VOLUME 147 ISSUE 23 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
Hoos the boss?
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Seaforth rising senior Gabby White, shown here driving to the hoop in a game at Northwood last season, announced her college choice. For more on the decision, including where she’s going, turn to page B2.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
the
Mr. President
BRIEF
Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson was elected president of the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association this week. The organization allows the state’s 100 sheriffs to learn from and support each other.
this week
Cooper says VP has “great options” Gov. Roy Cooper says he’s excited Democrats “have a lot of great options” for Vice President Kamala Harris to choose for her running mate. Cooper made the comments in Brunswick County on Tuesday, the day after he confirmed he wouldn’t be a candidate. Cooper reiterated his Monday message, saying “this was not the right time” to be potentially on a national ticket for him or for North Carolina. Cooper confirmed he was concerned in part about what Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson could do if he left the state to campaign. The state constitution says Robinson would become acting governor then.
Lawsuit against officer who killed teen can continue A panel of judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a case against a Greensboro police officer who shot and killed a teenager in a reportedly stolen car shouldn’t be dismissed. Monday’s ruling also affirmed a lower court ruling that claims should be dismissed against the City of Greensboro where the shooting occurred. Seventeen-year-old Nasanto Crenshaw was shot and killed by Greensboro police officer Matthew Lewis Sletten in 2022 while attempting to flee in the allegedly stolen vehicle. The teen’s mother later sued for wrongful death, battery, assault and civil rights violations claims. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles dismissed Doriety’s claims in July 2023 against both the city and Sletten after reviewing video footage of what happened. Calling the video “integral” to granting the officer’s motion to dismiss, Eagles ruled that the footage indisputably showed the car driving at Sletten, according to the appellate opinion.
“It’s a privilege to represent and support my fellow sheriffs in the coming year,” said Roberson in a statement. Left, Roberson is sworn in as president by Rep. Robert Reives, with his wife Annette Roberson at his side. GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
County manager LaMontagne to retire Commissioners also hear from experts on cell tower placement By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners met Monday, July 15, with a surprise announcement at the end of the meeting that County Manager Dan LaMontagne will be retiring at the end of the year. The board will now have five months to engage in the complicated process to find a replacement. Turn to Page B5 to read LaMontagne’s speech to the board announcing his retirement plans.
In nonretirement business, the board heard from experts on a proposed 285-foot wireless telecommunications tower at 4162 Bonlee Bennett Road. The board needs to approve a special use permit for the new tower to be constructed. During the hearing, the applicant had experts address concerns raised by community members, including health concerns for those living near the tower as well as property values. Engineer Matt Butcher, a principal at Sublight Engineering and member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES), specializes in the “assessment of
Two NC public universities may see degree cuts soon The Board of Governors approved the cuts at UNC Greensboro and Asheville By Makiya Seminera The Associated Press RALEIGH — Two UNC schools will be allowed to eliminate more than a dozen degree programs ranging from ancient Mediterranean studies to physics after the university system’s governing board voted Wednesday to authorize the cuts. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ vote comes after requests from chancellors at UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro to slash multiple academic degree programs
from their university despite pushback from faculty who wanted to find alternate paths forward for programs. An affirmative vote means the chancellors can now move ahead with the program cuts, which may also mean removing tenured faculty, UNC System senior vice president of academic affairs David English said. The chancellors’ decisions would eliminate certain degrees, but individual courses from those programs can still be offered to students pursuing other majors. The cuts go into effect for the upcoming academic year. Financial issues drove the choice to cut programs at UNC See DEGREE, page A3
radiofrequency with respect to human exposure limits.” “As long as the public is kept out of an area which is 200 feet in the air and 60 feet away from the tower, no one can be exposed to levels that exceed the exposure limit, which is the standard that’s set by the [Federal Communications Commission],” Butcher said. “On the ground, the level is less than 0.05% of that exposure limit.” While commissioners raised questions about whether or not this tower could be located even further from any current homes, Butcher downplayed those concerns. “I don’t know that I’ve seen a site that is further away from a household than this one,” Butch-
er told the board. “The operators are trying to serve people in this area and their homes and businesses, and this is quite a large distance from any household.” There is no scientific evidence that cell towers located near homes cause health issues. Rich Kirkland of Kirkland Appraisals, a state-certified general appraiser with more than 30 years of experience, addressed concerns about property values. He claimed that he could find no specific examples or statistically significant impacts on property values for homes close to cell towers. Experts heard from, commissioners referred the matter back See BOARD, page A3
UNC, Panthers great Peppers drew motivation from hot NC summers The defensive end will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend By Steve Reed The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — Julius Peppers remembers the long, grueling dawn-until-dusk summer days he spent working in the cotton and cucumbers fields of North Carolina’s Nash County and dealing with the heat. It wasn’t easy at the time, spending every summer from when he was 9 years old until
he graduated high school in the 90-degree conditions. But he doesn’t regret it for a minute. Peppers realized early on it wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and he said See PEPPERS, page A3
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