VOLUME 147 ISSUE 28 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
Meeting the people Gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) met with voters at the Crossroads Grill in Siler City, one of five campaign stops across North Carolina he made on Tuesday.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
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BRIEF this week
Mail ballots to start going out It might feel like the presidential election is still a long way off. It’s not. Election Day on Nov. 5 is only about two months away, and major dates, events and political developments will make it fly by. North Carolina will begin sending mail ballots to all voters who request them, including military personnel and overseas voters, on Friday. N.C. inperson voting will start on Oct. 17 and run through 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Small plane lands on Greensboro highway A small single-engine plane made an emergency landing on a highway near the Greensboro airport and was then hit by a vehicle, injuring one of the aircraft’s occupants. The single-engine plane experienced a mechanical failure and made a distress call to Piedmont Triad International Airport around 8 p.m. last Wednesday. It landed on I-840 near the I-73 junction. One of the two people on the plane was taken to a hospital with a minor injury, police said. The driver of the passenger vehicle was not hurt.
Teachers eligible for $300 expense deductions The IRS reminds North Carolina educators that the maximum deduction for classroom expenses remains $300 for 2024. Eligible educators include teachers, counselors and aides working at least 900 hours yearly in elementary or secondary education. Deductible items include supplies, equipment and health safety measures. Items purchased for homeschooling are not eligible for deduction.
After diversity pushback, some UNC faculty feel left in dark on changes New policies commit to free speech and academic freedom By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press RALEIGH — Keely Muscatell always told prospective students they could study anything they dreamed of at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Now, with many diversity programs across the state’s public university system at risk of elimination, she isn’t so sure. “We’ve had some really, really sad and difficult conversations within my lab,” the UNC psychology professor said. “Can we, in good conscience, continue to try to recruit and advocate that people go to graduate school here? Especially people of color?” The UNC Board of Governors took the major step in May of revoking a diversity policy spanning its 17 institutions — meaning roles will be reassessed and possibly eliminated.
Republican General Assembly leaders encouraged and then applauded the move. House Speaker Tim Moore previously decried DEI efforts as wasteful spending and “wokeness” to indoctrinate students. “At the end of the day, let the students have the free exchange, but don’t allow coercion of ideas and don’t allow folks to be marginalized,” he said in April. The new policy commits the schools to free speech, academic freedom and institutional neutrality — values UNC System President Peter Hans calls necessary to prevent institutions from taking political stances. It’s part of what Muscatell describes, however, as a “structural effort” to squelch diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and the overhaul of how public universities handle DEI work plays a large role in her dissatisfaction. Earlier, mounting pressure to dismantle DEI programs were part of the reason Muscatell left her role as See DIVERSITY, page A7
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Family and friends celebrate the opening of the new park last week in Pittsboro.
Wade Barber Park dedication celebrates activist’s contributions The former DA and Superior Court judge was praised for his commitment to environmental issues and civic duty By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The dedication ceremony for Wade Barber Park, located within Northwood Landing, took place Aug. 27 and was well
Contempt charge overturned against NC juror who wouldn’t wear mask during COVID-19 Court of Appeals Judge Michael Stading said the elements of criminal contempt weren’t present in the case.
An appeals court found his actions didn’t interrupt court proceedings By Gary D. Robertson The Associated Press RALEIGH — A North Carolina judge wrongly found a potential juror in criminal contempt for refusing to wear a mask in 2022 due to COVID-19, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday. The three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed unanimously to reverse the order against Gregory Hahn, saying in part that his actions didn’t interrupt court proceedings. Hahn had received a 24-hour jail sen-
tence from Superior Court Judge Winston Gilchrist in October 2022. He asked that the state’s intermediate-level court hear his case. The judge in 2022 declared that Hahn had been ordered three times to wear a mask. Gilchrist’s order also found that Hahn “willfully behaved in a contemptuous manner” and his conduct harmed the respect that the court’s authority was due. See MASK, page A2
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attended by local government officials, members of the community and family and friends of the Barber family. The 2.5-acre wooded park with paved walking trails and See PARK, page A2