth defeated both by at least four goals), the Hawks will have three remaining conference games against the league’s bottom three teams in Webb, South Granville and Orange.

But even if the Hawks win out, they’ll need Carrboro to drop at least two conference games. No matter what happens in conference play, Seaforth is in position to make the state playo s. It sits at 17th in the 5A RPI standings as of Sunday. The Hawks also have remaining nonconference opportunities to improve their position. Following a home matchup against NCSSM-Durham (No. 1 in the 3A RPI standings) on Thursday, Seaforth will go on the road to face Apex Friendship (No. 11 in the 8A RPI standings) on Monday and host Holly Springs (No. 5 in the 7A RPI standings) on April 30.

“The big thing right now is just keep getting better,” Fann said. “We want to be our best when it comes (to) playo s. That’s our focus right now.”

Crowd scientist helping Boston Marathon manage growing eld of 30,000-plus runners

Changes in start times and positioning of aid stations could help alleviate crowding

By Jimmy Golen

The Associated Press

BOSTON — Running the Boston Marathon is tough enough without having to jostle your way from Hopkinton to Copley Square.

So race organizers this year turned to an expert in crowd science to help them manage the eld of more than 32,000 as it travels the 26.2 miles through eight Massachusetts cities and towns — some of it on narrow streets laid out during Colonial times.

“There are certain things that we can’t change — that we don’t want to change — because they make the Boston Marathon,” said Marcel Altenburg, a senior lecturer of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain. “Like, I’m a scientist, but I can’t be too science-y about the race. It should stay what it is because that’s what I love. That’s what the runners love.”

Organizers of the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon would prefer a more pleasant experience for their

ROUNDUP from page B1

Northwood swept Southwestern Randolph, winning 5-4 on April 14 and 5-0 last Friday. Finn Sullivan smashed a grand slam, and Riley D’Angelo struck out 11 batters while allowing two hits on the mound. Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

* clinched conference title

Central Tar Heel 1A: T1. Chatham Charter (16-3, 6-0); T1. Clover Garden (11-7, 6-0); 3. River Mill (7-7, 2-4); T4. Central Carolina (0-7, 0-4); T4. Southern Wake (0-9, 0-6) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. South Stokes* (14-6, 10-1); 2. Bishop McGuinness (11-7, 6-4); 3. Chatham Central (9 -8, 5-5); 4. North Stokes (4-15, 4-7); 5. South Davidson (6-12, 1-9) Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Northwood (11-8, 7-1); 2. Uwharrie Charter (16-4, 5-2); 3. Eastern Randolph (10-11, 4-3); 4. Southwestern Randolph (12-6, 4-4); T5. North Moore (5-11, 1-6); T5. Jordan-Matthews (4-14, 1-6) Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Cedar Ridge (14-4, 6-0); 2. South

runners, even as the eld has ballooned from 15 in 1897 to as many as 38,000.

As the race grew, it tested the limits of the narrow New England roads and the host cities and towns, which are eager to reopen their streets for regular commutes and commerce as quickly as possible.

“It would be kind of great someday to be able to grow the race a little bit more,” race director Dave McGillivray said. “The problem with this race

Granville (12-6, 7-1); 3. Seaforth (13-6, 4-2); 4. Orange (12-7, 5-3); T5. Webb (2-12, 0-3); T5. Durham School of the Arts (5-11, 0-6); T5. Carrboro (4-12, 0-7)

Power rankings (week of April 12): 1. Chatham Charter; 2. Seaforth; 3. Northwood; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews RPI standings as of Sunday (ranking): 1A: Chatham Charter (1), Chatham Central (15); 3A: Northwood (23); 4A: Jordan-Matthews (50); 5A: Seaforth (13) SOFTBALL

Chatham Central defeated South Stokes 2-0 on April 14 thanks to a home run from Lillie Poe and 10 strikeouts from Maddie Kaczmarczyk in the circle. A 5-3 loss to Southeast Alamance snapped the Bears’ eight-game win streak, but they bounced back with two home runs (Kaczmarczyk and Addison Goldston) and a one-hitter from Maeson Smith in a 17-0 win over South Davidson on Friday.

Seaforth pitcher Emma Grace Hill notched her 400th career strikeout and hit a home run in Seaforth’s 9-8 win

is that it’s about two things: time and space. We don’t have either. … So, we’re trying to be innovative.”

That’s where Altenburg comes in.

A former German army captain who runs ultra marathons himself, Altenburg has worked with all of the major races, other large sporting events, and airports and exhibitions that tend to attract large crowds on ways to keep things safe and owing smoothly.

over Cedar Ridge on April 14.

Blair Hill knocked home the go -ahead RBIs in the sixth inning. Alyssa Harris hit a home run to help the Hawks take down Apex 6-2 on April 15. Annika Johansson joined the home run party in a 16-6 victory over Durham School of the Arts Friday. Northwood fell to Southwestern Randolph twice, losing 10-1 on April 14 and 8-4 Friday. After an 8-5 loss to River Mill, Allie McLeod went 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs, and she struck out 12 batters in the circle to lead the Knights over Central Carolina 12-0 on April 14.

Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

* clinched conference title

Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Clover Garden* (17-1, 10-0); 2. River Mill (9-6, 7-3); 3. Chatham Charter (9-6, 6-3); 4. Central Carolina (1-13, 1-9); 5. Ascend Leadership (0-11, 0-9)

Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Chatham Central (15-4, 6-1); 2. South Stokes (10-8, 7-2); 3. North Stokes (8-9, 2-4); 4. South Davidson (4-13, 0-8)

For the Boston Marathon, which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators in addition to the runners, his models allow him to run simulations that help him see how the race might play out under di erent conditions.

“We have simulated the Boston Marathon more than 100 times to run it once for real. That is the one that counts,” Altenburg said. “They gave me, pretty much, all creative freedom to simulate more waves, simulate more runners and — within the existing time window — they allowed me to change pretty much anything for the betterment of the running experience.

“And then we checked every aid station, every mile, the nish, every important point, (asking): Is the result better for the runner? Is that something that we should explore further?”

The most noticeable di erence on Monday will be that the runners are starting in six waves — groups organized by qualifying time — instead of four. The waves, which were rst used in Boston in 2011, help spread things out so that runners don’t have to walk after the start, when Main Street in Hopkinton squeezes to just 39 feet wide.

Other, less obvious changes involve the unloading of the

Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Southwestern Randolph (14 -3, 7-1); T2. Northwood (10-7, 5-3); T2. Uwharrie Charter (6 -8, 5-3); T4. Jordan-Matthews (9 -7, 3-5); T4. North Moore (6 -10, 3-5); 6. Eastern Randolph (2-13, 1-7)

Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Seaforth (14-1, 8-0); T2. Cedar Ridge (11-5, 5-2); T2. Orange (6-9, 5-2); 4. South Granville (6-7, 4-3); 5. Webb (10-4, 3-4); 6. Carrboro (3-11, 1-6)

Power Rankings (week of April 6): 1. Chatham Central; 2. Seaforth; 3. Northwood; 5. Chatham Charter; 6. Jordan-Matthews

RPI standings as of Sunday (ranking): 1A: Chatham Central (3), Chatham Charter (15); 3A: Northwood (22); 4A: Jordan-Matthews (23); 5A: Seaforth (6)

TRACK AND FIELD

Local winners from Jordan-Matthews’ home meet on April 16 (school, event, time): Boys: Wyatt Webster (Northwood, 200, 23.30 seconds); Ezra Roebuck (Northwood, 400, 49.55); Zaire Ellis (Northwood, 800, 2:23.51); Jordan Wiley (Northwood,

buses at the start, the placement of the water and aid stations, and the nish line chutes, where runners get their medals, perhaps a mylar blanket or a banana, and any medical treatment they might need.

“For an event that’s as old as ours, 130 years, it allowed us to be a startup all over again,” said Lauren Proshan, the chief of race operations and production for the Boston Athletic Association.

“The change isn’t meant to be earth-shattering. It’s to be a smooth experience from start to nish,” she said. “It’s one of those things that you work really, really hard behind the scenes and hope that no one notices — a behind-the-curtain change that makes you feel as if you’re just oating and having a great day.”

Shorter porta potty lines would also be nice.

The BAA will look at the feedback over the next three years before deciding about expansion or other changes.

“Fingers crossed, hope for the best, but we’ll get feedback from the participants,” McGillivray said. “And they’ll let us know whether or not it worked or not.”

But keeping the course open longer isn’t an option. And the route isn’t going to change. So there’s only so much that crowd science can help with at one of the toughest tests in sports.

“I can talk. I’m a scientist. I just press a button and it’s going to be,” Altenburg said. “But the runners still have to do it.”

1,600, 5:43.71); Owen Becker (Northwood, 3,200, 12:54.43); Yadiel Zayas (Jordan-Matthews, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles, 17.83 and 44.90); Jordan-Matthews (4x100, 46.23); Jordan-Matthews (4x200, 1:37.02); Tequone Moore, Ben Altenburg, Webster, Roebuck (Northwood, 4x400, 3:37.13); Leo Drust, Dylan Chavez-Hernandez, Liam Patterson, Austin Parenti (Northwood, 4x800, 10:35.31); Joshua Hayes (Chatham Charter, high jump, 5 feet, 8 inches); Altenburg (Northwood, long jump, 20-9); Kamarie Hadley (Jordan-Matthews, triple jump, 43-4); Jakari Blue (Jordan-Matthews, discus, 87-8); Jamison Brown (Northwood, shot put, 41-0) Girls: Athena Dispennette (Jordan-Matthews, 400 and 800, 1:10.53 and 2:52.59); Emily Scheidt (Chatham Charter 1,600, 6:38.82); Khamya Woods (Jordan-Matthews, 100 hurdles and long jump, 19:00 and 14-1); Jordan-Matthews (4x200, 2:03.35); Ashley Perry, Gabby Ghita, Taylor Perry, Ava Zawada (Northwood, 4x400, 5:02.26); Aaliyah Walden (Chatham Charter, high jump, 4-4); Amari Bullet (Northwood, discus and shot put, 77-10 and 30-8)

this week in history

Spanish-American War begins, Colonists land at Cape Henry, mutiny on HMS Bounty

The Associated Press

APRIL 23

1635: The Boston Latin School, the rst public school in what would become the United States, was established.

1898: Spain declared war on the United States; the U.S. responded in kind two days later after months of rising tensions tied to Cuba’s ght for independence.

1971: Hundreds of Vietnam War veterans opposed to the con ict protested by tossing their medals and ribbons over a wire fence erected in front of the U.S. Capitol.

APRIL 24

1800: President John Adams approved $5,000 for congressional books, e ectively establishing the Library of Congress.

1916: Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule; though it ended in six days, it paved the way for independence and the Irish Free State in 1922.

1960: Rioting erupted in Biloxi, Mississippi, after black protesters staging a “wade-in” at a whites-only beach were attacked by a crowd of white residents.

APRIL 25

1507: A world map by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller used the name “America” for the rst time, honoring Amerigo Vespucci.

1859: Construction of the Suez Canal began in Egypt.

1898: Congress declared war on Spain; the 16-week conict ended in a U.S. victory and control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam.

APRIL 26

1607: English colonists went ashore at present-day Cape Henry, Virginia, beginning an expedition to establish the rst permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere.

1865: John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded by federal troops near Port Royal, Virginia, and killed.

1986: In the worst nuclear disaster in history, an explosion and re at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine sent radioactive fallout into the atmosphere, killing dozens immediately and thousands over time.

APRIL 27

1521: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines during an e ort to expand Spanish in uence in the region.

1813: U.S. forces defeated the British at the Battle of York in Upper Canada (now Ontario); Brig. Gen. Zebulon Pike and dozens of American soldiers were killed when retreating British troops detonated Fort York’s ammunition magazine.

1865: The steamer Sultana, carrying freed Union prisoners of war, exploded on the Mis-

Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali speaks with his mother in Louisville from his Houston hotel room after refusing induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28,

sissippi River near Memphis, killing as many as 1,800 in the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.

APRIL 28

1789: Mutineers led by Fletcher Christian seized control of the HMS Bounty, setting Capt. William Bligh and 18 others adrift; they later reached Timor after a 3,600 -mile journey.

1945: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by partisans as they tried to ee the country.

1967: Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was stripped of his WBA title after refusing induction into the U.S. Army.

APRIL 29

1862: A Union naval force led by Flag O cer David Farragut captured New Orleans, dealing a major blow to the Confederacy.

1916: The Easter Rising in Dublin ended as Irish nationalists surrendered to British forces.

1992: A jury in Simi Valley, California, acquitted four Los Angeles police o cers in the beating of Rodney King, sparking six days of riots that left more than 60 people dead.

New discovery solves Shakespeare’s London house location mystery

He died there in 1616 at the age of 52

By Jill Lawless The Associated Press

LONDON — Fans of Wil-

liam Shakespeare know that the great playwright came from Stratford-upon-Avon, the riverside English town where tourists still throng to see his childhood home.

But he made his name in London — though few traces of him remain in the British capital.

A newly discovered 17th-century map sheds new light on the Bard’s London life, pinpointing for the rst time the exact location of the only home Shakespeare bought in the city, and where he may have worked on his nal plays.

Shakespeare scholar Lucy Munro, who found the document, said that it supplies “extra bits of the jigsaw puzzle” of Shakespeare’s life. And as with

so many discoveries, it was partly due to luck.

“I came across it in the London Archives when I was looking for other things,” Munro said.

New evidence of the building’s location

Historians have long known that Shakespeare bought property in 1613 near the Blackfriars Theatre, but the exact location was a mystery. A plaque on a 19th-century building records only that the playwright had lodgings “near this site.”

A plan of the Blackfriars precinct found by Munro and disclosed Thursday by King’s College London shows in detail Shakespeare’s house, a substantial L-shaped dwelling carved from a former medieval monastery, including its gatehouse.

The 13th-century Dominican friary had been redeveloped for more secular uses after the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII in

“I came across it in the London Archives when I was looking for other things.”

Lucy Munro, Shakespeare scholar

the mid-16th century. Munro, professor of Shakespeare and early modern literature at King’s College London, said it was a desirable area moving slightly down-market –due to people like Shakespeare, who was a uent but associated with the slightly déclassé world of the stage.

“After the dissolution of the monasteries, a lot of the nobility, quite high-ranking courtiers, court o cials are living in the Blackfriars,” Munro said. By the time Shakespeare bought his property, “there are still a lot of important people living there, people who make

protests against the playhouses at various points, because they see the playhouses as a bit of a public nuisance.”

Shakespeare used the profits of his plays to build a ne family house, now demolished, in Stratford, about 100 miles northwest of London.

It’s not certain whether Shakespeare lived in his London property or just rented it out. But Munro said that the size of the house and its location a ve-minute walk from the Blackfriars Theatre suggest he may have spent more time in London toward the end of his life than is widely assumed.

Destroyed in the Great Fire

Shakespeare left the property to his daughter Susanna, and it remained in the family for another half-century. Munro also found two archival documents detailing its sale by the playwright’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hall Nash Barnard in 1665. A year later, the building burned to the ground in the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the medieval city.

Only a few remnants of Shakespeare’s London remain in the area, now part of the city’s nancial district, including a fragment of wall from the medieval friary. Nearby, the name Playhouse Yard is a reminder that a theater once stood here.

Mamdani still earning rap music royalties, tax lings show

The democratic socialist’s rap names were “Young Cardamom” and “Mr. Cardamom”

By Jake O enhartz

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still making money from his short-lived career as a multilingual rapper, tax lings show.

But the 34-year-old Democrat’s meteoric rise as a celebrity politician has brought only a modest increase in hip-hop pro ts: he took home $1,643 in music royalties last year, up only slightly from $1,267 in 2024, according to the lings. Mamdani, who rapped under the monikers “Young Cardamom” and “Mr. Cardamom,” joked last Thursday that New Yorkers should “go to Spotify” if they want to help his bottom line. “A lot of people say they’re listening,” he added. “They’re not listening.”

Mamdani began rapping in high school, releasing socially conscious songs in his 20s on subjects ranging from Indian atbread to colonialism. He has described himself as a “C-list rapper” following in the footsteps of his childhood heroes, including the indie-rap group

“Go to Spotify. A lot of people say they’re listening; they’re not listening.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Das Racist. The tax lings, shared with reporters Thursday, showed the bulk of Mamdani’s 2025 earnings came from his $131,296 salary as a state Assembly member. His wife netted an additional $10,010 for graphic design work. In total, they reported a joint income of roughly $145,000. As mayor, Mamdani is set to earn a salary of $258,750 this year. He’s not New York City’s rst mayor to take home entertainment royalties.

According to his redacted 2012 tax return, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg received somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 in residuals from prior appearances as himself on TV’s “Law & Order” franchise, the 2008 TV special “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa” and the 2011 movie “The Adjustment Bureau,” which starred Matt Damon.

famous birthdays this week

Shirley MacLaine hits 92, Sheena Easton is 67, Jay Leno turns 76, Jerry Seinfeld turns 72

The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

APRIL 23

Actor Lee Majors is 87. Actor Blair Brown is 80. Actor Joyce DeWitt is 77. Filmmaker-author Michael Moore is 72. Actor Judy Davis is 71. Actor Valerie Bertinelli is 66. Actor-comedian George Lopez is 65. Actor-wrestler John Cena is 49.

APRIL 24

Actor Shirley MacLaine is 92.

Actor-singer- lmmaker Barbra Streisand is 84. Fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier is 74.

Actor Eric Bogosian is 73. Actor Michael O’Keefe is 71. Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 62.

APRIL 25

Actor Al Pacino is 86. Musician-producer Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) is 81. Actor Talia Shire is 80. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is 64. Actor Hank Azaria is 62. Sportscaster Joe Buck is 57. Actor Renée Zellweger is 57. Actor Jason Lee is 56. Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is 50.

APRIL 26

Actor-comedian Carol Burnett is 93. Composer-producer Giorgio Moroder is 86. Olympic swimming gold medalist Donna de Varona is 79. Actor Giancarlo Esposito is 68. Actor Joan Chen is 65. Actor Jet Li is 63. First lady Melania Trump is 56.

APRIL 27

Singer Kate Pierson (The B-52’s) is 78. Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia is 75. Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin is 74. Singer Sheena Easton is 67.

APRIL 28

Former Secretary of State

NBA legend Tim Duncan,

James A. Baker III is 96. Actor-singer Ann-Margret is 85. Chef Alice Waters is 82. TV host-comedian Jay Leno is 76. Actor Mary McDonnell is 74. Musician Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 73. Golfer John Daly is 60.

APRIL 29

Musician Willie Nelson is 93. Baseball Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio is 92. Conductor Zubin Mehta is 90. Singer Tommy James is 80. Golf Hall of Famer Johnny Miller is 79. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is 72. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis is 69. Actor Michelle Pfei er is 68. Actor Uma Thurman is 56.

the stream

Charlize Theron, ‘Marty Supreme,’ Kehlani, Kate Hudson, Lainey Wilson

A documentary about country singer Lainey Wilson comes to Net ix

The Associated Press

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET

starring as a ping-pong master in “Marty Supreme” and a Netix comedy competition show hosted by Kevin Hart 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: Charlize Theron expanding her already robust action movie resume with “Apex,” Kate Hudson’s “Running Point” returning for Season 2 and a Net ix documentary on country star Lainey Wilson.

MOVIES TO STREAM

After nine Oscar nominations, $179 million in ticket sales and a few dings for opera and ballet along the way, “Marty Supreme” begins streaming Friday on HBO Max. A24’s biggest box-o ce hit ever stars Timothée Chalamet as a ping-pong striver in 1950s New York doing whatever it takes to reach greatness. Josh Safdie directs a cast including Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion and Kevin O’Leary. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck called it a “nerve-busting adrenaline jolt of a movie.”

Another highlight of 2025, the darkly comic Korean thriller “No Other Choice,” lands on Hulu on Friday. Park Chan-wook’s satire stars Lee Byung-hun as a family man laid o from a paper plant. After analyzing his prospects, he decides to murder his closest competition for a new job. In my review of the Golden Globe-nominated lm, I praised Park, the masterful lmmaker of “Oldboy” and “Decision to Leave,” for “archly and elegantly spinning a yarn about a murderous rampage that accumulates wider and wider reverberations.”

The latest Colleen Hoover hit adaptation, “Regretting You,” arrives Friday on Prime Video. In it, Allison Williams stars as a single mother moving on after the death of her husband (Scott Eastwood). Dave Franco co-stars as her new love interest. In her review, Noveck wrote that “the strange way the tears give way to smiles, quips and then

“Marty Supreme” is a nerve-busting adrenaline jolt of a movie.”

Jocelyn Noveck, AP lm writer

full-on rom-com corniness feels a little awkward — and then just weird and annoying.”

Charlize Theron expands her already robust action movie resume in “Apex,” a survivalist thriller about a grieving woman who heads into the Australian wilderness for outdoor adventure. But when a sadistic local (Taron Egerton) begins terrorizing her, a frantic chase ensues. Catch it on Net ix on Friday.

MUSIC TO STREAM

Noah Kahan’s 2022 single “Stick Season” turned the Vermont singer-songwriter into a household name; now, he’s at “The Great Divide.” That’s the title of his fourth studio album, out Friday. Come for folky ruminations on fame (“Porch Light”), stay for the plucky title track and what exists in between.

In the decade following her debut album, Meghan Trainor’s bright, cheery pop music has kept one central message: Stay

true to who you are and ignore the haters. That continues on her single “Still Don’t Care,” the rst tease of her seventh full-length album. And it is found on the whole of the release, titled “Toy with Me,” out Friday. In December, she told the AP to expect a few self-love bops, songs to anger through and lots of familial love. The singer-songwriter recently canceled a summer tour following the birth of her daughter, Mikey Moon. Musician documentaries are a dime a dozen these days; of-

ten, they function as promotional material with little editorial value. That is not the case with “Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool,” available now on Net ix. The country superstar keeps her cool … and gets candid in this feature, which spans her personal and professional lives.

SERIES TO STREAM

A new Net ix competition show called “Funny AF with Kevin Hart” features Hart traveling to di erent comedy clubs

in the U.S. in search of the next great stand-up sensation. Hart is joined by Keegan-Michael Key, Tom Segura, Kumail Nanjiani, Chelsea Handler and Nikki Glaser, who serve as judges. The semi nal and nal episodes will stream live on Net ix, and the audience can vote in real-time. The winner will get their own Net ix stand-up special.

Prime Video has a new series about a di erent Kevin. “Kevin” is an animated series about a cat who moves into a local pet rescue after his owners split up. Jason Schwartzman voices Kevin and Aubrey Plaza, who co-created and co-wrote the series, also voices a character.

A new “Stranger Things” animated spino harks back to the Saturday morning cartoons of the 1980s, with stand-alone adventures each episode. “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85” takes place during Seasons 2 and 3 of the original show and follows its core gang encountering mysteries and monsters from the Upside Down. They’re voiced by new actors, not the live-action cast. It debuts Thursday on Net ix.

Kate Hudson’s “Running Point” returns for Season 2 on Net ix on Thursday. Hudson plays Isla Gordon, whose family has owned the ctional Los Angeles Waves for years. Hudson takes over as the team’s president when her older brother (Justin Theroux) steps down. Her character is based on Jeanie Buss, the governor and former controlling owner (now minority owner) of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Richard Gadd, whose “Baby Reindeer” drew acclaim and a defamation lawsuit from the real-life woman it depicted, has created and written a new dark drama called “Half Man” where he co-stars with Jamie Bell. Gadd told the AP that he turned down numerous Hollywood offers after “Baby Reindeer” in favor of making “Half Man.” It premieres Thursday.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Italian developer Luca Galante unleashed a surprise smash back in 2022 with his low-res indie shoot-’em-up Vampire Survivors. Fans have since gobbled up a half-dozen expansions, and now it’s time for a full- edged spino , Vampire Crawlers. It’s a “casual, turn-based deck builder” in which you explore dungeons and ght monsters by inging playing cards at them. Think something like Slay the Spire with, well, vampires — then throw in “turboturn,” which lets you pile up damage by slinging cards more quickly. It looks every bit as hectic and silly as the original, and you can take a bite now on PlayStation 5,

and