VOLUME 146 ISSUE 26 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2023
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
C HATHAM NEWS & R ECORD THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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BRIEF this week
US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team to appear at Old-Fashioned Farmer’s Day The United States Army Parachute Team’s (USAPT) Gold Demonstration, led by Sgt. 1st Class Jesse Robbins, will display an extraordinary performance at the Silk Hope Old-Fashioned Farmer’s Day Festival at 1 p.m. on September 2. This event is held every Labor Day weekend at the Farm Heritage Theme Park, located at 4221 Silk Hope Rd. in Siler City. USAPT serves under the leadership of the United States Army Recruiting Command and Marketing Engagement Brigade as the “Official Ambassadors of the Army.” Nicknamed “the Golden Knights,” USAPT reaches a third of the nation annually through spectacular live parachute demonstrations for the American public, manifesting the “Band of Excellence” as displayed by all U.S. Army Soldiers around the world. USAPT will be honoring 50 years since the fateful Golden Knight airplane crash at Silk Hope. This is an opportunity to experience a community tradition and meet members of the elite U.S. Army Parachute Team.
Chatham Arts Council to accepts proposals for 2023 JumpstART Commissions The Chatham Arts Council’s JumpstART initiative will be accepting proposals to commission local artists until Saturday, September 19 at 11:59 p.m. Artists interested in creating tin to mediumsized projects for the public are encouraged to apply. This year, artists will have the opportunity to present their works as part of ClydeFEST, which had a record of 2,500 attendees last Spring. This year, commissions will range from $500 to $1,5000. To submit a JumpstART proposal, one must be a performing, visual or literary artist living in Chatham County. Projects can be individual or collaborative as long as one member of the collaboration lives in the county. For additional information, please contact Andrea Akin at andrea@ chathamartscouncil.org or (919) 548-5762.
GENE GALIN | FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Chatham County football is back!
Seaforth plays their opening game on Friday, Aug. 17, 2023. Read more about Chatham County sports on B1.
Siler City Commissioners honor one of its bravest By Chuck Thompson Chatham News & Record SILER CITY – The Siler City Commissioners met for their regular scheduled meeting on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. The highlight of the evening was the retirement ceremony of Sergeant Mark A. Gonzalez
of the Siler City Police Department. Sgt. Gonzalez faithfully served the citizens of Siler City for over 28 years as both a patrolman and detective. He was honored Monday night by a plethora of people, all of whom traveled to Siler City just to congratulate him on his
retirement and thank him for his many years of dedicated service. Chief Wagner made the first comment, thanking him for his many years of bravery and service to Siler City, saying, “It has been a pleasure working with
“The town is in a position where were almost trying to swallow a softball, and if we can change the ordinance to craft an agreement, I highly recommend this.” Tim Booris
See SILER CITY, page A3
County workshop gives updates on childcare, nutrition and climate change considerations NIKKI WITT | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Sheriff Mike Roberson addresses the issue of mental health within the Chatham police force during the safety meeting on Monday June 26th, 2023.
Sheriff Roberson elected NC Sheriffs’ Association’s first vice president at NCSA Conference Chatham News & Record RALEIGH — Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson joined other sheriffs and law enforcement professionals from across North Carolina at the recent North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association’s (NCSA’s) 101st Annual Business Conference. Sheriff Roberson was elected by his fellow sheriffs to serve as first vice president of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association for the upcoming 20232024 year. Also elected to posts on the Association were President, Sheriff Darren Campbell, Iredell County; Second Vice, Sher-
iff Ricky Buchanan, McDowell County; Third Vice, Sheriff Clee Atkinson, Edgecombe County; Secretary, Sheriff Alan Jones, Caldwell County; Treasurer, Sheriff Van Shaw, Cabarrus County. Sheriff Roberson observed, “Sheriffs in every county of North Carolina are facing tremendous challenges in carrying out their responsibilities for law enforcement and the safety of our citizens; maintenance and operation of local jails; recruiting, training and maintaining talented personnel; working with domestic situations, child abuse casSee SHERIFF, page A3
By Chuck Thompson Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Commissioner met at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon at the Chatham Agricultural & Conference Center for their regularly scheduled workshop ahead of the evening’s business meeting. The first item on the working agenda was to select a representative from the county to be a voting delegate and attend the annual North Carolina Association of County Commissioners’ annual conference. The commissioners selected Katie Kenlan of District 4 unanimously to attend. An update for the Chatham County Early Childhood Community Assessment and Action Plan was discussed, with an alarm that a shortage of qualified personnel in the child caregiving field is affecting parents of Chatham County. Topics covered under the Early childhood Assessment Action Plan were workforce shortage, parents struggling to find care, childcare businesses struggling to find qualified help and remain viable, Pre-K Discovery & Analysis, and other challenges for Chatham health officials. A trailer for a short film about the Chatham County Early Childhood Action plan was shown to the commissioners Monday afternoon.
This film will be available to the public and will be shown in Siler City and Goldston. The initial airing took place on Wednesday, Aug. 23 in Pittsboro. Tara Gregory, a Nutritionist and Extension Agent of Family and Consumer Sciences, presented the commissioners with an update on her food safety and nutrition programs. She gave updates on the successful summer camp for kids the past summer, and spoke about her video series for Chatham County on YouTube. She also discussed food preservation, canning, fermentation and drying. The commissioners also spent time discussing climate change as Robbie Cox, Co-Chair of the Climate Advisory Committee spoke to the commissioners in length. The board spent time discussing electric school buses (EV), with Cox stating that as the county engages more and more into EV travel this committee wants See WORKSHOP, page A9