VOLUME 149 ISSUE 9 | THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS AND RECORD
Heapin’ helpin’ Siler City firefighters cooked up plenty of barbecue for the department’s annual BBQ Fundraiser last Wednesday.
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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. Officers fired rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. The Dane County sheriff’s office 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.
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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 Chapel 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. See CHAPEL HILL, page A7
Redistricting battle narrows for US House as states seek partisan edge in November elections Each party expects to gain up to 10 seats through redistricting efforts By David A. Lieb The Associated Press THE BATTLEFIELD is narrowing and the timeline is tightening in a congressional redistricting contest among states
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 finds 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 plaintiff and they lost.” Ellyn Hurd, plaintiff’s lawyer
The Charlotte jury awarded the plaintiff $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 plaintiff $5,000 in damages, said Ellyn Hurd, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers.
The so-called bellwether case is part of a broader group of sexual assault lawsuits filed 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 financial judgment in the North Carolina case and See UBER, page A10
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 efforts soon cascaded across states. So far, Republicans believe See ELECTIONS, page A10