VOLUME 147 ISSUE 34 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Rolling into town Scores of bikers — the self-propelled sort — set up a tent city at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center for an overnight halt in Pittsboro as part of the Cycle North Carolina Mountains to Coast Ride last week. The seven-day, fully supported bicycle tour travels scenic back roads that showcase rural North Carolina, from Spruce Pine to Ocean Isle Beach. See Page B1 for more.
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BRIEF this week
Harris criticizes Trump on hurricane response comments Kamala Harris used an appearance before a largely black church audience in Greenville to call out Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the federal government’s hurricane response. The Democratic presidential nominee didn’t speak Trump’s name on Sunday. But the former president is most prominent among those promoting false claims that the government isn’t helping Republican storm victims. The vice president later held a rally in Raleigh on Sunday to encourage early voting. “There are some who are not acting in the spirit of community,” Harris said. “And I am speaking of these who have been literally not telling the truth, lying about people who are working hard to help the folks in need, spreading disinformation when the truth and facts are required.”
Republicans sue over N.C. overseas ballots Lawsuits filed by the Republican National Committee argue that Michigan and North Carolina should not be allowing overseas voters who have never lived in their state to vote. Now is not the time to raise objections to state law that has been in place for 13 years, said Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections. “This lawsuit was filed after voting had already begun in North Carolina for the general election,” Gannon said in a statement. “The time to challenge the rules for voter eligibility is well before an election, not after votes have already been cast.”
Wolfspeed gets $750M government grant, $1.75B in tax credits, investments Much of the funding will go toward its Siler City silicon carbide factory By Josh Boak The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration announced plans Tuesday to provide up to $750 million in direct funding to Wolfspeed, with the money supporting its new silicon carbide factory in Siler City that makes the wafers used in advanced computer chips and its factory in Marcy, New York. Wolfspeed’s use of silicon carbide enables the computer chips used in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies to be more efficient.
The North Carolina-based company’s two projects are estimated to create 2,000 manufacturing jobs as part of a more than $6 billion expansion plan. “Artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and clean energy are all technologies that will define the 21st century, and thanks to proposed investments in companies like Wolfspeed, the Biden administration is taking a meaningful step towards reigniting U.S. manufacturing of the chips that underpin these important technologies,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. The new Wolfspeed facility in Siler City could be a critical symbol See WOLFSPEED, page A9
Chatham sheriff launches new volunteer program Volunteers can help with events, at the animal shelter or in countless other ways Chatham News & Record staff CHATHAM County Sheriff Mike Roberson is expanding the volunteer program at the Sheriff’s Office, allowing residents the opportunity to make a unique impact on their community. The program will allow volunteers to work with animals at the shelter, with students on school outreach, to assist in victim services or with community events, among other things. “Chatham County is fortunate to have so many talented and skilled individuals who can contribute in unique ways to our mission,” said Roberson in a press release. “Our community is full of people with diverse exSee SHERIFF, page A2
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Gene Davis, left, and Marian Gibson are helping launch the Sheriff’s Office’s volunteer program.
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Board of Education approves facility needs plan The approved Capital Improvements Project plan will be presented to the county commissioners By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — Chatham County Schools laid out its projected facility plans for the next seven years. At the Chatham County Schools Board of Education’s Oct. 7 meeting, the board approved the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects list for 2026-2032. Each year, the district is asked to provide a seven-year CIP plan to the county detailing facility and equipment needs. The proposed future projSee SCHOOLS, page A7
“What we are asking you to do tonight is to approve the starting point for this. Where these end up with the years and those types of things is out of our hands.” Chris Blice, assistant superintendent for operations