VOLUME 147 ISSUE 43 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
The spirit of giving
The Salvation Army of Chatham County assembled more than 1,000 presents for 424 local families in need this year, with wish lists sent in from parents (by way of Santa!) with exactly what their kids wanted this Christmas. The gifts were picked up from the National Guard Armory in Siler City on Tuesday morning, just in time for Christmas delivery.
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Funding to be provided for BRIEF this week gymnasium HVAC upfits RFK Jr. visits Capitol Hill ahead of his confirmation hearing Washington, D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has swept onto Capitol Hill. The nominee is reintroducing himself to senators as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s Health and Human Services Department. His arrival Monday was the start of a long process to win over senators. Health and Human Services, the world’s largest public health agency, has a broad reach overseeing food and medicines used every day. “I’m open,” GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said of his support for Kennedy’s nomination. “(But) if you come in and say I won’t consider myself successful unless I eliminate these vaccines, that could be problematic.”
More Cooper lieutenants staying on in Stein’s Cabinet Raleigh Several more top lieutenants of outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper have agreed to work for fellow Democrat and successor Josh Stein’s administration. They include Cooper’s transportation and public safety secretaries and the state budget director — all of whom will stay in their current posts. Each of them have had significant roles responding to Hurricane Helene. Stein already said this week that two other Cooper department secretaries will be on his team as well — albeit leading new departments. Stein was elected governor last month and will take his oath of office next month.
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The Chatham County Commission will provide up to $2 million for the addition air conditioning in six school gymnasiums By Ryan Henkel North State Journal PITTSBORO — Chatham County Schools looks to be moving ahead with the procurement
of air conditioning for six of its school gymnasiums. At the Chatham County Schools Board of Education’s Dec. 9 regular business meeting, the board approved a contract with the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in order to appropriate an amount not to exceed $2 million of ARPA funding for the provision of HVAC in six gymnasiums. “The county reached out to us a few months back and had
some money that they had borrowed that may possibly be needing to be spent,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Chris Blice. “This would allow us to move forward with the CIP project that we had scheduled already, to add air conditioning to six of our gymnasium, if the legislature passes the funding that they are in the process of looking at.” Currently, the deadline to obligate ARPA State and Lo-
Republicans continue winning trend in partisan school boards Eighty-one percent of partisan seats up for grabs went to Republican candidates By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Election re-
sults this year continue a trend of Republicans gaining control of school boards and winning more school board races than Republicans. In 2013, only 10 school boards out of the state’s 115 statewide districts held partisan elections, but as the number of partisan board races has grown, so have
Republican gains. During 2022’s elections, 41 of the 83 districts holding elections that year were partisan races and Republicans picked up 20 while Democrats took four. Of the 137 partisan seat races that year, Republicans won 103 (75%) and Democrats won 34 (25%).
NC Medicaid expansion hits goal ahead of projections 600,000 people have enrolled in half the time as expected The Associated Press RALEIGH — More than 600,000 people have enrolled in North Carolina’s new Medicaid coverage for low-income adults about a year after the program’s expansion, reaching the state’s enrollment goal for the program in about half the time that was originally projected, the governor’s office announced on Monday. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a vocal advocate for Medicaid expansion throughout his two terms in office, called the enrollment numbers a “monumental achievement.” “From day one, we set out to
get people covered and get them care. Now, more than 600,000 people have the peace of mind that they can go to the doctor, get needed medications and manage their chronic health conditions — that’s life-changing,” Cooper said in a statement. Cooper will leave office at the end of the year because of term limits. Despite opposition in the GOP-controlled General Assembly for several years, Medicaid expansion in North Carolina passed with bipartisan support last year after Congress offered states more financial incentives to join the program. The federal government foots 90% of the expansion costs under the program. In just the first few weeks of See MEDICAID, page A2
“More than 600,000 people have the peace of mind that they can go to the doctor, get needed medications and manage their chronic health conditions.” Gov. Roy Cooper
“This will leave us with just three gyms that are not air conditioned. … We need to do anything we can do to speed the process up for those three schools.” Board Chair Gary Leonard cal Fiscal Recovery Funds is Dec. 31, and the deadline to spend those funds is by the end of 2026. According to Blice, if approved, any extra funds needed See HVAC, page A7
For the 2024 November election, of the 292 school board seats on ballots across North Carolina, 170 were partisan races, or roughly 52%. Not considering any possible recounts and based on the unofficial results, Republicans continued to dominate, winning 138 seats or 81%. Democrats won 26 or 15.2%. There were 53 districts considered partisan in the lead up to the 2024 election. Four districts became partisan due to legislation passed during the See SCHOOL, page A2