North State Journal Vol. 10, Issue 48

One year later

President Donald Trump speaks after making a surprise appearance at a White House press brie ng Tuesday, marking one year from his second inauguration.

Teen suspect in 2022

Raleigh shooting that killed 5 to plead guilty

Raleigh

An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty to a 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh that left ve people dead — including his older brother — avoiding a trial next month, his attorneys said Tuesday. A written notice led in Wake County court by the lawyers for Austin Thompson said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges against him. Thompson was 15 when authorities believe he went on a killing rampage on Oct. 13, 2022, beginning in his Raleigh neighborhood with his 16-year-old brother. His trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 2. Thompson’s attorneys had indicated last year that they intended to use “diminished capacity” and “voluntary intoxication … of a prescribed medication” in his defense.

Russian diplomat: NATO faces deep crisis over Greenland

Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to take over Greenland poses a “deep crisis” for NATO and raises questions about the alliance’s preservation as a single military-political bloc. Lavrov said Trump’s actions upended the Western concept of the “rule-based global order” that Russia has long criticized, even after Moscow sent troops into neighboring Ukraine nearly four years ago. He said Denmark’s control over Greenland was a vestige of the colonial past but denied Trump’s suggestions that Russia and China have any intentions to threaten the Arctic island.

National School Choice Week returns across US the BRIEF this week

Sunday voting, early voting sites pared

The State Board of Elections made rulings for several counties

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

NC’s America 250 plans take shape

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon made a stop at a Fayetteville high school

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The General Assembly’s America 250 Committee met Jan. 14 to continue its work on celebrations and events for the nation’s anniversary this year. Members heard a guest pre-

sentation from David Hosaflook, an American missionary with dual U.S.-Albanian citizenship, which o ered an outsider’s perspective on American freedom, liberty and global admiration for the U.S. Hoosa ook emphasized how Albanians deeply value liberty due to their history under Ottoman, fascist and communist rule, and how Americans born in freedom may not fully appreciate it.

See PLANS, page A3

RALEIGH — During its meeting last week, the North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to end Sunday early voting in some counties as well as early in-person voting sites at a handful of colleges and universities.

The board approved Guilford County’s plan for early voting sites in a 3-2 vote along party lines. The decision upheld the county’s exclusion of Washington Terrace Park as a site even though that location was utilized from 2012 to 2024, with one exception in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) makeup is three Republicans and two Democrats.

Nearly all the state’s 100 counties have unanimously set

their early voting plans, leaving the NCSBE to deal with around a dozen counties where the vote was not unanimous. Those actions included the board voting 3-2 to eliminate early voting hours on Sundays in ve counties: Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Harnett and Wayne. Under state law, the state board has nal authority when county boards fail to reach unanimous agreement on such plans.

“I don’t think we should be voting on Sunday,” NCSBE Chair Francis De Luca said. “I know a lot of people who do nothing on Sunday because that’s the Lord’s day.”

“I just nd that outrageous,” Democrat member Siobhan Millen said, claiming the change was going against the wishes of the chairs of local boards related to Sunday early voting.

The college sites impacted by the voting site changes included Elon, North Carolina

See NCSBE, page A2

Flagship events planned nationwide

The annual event runs from Jan. 25-31

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — National School Choice Week returns this year from Jan. 25-31 with 55 agship events scheduled nationwide, including school fairs, capitol celebrations, and student-led and community events. National School Choice Week is a charitable program conducted each year by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation (NSCAF) and the National School Choice Resource Center, which are both 501(c)(3) nonpro ts.

According to a new national survey by the NSCAF, 75% of parents of school-aged American children (46 million nationwide) have “considered, searched for, or enrolled at least one child in a new or different school; the highest level recorded in ve years.”

More than 28,000 schools are participating in and planning events to celebrate, according to the National School Choice Week website.

In Raleigh, there will be a student showcase held Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Fletcher Opera Theatre at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts at 2 E. South Street. The event,

See CHOICE, page A3

the word | A terrible fact

“Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow! For a great ransom would not help you avoid it.” Job 36:18

This is one of the danger-signals which God has placed across the sinner’s pathway to Hell. At every turn of the Broad Road there are warning signs of the destruction which lies ahead. The Sunday School teacher, the prayers of godly parents, the sermons of faithful preachers, the little Gospel tract, the warnings of conscience, the innate fear of death, the declarations of Holy Writ, are so many obstacles which God places in the way of the sinner — so many barriers to the Lake of Fire.

One chief reason why God wrote the Bible was to warn the sinner of the awful consequences of sin, and to bid him to ee from the wrath to come. Our text is one of these warnings. There are many such scattered throughout the Bible. “Be sure your sin will nd you out!” (Numbers 32:23) and “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish!” (Luke 13:5).

Our opening text naturally divides itself under three heads: a terrible fact, a solemn warning, and an utter impossibility.

The terrible fact is the existence of the wrath of God.

Men try to forget that there is such a thing as Divine wrath. The realization of it makes them uneasy, so they endeavor to banish all thought of it. At times they are terri ed at the bare mention of God’s wrath — hence their anxiety to dismiss the subject from their minds.

Others try to believe there is no such thing as God’s wrath. They argue that God is loving and merciful, and therefore God’s anger is merely a bogeyman with which to frighten naughty children.

But how do we know that God is loving and merciful? We know because His Word says so. And the same Bible which tells of God’s mercy also speaks of His wrath. “He

who believes on the Son has everlasting life; but he who believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him!” (John 3:36). “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men!” (Romans 1:18). “Because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience!” (Ephesians 5:6). The fact is not implied. It is a rmed. Nor is wrath a defect in God. Wrath is one of His perfections. If God did not punish evildoers, He would be a party to evil-doing. He would compromise with wickedness. He would condone sin. Even

in human life we recognize this. He who loves purity yet has no anger toward corruption is morally diseased. He who pities the defenseless yet has no wrath toward the oppressor is not merciful but monstrous.

Divine wrath is divine holiness in activity. Because God is holy he hates sin, and because He hates sin His anger burns against the sinner. As it is written, “You hate all workers of iniquity!” (Psalm 5:5). God’s wrath is not an abstract quality. It is not inactive. In Scripture it is displayed in judgment: the Flood; Sodom and Gomorrah; Egypt’s plagues and the Red Sea; Israel’s chastening and captivity. And God’s wrath against sin was publicly manifested at the Cross, when all His billows and waves passed over the head of the blessed Sin-Bearer. “Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me!” (Psalm 88:15–17).

If human wrath can be awful, what shall be said of the wrath of Almighty God? Scripture speaks of God’s wrath “waxing hot” (Exodus 22:24). It declares, “Great is the wrath of the Lord” (2 Kings 22:13). It makes mention of “the erceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15). It refers to wrath coming upon sinners “to the uttermost” (1 Thessalonians 2:16). Everything about God is in nite. And like all His other perfections, God’s wrath is incomparable and in nite. What power of resistance will frail creatures of the dust have for enduring the full weight of it? None. It will overwhelm. It will crush. It will be intolerable. That is why Job’s warning matters. God’s wrath is not a rumor. It is a reality. And God’s warning is not given to satisfy curiosity, but to drive us to refuge.

Arthur W. Pink, born in Nottingham, England, in 1886, pastored churches in Colorado, California, Kentucky and South Carolina. His works are now in the public domain.

State Board of Elections urged to investigate nonresidential addresses

The state auditor said election integrity was the reason for the letter

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Following news that North Carolina has been issuing trucking licenses illegally to foreign individuals, N.C. State Auditor Dave Boliek issued a letter to the N.C. State Board of Elections last week asking it to investigate “voter registrations that list non-residential addresses.”

“Election integrity is a top priority of mine, and it will remain so as we work toward improving public con dence in North Carolina’s elections,” Boliek wrote in a social media post.

Boliek was given oversight and control over the State Board of Elections (NCSBE) last year by the General Assembly.

The letter, sent to NCSBE Chair Francis De Luca, addressed the progress made through the board’s Registration Repair project, which was put into place as part of a lawsuit settlement with the

NCSBE from page A1

A&T, UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina. The vote was 3-2 down party lines, with reasons for the change such as parking availability, site logistical issues and other polling sites located nearby.

Board member Je Carmon, a Democrat, opposed the change, stressing the importance of campus sites for student engagement.

Students from North Carolina A&T (NC A&T) were apparently bused in to protest at the meeting, based on social media posts. Multiple posts about attending the NCSBE meeting were made by various Instagram accounts, such as “Legaldaze” and NC A&T student Shia Rozier. Those posts were promoted by an Instagram account called “In uence NC,” which also posted a video of students protesting at the meeting. The posts

“Election

Boliek,

mine.”

U.S. Department of Justice. “I commend the State Board for action taken thus far, but there remains more to be done to address election integrity, which is why I am requesting the State Board initiate a statewide investigation into voter registrations that list non-residential addresses,” wrote Boliek. Boliek’s letter requests that the board launch a statewide investigation into voter registrations that have nonresidential addresses (such as P.O. Boxes or general campus mail addresses not tied to speci c dorms), which violate state law requiring a xed physical residence address where a person lives and intends to return.

“A P.O. Box or campus mailbox is insu cient by itself,” Boliek wrote. “Results from the Registration Repair Search Tool show that in some cases, a higher education institution campus

included o ers of roundtrip transportation to the meeting via charter buses that departed from the Willie A. Deese Clocktower on the NC A&T campus. In uence NC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NC A&T students also appeared at the Guilford County Board of Elections meeting held on Nov. 18. In uence NC, which is called the “In uence NC Collective” on its website, is linked to the left-leaning activist group Carolina Forward, according to its recruitment form. The form touts paid positions of up to “$50 per hour,” networking with “top NC creators” and exible hours of “only 10 hours monthly, completely remote,” running from Feb. 1 until the end of May.

Carolina Forward is described as “an independent, non-partisan, non-pro t policy organization that advocates

mail address — an address not linked to a speci c dormitory — has been used by registrants as a residential address.

“While registrants subject to the Registration Repair Project are already required to correct their registration in order to cast a regular ballot, it is unclear how widespread an issue registrants using non-residential addresses

“I

Francis De Luca, NCSBE chair

for ideas, policies, and values to build a stronger North Carolina that works for all its people.”

According to In uence NC’s website, the group is a 501(c)3 launched on Oct. 1 and gets funding from Carolina Forward and the Feinglos Fund, described as “dedicated to North Carolina-based and nationwide grantmaking that empowers women and girls, advances educational opportunities, strengthens democracy, and expands access to grief support.”

The Feinglos Fund was founded by certi ed grief sup -

as residential addresses is in North Carolina, prompting my request for an investigation.”

De Luca responded to Boliek on Jan. 13.

“The State Board is in full agreement with you that ensuring compliance with current state and federal election laws reinforces public con dence in North Carolina’s elections,” De Luca wrote. “Recent actions

port specialist Rebecca Feinglos.

North State Journal was unable to locate IRS lings or North Carolina Secretary of State records for In uence NC and Feinglos Fund. The only tax-related ling found for Feinglos Fund was under the Durham Public Schools Foundation, where Feinglos’s name was listed as a board member.

The In uence NC’s donations page shows it collects donations through Carolina Forward’s Act Blue account.

In uence NC’s donation page says the group was launched to bridge a gap in “independent media” and “social media” in order to “equip North Carolinians with the tools and training they need to share reliable, pro-democracy information in their own communities and do some storytelling.”

Act Blue is the main fundraising platform for the Democrat Party and has been under investigation by Congress

by the board have demonstrated as such. For example, under the leadership of Executive Director Sam Hayes, we have currently repaired nearly 33 percent of the 103,270 voters eligible under the Registration Repair Project, and that number is increasing daily.”

De Luca also said NCSBE has “directed sta to coordinate with each county’s Board of Elections to review voter registrations in their county that list what appear to be non-residential addresses as the physical residence address.”

“The State Board will also review the residential address format guidance concerning the North Carolina Voter Registration Application and explore the use of E-911 address validation for the purpose of address serviceability,” wrote De Luca.

De Luca also noted the board is continuing with its systems modernization efforts and thanked Boliek for his “leadership on the issue of election integrity.”

Last December, the board authorized Executive Director Sam Hayes to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security to use the Systematic Alien Veri cation for Entitlements, or SAVE for short, a long-standing federal system for identifying noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls that is also used by the state’s court system for jury vetting.

for accepting fraudulent and illegal donations, as well as money from foreign sources.

Last March, California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa asked the Treasury Department to investigate Act Blue for potentially having accepted money from terror-linked organizations.

Early voting for the March 3 primary election is already underway. Absentee ballot mailings began going out Feb. 12, and due to changes in state law removing a three-day grace period after Election Day, absentee ballots must now be received by the voter’s county board of election by 7:30 p.m. on March 3.

Early in-person voting statewide for the March primary will end at 3 p.m. on Feb. 28.

Citizens can register to vote until Feb. 6.

Information on voting and other resources can be found at NCSBE.gov.

Another $116M headed to NC for Helene recovery

Gov. Josh Stein has been critical of the percentage of federal dollars received by the state

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem announced last Wednesday that more than $116 million will be headed to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene recovery e orts.

“This investment will repair and restore critical public infrastructure across North Carolina, including schools, public safety facilities, utilities, and community services,” Noem said. “North Carolina communities are rebuilding stronger, and today’s approvals show this Administration’s commitment to cutting red tape and getting recovery dollars out the door faster.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) release noted that more than $1 billion was provided to North Carolina for recovery e orts before the $116 million and that FEMA has paid over $549 million in grants directly to survivors.

Noem thanked several Republican legislators from the state, including Sen. Ted Budd and Reps. Virginia Foxx, Chuck Edwards and David Rouzer, as well as U.S. Senate Republican candidate Michael Whatley, for “their strong advocacy on

PLANS from page A1

“Albanians love America because they love liberty,” Hoosaook said. “People all around the world love America. Even many who criticize and curse America deep down want the freedom that America o ers like no other country in the world.”

Co-chair Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) called Hoosaflook’s presentation enlightening.

“I would never have thought to invite someone to present that perspective,” said Blackwell. “But I think it really, really is enlightening. ... Those of us who are used to living under freedom probably don’t come close to the full appreciation of what we have.”

An update was given by Celebrate America Foundation (CAF) Chairman Stephen McKee via video call on the advancement of the patriotic concert to be held July 3 in High Point. The concert will be broadcast and recorded with PBS North Carolina stations. McKee said they are pursuing grants for the concert even though CAF is operating without full-time sta . Department of Labor representative Sam Ward reported on potential July 4 parade plans, with discussions underway around cost and logistics between the N.C. Department of Cultural and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Department of Administration, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell.

DNCR’s Ann Evangelista said the department is coordinating statewide e orts, including pivoting Capitol-area Fourth of July plans if a parade proceeds.

Other DCNR updates included ringing of the Replica Liberty Bell on New Year’s Eve per national guidance and that 89 county committees were in place, covering 93% of the state’s population. Additionally, North Carolina’s America 250 activities were featured on VisitNC’s visitor guide cover, upcoming RDU airport exhibits and an N.C. Museum of History lecture series on Revolutionary War history.

Activities for the July 4 anniversary were discussed, including a reading of the Declaration of Independence and a naturalization ceremony to be held on the state Capitol grounds.

There was discussion on getting recognition for the Over the Mountain Victor Trail as

behalf of North Carolinians.”

Noem’s press release said the money includes $72 million in Public Assistance grant program reimbursements and $44.6 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds.

According to Noem, notable FEMA Public Assistance Grants obligated to the state include:

• $34.7 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for road and bridge repairs across more than 300 sites in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Henderson, Mitchell, Surry and Watauga counties.

• $17.6 million to Rutherford County for the removal of 700,000 cubic yards of debris and 75,000 trees and limbs from public rights of way, and the operation of four debris reduction sites.

• $10.5 million to Asheville for potable water distribution, the repair or replacement of more than 100 eet vehicles, DeBruhl Water Treatment Plant repairs and road repairs.

• $3.7 million to Beech Mountain for repairs to the town’s sewer system and wastewater treatment plant.

FEMA also approved $23 million under the HMGP for the rst homeowner buyouts related to Hurricane Helene. Those investments include:

• Acquiring ood-prone properties in Buncombe County (approximately $14.2 million).

• Acquiring ood-prone prop-

COURTESY @NC_GOVERNOR / X

Gov. Josh Stein speaks during a video posted to his o cial X account regarding his e orts to secure more Hurricane Helene relief funding from the federal government.

erties in Henderson County (approximately $9.2 million).

• Elevating 14 homes in Beaufort County (approximately $2.5 million).

Budd applauded the funding.

“Ever since Hurricane Helene devastated the lives of more than half a million North Carolinians, I have been working non-stop to obtain approval for federal relief necessary to rebuild Western North Carolina,” said Budd in a statement, citing his engagement with Noem’s agency and FEMA on the HMGP.

“While this is another promising step in the right direction, there are still families awaiting buyouts for their damaged and destroyed properties,” Budd

well as historical markers to be placed in Lake James State Park with help from the Wildlife Resources Commission.

The committee also touched on America 250 biweekly columns to be submitted to North State Journal by members of the commission.

Blackwell closed out the meeting by announcing he had received an email from Duke Energy. The company has set aside more than $1 million in grants for nonpro ts in support of America 250 events, with grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.

Those considered eligible to apply are quali ed 501(c)(3) nonpro ts serving Duke Energy communities in North Carolina and ve other states, including Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina.

The application window opened Jan. 12 and will close Feb. 20. There is a limit to one application per entity. Additional details can be found at tinyurl.com/NSJDuke250.

McMahon visits Fayetteville

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon is making her way through all 50 states on the History Rocks!: Trail to Independence and Returning Education to the states tours.

McMahon made tour stops at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional Junior High School in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, as well as Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville.

According to a press release, more than 500 students in grade 9-12 at Jack

said, adding he would continue working to help western North Carolina recover.

DHS announced the funding the same morning Gov. Josh Stein was in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers to repeat his September 2025 ask for an additional $13.5 billion from Congress.

On X, Stein noted he was in D.C. and thanked DHS, FEMA, Budd and Sen. Thom Tillis for the $116 million in funding as “progress.” Hours after that post, Stein returned to X with criticisms, including comparing federal funding percentages for Helene relief to some of the biggest storms to hit the United States, including Katrina and Sandy.

“To date, federal funding has covered only about 12% of the total damage Hurricane Helene caused, far less than after other major storms,” Stein wrote. “It’s time for Congress to give western North Carolina its fair share.”

The governor’s storm chart and post aligned with a formal press release issued by Stein regarding his trip to Washington, D.C.

“The federal government has committed just over $7 billion toward western North Carolina’s recovery since Hurricane Helene,” Stein said. “While we are grateful for every dollar and this aid has been critical to our recovery work, it represents only 12 percent of the storm’s total damage.

“Typically, the federal government contributes about 50% of damage to the impacted state. It’s been more than a year since Congress has delivered relief for western North Carolina, and it’s time for the people of western North Carolina to get their fair share. Disaster recovery is a

team sport, and western North Carolinians can’t a ord for the federal government to sit on the sidelines.”

The past major storms cited by Stein all had di erent circumstances, with recovery and funding spanning from three to over eight years.

Stein’s D.C. trip press release was accompanied by a letter to the North Carolina Congressional Delegation that outlined spending and continued needs.

“The federal government has partnered in our recovery e orts from the very beginning, and we are grateful for every dollar we have received,” Stein wrote in his letter. “Still, current federal support is not enough. … Nearly $2.9 billion has been obligated or disbursed to projects or directly to survivors through federal programs.

“Given the scale of the damage, this amount of federal support to date is simply not enough to help impacted communities rebuild and not be forgotten.”

The Helene Recovery spending dashboard maintained by the O ce of the North Carolina State Auditor shows 250 projects with a $3.5 billion actual spend out of a $6.5 billion in total state and federal dollars. The same dashboard shows actual operational expenditures to date for Stein’s recovery o ce GROW NC of more than $2.585 million.

Aside from federal relief money, the North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated approximately $2.9 billion in state funding for Helene recovery e orts to date. The estimated damage from the storm is around $60 billion with still funded needs estimated during a legislative hearing last October of $45 billion.

Judge dismisses petition to remove Mecklenburg sheri

An SBI investigation of Garry McFadden was requested

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A petition led to remove Mecklenburg County Sheri Garry McFadden was dismissed Thursday by Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright.

Britt High School participated in interactive games focused on America 250, patriotism and the nation’s history. Participating students also received prizes through the History Rocks! initiative.

“Having grown up in North Carolina, I know rsthand the state’s pivotal role in our nation’s history,” McMahon said. “From being the rst colony to call for independence in the 18th century to the birthplace of ight in the 20th, North Carolina’s rich legacy will be carried forward by the next generation of Tarheels.

“As we celebrate 250 years of the United States, History Rocks! invites students to engage with American civics and the principles of our founding — and to envision the role they can play in shaping our nation’s future.”

Registration for the Presidential 1776 Award, one of the department’s America 250 national high school student competitions, will be closing soon. The competition includes a series of exams focused on “recognizing excellence in American founding history.”

After several rounds of tests, the competition will end with nalists participating in a nationally broadcast nal “Civics Bee” in Washington, D.C. The prizes include scholarships of up to $150,000. The national 1776 Presidential Award registration window will close on Feb. 21 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

To view the U.S. Department of Education’s America 250 activities and to sign up for the Presidential 1776 Award competition, visit tinyurl.com/ NSJEd250.

Albright’s order said the McFadden’s motion to dismiss “should be granted for lack of jurisdiction” due to Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather and Mecklenburg County Attorney Tyrone C. Wade declining to approve the petition at this time.

North Carolina state Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) along with four past Mecklenburg Sheri ’s Ofce employees led the petition for McFadden’s removal on Jan. 5.

The petition accused McFadden of “attempted extortion and corruption, willful misconduct and maladministration in o ce, and willful and habitual refusal to perform the duties of his o ce.”

Merriweather’s lack of approval of the petition is linked to his request to the State Bureau of Investigations to probe the allegations against McFadden.

“… before an approval deter-

CHOICE from page A1

sponsored by the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools, will include student performances and an art showcase featuring submissions from students across North Carolina.

Moore County School Choice Expo’s Caroline S. Kelly sent an email with a press release about NSCW naming the Moore County Education Expo an “All Star” in educating parents and families about local school choice options. The Moore County School Choice Expo, which has been held annually for the past ve

McFadden was accused of “attempted extortion and corruption, willful misconduct and maladministration in o ce, and willful and habitual refusal to perform the duties of his o ce.”

mination comes from this Ofce, I will, in my discretion, request that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) investigate each allegation and report its ndings to my o ce directly,” Merriweather wrote in his letter.

Merriweather sent the letter to the SBI the same day the petition was led.

Albright’s order dismissed the petition without prejudice, meaning Cunningham and the other four plainti s could re le it. Merriweather could approve it at a later date, including if the petition is re led, which could lead to a judge deciding whether McFadden should be removed.

McFadden, along with other Charlotte o cials, will be testifying before lawmakers at the Jan. 29 hearing over crime and safety issues in that region.

years, was named an “All Star” School Choice Week participant for the second time by SCWAF. The expo goes beyond school choice options, o ering information to families on all available educational options in the Moore County area, including public, public charter and magnet schools, as well as private schools, online and virtual options, and homeschooling. The Moore County Education Summit will host a countywide school choice expo Jan. 31 in Pinehurst featuring “over 25 schools and education providers.”

For more information, visit mocoschoolchoice.com.

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

Why rob banks when you can rob government?

Twenty- rstcentury Willie Suttons must have ocked like nancial vultures to see who could scavenge the largest carcass of government money.

WILLIE SUTTON WAS NAMED to the FBI Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in 1950 after a series of bank robberies and various escapes from prison. When asked by a bank teller after one robbery, “Why do you rob banks?” Sutton reportedly answered, “Because that is where the money is!”

Sutton had the reputation of being a gentleman despite his dastardly deeds, and he dressed in the nest suits possible to carry out his bank robberies. According to FBI records, one victim said, “Being robbed by Willie Sutton was like going to the movies except the usher had a gun.”

If Sutton were alive today, he wouldn’t go through the trouble of brandishing a gun to enter a bank and ask them to empty their till and bring back sacks of cash.

All he would have to do is follow the lead of the ransackers of many social service programs in Minnesota and rob the state and federal government of hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of taxpayer funds and redirect them to o shore bank accounts with the help of very sophisticated computer and online technical experts. He could still dress in fancy, expensive clothes or in pajamas and sit in front of his computer screen and watch his o shore bank accounts magically ll each day simply because “unsupervised or mismanaged government funds are where the money is!” nowadays.

Once news hit about millions of dollars being missing from Somalian-run child care centers in Minnesota, the initial reaction

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

among many had to have been, “How could that have been at all possible?” Until proven otherwise, it stands to reason that unless state, local and federal governments are equipped with the latest in anti-theft technology and the requisite computer technology and experts to constantly monitor the cash ows of trillions of dollars of government spending around the nation and the world, there remains the possibility that such treachery can occur.

But why should one dollar of taxpayer money ever be allowed to be stolen, squandered or wasted in the rst place?

There used to be a time when conservative Republicans and scal tightwad Southern Democrats would do everything within their power to protect the taxpayer from having one dime of their taxes wasted or stolen from the government they trusted their elected o cials to manage wisely.

After decades of almost mindless spending beyond our tax revenue income streams, we now have sophisticated nancial technological thieves who have penetrated the walls of our government either with the support of certain elected o cials or in what appears to be a total state of neglect in Minnesota under Gov. Tim Walz. Walz was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024 on the ticket with Kamala Harris, if you need to be reminded of how close he came to being second in line to the presidency.

How much other stolen money has

There’s something about the family-sports

The priceless memories you look back on decades later will bring a smile to your face.

been taken from our state, federal and local government co ers in recent decades? According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, federal o enders sentenced for government bene ts fraud rose 242% from 2020 to 2024. Surely not every malefactor was arrested and convicted. The number attempting fraud may have risen 1000% for all we know.

With so much money being injected into the economy by the Fed and appropriated by Congress during COVID-19, 21st-century Willie Suttons must have ocked like nancial vultures to see who could scavenge the largest carcass of government money in illegal ways in the shortest possible time. All it took to uncover the fraud in Minnesota was for some guy with a cell phone camera to walk into one of the child care centers run by Somalians and ask to see where the children were during the day. When he did not see any, he had video proof that blew the roof o this story recently. This is where government and our elected o cials have failed us. They are the ones with the duty and responsibility to not only allocate funds for public policy purposes but also to provide the critical oversight and management to make sure those tax dollars are spent only on the intended purpose, not wasted or stolen by rogue agents.

With 2026 being a midterm election year, it is important to ask candidates if they will support continued diligence to protect your tax payments. If they will not, then nd someone else who will.

connection

Watching the NFL wild card game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Carolina Panthers earlier this month, I was reminded of that magical 2015 season where the Cardiac Cats were ring on all cylinders.

Our record was 15-1, with our only loss heading into the playo s being against the evil Atlanta Falcons in the second-to-last game of the regular season. It was the rst time I could recall where Charlotte actually felt like a “football town,” as Panthers bumper stickers, ags, jerseys and all the rest were seen everywhere.

Then-quarterback Cam Newton’s “Dab” taunt had taken America by storm. In our family, where my mom, dad and I would get together nearly every weekend to watch the games together as part of a tradition of our watching NFL games on Sunday with each other, all of us at various points during the games would do our own versions of the Dab.

Any monster move by then-linebacker

Luke Kuechly would be met with a “Luuuuke” chant in the living room that was so loud that it probably blended in with the ones being made by the neighbors.

Things didn’t go our way in the Super Bowl, of course, but even more important

than the fun memories many of us here have of that season will be the memory of the deepening connection I was making with family and friends on football Sundays as the game victory count grew.

Though sports can be divisive (as both Duke and UNC basketball fans can attest), they also can be uniting, strengthening bonds between family members in ways that last a lifetime.

I’ve been watching sports (college and pro) since I was a kid. My dad got me into the Dallas Cowboys, and then later, I became a San Francisco 49ers fan because the legendary Dwight Clark grew up in Charlotte, graduating from Garinger High School.

At some point, I became a Blue Devils fan, and any game they played in the ACC became a must-watch a air.

We’d watch games for hours. And when I wasn’t at home with the family watching games, I was either hanging out with friends watching the games or enjoying a Sunday afternoon snoozing on the couch as the games played in the background.

The food, fun and conversation were never in short supply, and one of my favorite things to do would be to sit near the person who could call the plays before they

happened and who would know what the penalties were before the refs announced them (my dad was particularly good at this).

I don’t watch as many games as I used to, partly because of how much “woke” has permeated sports. The main reason is that it’s just not the same without having my dad around to banter back and forth with about whom he thought was having a bad night or him advising me to watch a replay so I could understand why something was a penalty.

There was also my dad’s methodology of guring out which team to root for when one of our favorites wasn’t playing. He’d almost always pick the team I didn’t want to win and root for them.

Pretty much anyone you talk to will have similar stories of growing up spending time with their families around the TV set or in the stands watching their teams play live and su ering through the agony of defeat or the thrill of a win.

Even if one doesn’t like sports, Sunday games (or whatever day the big game is on) are a great way to connect or reconnect with family and friends, to get closer. Do it whenever you can because the priceless memories you look back on decades later will bring a smile to your face.

North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

‘How many?’

Many years ago, we had mental institutions that were the proper place for such problem cases.

“HOW MANY?” The recent murder of Ravenscroft science teacher Zoe Welsh brought out Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell to tell us that suspect Ryan Camacho had “fallen through the cracks” of the legal system. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, just last month prosecutors had recommended that he be committed to a mental institution, but Judge Louis Meyer denied the motion. He put this felon back on the street after a 20-year history of psychiatric episodes, and now Zoe Welsh is dead.

Another similar case last year involved the murder of Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte train system. Decarlos Brown Jr., who faces local and federal charges in the death, also had a long history of mental and legal issues and had been released to be on the streets again.

Cowell suggested that additional mental health support and medication be made available in order to solve this problem. It will not work. The deaths of Rob and Michele

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Reiner, who were allegedly killed by their son Nick Reiner, illustrate why. No parents ever had so many resources and money available to care for their son. He had been in and out of rehab 18 times! This did not work, and the dead Reiners are proof of that. How many have to die before we understand the solution?

Many years ago, we had mental institutions that were the proper place for such problem cases. Then the concept of “mainstreaming” gained popularity due to the fact that these people were cooped up and missing most of their lives. So these institutions began to close, and these people were put back into general circulation to terrorize and occasionally kill us.

How many will have to die before we reform the legal and mental health system to institutionalize and remove these dangerous people from the streets?

Ben Owens Raleigh

The left’s silence on Iran isn’t hypocrisy; it’s consistency

This deceptive coverage of political Islam is reminiscent of the left’s complicity in Joseph Stalin’s terror in the 1930s, whitewashed to shield the broader communist cause.

THERE ARE NO FLOTILLAS on the way to save Iran. No Soros-funded “democracy” groups pressuring Western governments to intervene on behalf of civilians who are being arrested and murdered. No astro-tur ng movement demanding economic boycotts. When college students returned from winter break last week, they didn’t nd a single encampment supporting the Iranian uprising against one of the world’s most brutal regimes.

Nor are there any emergency meetings or condemnations from the United Nations. Member states were busy denouncing the United States for removing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and Israel for its recognition of Somaliland. The more people might be free, the more the U.N. is distressed.

Outlets such as the BBC, which spread virtually every ctitious claim about the Gaza “genocide” and “famine” that was handed to them by Hamas propagandists, could barely spare a segment for the widespread protests in Iran.

A year ago, Mark Ru alo, Billie Eilish, Guy Pearce and scores of other moral ignoramuses were seen wearing red and orange pins featuring a hand around a black heart symbol — referencing a Ramallah lynching of two Israeli reservists in 2000 who drove down the wrong street and were literally torn apart by a Palestinian mob. One of the murderers deliriously displayed his blood-soaked hands from the window to a cheering throng.

This year, the Golden Globes didn’t feature a single celebrity championing the Iranian people.

All the silence is revealing. Not because it’s hypocrisy. It isn’t. It expresses a consistent political position. The progressive left and woke right are on the side of the mullahs. There are many reasons for it.

The charge of “hypocrisy” against leftist defenders of the mullahs reminds me of the mockery we throw at members of groups such as “Queers for Palestine.” It misses a larger point. The red-green alliance between leftists and political Islamists is nothing new. They have all the same enemies.

The press? As Tahmineh Dehbozorgi recently noted, the Western media largely ignore the Iranian uprising “because explaining it would force an admission it is desperate to avoid: the Iranian people are rebelling against Islam itself, and that fact shatters the moral framework through which these institutions understand the world.”

Indeed, Western progressives in the media treat Islam with, at best, a self-destructive moral equivalence or, at worst, reverence. The same people who cover domestic immigration enforcement as a portend to the Fourth Reich treat the Iranian regime, which regularly

BE IN TOUCH

executes women for crimes against Islam, with kid gloves.

This deceptive coverage of political Islam is reminiscent of the left’s complicity in Joseph Stalin’s terror in the 1930s, whitewashed to shield the broader communist cause.

Like the Soviet Union, the modern Iranian state is a full-blown totalitarian system. Not merely because it functions under an array of fundamentally illiberal ideas but because it controls virtually every aspect of life, from the spiritual to the economic. What’s worse is that the Iranian state is the biggest exporter of this brutal ideology, responsible for at least 1,000 American deaths over the years.

Let’s call the Iran-championing “intellectuals” in Washington, D.C., who would like to see the mullahs obtain nuclear weapons as a bulwark against Israeli regional hegemony the Ben Rhodes faction. The brutality of the regime doesn’t concern them whatsoever.

And let’s call the Israel-obsessives on the right the Tucker Carlson faction, who nd modern Western ideals, “neocons” and the AIPAC far more o ensive and dangerous than the theological fascism of political Islam.

A successful revolution against the Shia radicals would almost surely bene t the region. The clerics’ xation with Israel has little rational geopolitical reasoning. It is theologically motivated, while also useful in de ecting attention away from the regime’s domestic failures.

Of course, we don’t know whether this new uprising will succeed or what would happen if it did. This isn’t the rst time Iranians have rebelled. Thousands have probably been murdered already. Tens of thousands are in prison.

It seems unlikely that an Iranian revolution would succeed without a political or military coup or some external force. The Twelver Shi’ism of the clerics makes them di erent from the shah or other secular dictators who might be concerned about the lives of their people or their own fortunes. Mullahs would likely rather see the entire country in ames than surrender. Just look at how much needless peril and pain they place themselves and their nation in chasing nuclear weapons.

The president is reportedly weighing military options to support the protesters’ e orts to dislodge these murderous fascists. You may support him in this e ort or not. But any true champion of human rights is rooting against the mullahs.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ve books — the most recent, “How To Kill a Republic,” available now.

on Year 1 of Trump 2

JAN. 20 MARKS

ONE YEAR of President Donald Trump’s second term and one year of our collective work, Congress and the White House, to right the wrongs of the previous administration.

I ran to represent North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, motivated by the rise in frequency and severity of crimes I witnessed in my previous job. As a federal prosecutor, I worked with law enforcement at all levels to ght organized crime, including drug cartels, human tra cking, nancial crimes, national gangs and more.

Nationwide border encounters in October 2025 decreased 79% compared to October 2024.

I recognized the root of the problem existed in faulty policies that enabled and empowered criminals while endangering vulnerable victims.

The Biden-Harris administration’s radical open border policies allowed millions of unvetted people to ood our communities and gave vicious gangs like Tren de Aragua a foothold in the USA. Border security personnel and law enforcement o cers felt disheartened as the administration forbade them from doing their jobs. North Carolina faced a disproportionate brunt of this invasion. When Trump took o ce, there were more illegal immigrants in North Carolina than in Arizona. A tsunami of deadly fentanyl ooded our country, murdering countless young Americans. Rape, murder and theft ravaged hometowns while President Joe Biden insisted it wasn’t his responsibility to do anything. Clearly, as the previous year proved, we needed a new leader.

In Trump, I’ve found a dutiful partner who shares my support for law enforcement, concern for innocent Americans and goal of creating safer, more secure communities across the country. Trump’s commitment to enforcing existing law has sent a strong message and saved lives. The House Committee on Homeland Security, of which I am a member, recently released gures showing nationwide border encounters in October decreased 79% compared to October 2024. In the same month, U.S. border patrol released zero inadmissible aliens into American communities, compared to more than 10,000 in October 2024 under BidenHarris.

Still, there’s more work to do. Biden spent four years devastating our national security, and we’re working overtime to ensure it never happens again. One measure I’ve pushed, and Trump has vocally supported, the Stop Illegal Entry Act, is the missing piece to bolster his national security e orts and e ciently halt illegal immigrants who repeatedly engage in criminal activity in our nation. We passed it out of the House, and I strongly encourage the Senate to vote on it quickly.

Of course, there are many issues the Biden administration left Trump to clean up, from the a ordability crisis to anti-American trade policies around the globe. The massive successes of the rst year, despite extreme obstruction from opponents, are just a preview of what I believe we can accomplish moving forward.

Few believed we could deliver no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime and no taxes on social security, but with great e ort, we got it done. We must approach all remaining problems with similar resolve.

I encourage all North Carolinians to keep sharing their thoughts and stories with my colleagues and me. We are ghting for you and building a better future for subsequent generations.

Rep. Brad Knott represents the 13th Congressional District of North Carolina in Washington, D.C.

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

Can we top last winter?

During the 2024-25 winter season across North Carolina, measurable snowfall returned to many parts of the state after years of sparse snow. Multiple snow events in January and February brought snow from the mountains to the coast, ending unusually long snow-free streaks in cities like Charlotte and Asheville. Coastal areas such as Edenton and Elizabeth City nished well above their typical seasonal totals. Overall, the season featured several noteworthy snow events, though totals varied widely across the state. Looking into 2026, the o cial seasonal outlooks and forecasts are pointing toward a likely below-normal snowfall season for much of North Carolina. The state climate o ce’s winter outlook anticipates continued opportunities for cold air and occasional snow, but overall below-average snowfall is expected unless a stronger storm pattern develops. Drier conditions and overall reduced precipitation could limit widespread snow accumulation, most likely leaning toward a quieter, below-average snowfall season unless anomalous storms emerge.

Total snowfall: Nov. 2024 to March 2025

Ski Resort) experienced an unexpected mechanical issue on its lift, the resort announced Saturday in a social media post. The ski resort said in the post that the bearings at the top bull wheel on the quad lift went bad and are in the process of being replaced. While its main trail is closed for now, it is o ering walk-up skiing and riding, as well as access up to its beginner area called Tennessee Walker and its terrain park. The lift issue came on a crucial weekend for the WNC ski industry. According to state ski industry statistics, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend accounts for a signi cant part of the nearly $250 million annual impact the ski industry has on the western N.C. economy.

NSJ

PIEDMONT

Man faces multiple child exploitation charges

Forsyth County

A 53-year-old Clemmons man was arrested last week on multiple felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor following an investigation by the Invictus Task Force. Paul Kevin Elliot was taken into custody after a search warrant was executed on Jan. 16. He faces ve counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and is being held at the Forsyth County Detention Center on a $100,000 secure bond. His rst court appearance is scheduled this week in Forsyth County District Court. WFMY

Hundreds travel to see Buddhist monks in N.C.

EAST

Missing boater found after Coast Guard search

Dare County

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run ID’d as Georgia man

Guilford County O cials have identi ed the pedestrian fatally struck in a hit-and-run last week in Greensboro. The Greensboro Police Department, along with Greensboro Fire and Guilford County EMS, responded to the area of N.C. 68 near Gallimore Dairy Road, where callers reported seeing a person lying near the road. Chas Sellers, 29, of Georgia, was pronounced dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect vehicle, possibly a white In niti Q50, did not remain at the scene, according to police.

WGHP

Mecklenburg County A group of Buddhist monks walking across the U.S. to promote peace began their trip through North Carolina last week, arriving in Charlotte. The monks are sharing a message of unity, and their walk has captivated the attention of folks across the country — even prompting some to make their own big trips to see the caravan. The monks are expected to travel through High Point and Greensboro this week, eventually ending their 2,300mile journey in Washington, D.C. According to tradition, Buddhist monk walks for peace are a powerful act of nonviolence and mindfulness. Monks walk long distances in silence or prayer, embodying compassion, patience and awareness with every step. The journey is not about speed or destination but spreading peace through presence. By walking calmly through communities, monks aim to remind people to slow down, reduce su ering and cultivate inner peace as a foundation for harmony in the world.

NSJ

A missing boater was found Sunday after it was reported by family that he had not returned from a solo shing trip, according to U.S. Coast Guard East. Crews were able to initiate an automatic identi cation system to locate the vessel, which was near Core Sound in North Carolina. U.S. Coast Guard East recommends ling a oat plan, having reliable communication equipment, checking the weather before getting and dressing for the water temp to stay safe while on the water.

NSJ

Women lead deputies on high-speed chase, charged with felony retail theft

By A.P.

Sexual assault reported on East Carolina campus

Pitt County A sexual assault at a campus residence hall was recently reported to East Carolina University police. ECU’s crime log notes the case was reported to police last week. This is the rst case reported on the crime log this semester, but records show the sexual assault allegedly happened in late September in the dorms at Ballard East. Last month, police began an investigation into sexual battery at Greene Hall. The crime log indicates the investigation is still ongoing.

Wake County Three women arrested following a highspeed chase last week were involved in a felony conspiracy to steal from retail stores using Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Ross bags along with a magnetic “tamper” tool, according to a Wake County Sheri ’s O ce arrest warrant. The Greenville trio — all denied bond last Friday after the chase ended near Zebulon — have a total of 29 pending criminal cases among them, according to Wake County bond documents led after the arrests. One woman is already on probation for a felony habitual larceny conviction, according to North Carolina criminal records. The chase involved a Dodge Journey and featured two women who split the driving time — with one passenger moving into the driver’s seat while the trio sped along several Raleigh roads and area highways, deputies said. Deputies said tra c was backed up at least three miles during the chase.

WNCN

Tillis takes on White House

The North Carolina Republican took aim at the Trump administration for its Greenland stance

By Steven Sloan and Joey Cappelletti

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Thom Tillis isn’t holding back during his nal year in Washington.

“I’m sick of stupid,” the two -term Republican from North Carolina said from the Senate oor recently as he derided President Donald Trump’s advisers for stoking a potential U.S. military takeover in Greenland.

It was just one of several moments during the opening weeks of 2026 when Tillis, who isn’t seeking reelection, seemed unconstrained by the anxieties that weigh down many of his GOP colleagues who are loath to cross the White House for fear of triggering a political backlash.

He’s one of just two Republicans, along with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who participated in a congressional delegation to Denmark this week while Trump threatens to seize Greenland. He bemoaned tari s announced by Trump on Saturday aimed at eight European nations that have opposed U.S. control of Greenland.

He was quick to criticize the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. As Trump and his allies try to rewrite the history of the Jan.

Virginia lawmakers set referendum in e ort redraw congressional maps NATION & WORLD

The Democratic-led state is the latest to push for redistricting ahead of the midterms

By Olivia Diaz The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia voters will decide whether to back a redrawn district map that favors Democrats in the tit-for-tat battle for the U.S. House after the left-leaning Senate advanced a proposed constitutional amendment on Friday that supports mid-decade congressional redistricting.

Such a congressional map has not been publicly released, though lawmakers say that will change by the end of the month. O cials have repeatedly vowed that voters would see a proposed map before the referendum is held, likely in April.

“Because this is a Virginian-led process and we’re asking for their permission, voters will be able to see the maps prior to their vote,” Democratic Del. Cia Price said last week.

The closely divided state Senate, where Democrats hold a slim majority, voted along party lines Friday afternoon, following a similar vote by House Democrats earlier this week.

Trump teed up an unusual redistricting plan last year and pushed Texas Republicans to create more favorable districts for the party by way of new congressional maps. That triggered something of a mid-decade redistricting dog ght.

Since then, Texas, Missouri and North Carolina all approved new Republican-friendly House districts. Ohio also enacted a more favorable

6, 2021, riot, Tillis backed the eventual display of a plaque honoring police who defended the Capitol that day.

He has shown particular frustration with Trump’s top aides, notably deputy White House chief of sta Stephen Miller.

“I don’t want some sta er telling me what my position is on something,” he said after Miller gave a forceful interview on CNN saying Greenland “should be part of the United States.”

“He made comments out of his depth,” Tillis added.

The moves re ect the sense of freedom lawmakers often feel when they know they won’t have to face voters again. They’ve helped attract swarms of reporters who follow Tillis through the halls of Congress as he o ers candid thoughts on news of the day. And they’ve won support from the handful of other Republicans who sometimes cross Trump, including Murkowski, who called out “good speech!” as she passed him in the Capitol following his oor remarks on Greenland.

For the 65-year-old Tillis, who has won elections in one of the most politically competitive states, the approach is notable for the way in which he’s pushing back against the White House. He’s hardly staking out a position as a never-Trumper and repeatedly — often e usively — expresses support for the president. Rather, he’s targeting much of his criticism at senior White House aides, sometimes raising questions about wheth-

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP PHOTO

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), pictured last July, has often been critical of the Trump administration since he announced he will not run for reelection this year.

“I’m sick of stupid.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)

er Trump is receiving the best advice at a consequential moment in his presidency as the GOP enters a challenging election year.

“I really want this president to be very, very successful,” Tillis said this week. “And a part of his legacy is going to be based on picking and choosing the right advice from people in his administration.”

Heading into the midterms, Tillis said, “I want to create a better environment for Republicans to win.”

Beyond Miller, Tillis has raised questions about Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s immediate response to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE o cer in Minneapolis. Hours after

the shooting, while an FBI investigation was still unfolding, Noem defended the ocer and said Good “attempted to run a law enforcement ocer over.”

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill the next day, Tillis said he was “surprised by the level of certainty in her comments” and suggested such rhetoric in uenced Trump, who was also quick to defend law enforcement.

“She’s advising the president, so the president’s comments had to have come I assume through the advice of the secretary,” he said.

And in his social media post criticizing Trump’s European tari s, Tillis again blamed those around the president.

“The fact that a small handful of ‘advisors’ are actively pushing for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid,” Tillis wrote.

House map for Republicans.

On the Democratic side, California voters approved new House districts helping Democrats, and a Utah judge adopted a new House map that benets Democrats.

There have been some defections in the nationwide redistricting battle. Top Kansas Republicans said this week that they don’t expect the GOP-supermajority Legislature to consider redistricting this year because there’s too little support in the House. Indiana’s Republican-led Senate also defeated a plan that could have helped the GOP win all the state’s U.S. House seats.

It’s still up in the air whether new maps will be created in other states, such as Republican-leaning Florida, and Democratic-led Illinois and Maryland.

The redistricting battle has resulted, so far, in nine more seats that Republicans believe they can win and six more seats that Democrats think they can win, putting the GOP up by three. However, redistricting is

being litigated in several states, and there is no guarantee that the parties will win the seats they have redrawn.

In Virginia, the redistricting resolution sparked raucous debate among lawmakers on the merits of gerrymandering a battleground state known to have independent voters, particularly after a recent yearslong push for fair maps in the state.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said when Republican-led states “rig elections in their favor, our commitment to fairness that we made — that our voters made — e ectively becomes unilateral disarmament.”

Virginia Republicans have admonished Democrats’ redistricting e orts, arguing gerrymandering isn’t the answer. Republican Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle said, “Republicans in Indiana stood up to political pressure and said, ‘We’re not going to play these political games.’ And they stopped.”

The state is currently is

Va. swears in rst female governor

Richmond, Va. Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into o ce Saturday at the state Capitol as Virginia’s rst female governor after centuries of men holding the state’s top o ce. Spanberger, who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, became the state’s 75th governor in a historic rst: only men have held the post since Virginia rst became a commonwealth in 1776. And no woman served as a colonial governor before then. She will be referred to with traditional formality: “Madam Governor” or, as some o cials phrase it, “her excellency.”

Tenn. judge grants media more access to executions

Nashville, Tenn.

A judge ruled Friday that Tennessee prison o cials must grant expanded access to media members to view state-run executions, after a coalition of news organizations sued on claims that state execution protocols unconstitutionally limit thorough and accurate reporting. Before Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles’ order, reporters witnessing lethal injections were limited to a short time period during which they could view the execution process. The coalition’s lawsuit argued the protocols violate the public and press’s constitutional rights to witness the entirety of executions conducted by the Tennessee Department of Correction, “from the time the condemned enters the execution chamber until after the condemned is declared dead.”

Chile wild res kill 18, thousands ee

Penco, Chile

Then-Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, center, arrives to deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address during the opening of the 2026 session of the General Assembly at the Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, last Wednesday.

represented in the U.S. House by six Democrats and ve Republicans who ran in districts whose boundaries were imposed by a court after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on a map after the census.

That commission came about following a 2020 referendum, in which voters supported a change to the state’s constitution aimed at ending legislative gerrymandering.

The new proposed constitutional amendment, if backed by voters, would only be in effect until 2030. The resolution also has trigger language, meaning Virginia lawmakers can only redraw congressional maps if other states take such action.

In January, Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger backed Democrats’ redistricting e ort but has not committed to a particular plan.

“Ultimately, it’s up to the people of Virginia to choose whether or not to move forward with the referendum,” she said.

Wild res raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 18 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighboring Ñuble region, around 300 miles south of Santiago, the capital. The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in over two dozen active wild res that have so far blazed through 21,000 acres, according to the national forestry agency.

Chinese factory explosion kills 2, hospitalizes 84

Beijing Chinese police detained those in charge of a steel factory in the Inner Mongolia region after an explosion on Sunday killed two people and left 84 others hospitalized. Eight other people remain unaccounted for. A pressurized storage tank designed to hold steam and high-temperature water exploded in the factory, Baotou city o cials said Monday. The blast occurred at a Baogang United Steel plant in the city of Baotou around 3 p.m. local time Sunday and caused tremors in the surrounding areas. A rescue team was searching for the eight people who are missing, said a representative of the Baotou city’s Information O ce at a Monday morning news conference.

catastrophe

questions about when normal

China lied about the origin of the tried to tell the world there were only worldwide panic, economic collapse and needlessly being thrown out of work.

shelter-in-place or stay-at-home majority of Americans “new normal.” end of this month.

taxpayer at least $2.4 trillion in added Federal Reserve backup liquidity to the the U.S. dollar were not the reserve to fund any of these emergency fear of rampant in ation and currency aberrant ways and decisions through Diplomacy has obviously not worked world of 21st century health, hygiene communist regimes never take the blame remorse, because that is not what They take advantage of every weakness keep pushing until they win or the event happens such as the Chernobyl experts believe that event, not the Star Wars to the dissolution of the Soviet Union Chernobyl. already talking about the possibility in debt we owe them as one way to get they have caused the US. Don’t hold your “Jubilee” to happen but ask your elected accountable in tangible nancial ways for expected to operate as responsible citizens of nation.

business & economy How China will pay for this

Cooper stated during don’t know yet” if the be asked as to the vague ones like “we people of this state who undetermined of thousands of cases asked and then had questions about get asked, there is people to treat those can start getting back or are people who others sick. levels become a bad society were supposed course, is my family. I’m worried I will. After the 2009 pandemic, all of this brings up prefer not to repeat. most everyone has

WALTER E. WILLIAMS

we begin to get back to normal

fallen into place. I understand the seriousness of the virus and the need to take precautions, but I’m uneasy with how people who simply ask questions about the data, and when things can start getting back to normal are treated in some circles with contempt.

Perhaps COVID-19 is China’s Chernobyl.

The 3 big questions

The comfort

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”

ONE THING IS CERTAIN; after this COVID-19 virus dissipates around the globe and in the United States, China will pay for this catastrophe one way or another.

They’re treated as though we as a society simply must accept without question what the government tells us about when it’s safe to begin the process of returning back to normalcy.

Since when did questioning government at all levels

n.c. FAST FACTS

Fixing college corruption

No. The government works for us, and we have the right to ask those questions. And the longer stay-at-home orders are in place all over the country, and the stricter some of them get in states, such as Michigan, the more people, sitting at home feeling isolated and/or anxious about when they can get back to providing for their families, will demand answers.

AMERICA’S COLLEGES are rife with corruption. The nancial squeeze resulting from COVID-19 o ers opportunities for a bit of remediation. Let’s rst examine what might be the root of academic corruption, suggested by the title of a recent study, “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was done by Areo, an opinion and analysis digital magazine. By the way, Areo is short for Areopagitica, a speech delivered by John Milton in defense of free speech.

Leaders at the local and state levels should be as forthcoming as they can be with those answers — and again, not vague answers, but answer with details that give their statements believability.

Economists

say NC’s 2026 outlook hinges on AI growth, job market

Not one little bit.

In order to put the crisis caused by China in perspective, zero worldwide pandemics can trace their source to the United States over our 231-year history. At least four in the 20th century alone can be directly traced to China: 1957 “Asian u,” 1968 “Hong Kong u,” 1977 “Russian u” and the 2002 SARS outbreak. There is evidence that the massive 1918 “Spanish u” pandemic also had its origins in China.

We should all continue to do what we can to keep our families, ourselves, and our communities safe. But we should also still continue to ask questions about the data, because while reasonable stay-at-home measures are understandable, they should also have an expiration date.

This is all new to Americans, and it is not normal. Not in any way, shape, or form. So while we should remain vigilant and stay safe, at the same time we shouldn’t get comfortable with this so-called “new normal.”

Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that something has gone drastically wrong in academia, especially within certain elds within the humanities. They call these elds “grievance studies,” where scholarship is not so much based upon nding truth but upon attending to social grievances. Grievance scholars bully students, administrators and other departments into adhering to their worldview. The worldview they promote is neither scienti c nor rigorous. Grievance studies consist of disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, gender studies, queer studies, sexuality and critical race studies.

Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

RALEIGH — After a year of economic uncertainty, North Carolina is heading into 2026 with a di erent kind of momentum — one driven less by guesswork and more by the breakneck expansion of arti cial intelligence, the data centers powering it and the consumer spending tied to that wealth.

That was the message from Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, who spoke to business leaders in Raleigh during his annual economic outlook. The Richmond Fed monitors banking and broader economic conditions across a district that includes the state’s major metros, including Raleigh and Charlotte.

Barkin said 2025 felt like a year when businesses were stuck in limbo.

the seriousness of the virus and the need uneasy with how people who simply ask when things can start getting back to circles with contempt. as a society simply must accept without tells us about when it’s safe to begin the normalcy. for us, and we have the right to ask those stay-at-home orders are in place all over the them get in states, such as Michigan, feeling isolated and/or anxious about providing for their families, will demand levels should be as forthcoming as they and again, not vague answers, but answer statements believability. what we can to keep our families, safe. But we should also still continue because while reasonable stay-at-home they should also have an expiration date. and it is not normal. Not in any way, should remain vigilant and stay safe, at comfortable with this so-called “new

In 2017 and 2018, authors Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian started submitting bogus academic papers to academic journals in cultural, queer, race, gender, fat and sexuality studies to determine if they would pass peer review and be accepted for publication. Acceptance of dubious research that journal editors found sympathetic to their intersectional or postmodern leftist vision of the world would prove the problem of low academic standards.

“It was hard to put your foot on the gas when you didn’t know what was around the next curve,” Barkin said, comparing the year to driving through fog. He said many companies “spent the year on the side of the road with their hazards on.” Now, he said, businesses have more clarity around tari s and more con dence that consumer demand is real — even if that demand is being driven by a narrower slice of the economy than usual.

Retail spending remains strong, unemployment has stayed historically low, and the U.S. economy has continued to grow, Barkin said, describing the mood as more optimistic than it was a year ago.

But that optimism comes with an asterisk.

written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah RedState and Legal Insurrection.

Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

Several of the fake research papers were accepted for publication. The Fat Studies journal published a hoax paper that argued the term bodybuilding was exclusionary and should be replaced with “fat bodybuilding, as a fat-inclusive politicized performance.” One reviewer said, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article and believe it has an important contribution to make to the eld and this journal.”

Tim Quinlan, a senior economist at Wells Fargo working in corporate and investment banking, said much of the growth is concentrated in industries tied to AI and the tech ecosystem surrounding it.

“When you look at the industries that aren’t part of that big buildout of AI and tech, it’s a little bit demoralizing,” Quinlan said.

North Carolina has become one of the country’s most active markets for AI-related infrastructure, including a surge of data center projects. Among the biggest moves: Amazon’s $10 billion commitment tied to data center investment in the state.

That has helped push job growth in key sectors. North Carolina added nearly 88,000 jobs in the year ending in October, according to state data, with professional and business services and construction among the biggest gainers.

The cavalier manner virus, covered up its spread 3,341 related deaths has millions of Americans

Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month.

THIS WEEK, according to members and state and local governments, Americans the curve in the novel coronavirus outbreak. muted — after all, trends can easily reverse have abided by recommendations and orders. to stay at home; they’ve practiced social they’ve donned masks.

There is 100% agreement, outside of China, that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan Province probably from the completely unregulated and unsanitary wet markets. Some believe it came out of a

Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during a recent coronavirus press brie ng that “we just don’t know yet” state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May.

We need transparency and honesty from our

Lenten and Easter seasons provide a

“THIS IS in it” (Psalm I know working from be glad” as and dad, the have to be pandemic.

xAI’s Grok chatbot generated sexually explicit images of the 27-year-old

“Our Struggle Is My Struggle: Solidarity Feminism as an Intersectional Reply to Neoliberal and Choice Feminism,” was accepted for publication by A lia, a feminist journal for social workers. The paper consisted in part of a rewritten passage from Mein Kampf. Two other hoax papers were published, including “Rape Culture and Queer Performativity at Urban Dog Parks.” This paper’s subject was dog-on-dog rape. But the dog rape paper eventually forced Boghossian, Pluckrose and Lindsay to prematurely out themselves. A Wall Street Journal writer had gured out what they were doing.

If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to justi cation for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like must do this out of an abundance of caution.”

The result: a reduction in expected hospitalization According to the University of Washington Metrics and Evaluation model most oft Trump administration, the expected need peak outbreak was revised down by over ventilators by nearly 13,000 and the number

It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of

To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about

Here’s the problem: We still don’t know questions that will allow the economy to

Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick.

First, what is the true coronavirus fatality important because it determines whether be open or closed, whether we ought to more liberalized society that presumes

For me, making. As Corinthians a iction, a iction, God.” If you are re ect on God’s example this di cult con dent In this same neighbors In Concord, money to buy health care

We’ve seen case fatality rates — the number the number of identi ed COVID-19 cases and the denominator are likely wrong. We people have actually died of coronavirus. number has been overestimated, given of death, particularly among elderly patients, sources suggest the number is dramatically many people are dying at home.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed

My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone

The crisis has cost the debt plus trillions more markets and nancial outlets. currency, we would not measures without immediate depreciation. China has to pay for economic and nancial to bring China into the and fair trade. Totalitarian or express sincere regret totalitarian governments they nd in adversaries adversaries push back. That is, unless an exogenous meltdown in 1986. Some program of Reagan, led Perhaps COVID-19 is Senators in Washington of China forgiving $1.2 China to “pay” for the damage breath waiting for a Chinese representatives to hold It is about time they the world like any other

Even more importantly, we have no clue actually have coronavirus. Some scientists of identi ed cases could be an order of magnitude number of people who have had coronavirus

intend to replace the U.S. as the premier superpower in the world and replace the dollar as the reserve currency with their renminbi.

VISUAL VOICE S

Mother of Musk’s child sues AI company over sexual deepfake images

By Dave Collins The Associated Pres

THE MOTHER of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitive deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress.

Ashley St. Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleges in a lawsuit led last Thursday in

Some papers accepted for publication in academic journals advocated training men like dogs and punishing white male college students for historical slavery by asking them to sit in silence on the oor in chains during class and to be expected to learn from the discomfort. Other papers celebrated morbid obesity as a healthy life choice and advocated treating privately conducted masturbation as a form of sexual violence against women. Typically, academic journal editors send submitted papers out to referees for review. In recommending acceptance for publication, many reviewers gave these papers glowing praise.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

asked that they be removed. She said the platform rst replied that the images did not violate its policies. Then it promised to not allow images of her to be used or altered without her consent, she said.

It’s okay to ask questions about when we begin to get back to normal

The comfort and hope

WITH MOST STATES under either shelter-in-place or stay-at-home

New York City against xAI that the images have included a photo of her fully dressed at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, and others showing her as an adult in sexualized positions and wearing a bikini with swastikas. St. Clair is Jewish. Grok is on Musk’s social media platform X.

The shift threatens U.S. automakers’ competitive edge

Political scientist Zach Goldberg ran certain grievance studies concepts through the Lexis/Nexis database, to see how often they appeared in our press over the years. He found huge increases in the usages of “white privilege,” “unconscious bias,” “critical race theory” and “whiteness.”

By Alexa St. John The Associated Press

Quinlan said concerns about an AI bubble are growing, and a market correction could have real consequences because stock ownership — and much of the consumer spending it supports — is concentrated among higherincome households.

All of this is being taught to college students, many of whom become primary and secondary school teachers who then indoctrinate our young people.

Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of the U.S. economy, Barkin said, meaning any shift that causes households to pull back would ripple quickly. Barkin also noted that consumer sentiment remains weak, citing a University of Michigan survey that shows con dence levels lower than during the 2008 nancial crisis.

North Carolina’s unemployment rate stood at 3.8% in November below the national rate of 4.6%, according to the N.C. Commerce Department.

DETROIT — Chinese automakers have been making inroads around the world with growing sales of their hightech, stylish and a ordable electric vehicles. That has had competitors concerned even before Canada this week agreed to cut its tari s on Chinese EVs in exchange for concessions on Canadian farm products.

I doubt whether the coronaviruscaused nancial crunch will give college and university administrators, who are a crossbreed between a parrot and jelly sh, the guts and backbone to restore academic respectability. Far too often, they get much of their political support from campus grievance people who are members of the faculty and diversity and multicultural administrative o ces.

The best hope lies with boards of trustees, though many serve as yes-men for the university president. I think that a good start would be to nd 1950s or 1960s catalogs. Look at the course o erings at a time when college graduates knew how to read, write and compute, and make them today’s curricula. Another helpful tool would be to give careful consideration to eliminating all classes/majors/minors containing the word “studies,” such as women, Asian, black or queer studies.

Experts now say an easier path into Canada could be a big boost for Chinese carmakers looking to dominate the global market — particularly as their domestic market weakens. That poses a threat to other auto manufacturers, particularly American companies.

U.S. o cials acknowledged that in remarks at an assembly

I’d bet that by restoring the traditional academic mission to colleges, they would put a serious dent into the COVID-19 budget shortfall.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

orders thanks to local or state governments, a majority of Americans are having to adjust to what is being called the “new normal.”

Some of these orders extend at least through the end of this month. Virginia’s stay-at-home orders go into June.

“I am humiliated and feel like this nightmare will never stop so long as Grok continues to generate these images of me.”

St. Clair said the social platform then retaliated against her by removing her premium X subscription and veri cation checkmark, not allowing her to make money from her account, which has 1 million followers, and continuing to allow degrading fake images of her.

Here in North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper stated during a recent coronavirus press brie ng that “we just don’t know yet” if the state’s stay-at-home orders will extend into May.

Lawyers for xAI did not immediately return emails seeking comment Friday. Last Wednesday, following global backlash over sexualized images of women and children, X announced that Grok would no longer be able to edit photos to portray real people in revealing clothing in places where that is illegal.

Ashley St. Clair

“THIS IS THE DAY the lord has made, in it” (Psalm 118:24).

I know that during this challenging time working from home or losing a job, it may be glad” as the Bible tells us to do. However, and dad, the Easter holiday has reminded have to be thankful and hopeful for, even pandemic.

If he does decide to extend it, questions should be asked as to the justi cation for it. And the answers should not be vague ones like “we must do this out of an abundance of caution.”

It will need to be explained in detail to the people of this state who are being told to remain jobless and at home for an undetermined amount of time why models predicting hundreds of thousands of cases are reliable.

Asked about the lawsuit and its allegations, xAI replied only “Legacy Media Lies” in an email to The Associated Press. St. Clair said she reported the deepfakes to X after they began appearing last year and

“I have su ered and continue to su er serious pain and mental distress as a result of xAI’s role in creating and distributing these digitally altered images of me,” she said in a document attached to the lawsuit. “I am humiliated and feel like this nightmare will never stop so long as Grok continues to generate these images of me.”

To date, I’ve gone along with what the state has asked and then mandated that we do, but along the way I’ve also had questions about the data. State Republican leaders have, too.

Lenten and Easter seasons provide a message of hope that we will once again enjoy sporting events, concerts, family gatherings, church services and many more after our own temporary sacri ces are over.

For me, my faith is an important part making. As I celebrated Easter with my Corinthians 1:4, which reminds us our a iction, so that we may be able to comfort a iction, with the comfort which we ourselves God.”

She also said she lives in fear of the people who view the deepfakes of her.

Unfortunately, when certain types of questions get asked, there is sometimes a disturbing tendency among some people to treat those simply questioning the data and asking when we can start getting back to normal as though they are conspiracy theorists or are people who otherwise don’t care if they get themselves or others sick.

St. Clair is the mother of Musk’s 16-month-old son,

fallen into place. I understand to take precautions, but questions about the data, normal are treated in some They’re treated as though question what the government process of returning back No. The government questions. And the longer country, and the stricter the more people, sitting when they can get back answers. Leaders at the local and can be with those answers with details that give their We should all continue ourselves, and our communities to ask questions about measures are understandable,

This is all new to Americans, shape, or form. So while the same time we shouldn’t normal.”

If you are celebrating the Easter season, re ect on this message and be comforted, God’s example and comfort all those in this di cult time. Through faith and by con dent we will emerge out of this pandemic In this same spirit, I continue to be inspired neighbors helping neighbors. In Concord, a high school senior named money to buy a 3-D printer and plastic health care workers out of his own home.

Since when did questioning government at all levels become a bad thing? That is what free citizens living in a free society were supposed to do, last I checked.

Chinese EVs making inroads in North America, worrying industry experts

My rst concern as we go along in all this, of course, is my family. I’m worried about them catching the virus, and I’m worried I will. After su ering from the H1N1 virus (swine u) during the 2009 pandemic, I’ve been trying to take extra precautions, because all of this brings up way too many memories of a painful experience I’d prefer not to repeat.

But what also makes me lose sleep is how easily most everyone has

plant for Jeep-maker Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio, on Friday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Du y said the Chinese Communist Party invests in its auto industry to “control this industry.”

“Why? They want to take over the auto industry. They want to take away these jobs,” Du y said. As far as the Canadian trade deal, he added, “They will live to regret the day they partner with China and bring in their vehicles.”

Others say the shift is inevitable.

“This is telling us that Chinese automakers continue to be really popular and are doing better and better and not just something that’s sold in global markets that are more marginal or less important to U.S. automakers,” said Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Not one little bit.

Stacey Matthews has also and is a regular contributor

What makes Chinese vehicles stand out?

Chinese-made vehicles are high-quality, stylish and inexpensive, experts say.

“It’s clear that the vehicles made by Chinese brands come at a very competitive cost but are also technologically quite desirable,” Mazzocco said.

“They tend to be connected vehicles, so they have a lot of additional software capabilities that consumers seem to like. But the price point and the competitiveness are really big selling points.”

These vehicles can cost as little as $10,000 to $20,000; in the U.S., new vehicles are running close to $50,000 on average, and EVs even more so.

“They’ve found a way to make

small and mid-sized cars — cars that people want — at a reasonable price,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions. “These are the segments where GM and Ford and almost everybody else have abandoned.”

Why are Chinese EVs such a threat to U.S. automakers and others?

Much of the global auto market is electrifying, an ideal opportunity for advanced Chinese automakers to capitalize on. China saw 17% growth in plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in 2025, according to data released by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence this week,

DEEPFAKE from page A1

Romulus. She lives in New York City, where she led the lawsuit in state Supreme Court. She is seeking an undisclosed number of damages for alleged in iction of emotional distress and other claims, as well as court orders immediately barring xAI from allowing more deepfakes of her.

Later last Thursday, lawyers for xAI transferred the lawsuit to federal court in Manhattan, asking a judge to hear the case there. And the same day, xAI also countersued St. Clair in federal court in the Northern District of Texas, alleging she violated the terms of her xAI user agreement that requires lawsuits against the company be led in federal court in Texas. It is seeking an undisclosed money judgment against her.

X is based in Texas, where Musk owns a home, and his electric automaker Tesla is headquartered in Austin. Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer for St. Clair, called the countersuit a “jolting” move that she had never seen by a defendant before.

“Ms. St. Clair will be vigorously defending her forum in New York,” Goldberg said in a statement. “But frankly, any jurisdiction will recognize the gravamen of Ms. St. Clair’s claims — that by manufacturing nonconsensual sexually explicit images of girls and women, xAI is a public nuisance and a not reasonably safe product.”

In its announcement last Wednesday, X said it had zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity and unwanted sexual content, and it would immediately remove such content and report accounts involved in child sex abuse materials to law enforcement.

ELECTRIC from page A1

and Europe saw a 33% increase.

Meanwhile, U.S. sales of electri ed cars grew just 1% last year.

As the rest of the world advances, U.S. automakers have weakened their once-ambitious, multibillion-dollar electri cation plans, instead opting for more e cient hybrid electric and gasoline vehicles amid the Trump administration’s shift away from EV-friendly policy.

Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker last year, delivering only 1.64 million vehicles in 2025 to Chinese rival BYD’s 2.26 million.

Chinese automakers will have to meet standards required for the Canadian auto market for the latest trade arrangement to be successful — standards that are similar to those in the U.S. — which is likely to incentivize Chinese auto manufacturing investment in Canada.

The rm predicts Chinese brands will account for 30% of the global market by 2030.

“They’ve already started in Europe,” Wake eld said. “They started in South America. Now Mexico and Canada.”

American carmakers “don’t want to end up as a Brazil with your ethanol-based cars that aren’t sellable anywhere else in the world and ... like Britain or Australia that used to matter in the auto world and no longer really matter.”

Why have others sought to regulate Chinese EV makers’ expansion?

Countries have attempted to regulate Chinese EVs from entering their markets for several reasons.

“China has become this overwhelming machine making inexpensive vehicles,” Fiorani said. “And the fear is that if you give them an inch, they’re going to take a mile. The other issue is technology. These vehicles are data centers … and the idea that a state-owned company in China could have access to where a high portion of drivers are going gives them leverage for all kinds of outlets.”

The European Union hiked tari s on Chinese EVs last year, though the two have been resolving that at the start of this year.

“The advance of Chinese manufacturers is inevitable,” Fiorani added. “It will happen eventually. Everybody is negotiating to put up the roadblocks to gure out: What data is being processed, how much market share you’re going to allow Chinese manufacturers to have.”

Gabriella’s Secret Sips turns ‘dirty soda’ into booked-solid business

The

Concord pop-up scales a Utah drink trend with low overhead and high demand

By Dan Reeves North State Journal

CONCORD — “Dirty soda” sounds like it should come with alcohol. It doesn’t.

Gabriella’s Secret Sips, a Concord-based pop-up founded by 20-year-old Gabriella Schnell, takes everyday sodas and turns them into dessert-style drinks using avored syrups, creamer, whipped cream and candy. Customers pick the base — such as Coke, Dr Pepper, Sprite or Fanta — and build from there.

“Dirty soda, they’re nonalcoholic,” Schnell said. “We take a base of any soda … (and) we add in avored syrups, and then we add in creamer, whipped cream on top, candy, all of that.”

Schnell launched the business in October after seeing the trend online and trying it herself on a trip to Arizona. The concept has exploded in states like Utah, where dirty soda shops have become their own niche industry. As a young entrepreneur, Schnell gured North Carolina could support it too.

“I looked at my boyfriend and said, ‘I think I want to start a business. I want to bring this to North Carolina.’”

Instead of opening a storefront, Schnell built a mobile model with low overhead and exible scheduling. Gabriella’s Secret Sips sets up at festivals, Christmas events, haunted attractions, private parties and corporate gatherings — anywhere a crowd is already there.

“We currently don’t have one set spot,” Schnell said. “We live in Concord, but we travel everywhere.”

The early test came at Boogerwoods, a haunted trail

near Kannapolis. Schnell said customers were doubtful at rst, but the drinks spoke for themselves.

“Night one everyone was super skeptical,” she said. “But they started trying it and then the word got out.”

Bookings followed quickly. Schnell said she’s worked stretches with events seven days a week, sometimes stacking multiple stops in a single day. Now, she said, the calendar is booked through February.

Some events are standard vendor setups. Private bookings are where it changes — when Gabriella’s Secret Sips is

“I would never ask somebody to pay something that I wouldn’t pay myself.”

Gabriella Schnell

the only drink vendor, the line doesn’t stop.

The operation stays small by design. Schnell runs it with her boyfriend, Caleb Greer, splitting duties between the register and drink-making.

Keeping margins healthy comes down to tight costs and

US, Taiwan sign $250B trade deal, cutting tari s on Taiwanese goods

The world’s largest computer chipmaker is expediting projects across the country

By Chan Ho-Him and Didi Tang The Associated Press

HONG KONG — The United States and Taiwan reached a trade deal last Thursday that cuts tari s on Taiwanese goods in exchange for $250 billion in new investments in the U.S. tech industry. The deal is the latest President Donald Trump has struck — such as those with the European Union and Japan — since he unveiled a sweeping tari plan last April to address trade imbalances. Trump also has a one-year trade truce with China to stabilize ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Trump initially set the tari at 32% on Taiwanese goods but later changed it to 20%. The new agreement cuts the tari rate to 15%, the same as levied on other U.S. trading partners in the Asia-Paci c region, such as Japan and South Korea.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Commerce said the deal with Taiwan would establish an “economic partnership” to create several “world- class” U.S.-based industrial parks to help build up domestic production. The department described it as “a historic trade deal that will drive a massive reshoring of America’s semiconductor sector.”

The Taiwanese government a rmed key details in the deal in a statement, saying the “Taiwan model” will go to the U.S. and help expand the global competitiveness of the island’s technology industry while deepening strategic cooperation between the two nations.

in 2022.

Taiwan’s executive branch said the island’s companies would speci cally invest $250 billion in industries such as semiconductors, articial intelligence applications and energy.

In addition to cutting the tari s on the island nation, the Commerce Department said it will exempt certain imports such as generic pharmaceuticals and aircraft components from Taiwan.

One day before the deal was announced, Beijing, which claims Taiwan to be part of China, sco ed at it, calling the agreement “an economic plunder” by the U.S. on Taiwan.

The deal came just when Taiwan-based TSMC, the world’s largest computer chipmaker, last Thursday announced plans to increase its capital spending by as much as nearly 40% this year after it reported a 35% jump in its net pro t for the latest quarter thanks to the boom in arti cial intelligence.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., a major supplier to companies includ-

fast service. Schnell said she buys in bulk, uses couponing to cut soda costs and makes regular runs to US Foods Chef’Store in Charlotte for syrups, cups and other supplies.

“We never pay full price,” she said.

She said she’ll buy hundreds of cups at a time and still run out faster than expected.

“We always run out,” she said. “I love to have to go buy more. That means people like what we’re doing.”

Pricing is part of the strategy as well. Schnell said customers have suggested she raise prices, but she wants Gabriella’s Secret Sips to stay within reach — a place families can stop without thinking twice and where anyone can a ord to join in.

“We won’t raise our prices,” she said. “We want to be a place that you can a ord.”

Regular dirty sodas run $5, she said, with energy drink versions at $6. A larger “bucket” option costs double because it uses two full cans and extra ingredients.

“I would never ask somebody to pay something that I wouldn’t pay myself,” she said. Schnell said the menu came together through trial and error over about six weeks, and most drinks can be customized. One of her favorites is the Orange Dreamsicle — orange soda, vanilla syrup, French vanilla creamer, whipped cream and orange candy slices. She said top sellers include Shark Attack, Pink Dragon, Long Island and Lemon Lagoon.

She also keeps photos of each drink on her phone so customers can see what they’re ordering — a small detail that helps keep lines moving, especially with kids picking based on color and toppings.

Schnell is already looking at the next stage. She wants to move from pop-up tables to a dedicated trailer this year and eventually a storefront location. Long term, she sees it as a brand that can expand into multiple markets — and potentially beyond drinks.

For now, the focus is simple: stay booked, stay e cient and keep the product consistent.

“We want people to love it,” Schnell said.

Other tech giants, including Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet, are spending big on investments in AI infrastructure.

“We expect our business to be supported by continuous strong demand for our leading-edge process technologies,” Wendell Huang, TSMC’s chief nancial o cer, said in a conference call. He said spending would be “signi cantly higher” in the next three years.

Asked about concerns over an AI bubble — as critics point to ballooning investments that might not pay o — TSMC chairman and CEO C. C. Wei said he is con dent the growing demand from customers is real.

“AI is real. Not only real, but it’s also starting to grow into our daily life.”

C. C. Wei, TSMC chairman and CEO

ing Nvidia and Apple, reported a net pro t of 506 billion new Taiwan dollars ($16 billion) for the October-December quarter, a 35% surge from a year earlier, better than analysts’ estimates. TSMC said that its revenue in the last quarter increased 21% from a year earlier to more than 1.046 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($33 billion). TSMC said it plans to boost its capital expenditure budget to $52 billion to $56 billion for 2026, up from about $40 billion last year. The company’s Taiwan-listed shares have jumped 59% over the past 12 months, reecting its strong position in the AI-driven market.

“I’m also very nervous about it, you bet,” said Wei. “AI is real. Not only real, but it’s also starting to grow into our daily life.” With a market capitalization — total outstanding shares times share price — of approximately $1.4 trillion, TSMC is currently more valuable than Samsung Electronics and Alibaba. It is Asia’s most valuable listed company. Alphabet, Google’s parent, passed the $4 trillion market capitalization mark this month, the fourth Big Tech company to hit that mark after Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft, although worries about an AI bubble had led to occasional sello s.

TSMC has pledged around $165 billion of investments in the U.S. and said last Thursday it’s speeding up construction of new plants in Arizona, looking to create a fabrication plant cluster and meet strong demand from clients.

A primary bene ciary of AI, given its dominant share in cutting-edge chip manufacturing, TSMC’s outlook remains optimistic, analysts from Morningstar said in a recent report.

“(TSMC) is immune from market share shifts as almost every AI company relies on TSMC to make chips ranging from application-specific integrated circuits to GPUs (graphics processing units),” the Morningstar analysts said. “This reliance translates into strong pricing power.”

CUMBERLAND

Administrator’s Notice to Creditors

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Anthony Nathaniel Avrette, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before April 24, 2026, which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 12th day of January, 2026. Jonathan David Avrette, Administrator 1082 Keith Hills Road Lillington, NC 27546 Of the Estate of Anthony Nathaniel Avrette

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA

CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NUMBER: 25E001949-250 In the Matter of the Estate of: DAVID E. MAXWELL, SR. Deceased.

EXECUTOR’S NOTICE

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of David E. Maxwell, Sr., deceased, late of Indianna County, Pennsylvania, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before April 8, 2026 (which is three (3) months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

THIS the 8th day of January, 2026. David Emmitt Maxwell, Jr., Executor of the Estate of David E. Maxwell, Sr, Deceased c/o J. Thomas Neville Yarborough, Winters & Neville, P.A. P.O. Box 705 Fayetteville, NC 28302-0705 Publish: 01/08/2026, 01/15/2026, 01/22/2026 and 01/29/2026

Notice to Creditors

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Cynthia A Birth, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of April, 2026, (which date is 3 months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of decadent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 8th day of January, 2026. Shenita M Branson Executor 905 Flintwood Road Fayetteville, NC 28314 Of the Estate of Cynthia A Birth, Deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 25E001951250. Having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of Derrick lynn Bledsole,deceased,late of Cumberland County,North Carolina,This is to notify all persons, rms and corporations against the Estate of Derrick Lynn Bledsole to present them to the undersigned on or before the APRIL 8TH 2026(

This day begin 3months from the rst publication date of this notice) or same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate please make immediate payment .This is the 31st day of December 2025 Admistrator Ronnie Dale Bledsole 2014 center st fayetteville north carolina 28306 Executor of the estate of Derrick Lynn Bledsole deceeased July 25th 2025 25e001951-250 Send claims to 2014 center st fayetteville nc 28306

NOTICE In The General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Before the Clerk Estate File # 26E000013-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CUMBERLAND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE

The undersigned,having quali ed as Executor Of the Estate of Joseph Thomas Burke Jr. Deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby Noti es all persons, rms,and corporations

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a

Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a Dorothy A. Burns Cumberland County Estate File No. 25E001847-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a

Dorothy A. Burns, Deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to David Hyatt Thompson, II, Executor of the Estate of Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a

Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a Dorothy A. Burns, at 203 Fox Den Lane, Goldsboro, NC 27534, on or before the 24th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a Dorothy A. Burns are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor named above. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. David Hyatt Thompson, II, Executor of the Estate of Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a Dorothy A. Burns Williford McCauley - Attorney for the Estate of Dorothy Jackson Burns a/k/a

Dorothy J. Burns a/k/a Dorothy A. Burns

Mailing address: P. O. Box 53606 Fayetteville, NC 28305 Physical address: 235 Green Street Fayetteville, NC 28301

NOTICE

In The General Court of Justice Superior Court Division Before the Clerk Estate le #23 E State of North Carolina

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE

The undersigned having quali ed as Executrix of the Estate of John Archie Butler, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of April, 2026, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 5th of January, 2026. Administrator of the Estate of John Archie Butler Executrix. Carolyn B. Hardin 890 Three Wood Drive Fayetteville, North Carolina, 28312 of the Estate of John Archie Butler, deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF RUTH IRENE CHRISTIE CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E000985-250

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Ruth Irene Christie, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 16th day of April, 2026 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.

This the 9th day of January, 2026. Davis W. Puryear Public Administrator of the Estate of Ruth Irene Christie Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: January 15, January 22, January 29 and February 5, 2026

Administrator’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Fredrick Green, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 22nd day of April, 2026, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 16th day of January, 2026. Sharon Davis 1800 Williamsburg Road, 1b Durham, NC 27707

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF NANCY GREER

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 25E001724-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Nancy Greer, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 23rd day of April, 2026 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.

This the 15th day of January, 2026. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Nancy Greer Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: January 22, January 29, February 5 and February 12, 2026

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

ESTATE FILE 25E001374-250

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF CHONG SUN HOLMES Administrator’s NOTICE

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of Chong Sun Holmes, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 30th day of April, 2026, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 22nd day of January, 2026.

William Holmes 1925 Caviness St., Fayetteville, NC 28314 Administrator of the estate of Chong Sun Homes deceased January 22nd, January 29th, February 5th, and February 12th , 2026.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Willa Marie McMillan, deceased, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before April 22, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to said estate are requested to make immediate payment. This the 15th day of January, 2026. Charlene Hepburn, Executor Estate of Willa Marie McMillan c/o Charlene Hepburn 6218 Dunbane Court Fayetteville, NC 28311

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

ESTATE FILE NO. 26E000034-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Joyce Shirley Metacarpa AKA Joyce Williamson Metacarpa, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 2517 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before April 15, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. Dated this 15th day of January, 2026. Nicole A. Corley, Executor of the Estate of Joyce Shirley Metacarpa AKA Joyce Williamson Metacarpa 2517 Raeford Road Fayetteville, NC 28305 (910) 483 – 4990

Notice to Creditors

Estate of Margaret A. Owens

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the Estate of Margaret A. Owens, also known as Margaret T. Owens and Margaret Tucker, deceased, are hereby noti ed that the undersigned has quali ed as Executor of the Estate in the Clerk of Superior Court of Cumberland County, North Carolina. Pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes, all claims against the Estate must be presented, duly veri ed, to the Clerk of Superior Court of Cumberland County, North Carolina, on or before three (3) months from the date of rst publication of this notice, which date is April 22, 2026, or said claims will be forever barred. This the 22nd day of January,2026. Mail to Clerk of Court Superior Court 117 Dick St. Fayetteville NC 28301

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

In The General Court Of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 26E000046-250

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Arthur Richard Schmidt, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned no later than the 22nd of April 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 22nd day of January, 2026.

Cheryl Anne M. Rico Administrator/Executor 8258 Egret Pointe NE Address Leland, North Carolina 28451 City, State, Zip Of the Estate of Arthur Richard Schmidt, Deceased

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

In the state of North Carolina and county of Cumberland the Court of Justice of Superior Court division of estate le 25E001954-250 in the matter of the estate of Esther Johnson Shuler deceased late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 8th day of April, 2026, (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of the recovery. All debtors of the descendent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 5th day of January, 2026 Ronald Gary Shuler- Administrator/ Executor 2646 Belhaven Rd Fayetteville, NC 28306 Of the estate of Esther Johnson Shuler, deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF RICHARD ALLEN SINGLETARY CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 23E001500-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Richard Allen Singletary, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 9th day of April, 2026. (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above.

This the 5th day of January, 2026. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Richard Allen Singletary Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311

Run dates: January 8, January 15, January 22 and January 29, 2026

Executor’s Notice IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 25E001970-250 State of North Carolina Cumberland County NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of Anthony Wayne Smith, late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms or corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned at 118 Duncan Lane, Newport, North Carolina 28570, on or before April 22, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. Melissa Renee Badgett Executor of the Estate of Anthony Wayne Smith, Deceased c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC J. Duane Gilliam, Jr., Attorney PO Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 01/22/2026, 01/29/2026, 02/05/2026 and 02/12/2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera Cumberland County Estate File No. 25E001924-250 All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera, Deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Michael J. Emmons, Executor of the Estate of Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera, at 173 Birch Avenue, Spring Lake, NC 28390, on or before the 10th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera are requested to make immediate payment to the Executor named above. This the 8th day of January, 2026. Michael J. Emmons, Executor of the Estate of Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera Williford McCauley - Attorney for the Estate of Vincent Anthony Spera a/k/a Vincent A. Spera Mailing address: P. O. Box 53606 Fayetteville, NC 28305 Physical address: 235 Green Street Fayetteville, NC 28301

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Lenora Criss Vaughn, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby noti es all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 15th day of April, 2026 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 7th day of January, 2026. Shumekia Vaughn, Administrator Of the Estate of Lenora Criss Vaughn, Deceased 3212 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28301

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ESTATE OF TODD KEVIN WADDINGTON

CUMBERLAND County Estate File No. 24E000725-250

All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Todd Kevin Waddington, deceased, of Cumberland County, North Carolina, are noti ed to present their claims to Davis W. Puryear, Administrator, at 4317 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311, on or before the 23rd day of April, 2026 (which date is three months after the day of the rst publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the Administrator named above. This the 14th day of January, 2026. Davis W. Puryear Administrator of the Estate of Todd Kevin Waddington Davis W. Puryear Hutchens Law Firm Attorneys for the Estate 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28311 Run dates: January 22, January 29, February 5 and February 12, 2026.

NEW HANOVER

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, RICHARD L BENJAMIN, having quali ed as the Administrator of the Estate of ARTHUR B BENJAMIN, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said RICHARD L BENJAMIN, at the address set out below, on or before APRIL 19, 2026, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below. This the 9th day of January. RICHARD L BENJAMIN Administrator OF ESTATE OF ARTHUR B BENJAMIN c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, EDWARD THOMAS CRONIN, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of ROSEMARY JANE QUINN CRONIN, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said EDWARD THOMAS CRONIN, at the address set out below, on or before APRIL 19, 2026, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below. This the 9th day of January. EDWARD THOMAS CRONIN Executor OF ESTATE OF ROSEMARY JANE QUINN CRONIN c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Michael Bolles Davis, Jr., having quali ed on the 29th day of December 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Charles Pattison Bolles Davis (25E002696-640), deceased, does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said Estate that they must present them to the undersigned at DAVID E. ANDERSON, PLLC, 9111 Market Street, Suite A, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28411, on or before the 20th day of April, 2026, or the claims will be forever barred thereafter, and this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make prompt payment to the undersigned at the above address. This 15th day of January 2026. Michael Bolles Davis, Jr. Executor ESTATE OF CHARLES PATTISON BOLLES DAVIS David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411

Publish: January 15, 2026 January 22, 2026 January 29, 2026 February 5, 2026

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Johnathan Blake Hartley, having quali ed on the 12th day of January 2026, as Executor of the Estate of Sharon B. Hartley (26E000030640), deceased, does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said Estate that they must present them to the undersigned at DAVID E. ANDERSON, PLLC, 9111 Market Street, Suite A, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28411, on or before the 20th day of April, 2026, or the claims will be forever barred thereafter, and this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make prompt payment to the undersigned at the above address. This 15th day of January 2026. Johnathan Blake Hartley Executor ESTATE OF SHARON B. HARTLEY David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: January 15, 2026 January 22, 2026 January 29, 2026 February 5, 2026

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, SHARON CROSS PORTER, having quali ed as the Executor of the Estate of JEFFREY WILLIAM PORTER, Deceased, hereby noti es all persons, rms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said SHARON CROSS PORTER, at the address set out below, on or before APRIL 19, 2026, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below. This the 9th day of January. SHARON CROSS PORTER Executor OF ESTATE OF JEFFREY WILLIAM PORTER c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ ups the stakes

The fourth lm leans hard into brutality and cult terror

By Bob Garver The Sun

AUDIENCES LARGELY left last June’s zombie threequel “28 Years Later” thinking the same thing, “That was a good movie, but what the heck was up with that ending?” They were referring to the last-minute saving of young protagonist Spike (Al e Williams) from a horde of Infected by a gang of blonde-wigged, tracksuit-wearing ru ans led by long-missing earlier character Jimmy (Jack O’Connell).

The tone of the sequence was one of stylized action, which clashed with the more ominous, meditative horror (short of the obvious Infected attacks) of the rest of the movie. Now a mere seven months later, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” provides answers as to exactly what the heck was up with that ending.

It turns out that the gang, known as The Fingers (because together they form a mighty st), while they like to take out the Infected, aren’t much kinder to uninfected humans. They’re a

cult of serial killers, all stripped of their original names and now called Jimmy, who serve a Satanic deity known as Old Nick. O’Connell’s leader, now going by the name Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, agrees to take in Spike if he can kill a Jimmy in a battle to the death. Spike lives to be inducted, but he lives in terror. Sadly, that’s his one mode through the entire movie. In “28 Years Later,” the character had a great arc where he abandoned his lying father and safe-haven community to get help for his sick mother and then face an uncertain future, but here he’s just scared all the time. Granted, I’d be consistently scared if I had to spend my life around the vicious Fingers, but it’s not much of a “hero’s journey.”

The story sometimes breaks from Spike and The Fingers to spend time with Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a character from the last movie who built the Bone Temple, a tall pile of skulls, as a memorial to the dead and not, as some thought, a collection of weirdo trophies. He subdues an “Alpha Infected,” who he names Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and takes strides to study him, as there may be something inside his head (psychologically)

PEN & PAPER PURSUITS

that may be the key to overcoming not just the Infected but the 28-year- old infection.

Most of the movie is a noticeable step down from “28 Years Later.” Sure, charging Infected and satanic murderers are scary and all, but it’s missing that certain sense of timing and heartfelt touch given to it by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (Nia DaCosta, of the mixed-bag “Candyman” remake, is at the helm this time). That is, until the two stories converge. Once some of the Fingers become convinced that Dr. Kelson is their god Old Nick (thanks

to his iodine-coated red skin), Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal has to nd a way to keep his hold on the group. And that’s where the musical number comes in. It’s not O’Connell performing like he did in “Sinners,” but there is a show-stealing musical number and a climax that redeems the entire movie … and then a poorly kept secret surprise after that.

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” can be a slog at times, and by “at times” I mean pretty much the entire rst hour. It shouldn’t be a slog given the high-stakes subject matter, but I could never shake this feeling

that I was just watching a lesser version of a world I had spent just enough time in only seven months ago. But then that ending is so explosive that all is forgiven. Supposedly Boyle will be back to direct a fth movie in this series (my guess is it will be the third with “Years” in the title to complete the trilogy within the larger continuity), and if he can seamlessly add his sensitive touch to the spectacle of this movie’s most memorable sequence, we’ll have a horror movie for the ages.

Grade: B-

A look back at Dell Curry, B3

the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT

NFL

Nix breaks right ankle late in Broncos’ playo win, will have season-ending surgery

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver’s divisional-round victory over Bu alo and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playo s. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Coach Sean Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop.

NBA

Heckler yells “leave Greenland alone!” during U.S. anthem at NBA game in London

London

A heckler yelled “leave Greenland alone!” while Vanessa Williams sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before tipo of an NBA game in London between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic. President Donald Trump has insisted the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. The heckler’s outburst Sunday drew some scattered laughter and applause. Williams was unfazed and completed the song.

NFL

Giants hire Harbaugh as coach after identifying him as top choice

New York

The New York Giants hired John Harbaugh as coach, 11 days after he was red by the Baltimore Ravens. He guided Baltimore to the playo s in 12 of his 18 seasons. He and the Ravens won it all a year after the Giants’ most recent championship in the 2011 season. Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around a franchise that has just two playo appearances over the past decade.

Playo afterglow might hide Panthers’ aws

For all its success, the team had a losing season and needs to upgrade

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THERE IS AN alternate reality where the Saints were three points better. A long Charlie Smyth eld goal in the second quarter goes through, and New Orleans beats Atlanta by one in Week 18.

That’s the butter y, apping its wings, and up in Charlotte, it might bring a major change in the weather.

That result would put the Tampa Bay Bucs in the playo s instead of the Panthers. Tampa had beaten Carolina in a win-and-you’re-in game for the Panthers one day earlier. Instead of breaking one of the longest playo droughts in the NFL, the Panthers would have

nished a season where they made progress but nished with a losing record.

Three points, over which the Panthers had no control —

Indictments accuse several pro and college players of point shaving and xing

By Aaron Beard The Associated Press

FEDERAL prosecutors have revealed a sprawling scheme to rig college basketball games while yielding big payouts to gamblers.

According to an indictment unsealed last Thursday, xers started with two professional games in China before turning their focus to recruiting college players in America to participate in similar point-shaving e orts as recently as January 2025. The indictment, which includes charges against current and former college players, coincides with multiple NCAA probes into sports-betting violations.

Here’s what to know about the latest case.

weren’t even suited up for the game — and we’d be in a very di erent place right now.

After the loss in Tampa,ery Panthers owner David Tep -

per reportedly stormed out of the stadium, refusing to acknowledge bystanders greeting him. According to some reports, part of his rage was over the o ciating in the game, but he was also supposedly frustrated with his team’s performance. Some observers on social media speculated changes could be coming after the Panthers fell short every time they controlled their own destiny. Smyth’s second quarter kick goes through, and we might have the team searching for another new coach, or a new GM. Quarterback Bryce Young could be faced with the prospect of another new o ense to learn, another new voice to hear. He could also be wondering about his own job security if a nonplayo Panthers team decided not to renew his fth-year option.

In other words, while this year was undoubtedly a success for the Panthers, it was not an unquali ed one. The team is still on its way back and early in the process. Things breaking the right way at season’s end shouldn’t blur that as we look to the future.

See PANTHERS, page B4

bet on the underdog would require that team to win outright or lose by fewer points than the spread.

How this scheme allegedly worked

Prosecutors say players involved could manipulate a game, and therefore the bets related to it, by intentionally underperforming. Gamblers working with those players could then place wagers based on “higher degree of certainty” as to whether a team would cover or fall short of the spread, according to the indictment. For example, the indictment charges former college and NBA player Antonio Blakeney with taking payments from two high-stakes gamblers to underperform while in the Chinese Basketball Association during the 2022-23 season.

In one such game in March 2023, Blakeney scored roughly 21 points below his scoring average and his team lost by 31. That covered the spread for the favored opponent so xers could win most of their bets, according to the indictment. Fixers later recruited college players to help ensure their teams failed to cover the spread

THURSDAY

1.22.26

TRENDING

Darian Mensah:

The Duke quarterback entered his name into the transfer portal, reversing the decision that he would return after leading the Blue Devils to the ACC title. Mensah announced his plan in a social media post hours before the transfer portal window closed.

Mensah was second in the FBS with 3,937 passing yards and tied for second with 34 touchdown passes.

Clayton Kershaw:

The recently retired Dodgers ace will join Team U.S. for this year’s World Baseball Classic. Kershaw, a left-hander, made the announcement at USA Baseball’s facility in Cary.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner was prevented from pitching in the 2023 tournament because of insurance issues.

Cal Raleigh, Mason Miller and Joe Ryan are among the Team USA members with N.C. connections.

Bryce Young: Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan says the team plans to pick up the starting quarterback’s fth-year option, keeping him under contract through 2027. Morgan and executive vice president Brandt Tilis will decide whether to discuss extensions this o season or wait until after the 2026 season. Young will cost the Panthers $12 million next season.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP PHOTO

“I’m standing up for us. What went on is not how it should go down.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott on a controversial interception call that potentially cost Bu alo a spot in the AFC Championship Game. He was red Monday.

“No one in the organization is happy with what has transpired.”

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury in an open letter to fans. Drury apologized for the “disappointment” this season and promised to “retool” the team.

PRIME NUMBER 45

Age of Venus Williams, who became the oldest player in the women’s singles draw at the Australian Open. She led 4-0 in the third set before Olga Danilovic rallied to beat her in the rst round.

NASCAR

Sheri ’s deputies are investigating an alleged break-in at the Mooresville home of retired NASCAR driver Greg Bi e, who died last month in a plane crash along with six others. Sheri Darren Campbell and his o ce said a backpack, $30,000 in cash, guns and racing memorabilia are missing from a safe. No arrests have been made. A public memorial service for Bi e and the others killed was held Friday in Charlotte.

FIFA has received more than 500 million ticket requests for this year’s World Cup. The most requests have come from host countries, and Germany, England and Brazil. FIFA is asking for up to $8,680 per ticket. The most-requested match was Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27 in Miami.

NASCAR announced a return to its original championship format, known as “The Chase,” starting in 2026. The system features a 10-race format with the top 16 drivers and no driver eliminations. This change comes after fan complaints about the current system, which included eliminations and a winner-take-all nale.

Hurricanes forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov had hat tricks on back-to-back nights last Friday and Saturday. Ehlers (pictured left) registered his sixth career three-goal game, and rst with Carolina, while Svechnikov notched his fourth career hat trick the following night. It was the rst time Hurricanes players had hat tricks on consecutive days since Ray Whitney and Eric Staal did it March 6-7, 2009.

Hornets to retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey in March

Curry is the franchise’s all-time games played leader

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte Hornets franchise legend will soon have his jersey raised to the rafters inside Spectrum Center.

The team announced last week that it will be retiring the No. 30 jersey of former star Dell Curry during a special ceremony at the team’s home game against the Orlando Magic on March 19.

Curry, who has spent more than 25 years with the Hornets organization as a player, broadcaster and ambassador, will become just the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.

The honor places Curry — the father of Stephen and Seth Curry — alongside the late Bobby Phills, whose No. 13 was raised to the rafters in 2000.

viding a steady scoring punch

o the bench.

In 701 games with Charlotte, including 77 starts, Curry averaged 14.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.1 minutes per game while shooting 46.2% from the eld, 40.5% from 3-point range and 82.5% from the free-throw line.

“As owners, we are committed to celebrating our Hornets legacy and recognizing those who helped build the foundation of this franchise,” Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said in a joint statement announcing the ceremony.

“Dell Curry has been a cornerstone of the Charlotte Hornets for more than 25 years — both on and o the court. He exempli es what it means to be a Hornet through his professionalism, work ethic and commitment to excellence. Dell’s impact on our organization, our fans and our community is undeniable, and he is truly deserving of this honor. We look forward to celebrating this special moment with Hornets fans and raising No. 30 to the rafters of Spectrum Center forever.”

chise, a feat unmatched by any other NBA player. Beyond his on-court accomplishments, Curry has remained a visible presence within the Hornets organization and the Charlotte community, returning to the franchise after his playing career and spending the past 17 seasons as the team’s television analyst.

Born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, he averaged 19 points per game across four seasons at Virginia Tech before being selected 15th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA Draft. Curry’s NBA journey also included stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, though his legacy is most closely tied to Charlotte.

He joined the Hornets during their inaugural 1988-89 season after being selected in the NBA Expansion Draft.

“When I rst came to Charlotte in 1988, the city embraced my family and me in a way I never expected,” Curry said. “I was blessed to join an organization that believed in me, play alongside teammates who would become lifelong friends and compete in front of the most passionate fans in the NBA.”

During his 10 seasons with the Hornets from 1988 to 1998, he established himself as one of the most accomplished and consistent players in franchise history, retiring as Charlotte’s all-time leader in games played (701), points (9,839), eld goals made (3,951) and 3-point eld goals (929). Curry continues to rank

COLUMN | SHAWN KREST

among the top 10 in numerous Hornets statistical categories, including rst in games and seasons played; second in points, eld goals made, eld goals attempted and 3-point eld goals made; third in 3-point eld goal percentage; fourth in steals; sixth in free-throw percentage; and eighth in free throws made.

Known for his shooting touch, he was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year during the 1993-94 season after pro -

As a key contributor during some of the most successful seasons in team history, Curry helped lead the Hornets to three 50-win campaigns — including a franchise-best 54 -28 record during the 1996-97 season — and four playo appearances. His shooting prowess stood out late in his Charlotte tenure, as he shot better than 40% from 3-point range in each of hisnal seven seasons with the fran-

“I’m proud to continue being part of the Hornets organization and this community today,” Curry said. “Having my jersey retired is an honor I never imagined, and I’m forever grateful to Rick and Gabe as well as the entire organization. Charlotte shaped so many meaningful moments in my life, and I’m humbled by this recognition.”

Fans can be part of a milestone night on March 19, as the Hornets celebrate Curry’s legacy with a special on-court ceremony before his No. 30 jersey is raised to the rafters. The rst 10,000 fans through the doors will receive a Dell Curry commemorative Topps collectible card.

Turns out we may need those stupid NCAA rules

Guys who are good in sports have always gotten what they deserved, and then some.

CEDRIC DEMPSEY died last April, which is a shame. It means we’ll never get the chance to give him the apology he so richly deserves.

Dempsey was the longtime president of the NCAA and the scapegoat for all that was wrong with college sports. In 2014, UConn won the national title, and star guard Shabazz Napier used his postgame interview on CBS to talk about how he went to bed hungry. Dempsey’s fault.

The NCAA was lled will all kinds of arcane rules, dictating how much cream cheese a school’s cafeteria could o er a student athlete with his bagel. Dempsey’s fault.

Now in everyone’s defense, the NCAA was rivaled only by FIFA in its corruption, hypocrisy and general powerlessness. And Dempsey was the man in charge.

And since he’s been gone, things have gotten so much worse.

It turns out college sports needed all those nitpicky rules because it’s lled with people who have been broken by their ambition and will do literally anything to get an advantage. If there’s a rule restricting the amount of cream cheese a school can o er, you can assume that a stud linebacker prospect came from a family that ran a dairy, and coaches were o ering to buy cases of it to serve with meals.

Coaches want to win, and they know to do so, they need the best players. Every NCAA rule comes down to keeping them in check. For instance, coaches aren’t allowed to discuss recruits until they’ve signed with a school. It’s a silly, annoying rule. Once, Roy Williams mentioned that Brandon Ingram had committed to Duke, and UNC received a minor NCAA violation.

Why does that rule exist? Because if it didn’t, coaches would talk about nothing else. Every

BETTING from page B1

either for the rst half or an entire game, o ering payments typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

The college games that were impacted

According to the indictment, the scheme eventually involved more than 39 players on 17 Division I men’s basketball teams who manipulated or attempted to manipulate 29 games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

Most games were in the regular season and involved teams at the mid-major level, though DePaul in the Big East had three games cited in the indictment (against Georgetown, Butler and St. John’s) from late in the 2023-24 season. The indictment listed at least four postseason games impacted in March 2024: Robert Morris’ rst-round game against Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Tournament, New Orle-

ans’ second-round game against Lamar in the Southland Conference Tournament, and Abilene Christian’s two games (against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tarleton State) in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament.

Other schools that were a ected

Eastern Michigan, Nicholls State, Tulane, Northwestern State, Saint Louis, La Salle, Fordham, Bu alo, Southern Mississippi, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State, Coppin State and Alabama State all had players who allegedly impacted games.

Four charged players competed for their current teams within the past week, however allegations against them don’t involve the 2025-26 season.

They are: Kennesaw State’s Simeon Cottle; Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart, with allegations tied to a previous stint at New Orleans; Texas Southern’s Oumar Koureissi, tied to his

press conference or TV interview would be a chance to show the next high school star just how much he was needed at the school. After a player signs, they no longer need to be recruited, so we can take the gag o the coach.

While schools made millions of dollars o of their college sports teams and the athletes weren’t getting paid anything — that we know of — it turns out that folks who are good at sports are generally treated pretty well compared to the rest of us. There might have been better causes to get behind.

For instance, at the time Napier complained about going to bed hungry, the NCAA had a manual for student athletes explaining the various rules. Included in it was a chart showing exactly when and where they had to go, depending on whether it was a game day, practice day or day o , to get fed. In other words — a helpful chart to show them where their free meal was coming from on any given day. Athletes on the road were (and still are) given meal money. It varies from school to school, but the consensus is that it’s about $28 on average. That might not seem like much to feed an elite athlete, but remember, they get two meals provided on game day. You’ve heard coaches talk about how the team looked at pregame meal, and at any postgame, while media does locker room interviews, assistants are bringing in bags of take-out food from a nearby chain restaurant for the postgame feast.

On campus, there’s the training table, which had unlimited snacks, and athletes who lived o campus, too far from the training table, got a stipend to cover their food. The boyfriend of one woman’s athlete from the era told me, “It was so much food. The two of us couldn’t eat it all.”

But if Napier wanted a late-night calzone,

time at Nicholls State; and Delaware State’s Camian Shell, a Winston-Salem resident, tied to his stop at North Carolina A&T. Cottle, the preseason pick for Conference USA player of the year, is averaging 20.2 points and had 21 points in Wednesday’s win against Florida International. By Thursday, however, Kennesaw State had released a statement that Cottle was suspended inde nitely from all team activities. Separately, Eastern Michigan announced Hart’s suspension from team activities pending the outcome of the case. Koureissi — who played for Texas Southern as recently as Saturday — no longer appears on the Tigers’ online roster, while the school responded to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment with a statement saying Koureissi “has been removed from the team.” Delaware State didn’t immediately return an email from the AP requesting comment last Thursday.

he’d have to pay for it, like any other college student. So he sometimes went to bed hungry. And as a result, UNC junior Seth Trimble can now buy the local Ben & Jerry’s franchise with the money he’s making. Trimble is great, and he’s putting his NIL fortune to good use. I’m in no way impugning his character. But according to the company website, it costs between a quarter of a million and half a million dollars to start one, including a franchise fee of nearly $40,000. In just over 10 years, we’ve gone from starving student to local business owner, from college kid to the 1%. And that growth has come with no guardrails. Originally, NIL was supposed to allow athletes to pro t from their fame. The idea was to have them endorse products and get reimbursed. Remember when Chick Fil-A and other local businesses proudly announced that they’d signed a quarterback or point guard to an NIL deal? Probably not because that era lasted all of 15 minutes, before greed and corruption turned it into a full-on bidding war. Now, if reports are to be trusted, a conference champion quarterback can pull millions of dollars, along with a deal for relatives, in order to jump schools on the last possible day.

Dempsey’s NCAA made it di cult to transfer schools. And now, when a freshman returns for his sophomore year, the school proudly proclaims that it “re-signed” him for another year.

This isn’t an old crusty white guy saying that the kids shouldn’t get what they deserve. This is an old crusty white guy saying that guys who are good in sports have always gotten what they deserved, and then some. I’m saying there needs to be some type of control. Someone needs to be in charge.

Even if we all hate that guy.

In a statement last Thursday, Bu alo athletic director Mark Alnutt said the school will continue to cooperate with investigators.

“We believe these to be isolated incidents,” he said, “that in no way re ect the values and core ethics of the Division of Athletics or our men’s basketball program.”

What the NCAA has done about sports-betting concerns

In a statement last Thursday, NCAA president Charlie Baker said enforcement sta ers from college sports’ governing body have opened sports-betting probes into roughly 40 athletes from 20 schools in the past year. Eleven athletes from seven schools were ruled permanently ineligible, while 13 others from eight schools failed to fully cooperate in NCAA probes, with none competing today. News of those cases has

dripped out over the past year. North Carolina connections

Jalen Smith, one of the ringleaders, is described in the indictment as a Charlotte resident and used his “North Carolina basketball connections” to recruit Charlotte’s Elijah Gray, then with Fordham. Gray is also indicted.

Former New Orleans player Dyquavion Short, a Greenville native, was named early in the investigation and also was indicted.

Shell and NC A&T were alleged to have been involved in the scheme.

Games against East Carolina and Queens were believed to have been manipulated by point shaving or game xing, although the opponents of the two area teams are accused of being involved in the scheme.

Shawn Krest contributed to this report.

UNCW works through trials for top spot in CAA

The Seahawks are undefeated in conference play after multiple comebacks

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

THE UNC Wilmington men’s basketball team trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half against Campbell on Saturday.

Senior guards Madison Durr and Greedy Williams combined for 23 points in the nal 14 minutes of the game to will the Seahawks to a 78-75 win, keeping their seven-game win streak and 6-0 Coastal Athletic Association record intact.

But for a team boasting a 17-2 record, Saturday’s story has been told many times this season.

UNCW’s latest victory marked the third time in conference play and the fth time overall this year that it had to rally from down double digits to win.

Slow starts have been a trend for the Seahawks this season, but simultaneously, they’ve become well-versed in making up for it by the nal buzzer.

“This is a tough league,” UNCW coach Takayo Siddle, who’s in his sixth year at the helm, said after the win against Campbell. “We’re not going to be leading every game the whole time. And if you have aspirations of winning a championship, you have to ght through in-game adversity. You have to ght through adversity o the court.

Said Siddle, “We always talk about E plus R equals O. The event plus the response equals our outcome. And I thought we did a great job responding.”

Within the last month, UNCW had to respond against Stony Brook on Jan. 10. The Seahawks trailed 43-21 at halftime but made nine 3s and shot 65% from the oor in the second half to win 75-71.

Less than two weeks before that, UNCW trailed by 11 to North Carolina A&T in the rst half but held the Aggies to an under 36% shooting clip in the second half to win by nine.

In a 65-53 win over Drexel on Dec. 31, adversity struck again when junior forward Gavin Walsh, who had made his third straight start, su ered an injury late in the game. Walsh, averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, hasn’t returned to the court, and since his injury, UNCW has yet to win a game by double digits.

“(Walsh) is heading in the right direction,” Siddle said Saturday.

So what’s been keeping the Seahawks ying high, especially in their last four games? Their tallest player, of course.

Redshirt junior forward Patrick Wessler, a 7-foot transfer from Virginia Tech, has averaged 18.7 points per game and recorded three double-doubles in Walsh’s absence. Against Campbell, Wessler scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds while shooting 10 for 12 from the oor.

“(Wessler’s) been more im-

posing,” Siddle said. “He’s doing some really good things when he catches the basketball, whether he’s scoring or passing the basketball out. He’s limiting his dribbles, right? Before, he was catching it o the block, trying to take two, three dribbles to get into his moves, but the guys are doing a great job nding him on his seals, hitting him on time.

“He’s sealing really well right now, and then, he’s a monster on the glass on both ends of the oor. Pat is establish-

ing his dominance right now.”

The Seahawks have also welcomed a boost from Durr o the bench. The senior transfer from Monmouth has averaged 15.3 points in the last three games (12 points per game on the year), including his season-best 20 points against Campbell.

“It’s like having another starter come o your bench,” Siddle said. “Outside of the 20 points that he had, I thought his leadership really shined through, and it got us over the top. I don’t know if you were

“If you have aspirations of winning a championship, you have to ght through in-game adversity.”

Takayo Siddle

able to look into those huddles. Probably the last 10 minutes, he was leading those huddles. He was trying to ignite our group.”

Although the Seahawks’ comeback wins aren’t, in Durr’s words, “ideal” situations, the wins have put them in a good spot with 12 games remaining in the regular season.

UNCW is the only CAA team undefeated in conference play with three teams (Hofstra, Elon and Charleston) tied for second with 4-2 records. Although they’ve been in tough battles, the Seahawks still have the largest conference win margin (6.8 points) within the league, despite ranking seventh in the CAA in scoring o ense (73.5) and fourth in scoring defense (66.7) against conference opponents.

However, UNCW has yet to face the best of the CAA with two meetings against Elon (12-7) and a date against Hofstra (13-6) on Feb. 14 lying ahead.

“There’s no cushion,” Siddle said. “We have to play like we’re 0-6 in league play. We have to be desperate. We have to be hungry, and I know our guys will be.”

High Point continuing to build o historic season

The Panthers currently lead the Big South conference in wins and most key stats

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

FRESH OFF of a Big South title and the program’s rst ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the High Point Panthers haven’t missed a beat despite the heightened expectations.

Last year, the Panthers nished out the season with a 29-5 record and a 14-2 conference record en route to a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually lost to Purdue in the Round of 64.

Now they boast a 17-4 overall record and sit second in the Big South with a 5-1 conference record — their only conference loss coming to Winthrop, which currently sits ahead High Point in the Big South standings.

What’s even more impressive is that the Panthers have been getting it done with a rst-year head coach at the helm, and despite his inexperience, he’s managed to keep his squad on a similar trajectory.

Flynn Clayman took over the High Point job following Alan Huss’ departure to Creighton in April. This is Clayman’s rst head coaching gig, but he had a lot of preparation for this

PANTHERS from page B1

Here are some areas that would seem like much bigger problems right now if Smyth’s kick went through.

Consistency

The Panthers alternated wins and losses for 10 straight weeks — more than half the season. Dramatic highlight wins over Dallas, Green Bay and the Rams were often followed by the team laying an egg — a blowout to Bu alo, a “Monday Night Football” shellacking by the 49ers, two upset losses to the Saints and back-to-back season-ending losses when the team needed just one win to clinch a playo spot.

“I think just as a team, we weren’t as consistent as we wanted to be on a game-to-game basis,” GM Dan Morgan said. “But

moment as he spent multiple years as an associate coach under Huss.

“I really appreciated him bringing me in and giving me the opportunity to help make important decisions for this program every day,” Clayman said in his introductory presser. “Decisions that I believe prepared me for this moment, and I believe he was preparing me for this moment.”

High Point has continued to be one of the most consistent teams in the country under Clayman, as they now haven’t

I think that’s part of what happens when you have a young team. You have a young team that is building continuity and kind of guring themselves out.”

New holes for next season

Rico Dowdle, a 1,000-yard rusher in his rst season with the Panthers and a hero of several of those dramatic wins, seemed to grow frustrated sharing time with Chuba Hubbard. He’s a free agent this oseason and indicated after the playo loss that his declining number of carries as the season went on could be a factor in his decision.

“When you have two backs that you trust, you want to make sure they both touch the ball, and that was the approach we took,” coach Dave Canales said, in response to a question

lost back-to-back games since the start of the 2023-24 season — the longest such streak in the country and one the Panthers are proud to hang their hats on.

“That’s been our thing,” Clayman said. “We bounce back, and that’s what I expect from these guys. The key for us is bringing it every single game.”

High Point was the Big South Preseason favorite, garnering eight of the nine total rst-place votes, and they’re showing why on both ends of the court.

The Panthers lead the conference in points-per-game (92.8)

“I think just as a team, we weren’t as consistent as we wanted to be on a game-to-game basis.”

Dan Morgan, Panthers GM

about Dowdle’s reported unhappiness over workload.

Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu ruptured his patella tendon in the playo game and needs knee surgery.

“It’s signi cant,” Canales said, and Morgan called his status “month to month.”

The team wouldn’t give a timeline, but at least the start of the season is in jeopardy for him, if not the full year or a large portion of it. Canales said that Ekwonu’s status “certainly

“We want to continue to raise the bar.”

High Point rst-year coach Flynn Clayman

and are second in points against per game (69.7). They’re also at the top of the conference in terms of turnover margin (7.24), assist/turnover ratio (1.87), steals (10.81) and 3-point eld goal percentage (0.373).

The Panthers have enjoyed a fairly balanced o ensive attack with a deep bench, as no player is averaging more than 26 minutes per game.

Point guards Rob Martin and Conrad Martinez have been two of the most consistent pieces for High Point, averaging a combined 25 points and just under eight assists per game.

While Martin, a Preseason All-Big South First Team selection, has struggled from the eld a bit so far this year, the team isn’t at all worried about that due to the rest of his on-court impacts.

“Rob’s been struggling to shoot a little bit, but he has a lot of leadership qualities and we’ve asked him to step up and lead these guys,” Clayman said. “He has really started to do that where he has a positive e ect on our o ense even

is something we have to consider just depending on the duration of the injury” as the team plans o season roster moves. Old holes to ll

The team was in the bottom dozen in the league in most run defense categories. The Panthers have already said defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will return, but the team needs to be stronger up front on defense.

Despite Bryce Young’s big step forward, the passing game also ranked in the lower 12 in most categories on o ense. There are concerns over Xavier Legette, a rst-round pick two years ago, and whether he is capable of being a top-two option alongside Tet McMillan, who had an outstanding rookie year. As the year wound down, Carolina was more comfortable throwing to undrafted reserve receiver Jalen

when he’s not shooting it that well.”

The Panthers have also done really well in their front court with senior forwards Terry Anderson (14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists) and Owen Aquino (8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists). Xavier transfer Cam’Ron Fletcher looked like he was going to be a key piece for the Panthers, as he was one of High Point’s most consistent players early in the season, however, he has not appeared in a game since Dec. 31.

The senior forward was averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, the highest rate on the roster for all three stats, and had led the team in scoring six times and in rebounds seven times, before his prolonged absence.

The good news though is that Fletcher is still expected to return at some point.

“It’s an internal team thing that we’re dealing with,” Clayman said last week. “We expect him to be back.”

As a mid-major, High Point is going to need to continue racking up wins and probably win another title if they want another NCAA Tournament bid, but so far, they’re on the right path for just that.

“We want to continue to raise the bar,” Clayman said. “Continue to raise the standard.”

Coker. The team will have to decide if he is the answer or if they need a more established playmaker in that role.

“Xavier, it took him until his senior year to really start developing and coming into his own at South Carolina,” Morgan said. “So I think we take a patient approach with those guys. We let them develop and keep getting better. We work with them and keep coaching them, developing them and helping them out.”

Uncertain future

Smyth’s kick missed, and we have the reality that gave us. In another world, however, the team would face uncertainty as it headed into the oseason. That uncertainty exists in this reality too, even if the playo hangover makes it harder to see.

ORANGE

NOTICE

Probate #25E000754-670

All

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Gary Quincy Caviness, late of Randolph County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of Ivey & Eggleston, Attorneys at Law, 111 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, on or before April 13, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms or corporations indebted to said estate should make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 8th day of January, 2026

Phyllis Williamson Caviness Executor of the Estate of Gary Quincy Caviness Marion “Beth” McQuaid, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043

PUBL/DATES: 01/08/26 01/15/26 01/22/26 01/29/26

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Charles Edward Nichols, late of Randolph County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of the decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of Ivey & Eggleston, Attorneys at Law, 111 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, on or before April 13, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms or corporations indebted to said estate should make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 8th day of January, 2026

Timothy Jay Nichols Administrator of the Estate of Charles Edward Nichols Marion “Beth” McQuaid, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043

PUBL/DATES: 01/08/26 01/15/26 01/22/26 01/29/26

Jane Barber MARION “BETH” MCQUAID, Attorney IVEY & EGGLESTON, ATTORNEYS AT LAW 111 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 (336) 625-3043

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Dorothy Ann Lemons Richardson, of Randolph County, NC, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned Executor at the Law O ce of Andrew J. Weiner, 113 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 on or before April 13th 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of heir recovery. All persons indebted to said estate please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 8th day of January 2026. Angie Richardson Turner a/k/a Angela Richardson Turner Dorothy Ann Lemons Richardson, Estate Andrew J. Weiner, Attorney Gavin & Cox 113 Worth Street Asheboro, NC 27203 Telephone: 336-629-2600

ROBESON

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA ROBESON COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 25CV003973-770 PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, Plainti , v. JASON BURKLE, and Spouse of, if any; ELISABETH BURKLE a/k/a Elisabeth Barbee, and Spouse of, if any; SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, AN OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES; and SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC., Substitute Trustee; Defendants. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBaLICATION TO: Jason Burkle Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: The Plainti in the above entitled action has

Page 746, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, on January 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(S): 0406-73-3178 ADDRESS: 1627 KARA COURT FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304 PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): UNKNOWN HEIRS OF DAVID CORNELL BLUE THE LAND DESCRIBED HEREIN IS SITUATED IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND, AND IS DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 11230, PAGE 0428, AS FOLLOWS: ALL THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF LAND SITUATED IN THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, CROSS CREEK TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEING ALL OF LOT 13, IN A SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS BEAVER CREEK NORTH, SECTION FOUR, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SAME BEING DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 84, PAGE 190, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as

prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Shandon Wilson and Naomi Tunstall. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for

well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater,

25-123497

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY

25SP001225-250

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY NICOLE BROOKS AND DON BROOKS DATED SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 11579 AT PAGE 0854 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein

25-123024

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CUMBERLAND COUNTY 25SP001239-250

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY CORNELL

RICHARD LANNING DATED AUGUST 25, 2016 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 9931 AT PAGE 659 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to demand of the holder

22SP000526-250 AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale

contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by BARBARA M WHITE to Philip R. Mahoney, Trustee(s), which was dated May 8, 2018 and recorded on May 8, 2018 in Book 10301 at Page 0198, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county

25SP000393-250

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND

and by virtue of a Power of Sale

in that

executed by Christiane Coronel to

Deed of

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 7027 Kittridge Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28314.

A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on February 4, 2026 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT NO. 657 IN SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS DEVONWOOD SECTION 1, PART 2, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SAME DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 33, PAGE 75, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, NC.

and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Cumberland County courthouse at 11:00AM on January 26, 2026, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Nicole Brooks and Don Brooks, dated September 23, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $399,900.00, and recorded in Book 11579 at Page 0854 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modi ed by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 212 Nairn Street, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Tax Parcel ID: 0532-97-1217

of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Cumberland County courthouse at 11:00AM on January 26, 2026, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Cornell Richard Lanning, dated August 25, 2016 to secure the original principal amount of $63,000.00, and recorded in Book 9931 at Page 659 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modi ed by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 5171 Je erson, Stedman, NC 28391 Tax Parcel ID: 0495-28-5136 Present Record Owners:

courthouse for conducting the sale on January 28, 2026 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit:

BEING all of Lot 224 in a subdivision known as VILLAGE GREEN, SECTION THREE and the same being duly recorded in Book of Plats 47, Page 70, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 6209 Rustic Ridge, Hope Mills, NC 28348.

A certi ed check only (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE

the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are All Lawful Heirs of Carolyn Elaine Larkins.

Present Record Owners: Nicole Brooks and Don Brooks The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Nicole Brooks and Don Brooks. The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property o ered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax

The Heirs of Cornell Richard Lanning The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Heirs of Cornell Richard Lanning. The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property o ered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit

RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Barbara M. White.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant

associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from

to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and

of ve percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any resale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the

of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)].

Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.

Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole

remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431 Oleander Drive Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28403 PHONE: (910) 392-4988 File No.: 25-24859-FC01

BEING ALL OF LOT 93, IN A SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS ROBIN HILLS ESTATES, SECTION 2, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF THE SAME DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 41, PAGE 48, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 6621 Vaughn Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28304.

A certi ed check only (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS

Lovier, Trustee(s), which was dated November 15, 2021 and recorded on November 16, 2021 in Book 11311 at Page 0601, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on January 28, 2026 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit:

having been made in the terms of agreement set forth by the loan agreement secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, ANTHONY MASELLI OR GENEVIEVE JOHNSON, EITHER OF WHOM MAY ACT, having been substituted as Successor Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O cial Records of Cumberland County, North Carolina, in Book 12278, Page 420, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, on January 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: PARCEL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(S): 0415-29-4134 ADDRESS: 4706 OLD SPEARS RD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304 PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): UNKNOWN HEIRS OF PATRICIA JUNE FULLER THE LAND DESCRIBED HEREIN IS SITUATED IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND, AND IS DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 10025, PAGE 142, AS FOLLOWS: THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND, NORTH CAROLINA: BEING ALL OF LOT NO. 10 IN A SUBDIVISION KNOWN AS QUAILRIDGE, SECTION TWO PART THREE, ACCORDING TO A PLAT OF SAME DULY RECORDED IN BOOK OF PLATS 41, PAGE 14, CUMBERLAND COUNTY REGISTRY.

APN: 0415-29-4134

MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Christiane Coronel.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the

parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental

ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of

record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Latasha D Wilson and

of Deloris Marie Wilson c/o Latasha D Wilson, administrator. The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of

25SP001042-310

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, DURHAM COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by David Young and Kayla Young a/k/a Kayla V Young to Cristina Zorrilla, Trustee(s), which was dated August 12, 2022 and recorded on August 12, 2022 in Book 9761 at Page 713, Durham County Registry, North Carolina.

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

25SP001142-310 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF DURHAM IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY SELAM MOGES AND TEWODROS HAILE DATED AUGUST 25, 2022 RECORDED IN BOOK NO. 9768, AT PAGE 939 IN THE DURHAM COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA

NOTICE OF SALE

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements therein contained

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

25SP001814-330

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by John H. Pearson (deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): John Pearson) to Ellison Law Firm, Trustee(s), dated August 31, 2011, and recorded in Book No. RE 3018, at Page 1043 in Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Forsyth County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25SP001590-330

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 160 Montrose Drive, Durham, NC 27707.

A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars

Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on February 6, 2026 at 11:30 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Durham County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING all of Lot 160 of Dunbarton, Section IX, Phase II, and recorded in Plat Book 98, Page 151, in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Durham County, to which plat reference is hereby made for a more particular description of same, together with an easement of ingress, egress and regress over and across the common parking areas to public roads, said easement being for the use and bene t of the owners, lessees, invitees and licensees of the property herein described.

and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Durham County courthouse at 10:00 AM on January 28, 2026, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Durham County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Selam Moges; Tewodros Haile, dated August 25, 2022 to secure the original principal amount of $219,220.00, and recorded in Book No. 9768, at Page 939 of the Durham County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modi ed by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 1401 Robinhood Rd, Durham, NC 27701

door in Winston Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:15 PM on January 28, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Winston Salem in the County of Forsyth, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING known and designated as Lot(s) 90, as shown on the Map of Home Acres, which map is recorded in Plat Book 24, Page 115, in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Forsyth County, North Carolina, reference to which map is hereby made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1539 Benbow Street, Winston Salem, North Carolina.

BEING informally known as 1539 Benbow Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be

($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are David Young and spouse, Kayla Young.

Tax Parcel ID: 113450

The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Selam Moges and Tewodros Haile.

The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property o ered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is

purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)].

subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any resale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing.

A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the

the con rmation of the sale

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS residing at the property: be advised that an Order for Possession of

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Rosalind L. Edwards (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Rosalind L. Edwards) to Brock and Scott, PLLC, James P. Bonner, Trustee(s), dated May 10, 2023, and recorded in Book No. RE 3754, at Page 809 in Forsyth County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds Forsyth County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door in Winston Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:00 PM on February 4, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Winston Salem in the County of Forsyth, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being known and designated as Lot 14, as shown on the plat of Fox Glenn, as recorded in Plat Book 49 Pages 90 and 91, in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Forsyth County, North Carolina, to which reference is hereby made for a more particular description. Situate in the County of Forsyth, State of North Carolina. APN: 6829-03-8485.00 Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5828 Huckleberry Court, Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is

required and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the ling of a bankruptcy petition prior to the con rmation of the sale and reinstatement

2021 New Walkertown Rd, Winston Salem, North Carolina 27101. The Court declare the Deed of Trust recorded on July 16, 2021, in Book RE 3625 at Page 3198 in the Forsyth County Registry is a valid First Lien on the Property as drawn; That the Plainti ’s lien on the Property be foreclosed by judicial sale pursuant to the provisions of N.C.G.S. § 1-339.1, et seq., by the Plainti ’s Counsel or by a Commissioner especially appointed by the Court to serve without bond, with proceeds of the sale applied as follows:

That the Property located at 2021 New Walkertown Rd, Winston Salem, NC 27101 shall be sold at a public sale to the highest bidder.

That Jeremy B. Wilkins is hereby appointed as Commissioner to conduct the sale pursuant to N.C.G.S. §1-339.11.

To the cost of this action; To the compensation allowed by the Court for a person holding the sale pursuant to the N.C.G.S. § 1-339.11; To the amount due to the Plainti under the Note and Deed of Trust, including reasonable fees and costs provided therein; and The surplus, if any, to be paid to the O ce of the Clerk of Superior Court of Forsyth County pending a determination of those persons entitled thereto.

In the alternative, that the Court declares Defendant Derwin L Montgomery holds the Property described herein subject to a constructive trust and equitable lien to the bene t of the Plainti , consistent in all regards with the terms and conditions of the Deed of Trust.

That the Court’s Order, shall be duly recorded in the Forsyth County Register of Deeds and indexed according to those parties named in said Deed of

Fallstown Township, Iredell County, NC: BEING all of Lot 45, INGLEWOOD SUBDIVISION, Section III, as shown on map recorded in the Iredell County Public Registry in Plat Book 12 at Page 39, to which reference is hereby made for more certainty of description.

This conveyance is made subject to all restrictions, easements and rights of way of record, including those for utilities and public roadways.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 410 York Rd, Troutman, NC 28166. A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars

at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Johnston County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING all of Lot 19, Parrish Ridge Subdivision, Phase II, per plat and survey thereof recorded in Plat Book 90, Page 491, Johnston County Registry, to which plat reference is made for a more particular description of same.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 140 Rivercamp Street, Clayton, NC 27527.

A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are

the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are

Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on January 28, 2026 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Richlands in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of that 1.70 acre tract as sown on that plat entitled, “RECOMBINATION OF LOT 10 JENKINS CREEK SECTION I-D AND ADJOINING PROPERTY, RICHLANDS TOWNSHIP, ONSLOW COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA” recorded in Map Book 58, Page 34, Slide M-1108, Onslow County Registry. LESS AND EXCEPT that portion previously conveyed from the Grantor to the Grantee in North Carolina General Warranty Deed recorded May 1, 2008 in Book 3058, page 474, Onslow County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 102 Cypress Knee Drive, Richlands, North Carolina.

SUBJECT to Restrictive Covenants recorded in Book 2808, Page 217 and amended in Book 3040, Page 297, Onslow County Registry.

BEING the same property conveyed to Grantor by instrument recorded on

($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY

PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Tiayna M. Cedillo, unmarried and ZeQuesha M. Holmes-Hutton and husband, Ly Dennis Hutton.

immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY

PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are All Lawful Heirs of Linda Susan Lanoue.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to

of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.

Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole

12/05/2019 at Book 5068, Page 262 in the records of Onslow County, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to three hours as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold

transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being o ered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, ROBESON COUNTY 25 SP 001284-770

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Weslley Pereira, Mortgagor(s), in the original amount of $110,101.00, to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., (“MERS”) as bene ciary, as nominee for Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc., Mortgagee, dated December 8th, 2021 and recorded on December 9th, 2021 in Book D 2320, Page 160, Robeson County Registry. Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the O ce of the Register of Deeds of Robeson County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will o er for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Robeson County, North Carolina, at 10:00 AM on January 29th, 2026, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: Beginning at a stake in the Northern edge of 19th Street, 216 feet from Floyd Avenue, and runs thence North 85 degrees 45 minutes West along the edge of said 19th Street, 54 feet to a stake; thence North 4 degrees 15 minutes East, 108 feet to a stake, thence South 85 degrees 45 minutes East, 54 feet to a stake, Douglas Kinlaw`s corner, thence South 4 degrees 15 minutes West, along Douglas Kinlaw`s line, 108 feet to the beginning corner, being the same lands conveyed to H. W. Stone by F. J. Pait and wife, Eva Mae Pait, by Deed dated January 18, 1945, and Recorded in the o ce of the Register of Deeds of Robeson County, in Book 9-V, at Page 266, to which said Deed reference is here made for further description. See Deed from H. W. Stone and wife, Ernestine Stone, to G. M. Cherry, Sr. and wife, Dorothy Helen Cherry, dated April 4, 1945, and Recorded in Book 9-V, at Page 454, Robeson County Registry.

Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 316 W 19th Street, Lumberton, NC 28358 Tax ID: 321304029 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina General Statutes §105228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty- ve Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof with a maximum amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the

IN BOOK NO. 4088, AT PAGE 310 IN THE UNION COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE

FARM SUBDIVISION, MAP 7, as same is shown on a map thereof recorded in Plat Cabinet L at File 144 in the Union County Public Registry.

Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record.

Said property is commonly known as 1002 Dawn Light Rd, Indian Trail, NC 28079.

A certi ed check only (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS

sale on February 3, 2026 at 12:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Union County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot 82 as shown on plat entitled “Revised Recombination & Subdivision Final Plat of Kellerton Place, Phase 2, Map 2”, recorded in Plat Cabinet Q, File 805-807, a revision of Plat Cabinet Q, File 427-429, in the Union County Public Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 2859 Aubrey Street, Monroe, NC 28110. A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX

Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the above-referenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Union County courthouse at 12:30 PM on January 27, 2026, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Union County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Laurie Lingenfelter, dated March 6, 2006 to secure the original principal amount of $116,950.00, and recorded in Book No. 4088, at Page 310 of the Union County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modi ed by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended.

Address of property: 2035 Beckwith Lane, Waxhaw, NC 28173 Tax Parcel ID: 06141537

BEING ALL OF LOT 39 OF SHANNAMARA, (PHASE II), SECTION I, VILLAGE OF KILKENNY, AS SAME IS SHOWN ON A MAP THEREOF RECORDED IN PLAT CABINET E, AS FILE NO. 483, IN THE UNION COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 2329 Caernarfon Ln, Matthews, NC 28104. A Certi ed Check ONLY (no personal checks) of ve percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are

MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/ are CHRISTOPHER A. OWENS AND WIFE, ASHLEY ELIZABETH OWENS.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the

AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Kiran Kumar Yadav Sontika and spouse, Aparna Goda.

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or

The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Laurie Lingenfelter.

The property to be o ered pursuant to this notice of sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the o cers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property o ered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with

immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY

PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

Said property to be o ered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being o ered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being o ered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/ or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Ernest D. Davis and wife, Bettye W. Davis. An Order for possession of the property may

party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the e ective date of the termination.

Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole

parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided

foreclosure. A deposit of ve percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certi ed funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds

be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be e ective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)].

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. Far more ice and snow could be in the forecast for this weekend.

the BRIEF this week

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all- cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

$2.00

Siler City could be spot for Memorial Day 5K

The community run would give residents a chance to honor veterans

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City looks to be in line to host a new 5K run this year.

At the Siler City Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 12 meeting, the board gave its approval for a Memorial Day 5K run to be held in the town.

The event would be hosted on May 23 and orchestrated by American Legion Snow Camp Post 305.

erybody to attend,” King said.

This also wouldn’t be a competitive run, as no medals will be handed out, but will instead be dedicated to a “memorialization for someone that you hold dear.”

The community run would start and end at the Chatham Rabbit, loop through Bray Park and pass by the West Chatham Veterans Memorial.

“We want to make sure that we make it possible for ev-

“Siler City was the best location because there’s a national guard as well as a veterans memorial,” said Snow Camp Post 305 Commander Christopher King.

Now that the town board has given its blessing, the next steps, per King, are to form a planning committee, secure sponsors and partners, launch marketing and registration campaigns, and coordinate logistics with public safety and local services.

“We need all the support that we can get for everything that we’ve been through for our

Forecasters warn of ‘potentially catastrophic’ winter storm from Texas to Carolinas

Signi cant amounts of snow and ice could be in store

By Je Martin and Haya Panjwani The Associated Press

ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and un-

relenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South.

The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said

Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

Forecasters on Tuesday warned that the ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

“Great swaths” of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

The National Weather Service warned of “great swaths of

“It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi .” Garrett Mitchell

His friends and family urged people to give back “like Bi ” did

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Hundreds in the NASCAR community gathered for a memorial service at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum on Friday for former driver Greg Bi e, his family and others who were killed in a plane crash last month.

NASCAR community mourns Bi e, 6 others killed in plane crash at memorial service See

Bi e was among seven killed along with his wife, Cris-

tina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, when the plane crashed as it returned to the airport in Statesville, according to authorities. Others on the plane were identi ed as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth. Driver/in uencer Garrett Mitchell, known as “Cleetus McFarland” in his YouTube videos and a close friend of Bi e’s, was among those who spoke at the service.

“We have all been saying, ‘Be like Bi ,’ since we lost our hero,”

CRIME LOG

Jan. 12

• Jostin Josue Ramirez-Duarte, 18, of Durham, was arrested for rst degree burglary, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, injury to personal property, felony larceny and nancial card theft.

• Jessica Leann Allen, 36, of Dunn, was arrested for felony larceny and felony injury to property involving nonferrous metal.

• James Warren Edmundson, 32, of Siler City, was arrested for cyberstalking.

Jan. 13

• Randell Scott McKoy, 50, of Pittsboro, was arrested for false pretenses/swindle/con dence game, felony worthless check, securities fraud, securities dealer registration violation, worthless check and obtaining property by false pretense.

Jan. 14

• Guiseppe Lorenzo Cataldo, 49, of Durham, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation and attempt to obtain property by false pretenses.

Jan. 15

• Guiseppe Lorenzo Cataldo, 49, of Durham, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation.

• Willie Douglas Johnson, 63, of Siler City, was arrested for tra cking in methamphetamine, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana up to one half ounce and simple possession of Schedule II and III controlled substances.

Jan. 16

• Diamante Alexander Smith, 28, was arrested for possession of stolen motor vehicle and misdemeanor larceny.

• Tony Ronald McIntosh, 63, was arrested for possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Jan. 17

• Nicholas Aaron French, 39, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, communicating threats, ee and elude arrest with a motor vehicle and possession of open container.

VP Vance, second lady expecting fourth child, couple announces

The new arrival will join Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel

By Ali Swenson The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.

—

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, are expecting a son in late July, they announced in a social media post on Tuesday.

The couple said they were excited to share the news of their fourth child, who will join their other three young kids: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

Vance, 41, and his wife, 40, said in the post that both mother and baby were doing well.

“During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the sta members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” the post read.

The news of the Republican vice president’s growing family comes as he has spent years passionately advocating for Americans to have more children.

Vance repeatedly expressed

CHATHAM happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.

Jan. 22

Bynum Bite Night at BFP

6-8 p.m.

said Mitchell, who befriended Bi e later in his life. “What does that mean? That means to take opportunities when you see them. Whether you are taking opportunity to pass somebody on the track or getting o your couch to chase a dream you have only been talking about for the past ve years.

“It means showing up for your friends and family. It means using your heart to make the world a better place. It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi ,” Mitchell added. Bi e, who was 55, was selected by NASCAR as one of its top 75 drivers in history, was a Hall of Fame nominee for the stock car series and drove for 18 years at the top of the sport.

He drew headlines last year for his tireless humanitarian e orts as a helicopter pilot supplying aid in the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Bi e’s niece, Jordyn Bife, told stories about Ryder’s hero being his father, Emma’s laughter and Cristina’s loving nature.

She said the Bi e family “lived fully, loved deeply and gave freely.”

“Their lives remind us that what matters isn’t how long we are here but how we use the time we are given and how ercely we love while we are here,” Bi e added. “And while this loss is devastating beyond

alarm about declining birth rates as he launched his political career in 2021 with a bid for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. As vice president, he has continued on that mission, saying in a 2025 March for Life speech, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”

The vice president has been accompanied on overseas travels by Usha Vance and their children, the kids usual-

words, their impact remains etched into all of us that were lucky enough to have known them, loved them and be changed by them.”

In the parking lot outside of the coliseum, fans paused to peer inside three race cars Bife drove during his career.

Inside, the pictures of the seven who lost their lives were shown on a videoboard above the makeshift platform in the center of the covered hockey rink. There were seven wreaths on the stage where Mitchell, Bi e and former drivers Je Burton and Phil Parsons addressed the crowd.

Dylan Zirkle, 28, of Archdale, worked one year for Bi e at Roush Racing as a pit support employee while he was in high school.

He said Bi e made a lasting impact on him, and he felt he needed to attend.

“Greg was always a really good guy, and I enjoyed being around him,” Zirkle said. “You could always talk to him at anytime and he was just a real person. You could talk to him about anything.”

Back home, Zirkle still has model racing trucks in his gameroom autographed by Bife that he cherishes.

Zirkle said he didn’t believe the news of the crash when he heard it.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Zircle said. “I was watching some of his YouTube videos the other night, and it just doesn’t seem real at all.”

Tanner Roberts and Jassamin Green made the

ly in pajamas as they board Air Force Two for overnight trips.

Throughout history, it’s been exceptionally rare for the occupants of the highest leadership roles in the U.S. to have children while in o ce. One well-documented exception was President Grover Cleveland, whose wife, Frances Cleveland, gave birth to their second child in 1893 during his second term in o ce.

four-hour trek from Wilmington with their 7-year-old son Bentley after hearing about the memorial.

“He was a good race car driver and I enjoyed him,” Roberts said. “And he was a good person. I grew up watching him and Dale Earnhardt. Them two were my favorites. They were good people and they loved to race.”

The Cessna C550 carrying the Bi e family and the others erupted in ames when it hit the ground shortly after it had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about an hour’s drive north of Charlotte.

The plane crashed while trying to return and land, authorities said.

The crash a week before Christmas left the NASCAR community shaken and was another blow in a long oseason. Ten days later, on the 52nd wedding anniversary of Denny Hamlin’s parents, the house the future Hall of Famer built to repay them for their years of sacri ce burned down. His father, Dennis, was killed, and Mary Lou Hamlin was rushed to a hospital burn unit.

Sheri ’s deputies are also investigating an alleged break-in and theft last week at Bi e’s home in Mooresville that netted $30,000 in cash, some guns and memorabilia. As part of the public tribute, Mitchell planned to do a burnout later Friday near Bife’s marker along the North Carolina Auto Racing Walk of Fame in Mooresville.

If you are an area teen with an inner geek — embrace it with kids who have similar interests at this bimonthly event at BFP. There is a virtual reality (VR) headset on-site so you can go beyond this world for a short time. Bring your projects and games and be ready to discuss your personal passion of the moment! Questions? Call Helbragga (John G.) at 919-593-3559.

Front Porch, Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum

Jan. 24

Photographing the Haw 10-11 a.m.

A new exhibition by award-winning photographer Dr. Kevin Ricker will be on display for one day, courtesy of the Chatham County Community Library. The show is open to the public and admission is free.

Holmes Family Meeting Room 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro

Jan. 27

Goldston America

250 Film Series: “The Congress” by Ken Burns 4-6 p.m.

The Chatham Community Library presents a series of documentaries and lms focused on the history of the United States as part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday this July 4. No registration is required.

Goldston Public Library 9235 Pittsboro Goldston Road Goldston

18-year-old to plead guilty to 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh that killed 5

The suspect’s brother and an o -duty police o cer were among the victims

By Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

RALEIGH — An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty to a 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh that left ve people dead — including his older brother — avoiding a trial next month, his attorneys said Tuesday.

A written notice led in Wake County court by the lawyers for Austin Thompson said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges against him.

Thompson was 15 when authorities believe he went on a killing rampage on Oct. 13, 2022, beginning in his Raleigh neighborhood with his 16-year-old brother. A hearing ahead of his scheduled Feb. 2 trial had been set for Wednesday.

But through the intended plea, Thompson “has decided he wishes to save the community and the victims from as much additional in iction of trauma as possible,” attorneys Kellie Mannette and Deonte’ Thomas wrote. The attorneys didn’t immediately respond to emails Tuesday seeking additional information on the decision.

Thompson’s legal proceedings were delayed in part as he recovered from a gunshot wound that a prosecutor concluded was self-in icted before his arrest. His attorneys say it resulted in a brain injury.

Prosecutors had not revealed a potential motive for the shootings but in a court ling said they had intended to prove Thompson’s actions, among other factors, were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” and that he attempted to avoid custody.

Tuesday’s ling by Thompson’s attorneys said that while “the serious brain injury he suffered has made it such that Austin cannot explain why he committed this shooting, he has always accepted that he did this.”

WRAL-TV VIA AP

Austin Thompson attends a hearing in Wake Superior Court in Raleigh on Jan. 10, 2025.

Thompson was charged as an adult on ve counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault of an o cer with a gun.

A sentencing hearing would be held at a later date after any plea.

Because of his age at the time of the attack, Thompson could not receive the death penalty if convicted. The presiding judge would have to decide whether to sentence him on murder counts to life in prison without parole or with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Tuesday that she was aware of the plea notice. “We are ready to move forward. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Freeman added in a text message later.

Thompson hopes “that the material presented at the sentencing hearing brings as much peace and closure as possible,” his attorneys wrote.

Prosecutors contend that Thompson shot and stabbed his brother James, whose body was found in their home.

Police also said they believed Thompson then shot multiple

heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a “major winter storm”

An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and

the Carolinas, forecasters said. “Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta o ce.

If signi cant accumulations of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees in Atlanta. The city’s high temperature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days.

In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid o an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday. The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic

neighbors on the Hedingham community’s streets, killing o -duty Raleigh police O cer Gabriel Torres, 29, and Nicole Connors, 52. Another neighbor who was wounded survived.

They also alleged that he later fatally shot two others on the nearby Neuse River Greenway trail: Mary Marshall, 34, and Susan Karnatz, 49.

Dressed in camou age with multiple weapons strapped to his belt, Thompson was located by law enforcement in a shed nearby and arrested after an hourslong stando that resulted in another police o cer being wounded. Thompson’s attorneys had indicated last year that they intended to use “diminished capacity” and “voluntary intoxication ... of a prescribed medication” in his defense.

In 2024, Thompson’s father pleaded guilty to improperly storing a handgun that authorities said was found with his son after the shootings. He received a suspended sentence and probation. Investigators seized 11 rearms and 160 boxes of ammunition — some of them empty — from the Thompson home, according to search warrants.

Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a brie ng on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that signi cant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difcult forecast,” Shamburger said.

At an Arkansas hardware store, customers gear up for storm

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a steady stream of customers on Tuesday were stocking up on supplies at Fuller and Son Hardware.

“Right now, parents of young children are getting sleds,” said James Carter, the company’s director of operations.

People were also getting shovels, ice-melting products and covers for outside faucets to keep them from freezing, since low temperatures in the Little Rock area are forecast to fall into the teens, he said.

Church News

OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

As Oakley Baptist Church (2300 Siler City-Glendon Road, Siler City) seeks to begin its next chapter, we are enjoying hearing a word from the Lord from various old and new friends. Our Service begins at 10:30 a.m., but we also have Sunday School classes for every member of the family at 9:30 a.m. We would be blessed if you joined us for any and all of these speakers in the coming weeks.

On Jan. 25, our message will be brought by John Strider, the youth pastor at Oakley. He is the son of Tim Strider, a veteran pastor of over 50 years, and is currently studying to enter the ministry himself. Join us that morning at 8:30 a.m. for a breakfast sponsored by the Brotherhood with all donations going to support the work of Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief (baptistsonmission.org).

Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 brings us Chance Walters (chancewalters. org). Chance grew up at Oakley Baptist Church and started Chance Walters Ministries, through which he evangelizes all over the world.

The Service on Feb. 15 will feature a message from Jason Jones, son of Reverend Walter Jones, an experienced lay speaker from an area church.

On Feb. 22, we’ll hear from Stephanie Moody Sha er, manager of Chaplaincy and Faith Relations for Baptist Retirement Homes (thrivemorenc.org). This is a faith-based, not-for-pro t organization committed to providing quality care and a meaningful way of life for older adults through senior living communities across North Carolina and is linked to the Southern Baptist Convention.

And nally, Spencer Andrews will return on March 1 to speak. Spencer is the former youth pastor at Oakley and is currently ministering at Grace Hill Church in Pittsboro (gracehillchatham.com), a church he helped plant.

We look forward to meeting you at any of these services and in the future and invite you to pray with us as we seek a new pastor. To learn more, go to oakleybaptist.org or email us at oakleybaptistchurch@gmail.com.

5K

country,” said Mayor Donald Matthews, a veteran himself. The board was also presented with the plans for the Siler City Police Department Citizens Academy.

“Throughout 2025, our focus was on providing community-minded service and putting o cers out into the community they serve,” said Chief Brian Regan. The Citizens Academy will be a six-week course that will meet once a week in the spring and aim to help citizens better understand the police department and the work they do.

“The new Citizens Academy initiative will help improve community-police relations by building trust, increasing understanding of our procedures and creating informed, citizen advocates who

“We need all the support that we can get for everything that we’ve been through for our country.”

Mayor Donald Matthews on honoring veterans

share knowledge, can foster collaboration and ultimately to a stronger community engagement with crime prevention and public safety,” Regan said.

The rst day of the academy will be March 12 from 6-8 p.m., and Siler City residents 18 years or older can participate.

The Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 2.

Share with your community!

Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@chathamnewsrecord.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at noon

LUCIFER, THE FALLEN ANGEL

Bible Study: Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:4-9. Church of Living Water; Preacher: James Mitchell.

Lucifer is the name of Satan/Devil. Actually, he was an angel, originally created by God, who served the Lord in righteousness for an undetermined period of time. When he fell, he led a revolution against God, with about one-third of the angels siding with him. Therefore, all the pain, suffering, heartache, death, and deception that have ruled the nations from the very beginning can be laid at the doorstep of this revolution. Lucifer was the head of this rebellion against God. You see the fruit of rebellion against God’s Word in mankind today. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Ever wonder how our children start rebellion so early in life? The answer is, we are all born into sin because fell listening to the serpent Satan. So, the seed of sin passed to all mankind. For all have sinned. Today, we see all the evil because most have rebelled against God. The lying fake news media are reporting their lies for the evil Democrats and a few RINO Republicans. Their minds have been taken over by Lucifer/Satan. Democrats are the most demonic politicians in illegals and criminals. They are giving away our tax dollars to these illegal Somali immigrants that Biden/Harris brought into America. The Democrats in the states have given away our ICE law enforcement which is removing the illegals law enforcement. Thank you, Almighty God, for President Trump, who is saving America and the world. Thank you, God, that you made a way for all sinners to be forgiven. Repent: you must be born again!

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

The soul force of MLK today

King declared to “our most bitter opponents” that “we shall meet your physical force with soul force.”

IN SEMINARY, I was given a copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Strength to Love.” This collection of sermons frequently mentions segregation and Jim Crow, for such laws were among the evils of King’s time. However, his sermons resonate with timeless virtues and not mere situational ethics.

Over the years, I’ve wondered what this great American preacher would have said about the particular place in history in which I found myself reading his sermons. What would King have thought of the rst black president? What guidance might he have o ered during the COVID-19 pandemic? How would he respond to our current president, who claims that the civil rights era led to white people being “very badly treated”?

King was very badly treated in his ministry. In July 1962, he was imprisoned in Albany, Georgia, for the “crime” of holding a prayer vigil outside the city hall. King described this jail as “dirty, lthy and ill-equipped” and “the worst I have ever seen.” Despite these conditions, King wrote sermons about loving enemies.

The notion of loving enemies is straight out of the New Testament and directly from the mouth of Jesus (Matthew 5:44), yet it is arguably the most ignored of his commandments. Most Christians treat this commandment like a suggestion or an ideal that can’t possibly be followed. Some, like Nietzsche, have rejected it as weakness and folly.

But our current president goes a step further and heaps disdain on whomever he perceives as an enemy — an increasingly expanding group of people as his approval rating plummets. Apparently, he counts King in that category, a clear break from his Republican predecessors.

It’s not hard to imagine how King would respond,

Observing the

for he was vili ed and slandered by falsehoods in his lifetime. In one of his sermons, King stated that “loving” is not the same as “liking” your adversaries. Pretending to enjoy the company of those who insult and mock you is “hypocritical and psychologically impossible.” King preached that, while we “cannot will friends,” we can “work our wills for good will to our neighbors, to the stranger and to the enemy.”

King was an eloquent, dynamic preacher, yet he fully understood the power of love in action. Such love was the foundation of his nonviolent resistance. Like another follower of Christ who was often unjustly imprisoned, he urged Christians to “repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17). Instead, King declared to “our most bitter opponents” that “we shall meet your physical force with soul force.”

It’s this “soul force” that speaks to me this year. As our president readies 1,500 soldiers for deployment against his fellow Americans in Minneapolis, as he imposes tari s on our NATO allies in his foolish crusade for Greenland, he believes he displays physical force. But our soul force is greater. Our soul force is our capacity to resist peacefully. Our soul force is our determination to hope and our capacity for joy. Our soul force is acting on our belief that every human has sacred worth, and our soul force recalibrates our thoughts so that we can redirect our energies: “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.

speeds, scenery as we travel along life’s roads

There are the twists and turns, ts and starts, times of speeding and those when we were barely moving.

AS I TRAVEL farther down life’s highway, I realize more and more there are signi cant signposts along the way.

Like their actual counterparts on literal roadways, some are on four-lane major highways or interstates where they are many and large with lots of information. Others are on two-lane state and national highways, while some are on rural paved roads. And then there are those on cart paths or what seem to be only trails.

All are important — in life and on the road — and all are going somewhere.

And we’re on them.

I’ve had some major ones, and so have you.

And there were some minor ones — absolutely and by comparison. Obviously, coming to be was a big deal interstate event, although I don’t remember it. Hard to when you’ve just arrived.

Then there are the twists and turns, ts and starts, times of speeding and those when we were barely moving. Di erent folks have di erent ideas about which are which, but I’m pretty sure you can include graduations, rst jobs, Uncle Sam, marriages, children, retirement and on and on somewhere in the mix of big signs. For many of those, the trips happened long ago and we’ve forgotten some of the details. How was the tra c? How was the weather? Did we have much cash? Who were our fellow travelers. How was the scenery?

Did we run out of gas somewhere along the way?

Others were, of course, memorable. And we often relive them; for instance, we’d better remember our wedding anniversary.

Some signs along the way were ignored; others missed by accident. We took a wrong turn here or there and maybe arrived at a di erent destination from where we set out to go. Sometimes that’s OK; sometimes it’s more than OK. It’s better. The Book tells us that in all things, even wrong roads or turns, God works for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

Sometimes that’s not easy to remember, especially when we have a at tire or run out of gas. At this tender young age in my trip, I’m trying harder than ever to remember that.

Sometimes that means getting o the interstate and enjoying the smaller roads around us. Had one of those the other day. My oldest grandchild stopped being a teenager and my second oldest, who happens to be his sister, became one. Shel took great delight in telling that to her mother, my rst-born from one of those mileposts.

My hope and prayer for me and for you is that we’ll see those mileposts, enjoy and give thanks for them, and take in all the scenery.

Happy motoring …

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

I was so mean

A thread of sadness was welling up in me. Sad about my angry reaction to the busy customer rep. Toddled over to her counter and made amends.

Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor. COLUMN |

PAID A VISIT to my neighborhood grocery store, dearly hoping to see Girl Scouts selling cookies. It’s that time of the year. OK, yes, I was salivating … No Scouts around?! Chocolate thin mints, where are you? I’m in deep, deep need.

Begrudgingly accepting the Scouts’ no - show, and yearning for their wickedly good cookies, I elected to stock up on my all-time fave libation, Diet Dr Pepper (DDP) instead. My DDP 6-pack and I nally made our way to the self-checkout machines. I use my iPhone to pay for just about everything these days. Easy-peasy and I get to show o my whiz-bang tech skills for anyone who might be misled by my silver hair. But … no!! My iPhone was sitting in my car! (Prayers for iPhone safety, quickly initiated.) Guess it’s cash this time. I think I remember how to use that wrinkled paper stu , or so I whispered to myself.

Wanting to exit the store and break open a Diet Dr Pepper. I just love the initial bite of that rst sip on my tongue. But for the life of me, I could not nd the checkout doohickey’s cash insertion point. I’m bending over, craning my neck looking at both sides of the machine, bobbing up, bobbing down. Feeling pretty darn stupid while doing so. I hate feeling stupid. Of course, I also hate being caught looking stupid.

I mashed (as they say in Southern idiom) that customer service button for all it was worth! Was my head spinning round and round on its axis, as in the classic, frightening movie, “The Exorcist”?

Whatever, I was not a sight for sore eyes.

The customer service rep, in the cubicle across from me, was on the phone and could see my obvious frustration. She kept pointing downward. Huh? I’m looking at my feet, the ground. What? Finally, I bent my reluctant body down to a hair above my creaky knees. Oh, there’s that sucker, the cash insertion point. A devil of a machine not ergonomically created for aging bodies.

The customer rep probably saw the pointy daggers in my eyes when I looked up at her. If I were a cat, I’d be spitting. (Do cats actually spit?) Mission accomplished. Dollar bills gobbled down by that unrepentant devil of a machine. My consolation prize, Diet Dr Pepper in hand, ready to bust out of that store. Wait a minute. A thread of sadness was welling up in me. Sad about my angry reaction to the busy customer rep. Toddled over to her counter and made amends. Her eyes softened and she gave me a thumbs up. Absolved. I could breathe again. (I’m very fond of breathing.)

Hauled my Dr Pepper 6-pack out to the car, quickly breaking open a bottle of that incredibly zzy stu . Leaning against the front door, relishing that rst biting sip. All was right with the world in that moment. Yep, peace comes cheaply at times. I just need to notice …

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity.

Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune.

BE IN TOUCH

Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed. These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

Mamdani’s fantasy world of equal outcome

NEW YORK CITY

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability. That is your duty.”

Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.”

— A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10th-grade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for opeds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

obituaries

Nancy Carolyn Doss Hardy

Nov. 3, 1950 – Jan. 8, 2026

Nancy Carolyn Doss Hardy, 75, of Goldston, went to her Heavenly home on Thursday, January 8th, 2026, at UNC Chapel Hill surrounded by family.

Nancy was born November 3rd, 1950, in Lynchburg, VA, to the late Charlie and Alese Johnson Doss. She is preceded in death by her parents; her son, Chuck Lindsay; her brothers, Tom Doss and Charlie Doss; and her sister, Jenny Shaw.

Nancy was a nanny to many and loved taking care of children. She worked at GE in Lynchburg, VA and for Quality Mold here in Siler City. She was kind and generous and never met a stranger. She was

Sandra Bish Mcsween

Oct. 20, 1944 –Jan. 13, 2026

Sandra Bish McSween, 81, of Siler City, North Carolina, passed peacefully at home on January 13, 2026. Born and raised in Siler City, Sandy was a graduate of Jordan-Matthews High School. She devoted her daughter’s early years to being

Peggy Alice Johnson Cockman

May 5, 1937 – Jan. 12, 2026

Peggy Alice Johnson Cockman, 88, of Siler City, passed away on Monday, January 12th, 2026, at Randolph Hospice House.

Peggy was born on May 5th, 1937, in Chatham County, to the late Oren Taylor and Myrtle Womble Johnson. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, William “Billy” Larry Cockman; her son, Larry Taylor Cockman; and her brother, Rufus Johnson, Sr.

Peggy worked as a teacher’s assistant and loved teaching the children. She loved planting

one of those people that would give you the shirt o her back if you needed it. She always put her family rst and loved them wholeheartedly. She was always taking care of others. She loved owers and cooking. She was especially known for her sweet potato pie. She loved Christmas and decorating for it. She was put in the local paper and was dubbed “The Santa Lady”. She also loved “Bigfoot” and enjoyed anything that was about bigfoot. Nancy also loved animals and was known to take care of them also.

Left to cherish Nancy’s memory is her husband of 33 years, Dallas Junior Hardy of the home; her daughter, Tammy Lindsay of Goldston; her grandchildren, Lyndsay Hamilton and her husband, Jon, Courtney Lindsay, Taylor Lindsay, and Alex Lindsay; her great grandchildren, Scarlet, Mia, Liam, Greyson, and Dallas; her brother, James Doss and his wife, Brenda; her nieces, Wanda and Shelby; and her faithful companion, Cy.

There will be a visitation Saturday, January 17th, 2026, from 5-7 pm, at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Hardy family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

a stay-at-home mother. Once her daughter began school, Sandy generously gave her time volunteering at Chatham Trades, later working part-time at Bish Military Surplus. She ultimately retired early to care for her aging parents.

Sandy found joy in life’s simple and meaningful pleasures. She loved to cook, garden, and read. She had a special eye for folk art and North Carolina pottery and was a devoted animal lover, providing a home for stray animals over many decades.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Lou Bish. She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, John McSween; her daughter, Mary; and her grandson, Alex. In accordance with Sandy’s wishes, no service will be held. Those who wish to honor her memory are encouraged to make a donation to Chatham Animal Rescue & Education.

owers and being outdoors. She loved watching the birds and deer on Johnson hill. When she wasn’t outside, she was watching Carolina basketball. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Siler City. She loved spending time with her family and making memories with them.

Left to cherish her memory is her daughter, Kim Cockman of Siler City; her precious yorkie, Little Boy; numerous nieces and nephews; and many special friends.

A graveside service will be held Saturday, January 17th, 2026, at 2 pm, at Hickory Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery, with services being o ciated by Reverend Allen Admire.

In lieu of owers, donations can be made to First Baptist Church, 314 N. 2nd Ave. Siler City, NC 27344, Hickory Mountain Baptist Church, 1094 Mt. Vernon Hickory Mountain Rd. Siler City, NC 27344, or Randolph Hospice House, 446 Vision Dr. Asheboro, NC 27203. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Cockman family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Dwight Douglas Lindley Sr.

June 3, 1944 – Jan. 12, 2026

Dwight Douglas Lindley Sr., 81, of Siler City, North Carolina, peacefully passed away on January 12, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on June 3, 1944, in Siler City, Dwight was the son of Charlie Jabus Lindley and Lucille Pegg Lindley. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved grandson, Timothy Neill Cameron Jr., and his brothers, Phil Lindley and Michael Lindley.

Dwight was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather who found his greatest joy in being with “his girls.” Family meant everything

Wanda Whitaker Garner

July 11, 1948 – Jan. 14, 2026

Wanda Whitaker Garner of Carthage, NC, went home to be with the Lord on January 14, 2026, while surrounded by her family. She is now peacefully reunited with her husband, Don Garner. Wanda was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many people in the community. Wanda was born in Moore County on July 11, 1948. She was the daughter of the late Elmer Whitaker and Oma Campbell Whitaker. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don

to him. He retired from Wren Brothers after many years of faithful and dedicated service. Known for his warm smile and friendly nature, Dwight truly never met a stranger and was always ready to lend a helping hand, guided by a generous and caring heart.

We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.

Lindley; his daughters, Donna Lindley Cameron (Timothy) and Susan Thomas Buchanan; his sons, Dwight Douglas Lindley, Jr. (Paula) and Todd Thomas; his granddaughters, Morgan Cameron, Andie Jo Lindley, and Abby Buchanan; and his grandson, Charlie Lindley.

He took great pride in tending his garden and keeping a beautiful yard. Dwight was an avid Green Bay Packers fan, enjoyed watching tractor pulls, and loved sharing jokes and stories that lled rooms with laughter. He found peace outdoors and was especially known for the cakes he baked—each one made with love and joy for those whom he cared.

A man of strong and unwavering faith, Dwight loved gospel music and faithfully served as a deacon at Rocky River Baptist Church, where he was a devoted member for many years. He shared a special bond with his father and deeply treasured the time they spent together. He also loved shing and being outdoors, particularly when it meant spending time with his beloved “Bo Dog.” Dwight’s life was a beautiful re ection of faith, hard work, kindness, and an enduring love for his family.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Martha Brewer

Garner. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Wilton Ray Whitaker and Roy Whitaker; and her sisters, Shirley Walsh and Sybil Garner. Wanda devoted her life to caring for others. She served as Postmaster in Glendon and Bennett, NC. She later ran a home daycare, caring for many children, including her own grandchildren. Known for her sense of humor, welcoming home, and excellent cooking, Wanda’s strong faith guided her life. She and her husband also founded the Five Mile Flea Market on Joel Road in Carthage, NC, re ecting their shared love for people and community. From an early age, Wanda shared her faith through music. She sang with her sisters as a member of The Whitaker Girls, a Southern Gospel group that performed in churches, at revivals, and on local radio. Their harmonies continued to bless family gatherings for many years. She is survived by her three sons, Brian Phillips of Carthage, NC; Kevin Phillips (Kellie) of Conover, NC; and Shannon Phillips of Highfalls, NC; her stepdaughter, Donna Garner Murphy (Brad) of Glendon, NC;

A service will be held on Friday, January 16, at 11:00 a.m. at Smith & Buckner Chapel. Following the service, the family will welcome friends and loved ones to Dwight and Martha’s home (2347 S. 2nd Ave. Ext., Siler City, NC 27344) to share memories and celebrate his life. In lieu of owers, memorial donations may be made to Rocky River Baptist Church (4436 Siler City Snow Camp Road, Siler City, NC 27344) or Liberty Hospice (401 E. 3rd Street, Siler City, NC 27344) in honor of Dwight’s memory.

Dwight Douglas Lindley, Sr. leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and kindness and will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who were blessed to know him.

Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Lindley family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

and her stepson, Ryan Garner (Kim) of Highfalls, NC. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Jacob Phillips of Bennett, NC; Hannah Phillips of Charlotte, NC; Samuel Phillips of Carthage, NC; Maddy Phillips of Conover, NC; Jack Phillips of Conover, NC; Makayla Garner of Highfalls, NC; and Van Ritter of Glendon, NC; her siblings, Janet Frye of Albemarle, NC; Lucille Collins (Billy) of Vass, NC; Bonnie Garner of Vass, NC; and Gail Gathagan (Gene) of Knoxville, TN; Russell Whitaker (Mary Ruth) of Carthage; as well as multiple nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly.

On Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Yates Thagard Baptist Church in Carthage, NC, a visitation will take place at 2:00 pm. Then, a Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00 pm with Sammy Frye o ciating. Burial will follow at Yates Thagard Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest beside her husband. In lieu of owers, donations may be made in memory of Wanda Garner to Gentiva Hospice (1836 Doctors Drive, Sanford, NC 27330) or Yates Thagard Baptist Church (3820 Vass-Carthage Road, Carthage, NC 28327).

James “Jimmy” Franklin War ord

Sept. 8, 1940 – Jan. 15, 2026

James “Jimmy” Franklin War ord, born September 8, 1940, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was a pillar of the Siler City, North Carolina community for decades, leaving a lasting legacy through service, leadership, and mentorship.

Coach War ord devoted more than 30 years to JordanMatthews High School, where he served as a long-time baseball

coach, athletic director, and multisport coach. In recognition of his extraordinary commitment and impact, the Jordan-Matthews baseball eld was named in his honor upon his retirement. He also coached football at both the junior varsity and varsity levels and served as the junior varsity women’s basketball coach. His contributions to Jordan-Matthews athletics were further honored with his induction into the JordanMatthews Hall of Fame.

A former collegiate athlete, Jimmy War ord played baseball at Mars Hill University prior to beginning his distinguished coaching career. Known simply as “Coach” to generations of students and athletes, he was respected not only for his knowledge of the game, but for the character, discipline, and care he instilled in those he coached.

To many, he was far more than a coach; he was a mentor, role model, and friend.

He married the love of his life, Linda Cowan War ord, on June 22, 1968. She preceded him in death.

Beyond athletics, Jimmy was deeply rooted in the Siler City

ROBIN LOU FLYER

AUG. 17, 1943 – JAN. 18, 2026

community. He was an active member of First Baptist Church of Siler City and a proud member of the Freemasons, living out his faith and values through service to others.

Jimmy also honorably served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Specialist Four (E-4) He is survived by his daughters, Mary Beth Cooke and Jenny Lind DeWeese; his sons-in-law, Buddy Cooke and Brad DeWeese; and his beloved grandchildren, CharlieMae Cooke, Wade Cooke, Reece Cooke, Addalyn DeWeese, Brinley DeWeese, Harlow DeWeese, and Axton DeWeese.

Coach Jimmy War ord’s in uence extended far beyond the eld. He was a coach and a friend to everyone he met, and his legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched through leadership, kindness, and unwavering dedication to his community.

Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the War ord family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Mrs. Robin Lou Flyer, 82, of Bear Creek, NC, went to her Heavenly home on Sunday, January 18, 2026.

Robin was born on August 17, 1943, in Texas, to Charles Rickard and Floy Lou Mordo Rickard.

Robin is a graduate of Kent State University and taught adult services education. Her passions included a homesteading lifestyle, growing vegetables in her garden and canning what she harvested. She lost her son, Matthew Thomas Flyer on October 24, 2025.

Surviving Robin is her high school sweetheart and husband of 55 years, Thomas Flyer, of the home and her daughter-in-law, Lynn Flyer, of Goldston, NC.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.

Mildred Joann Lindley

Sept. 23, 1934 –Jan. 11, 2026

Mildred JoAnn Lindley, age 91, passed away January 11th, 2026, at Liberty Commons Skilled Nursing in Burlington, NC. She was born in Alamance County on September 23rd, 1934, but lived most of her life in the Silk Hope community of Chatham County. She was the daughter of the late Harlow and Ruth H. Lindley. JoAnn was also preceded in death by her brother, Gerald V. Lindley, wife Shirley, and great nephew, Joseph Leitch, III. After graduating from Silk Hope High School in 1952, she began her career at Siler City Manufacturing Hosiery Mill in Siler City. She retired 55 years later from the same location which had changed ownership several times through the years. JoAnn was on a bowling team in Siler City for several decades. She was a lifelong member of South Fork Friends Church where she sang in the choir for 70+ years and in a trio and mixed chorus along the way. She was a devoted member of the church missionary society and served for many years on the home visitation committee. One

of her greatest joys in life was spending time with her brothers’ families (Gerald and Harry). Although she never married, she claimed her multiple nephews and nieces as her children and her great nephews and nieces as her grandchildren. To them she was a ectionately known as “JoJo”. Prior to entering the nursing facility, she lived 17.5 years with her niece Melanie and Joe Reece and their children, Ruthie, Caroline, Eleanor, and James.

JoAnn is survived by her brother, Harry Lindley and his wife, Brenda; nephews, Greg Lindley and his wife, Toni, Michael Lindley, Kevin Lindley and his wife, Julie, Erik Lindley and his wife, Denise; nieces, Jamie Lamm and her husband, Je , Melanie Reece and her husband, Joe; great nephews, Graham Lindley and his son, Rylan, Brock Lindley, and James Reece; great nieces, Stacey Walker and her husband, Cody and their daughter, Joy, Emma Claire Lindley, Ruthie Vickrey and her husband, Landon, Caroline Reece, Evey Lindley, Ember Lindley, Eleanor Reece, and Eden Lindley.

The service will be held at South Fork Friends Church on Friday, January 16th, 2026, at 11:00 am with her pastor, Reverend Dr. Daniel Thames. Visitation and reception will follow in the church chapel. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

In lieu of owers, please make a donation to South Fork Friends Music Fund in c/o Judi Harris, South Fork Friends Church, 359 South Fork Bethel Road, Snow Camp, NC 27349. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Lindley family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

Dilbert comic creator Scott Adams dead from cancer at 68

The author and commentator had been ghting prostate cancer

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

SCOTT ADAMS, whose popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern o ce culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks, has died. He was 68.

His rst ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced the death last Tuesday on a livestream posted on Adams’ social media accounts. Adams revealed in 2025 that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Miles had said he was in hospice care in his Northern California home last Monday.

“I had an amazing life,” the statement said in part. “I gave it everything I had.”

At its height, “Dilbert,” with its mouthless, bespectacled hero in a white short-sleeved shirt and a perpetually curled red tie, appeared in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in at least 70 countries and 25 languages.

Adams was the 1997 recipient of the National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award, con-

sidered one of the most prestigious awards for cartoonists. That same year, “Dilbert” became the rst ctional character to make Time magazine’s list of the most in uential Americans.

The collapse of “Dilbert” empire

It all collapsed quickly in 2023 when Adams, who was white, repeatedly referred to black people as members of a “hate group” and said he would no longer “help black Americans.” He later said he was being hyperbolic, yet continued to defend his stance. Almost immediately, newspapers dropped “Dilbert” and his distributor, Andrews McMeel Universal, severed ties with the cartoonist. The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, decided to keep the “Dilbert” space blank for a while “as a reminder of the racism that pervades our society.” A planned book was scrapped. “He’s not being canceled. He’s experiencing the consequences of expressing his views,” Bill Holbrook, the creator of the strip “On the Fastrack,” told The Associated Press at the time. “I am in full support with him saying anything he wants to, but then he has to own the consequences of saying them.”

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IN SEARCH OF SOMEONE

I met you at Dollar Tree in Siler City, you paid for a Birthday Gift Bag. I want to meet you again to thank you. I live on Hwy.902 at 11348, Bear Creek, NC. My phone # is 919-837-5280.

the maximum income to qualify for 2025 tax deferment is $58,200. If you meet the quali cations your taxes could be signi cantly lowered. Please contact our o ce or visit our website for more details on this program and to obtain an application.

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR DISABLED VETERANS: This program excludes the rst forty- ve thousand dollars ($45,000) of the appraised value of a permanent residence owned and occupied by a North Carolina Resident, who is an Honorably Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran, or the unmarried surviving spouse of an Honorable Discharged 100% Disabled Veteran. Please contact our o ce or visit our website for more details about this program. Chatham County Tax Department P O Box 908, Pittsboro NC 27312 (919) 542-8250

NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM

The undersigned, Autumn Shuke Norris, having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Joyce Carter Shuke, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the Estate to present such claims to the undersigned in care of the undersigned’s Attorney at their address on or before April 24, 2026 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms, and corporations indebted to the said Estate will please make immediate payment to the above named Administrator CTA. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. Autumn Shuke Norris, Administrator CTA Estate of Joyce Carter Shuke Daniel Jenkins, Esq. Carolina Estate Planning 380 Knollwood St. Suite 500 Winston Salem, NC 27103 January 22, 29, Feburary 5 and 12, 2026

NOTICE

Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Annie Faye Braxton, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations, having claims against the said estate to present them to the undersigned at 1153 Hu man Mill Road,Burlington, NC 27215 on or before the 9th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations, indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment. This the 8th day of January, 2026. Janet F. Braxton, Administrator Seth M. Gerringer, Attorney Deal Law, PLLC 1153 Hu man Mill Road Burlington, NC 27215 Publication Dates: Jan. 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2026

NOTICE

ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Carol Triplett Robbins a/k/a Carol T. Robbins, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 15th, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 15th day of January 2026. Antony Derek Roberson, Executor Estate of Carol Triplett Robbins c/o Roberson Law Firm 1829 E. Franklin St., Ste. 800C Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Run Dates: 1/15, 22, 29, 2/5

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

25E000680-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Walter D. Jones, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of John T. Jones, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of April 15, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 15th day of January 2026.

Walter D. Jones

Administrator

Marie H. Hopper

Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

26E000025-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Barbara Moore, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of James McGrath, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of April 20, 2026 or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 22nd day of January 2026.

Barbara Moore Executor

Marie H. Hopper

Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post O ce Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE OF PRIMARY ELECTION

CHATHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

The statewide primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote.

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without ID.

Voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. Find out more at ncsbe. gov/voter-id.

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. The following precincts will be open on Election Day: 3-Albright-9-Bonlee-15-BynumGLD118-Goldston-MON113-Moncure-21-HadleyCRD118-Crossroads-30-Hickory Mountain-ECL109-East Chapel-WCL108-West Chapel-42-Jordan Lake- WPP114-West Pittsboro-EPP112-East Pittsboro-ESC114-East Siler City-85-West Siler City75-East Williams-NWM117-North Williams-78-West Williams

Early voting will be held at the following locations from Thursday, February 12, 2026, through Saturday, February 28, 2026.

• Chatham County Agriculture Conference Center-1192 US -64 BUS, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (County Board of Elections o ce In Lieu of Site)

• Goldston Town Hall – 40A Coral Ave., Goldston, NC 27312

• Earl B. Fitts Community Center – 111 S. Third Ave., Siler City, NC 27312

• CCCC Health Science Center – 75 Ballentrae Ct., Pittsboro, NC 27312

• New Hope Baptist Church – 581 New Hope Church Rd., Apex, NC 27523

Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM

Saturday – February 14th & 21st 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Sunday – February 22nd 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Saturday – February 28th

8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Last Day)

Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning January 12, 2026

Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on March 3, 2026. A voter can ll out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe.gov, or by lling out a request form provided by the county board of elections o ce.

The request must be received through the website or by the Chatham County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. February 17, 2026.

In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the general election on November 3rd. Contests on the ballot include U. S. Senate, U.S. House, N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, N.C. House and Senate, and county o ces. In the primary, voters a liated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party, if their party has a primary. Una liated voters may choose to vote in any party’s primary, but they may select only one party’s ballot.

The Board of Elections will meet on the following dates at 5:00 PM for the purpose of approving absentee ballots.

January 27th February 3rd February 10th February 17th February 24th March 2nd March 3rd

The voter registration deadline for this election is 5 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2026. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. Individuals registering to vote at an early voting site will be required to provide current documentation of their residence (for example, a government ID, other government document, or a paycheck, bank statement, or utility bill). Voters who wish to change party a liation must do so by the February 6 deadline.

Questions? Call the Chatham County Board of Elections O ce at 919-545-8500 or send an email to elections@chathamcountync.gov

Tad VanDusen, Chair Chatham County Board of Elections

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Seth Andrew Laws late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 8th day of January, 2026.

Kelli Denise Laws, Administrator Of the Estate of Seth Andrew Laws 2621 Arthur Teague Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344

MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of William Larry Cockman late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 6th day of January, 2026. Kimberly Rose Cockman, Executor Of the Estate of William Larry Cockman 1034 Stage Coach Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS

CHATHAM COUNTY

HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Sue Loy late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 8th day of January, 2026. Robyn Thomas Walker, Executor Of the Estate of Sue Loy 69 Fox Chapel Lane Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE

ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629

SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the Executor does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to F. Gordon Battle, Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson, c/o Patrick E. Bradshaw, Attorney for the Estate, at Bradshaw Robinson Slawter & Rainer LLP, PO Box 607, Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 15th day of April, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the Executor. This 8th day of January, 2026. F. Gordon Battle Executor of the Estate of Mary Dianitia Hutcheson Patrick E. Bradshaw Bradshaw Robinson Slawter & Rainer LLP PO Box 607 Pittsboro, NC 27312 (For Publication: 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 and 1/29/2026)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

25E000017-180 ALL persons having claims against Robert James Gabor, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Apr 22 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 22nd day of January, 2026. Robert Gabor, Jr., Executor C/O Alisa Hu man, PLLC 701 E. Chatham Street, Ste. 209 Cary, NC 27511 J22, 29, 5 and 12

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25 E 00695-180

The undersigned LYNN S. CRAYCROFT, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ARLINE J. SENKPIEL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000683-180

The undersigned ANGELA CAMILLE CLINE, having quali ed on the 22ND Day of DECEMBER 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of BLANCHE ELIZABETH CLINE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026. ANGELA CAMILLE CLINE, ADMINISTRATOR 1268 WILSON ROAD GOLDSTON, NC 27252 MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: LEWIS FADELY, PLLC 119 N FIR AVE. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000022-180 The undersigned JEREMY KNOTT AND TRACEY JONES, having quali ed on the 9TH Day of JANUARY 2026 as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the Estate of CAROLYN ANNE KNOTT aka ANNE PRINCE KNOTT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. JEREMY KNOTT, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 430 JOHNSON FARM ROAD NEW HILL, NC 27562 MAIL TO: TRACY JONES, CO-ADMINSTRATOR 791 KODIR WOMBLE DRIVE NEW HILL, NC 27562 Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#26E000002-180 The undersigned BARBARA GILMORE, having quali ed on the 2ND Day of JANUARY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DAVID CLARK GILMORE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026. BARBARA GILMORE, ADMINISTRATOR 217 QUINTER DRIVE CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000693-180 The undersigned RICKY DAYE, aka RICHARD L. DAYE, having quali ed on the 30TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of MARY H. MERTENS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 15th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 15th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. RICKY DAYE aka RICHARD L. DAYE, EXECUTOR 5328 CHIMNEY SWIFT DRIVE WAKE FOREST, NC 27587 Run dates: J15,22,29,F5,p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000665-180

The undersigned KEENAN B. JONES, RYAN L. JONES, AND KARA J. OLDHAM, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of DECEMBER 2025 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of RODGER L. JONES, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 8th Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 8th DAY OF JANUARY 2026. KEENAN B. JONES, CO-EXECUTOR 1473 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 KARA J. OLDHAM, CO-EXECTUTOR 1482 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: RYAN L. JONES, CO-EXECUTOR 1642 ZEB BROOKS ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: J8,15,22,29

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#24E001413-180

The undersigned MAURICE A. WICKER, having quali ed on the 5TH Day of AUGUST 2024 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of LORENA EASTRIDGE WICKER aka LORENA E. WICKER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 22ND Day OF APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 22ND DAY OF JANUARY 2026.

MAURICE A. WICKER, ADMINISTRATOR 369 RC OVERMAN ROAD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J22,29,F5,12p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM

The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor, the Estate of Robert E. Allen, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said Decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before April 30, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment.

This the 16 day of January, 2026.

Vicky LeGrys, Executor 111 Pokeberry Lane, Pittsboro NC 27312

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor. A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one

of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant AG

actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to Florida pad ahead of astronaut launch

as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apol-

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

lo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.

theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court lings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October.

Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased

threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ash-bang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

CHATHAM SPORTS

Northwood’s Bakari Watkins celebrates his 1,00th career point after his second basket against

Watkins scores 1,000th point as Northwood routs Jordan-Matthews

The Chargers improved to 3-0 in conference play

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — Northwood senior Bakari Watkins made sure his performance matched the occasion during the Chargers’ 75-36 win over Jordan-Matthews on Friday.

On his way to a 19-point and eight-assist performance, Wat-

kins notched his 1,000th career point with his second make of the game, becoming the fourth Charger to reach the milestone in four seasons. He amassed most of his points in his three seasons at Carrboro.

“It’s been a goal I’ve had for a while now since December before freshman year,” Watkins said. “Just to nally achieve it means a lot to me.

Going into the game, I knew it was four points I needed, so I had to score early and keep

focus on winning the game.”

After a stoppage of play to celebrate and honor Watkins for his achievement, he went right back to work. He dropped three more buckets, starting 5 for 5 from the eld and leading the Chargers to a 19-6 lead by the end of the rst quarter. Watkins found success with strong nishes at the rim and mid-range jump shots while also creating looks for his teammates.

“Tonight really showed what

Seaforth’s Gabe Rogers holds his 150-win poster with coaches Pete Rogers and Fredy Stroker.

Rogers

notches career milestone, Seaforth wins big at senior night quad

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

“A lot of hard work went into it, and it’s nice to nally get the accomplishment.” Gabe Rogers

“It’s

With his 150th win imminent, Rogers, the future Binghamton University grappler, approached his milestone-clinching bout “like any other match.”

on

he can do on the oor,” Northwood coach Matt Brown said.

“I think tonight was one of his better games, and hopefully we can build on that. He’s coming along really nicely and t into the system, and he’s very coachable. I’m just really happy for him.”

Northwood senior Cam Fowler also scored 19 points, including 11 in the rst half, to get the win.

Eight di erent Chargers made a shot in their second quarter surge in which they outscored Jordan-Matthews 25-11 for an 44-20 lead at halftime.

For most of the rst half, Northwood forced the Jets into tough shots, and its trap defense led to multiple turnovers that turned into points on the other end.

Fowler and senior Chad Graves, who nished the night with 13 points, carried that momentum into the second half,

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Northwood is still undefeated in 2026 after a 67-54 win over Garner at the Garner MLK Showcase Saturday. Seaforth had six players score in double digits, including a team-high 20 points from senior Campbell Meador, to edge Eastern Alamance 83-80 in overtime on Jan. 15. Tied at 76 with under four minutes to play in overtime, junior Cole Davis’ steal and assist to senior Patrick Miller for an and-one sparked a late surge for the Hawks. The following night, South Granville snapped Seaforth’s six-game win streak and handed the Hawks their rst conference loss 79-59. Woods Charter extended its win streak to six with wins over Research Triangle (54-42) and Clover Garden (47-41). Junior Levi Haygood led the Wolves in scoring, posting double-doubles in both games. Chatham Central fell to Winston-Salem Prep in overtime 65-62 Friday.

Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

Central Tar Heel 1A: T1.

combining for 14 of Northwood’s 20 third quarter points. Jordan-Matthews shot 39% from the oor and was held to less than 50 points for the sixth time this season. Sophomore Matthew Victorino scored a team-high 11 points for the Jets, who fell to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in Four Rivers 3A/4A conference play with the loss. Northwood improved to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play with its third straight win. As of Friday, the Chargers have

“I think tonight was one of (Watkins’) better games, and hopefully we can build on that.” Matt Brown 2

Double-doubles for Levi Haygood in the Wolves’ two wins last week

Woods Charter (11-3, 4-0); T1. Southern Wake (11-4, 3-0); T1. Chatham Charter (11-7, 3-0); 4. Clover Garden (5-9, 3-2); 5. Ascend Leadership (3-14, 1-3); 6. River Mill (1-15, 1-5); Central Carolina (1-12, 0-5) Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1. South Stokes (14-2, 5-0); T1. Bishop McGuinness (12-3, 4-0); T3. College Prep and Leadership (5-12, 3-3); T3. Winston-Salem Prep (7-10, 3-3); 5. North Stokes (4-12, 2-3); 6. Chatham Central (9-6, 1-4); 7. South Davidson (0-15, 0-5) Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Northwood (11-4, 3-0); T1. Southwestern Randolph (8-6, 2-0); T3. Uwharrie Charter (10-5, 1-1); T3. Jordan-Matthews (8-8, 1-1); T5. Eastern Randolph (2-11, 0-2); T5. North Moore (4-7, 0-3) Big Seven 4A/5A: T1. Seaforth (9-5, 4-1); T1. Webb (7-7, 4-1); 3. Orange (4-11, 3-1); 4. South Granville (7-7, 3-2); 5.

Cam Fowler

Northwood, boys’ basketball

Northwood senior Cam Fowler earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Jan. 12.

In the Chargers’ win over Jordan-Matthews on Friday, Fowler logged 19 points, four assists and three steals. He followed that with a season-high 31 points to help Northwood down Garner 67-54 at the Hoopstate MLK Showcase Saturday.

Fowler has once again led the scoring e ort for Northwood this season, averaging 20 points per game. He has scored at least 10 points in every game this season, including greater than 20-point performances in three of the Chargers’ last four games as of Sunday.

War ord, longtime J-M baseball coach, dead at 85

The J-M Athletics Hall of Famer coached from 1981-2010

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

WHETHER HE GREETED you with his renowned smile or lit a re under you as a player, Jimmy War ord, the longtime baseball coach at Jordan-Matthews, valued balance.

He knew when it was time to share his “tremendous sense of humor,” and he knew when it was time to be serious. But for many decades of his life, it was always time for the Jets.

“Nobody bled royal blue more than Jimmy,” John Phillips, former Jordan-Matthews basketball coach and athletic director said.

War ord, 85, died Jan. 15, days after su ering injuries from a fall. His funeral service will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Siler City.

Although his physical presence will no longer be felt at the Jordan-Matthews athletic facilities where he was often found, his legacy and memories live on through his family, the lives he touched and the baseball eld that bears his name.

Born on Sept. 8, 1940, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, War ord began his journey in Jordan-Matthews athletics as a pioneer.

War ord, a 1959 Jordan-Matthews graduate, scored the rst touchdown on the eld at what is now Phil E. Senter Stadium.

“The joke was it was a 1-yard run, and it got 1-yard longer every year, and he got so old that it was a 90-yard run,” Phillips said.

After graduating, War ord played baseball at Mars Hill. He also served in the U.S. Army.

War ord taught and coached at West Montgomery High School from 1968-72. He returned to Siler City and served as the town’s rst recreation director for seven years, and he also served as the rst community schools coordinator for Chatham County Schools.

In the fall of 1981, War ord returned to his alma mater as a health and physical education teacher and the varsity baseball coach.

Ti any Tyson, a former track and eld athlete at Jordan-Matthews who grew close with the War ord family, was one of his P.E. students and remembered

“Nobody bled royal blue more than Jimmy.”

John Phillips

him always being “joyful” with a smile on his face.

“We could go talk to him about anything,” Tyson said. “In P.E. class, he would get on the court and play basketball with us. He was always active in P.E. class with us. That’s how he always kept us going.”

War ord coached the baseball team from 1982-2010, including eight seasons after retiring from teaching in 2002.

He led the Jets to multiple state playo appearances, and he also coached the local American Legion program. Warfford was inducted into the Jordan-Matthews Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Nobody out there is like Coach War ord,” Rick Parks, a 2001 Jordan-Matthews baseball alum, said. “He was one of a kind. He was very knowledgeable in the game of baseball, and I had the privilege of playing four years for him.”

Parks even got the opportunity to coach against War ord when he became Northwood’s baseball coach in 2007, and he made sure his team played well and with good sportsmanship in their meetings. From Warfford, Parks implemented his relaxed and patient approach to the game into his own coaching style.

“It’s kind of like playing in front of your dad,” Parks said about his matchups with Warfford as a coach. “I was in the middle of my junior season, and

that’s when my dad passed away. I think that’s part of the reason I became so close to so many coaches at J-M.” Said Parks, “Coach War ord even helped get a game moved because the funeral service was on the day of the game. We were supposed to play Chatham Central.”

For many years, War ord’s dedication to high school sports was a year-round a air. From 1981-88, War ord coached junior varsity football in the fall and junior varsity basketball in the winter prior to his baseball seasons. After stepping away from JV basketball, he continued leading JV football through 1996.

“He used to love the play called 22 power,” Husani Williams, who played JV football for War ord said. “My favorite memory all time is when he used to come in that football huddle, grab me by the shoulder, and he’d say, ‘Let’s get it right, Husani. Let’s get it right.’ And then, he’ll say the play. And when he said that, I knew he meant business.”

At home, War ord was a dad to Mary Beth Cooke and Jenny Lind DeWeese (2007 Jordan-Matthews Athletics Hall of Fame inductee). He and his wife, Linda, were married for 43 years until her death in 2011. Jordan-Matthews named its baseball eld in War ord’s honor during the nal regular season game of the 2008 season against Chatham Central.

After his decades-long service to Jordan-Matthews athletics, War ord still found time for it. He continued to come around the school to watch games and maintain the baseball eld where his name lives on forever.

Oliver reaches historic heights for Woods Charter girls’ basketball

The senior became the school’s rst girl to reach 1,000 points

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CHAPEL HILL — Minutes before the Woods Charter girls’ basketball team tipped o at home against Clover Garden Friday, fans shu ed around for scarce seating, and to the right, the entire team warmed up with “1,000” on its back.

After tipo , even when “ohs” of disappointment followed the early misses, it was always a matter of when, never if, history would be made that night.

With her second made 3 of the game in the second quarter, senior guard Wesley Oliver ended the anticipation. Oliver became Woods Charter’s rst girl to reach 1,000 career points and the second player in school history to reach the milestone after girls’ basketball assistant coach Fleet Morgan. Coming into Friday’s game, Oliver only needed four points.

“I was super nervous not just because of the points but also

ROUNDUP from page B1

Carrboro (1-13, 1-3); 6. Durham

School of the Arts (6-10, 1-4); 7. Cedar Ridge (2-11, 0-4)

Power Rankings (week of Jan. 12): 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Jordan-Matthews; 5. Chatham Central; 6. Chatham Charter

Last week’s rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Jordan-Matthews 5. Chatham Central; 6. Chatham Charter

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Northwood smothered Jordan-Matthews 54-10 Friday for its third straight win.

Seaforth lost consecutive games for the rst time this season with losses to Eastern Alamance (69-37) and South Granville (41-25) last week.

Prior to the loss to Clover Garden on Friday, Woods Charter dominated Central Carolina 63-14 and Research Triangle 36-19 last week. Senior guard Wesley Oliver scored a combined 41 points in the two games.

Chatham Charter sophomore scored 22 points to help the Knights beat River Mill 59-34 Friday.

Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference)

Central. Tar Heel 1A: T1. Clover Garden (9-5, 5-0); T1. Southern Wake (6-2, 3-0); 3. Woods Charter (19-5, 3-1); 4. Chatham Charter (5-13, 2-1); 5.

because I knew it was a big game,” Oliver said. “It was just a lot to think about right before the game. But as the game got closer, I got less nervous.”

Woods Charter coach Carmen Wood said Oliver didn’t really think about the points leading up to the game. At times, Wood had to check in with Oliver to remind her how close she was.

“It speaks so much about her leadership and what she does for the team,” Wood said.

“Just working hard every single game.” Oliver wasn’t aware of the team’s warmup shirts Friday, which also featured a game photo of her on the front. Someone spoiled the warmup plans to Oliver prior to the game, but she forgot anyway, providing a surprise on her special night.

“It was just so cool,” Oliver said. “My team means the world to me, and I’m so thankful for their support.”

For Morgan, watching Oliver join him in the school’s history books was a “great experience.”

“I think I probably was the only Woods Charter fan that was disappointed that she

River Mill (2-14, 2-4); 6. Ascend Leadership (1-14, 1-4) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Bishop McGuinness (12-2, 3-0); T2. South Stokes (9-7, 3-1); T2. North Stokes (7-8, 3-1); 4. College Prep and Leadership (15-4, 3-2); T5. Chatham Central (7-7, 0-4); T5. South Davidson (0-15, 0-4) Four Rivers 3A/4A: T1. Northwood (10-5, 3-0); T1. Southwestern Randolph (11-2, 1-0); T3. Uwharrie Charter (12-3, 1-1); T3. Jordan-Matthews (4-12, 1-1); T5. Eastern Randolph (1-10, 0-1); T5. North Moore (2-10, 0-3)

Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Orange (9-5, 4-0); T2. South Granville (8-6, 4-1); T2. Seaforth (9-3, 4-1); 4. Durham School of the Arts (6-10, 2-3); 5. Carrboro (4-8, 1-3); 6. Webb (4-10, 1-4); 7. Cedar Ridge (2-10, 0-4)

Power Rankings (week of Jan. 12): 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Chatham Charter

Last week’s rankings: 1. Seaforth; 2. Northwood; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Chatham Central; 5. Jordan-Matthews; 6. Chatham Charter

WRESTLING

Boys

Top individual performances: Seaforth’s Jordan Miller, 120 pounds, and Gabe Rogers, 144 pounds, nished rst in their respective brackets at the Dash Classic Saturday. Their teammate Harrison Compton nished second in the 190-pound

“My team means the world to me, and I’m

so thankful

for their support.”

Wesley Oliver

passed it,” Morgan joked. “Wesley’s awesome. Much better shooter than I was. I hope she breaks however many points I scored. She’s been a great point guard. I think it’s awesome when you can score that many points and also get your teammates involved, get them to score, make them better.”

As of Sunday, Oliver leads the 10-5 Wolves in average points (16.6), assists (1.9) and steals (3.6).

The Wolves didn’t end Friday night how they wanted, taking their rst conference loss to rst-place Clover Garden 42 -34. Regardless, Wood sees Oliver’s big moment leaving a positive impact on the future of the program.

“For this program, it speaks volumes of where we’re at right now,” Wood said. “If you look

at the history of our program, we’ve been up and down. Sometimes, we didn’t have girls that wanted to play. And so when you have someone who can come out and accomplish that

through hard work and dedication, that’s what the kids look up to, and that’s going to bring more girls to our program to try to reach the heights that she’s reached.”

division, and Luke Ayers took third in the 126-pound bracket. Jordan-Matthews’ Christopher Crutch eld (113), Jhonatan Saldana (120) and Joel Garner (106) earned rst-place nishes, while Jakari Blue (190) and William Coykendall (126) nished second at the Buccaneer Cup Saturday. Chatham Central 138-pounder Gavin Vanderford posted a 17-0 tech fall and two pins to take rst place at the

Patriot Invitational on Saturday. Carson Williams, another Bear, nished third in the event’s 150-pound bracket.

Girls

Top individual performances: Jordan-Matthews’ Alexandra Zumano Garcia and Johanna Carter earned rst-place nishes in the girls’ Buccaneer Cup Saturday.

Garcia pinned four opponents.

INDOOR TRACK

Boys

Top individual performances: Chatham Charter’s Torris Price nished seventh in the boys’ 1,600 at The VA Showcase over the weekend with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 21.82 seconds.

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the all-time

wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles. But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the mak-

ing, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a con-

From sideline sprints to surprise interviews, ESPN’s Rutledge enjoys a hectic football season

Already busy, the veteran added a “Monday Night Football” role this season

By Joe Reedy

The Associated Press

LAURA RUTLEDGE’S schedule during football season has always been hectic.

The ESPN reporter has hosted “NFL Live,” the network’s year-round weekday news show, since 2020, along with “SEC Nation” on college football Saturdays.

Rutledge took on another assignment this season when she became a full-time sideline reporter on “Monday Night Football.”

With her seemingly e ortless transition from host to reporter — sometimes in a matter of minutes — and her uency in both college football and the NFL, the always enthusiastic Rutledge has become the face of football on ESPN.

Rutledge’s typical schedule was hosting “NFL Live” on Mondays from the game site and then doing sideline reports for the game. Then it was back to ESPN’s studios in Bristol,

NORTHWOOD from page B1

won eight of their last nine, including six victories by at least 30 points.

Although the Chargers seem to be rolling to start 2026, Brown feels like his team

WRESTLING from page B1

“I stayed calm before, like I always do, and just went out there, picked my shots and had some fun out there,” Rogers said. Rogers could have reached 150 wins earlier this season, but a knee injury kept him sidelined for the entire month of December. After rest and rehab, Rogers is back to feeling “100%” and “better than ever.” He returned to action at the Jolly Roger Invitational on Jan. 10 and pinned three opponents on

“It was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild” Laura Rutledge

Connecticut, where she anchored “NFL Live” from Tuesday through Thursday before traveling on Friday and hosting “SEC Nation” on Saturday.

Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has been on “SEC Nation” since it started. She also has had other roles in ESPN’s college football coverage.

“Whether she’s reporting on-air or feeding key information to the truck … Laura’s natural reporting instincts and storytelling ability are spot- on,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president of production. “She brings an energy and passion that are contagious, and she genuinely lifts everyone around her.”

ESPN approached Rutledge during the spring about doing a full “Monday Night Football”

still has as “long ways to go.”

After the win over Jordan-Matthews, Brown pointed out his team’s defensive mistakes with communication and switching, which led to some open looks for the Jets in the rst half.

the way to a rst-place nish in his weight class. Rogers’ return couldn’t have had better timing as he’s available to help the Hawks make some noise in the upcoming dual team playo s and compete to for a chance at back-to -back individual state titles. With 152 career wins as of the end of the quad, he could possibly pass former Seaforth wrestler Layne Armstrong’s program record of 164 wins too. But those are still achievements yet to be captured. The proof of perfect timing revealed itself in that Rogers was able to

schedule. She understood she would be adding more responsibility and not trading one job for another.

“I think when it comes down to what the schedule ended up being, it was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild,” Rutledge said last week as she prepared for Sunday’s divisional-round game between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. “It was sort of like this revolving-door cycle throughout each week, but what an honor to be on these things. I mean, it’s beyond even my wildest dreams. I think for me that was what I’ve constantly reminded myself of when things get a little hairy with the schedule.”

Rutledge has also showed during college football and NFL coverage that she can quickly adjust on the y.

During the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, ESPN’s cameras caught Rutledge running from one sideline — where she was reporting for “SEC Nation” on SEC Network — across the eld to anchor halftime coverage on ESPN.

But as the Chargers work to clean some things up during conference play, Brown noted the team’s player-led initiative, something exempli ed before Friday night’s game, as a special feature of the group.

“It was today during our

reach new heights in the nal regular season home meet of his career.

“It’s pretty cool in general just to see the amount of time he puts into the sport,” Pete Rogers, also an assistant on the Seaforth coaching sta , said.

“It’s probably just another win, but it’s just exciting to see him pursue something like that.”

Others Seaforth seniors honored included Palmer Moade, Jacob Winger, Ian Winger, Evan Norris, Derrick McLaughlin, Harrison Compton and Jordan Miller.

Seaforth nished the night

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.”

Will Power

ting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

tract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and get-

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

The 45-second dash even got a full highlight narration from Chris Berman, who whooped with delight as he watched Rutledge weaving her way through the Mississippi band.

“I’ll never get over it,” Rutledge said. “It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me in my life. He’s been an incredible mentor to me, so it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”

Rutledge can also give rsthand perspective on trying to get a postgame interview immediately after a game when time is at a premium because of the 11 p.m. local news.

That happened after the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-19 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 8, when Rutledge buttonholed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert immediately after the game and seemingly caught him o guard.

Rutledge got the interview —

walkthrough. I was checking up on Cam and his heel,” Brown said. “I usually run all of our plays and all of our sets, and I’m usually there kind of directing it. And I walk in. They’re already doing them. They go through all the sets.

3-0 after defeating Northwood 50-24 and Jordan-Matthews 57-21. The Hawks pinned 10 opponents in the two duals. Northwood beat South Granville 54-22, and Jordan-Matthews took advantage of multiple forfeits to also defeat the Vikings 59-24. The postseason is quickly approaching, with the dual team playo s beginning with the rst and second rounds on Jan. 31.

The top 32 teams in the 3A, 4A and 5A RankWrestlers dual rankings make the state dual team playo s. As of Sun-

even if Herbert was reticent at rst — after the Eagles appeared to be driving for the winning score and Rutledge was on the other side of the eld.

“We had even less time than we normally would, and I was still trying my best to let Justin Herbert shake the hands that he wanted to and see the people that he wanted to,” Rutledge said. “From my perspective too, you never want the player to be caught unawares. So we’re trying to be sensitive to so much. And then yet when a team has said, ‘You’re going to get this player,’ that’s what we have to do.

“I don’t fault anybody in that scenario. We were both trying to do our jobs, and he stood there and did the interview.

“I try to never say anything publicly about these things. but I’m not going to have people trashing these guys. They deserve better than that.”

They sub out themselves. Them just taking ownership and accountability to do things and do it right and go through it hard says a lot about the group, and it’s something that I’ve hadn’t had in my nine years here.”

day, Northwood, 7-7 in duals this season, ranks 23rd in the 3A rankings. Jordan-Matthews, 12-15, ranks 30th in 4A and is still in good standing to make its rst dual team playo appearance. Chatham Central ranks sixth in the 1A rankings with a 4-5 record. Every team quali es for the dual team playo s in 1A. Seaforth sits at 9-4 on the season and ranks 12th in the 5A standings. The Hawks have won four straight duals which is their longest win streak of the season.

SIDELINE REPORT

TENNIS

Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Melbourne, Australia

Zeynep Sönmez stopped a game to help an ailing ballkid during her rst-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. The Turkish quali er was receiving serve in the second set when the ballkid wobbled and stumbled backward near the umpire’s chair. The ballkid stood up again but was clearly o balance when Sönmez stopped play. She held the ballkid around the waist and walked her toward some shade. Tournament o cials and medical sta took over and, after a delay of around seven minutes, the match continued.

MLB Tucker, Bichette sign free agent contracts

Two of the biggest free agents of the o season found new teams. Kyle Tucker agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Tucker is among baseball’s best all-around players. But he has played just 214 regular-season games the past two years. Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract. Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop with Toronto, will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, despite never playing a professional game there. Bichette can opt out after the rst or second season.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Oregon QB Moore to return to Ducks rather than declare for NFL Draft Eugene, Ore.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL Draft. The 20-year-old Moore announced his decision on ESPN. Moore completed nearly 72% of his throws for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Oregon nished 13-2. Moore had been forecast to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL Draft behind Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Division I cabinet changes transfer portal windows for basketball, other sports Oxon Hill, Md. The transfer portal for men’s and women’s basketball will open the day after the championship game for a period of 15 days. The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved changes to the window in several sports, including men’s wrestling, men’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s track and eld. The changes are e ective immediately. The transfer period after a head coaching change starts ve days after a new coach is hired or publicly announced. That window opens on the 31st day if the new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the last coach’s departure.

Ice dance champ Papadakis says she lost Olympic commentary role for NBC over dispute with ex-partner

Her new book made revelations that started the controversy

By Jerome Pugmire

The Associated Press

PARIS — Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis says she lost her commentary role with NBC at the upcoming Winter Olympics because of her former skating partner’s response to revelations in her new book.

In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe on Friday, the retired French skater said the decision was taken after Guillaume Cizeron publicly contested what she wrote in “So as Not to Disappear,” released last week.

Cizeron asked his lawyers last Tuesday to formally put all parties involved on notice to cease the “ dissemination of defamatory statements” about him.

“To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume ling a formal notice, which was made public, (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games,” Papadakis told L’Équipe.

“I’m not dealing with it very well, I’ve cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just beginning that career as a commentator.”

The 30-year-old Papadakis, who retired in December 2024, said: “To lose the opportunity to start a new career

is very di cult to take. I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

In her book, Papadakis described su ering in a deeply unbalanced relationship with longtime ice dance partner Cizeron, with whom she broke the world record when claiming gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Papadakis wrote that, at a certain point, the idea of nding herself alone with him terri ed her. She wrote about him being a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and expressed a feeling of “being under his grip” at times.

In Friday’s interview, she expanded further on their relationship.

Ukraine’s young skiers practice in bombed-out Olympic training base

Aspiring champions train amidst war and destruction

By Illia Novikov The Associated Press

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine

— Young athletes in northern Ukraine spend their days cross-country skiing through a scorched forest, focused on their form — until a siren inevitably shatters the silence.

They respond swiftly but without panic, ditching their skis and following coaches to an underground bomb shelter.

It’s an ordinary training session at the complex that produced Ukraine’s rst Olympic medalist.

Sleeping children no longer dream of Olympic glory in the facility’s bombed-out dormitories, and unexploded ordnance has rendered nearby land o limits. But about 350 kids and teens — some of the nation’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes — still practice in fenced-o areas amid the sporadic buzz of drones passing overhead then explosions as they’re shot down.

“We have adapted so well — even the children — that sometimes we don’t even react,” Mykola Vorchak, a 67-year-old coach, said. “Although it goes against safety rules, the children have been hardened by the war. Adapting to this has changed them psychologically.”

Sports in the cross re

War has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian sport. Athletes were displaced or called up to ght. Soccer matches are often interrupted by air raid sirens so attendance is capped by bomb shelter capacity. Elite skaters, skiers and biathletes usually train abroad, with attacks and frequent black-

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will. This is the next generation of Olympians.”

Nina Lemesh, former Olympic biathlete

outs shuttering local facilities.

But the government-run Sports Ski Base of the Olympic Reserve is open for cross-country skiing and biathlon, the event which combines skiing with shooting. The sprawling complex is on the outskirts of Chernihiv, a city two hours north of Kyiv along the path of destruction Russia’s army left in its 2022 attempt to capture the capital. Chernihiv remains a regular target for air attacks aimed at the power grid and civilian infrastructure.

Several temporary structures at the sports center serve as changing rooms, toilets and coaches’ o ces. Athletes train on snowy trails during the winter and, throughout the rest of the year, use roller skis on an asphalt track pocked by blast marks.

Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal

Valentyna

Tserbe-Nesina spent her adolescence at the Chernihiv center performing these same drills, and won bronze at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer. It was Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal as an independent country.

“The conditions weren’t great, but we had nothing better. And for us, it was like a family — our own little home,” she said inside her apartment, its shelves and walls lined with medals, trophies and souvenirs from competitions around the world.

I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

Gabriella Papadakis

the labels being attributed to me,” Cizeron said. “These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time ... thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.

“I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”

“As long as I took a backseat role while Guillaume was the leader, everything went well,” she said. “It’s when I wanted to be an equal in this relationship that things started to become more and more di cult.”

They also won an Olympic silver medal, ve world championships and ve European Championships together, as well as the Grand Prix Final twice.

Last Tuesday, Cizeron said Papadakis was spreading lies about him leading up to the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with

Cizeron said he had shown “deep respect” for Papadakis and that their working relationship had seen “moments of success and mutual support.”

Papadakis refuted that the book’s release was timed to coincide with Cizeron’s participation at next month’s Olympics.

“I can understand this perception from the outside,” Papadakis said. “But the publication date was already planned before the announcement of his return (with his new skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry).”

Fournier Beaudry previously competed for Canada. She recently gained French citizenship, clearing the path for the pair to compete together at the Olympics, where they will be among the top contenders.

Tserbe-Nesina, 56, was shocked when she visited the complex in 2022. Shelling had torn through buildings, re had consumed others. Shattered glass littered the oors of rooms where she and friends once excitedly checked taped-up results sheets.

“I went inside, up to my old room on the second oor. It was gone — no windows, nothing,” she said. “I recorded a video and found the trophies we had left at the base. They were completely burned.”

Tserbe-Nesina has been volunteering to organize funerals for fallen Ukrainian soldiers in her hometown while her husband, a retired military o cer, returned to the front. They see each other about once a year, whenever his unit allows him brief leave.

Act of de ance

One adult who in 2022 completed a tour in a territorial defense unit of Ukraine’s army sometimes trains today alongside the center’s youngsters. Khrystyna Dmytrenko, 26, will represent her country at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that start Feb. 6.

“Sports can show that Ukraine is strong,” Dmytrenko said in an interview next to the shooting range. “We rep-

resent Ukraine on the international stage, letting other countries, athletes and nations see our unity, strength and determination.”

The International Olympic Committee imposed bans and restrictions on Russian athletes after the invasion of Ukraine, e ectively extending earlier sanctions tied to state-sponsored doping. But a small group of them will participate in the upcoming Winter Games.

After vetting to ensure no military a liation, they must compete without displaying any national symbols — and only in nonteam events. That means Russian and Ukrainian athletes could face one another in some skating and skiing events. Moscow’s appeal at the federation level to allow its biathletes to compete is pending.

That’s why many Ukrainians view training for these events as an act of de ance.

Former Olympic biathlete Nina Lemesh, 52, noted that some young Ukrainians who rst picked up ri es and skis at the Chernihiv ski base during wartime have become international champions in their age groups.

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will,” she said, standing beside the destroyed dormitories. “This is the next generation of Olympians.”

Thousands of fans celebrate life of legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Weir in San Francisco

The jam band icon died Jan. 10 at age 78

By Janie Har The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Thou-

sands of people gathered Saturday at San Francisco’s Civic Center to celebrate the life of Bob Weir, the legendary guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead who died last week at age 78.

Musicians Joan Baez and John Mayer spoke on a makeshift stage in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium after four Buddhist monks opened the event with a prayer in Tibetan. Fans car

ried long-stemmed red roses, placing some at an altar filled with photos and candles. They wrote notes on colored paper, professing their love and thanking him for the journey.

Several asked him to say hello to fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia and bass guitarist Phil Lesh, also founding members who preceded him in death. Garcia died in 1995; Lesh died in 2024.

“I’m here to celebrate Bob Weir,” said Ruthie Garcia, who is no relation to Jerry, a fan since 1989. “Celebrating him and helping him go home.”

Saturday’s celebration

“The show must go on.” Monet Weir

brought plenty of fans with long dreadlocks and wearing tie - dye clothing, some using walkers. But there were also young couples, men in their 20s and a father who brought his 6 -year - old son in order to pass on to the next generation a love of live music and the tight -knit Deadhead community.

The Bay Area native joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He wrote or co -wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.” He was generally considered less shaggy looking than the other band members, although he adopted a long beard like Garcia’s later in life.

The Dead played music that pulled in blues, jazz, country, folk and psychedelia in long improvisational jams. Their concerts attracted avid Deadheads who followed them on tours. The band played on decades after Garcia’s death, morphing into Dead & Company with John Mayer.

Darla Sagos, who caught an early flight out of Seattle on Saturday morning to make the public mourning, said she suspected something was up when there were no new gigs announced after Dead & Company played three nights in San Francisco last summer. It was unusual, as his calendar often showed where the band would be playing next.

“We were hoping that everything was OK and that we were going to get more music from him,” she said. “But we will continue the music, with all of us and everyone that’s going to be playing it.”

Sagos and her husband, Adam Sagos, have a 1-year-old grandson who will grow up knowing the music.

A statement on Weir’s Instagram account announced his death Jan. 10. It said he beat cancer but succumbed to underlying lung issues. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who were at Saturday’s event.

His death was sudden and unexpected, said daughter Monet Weir, but he had always wished for the music and the legacy of the Dead to outlast him.

American music, he believed, could unite, she said.

“The show must go on,” Monet Weir said.

this week in history

California gold rush begins, Battle of the Bulge ends, Auschwitz and Birkenau liberated

JAN. 22

1901: Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

1953: Arthur Miller’s drama “The Crucible” opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.

1973: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the Constitution protects a nationwide right to abortion.

1973: Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch at age 64.

JAN. 23

1368: China’s Ming dynasty began after Zhu Yuanzhang was acclaimed the Hongwu Emperor following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

1789: Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

1870: About 200 Piegan Blackfeet tribal members, mostly women, children and older adults, were killed by U.S. Army troops under Maj. Eugene M. Baker in Montana, in what

became known as the Baker Massacre.

JAN. 24

1848: James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California, sparking the California gold rush.

1945: Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among captives executed by German soldiers at the Mauthausen- Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

1965: Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

1989: Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair.

JAN. 25

1924: The rst Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

1945: The World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as the German army concluded its nal o ensive on the Western Front; about 19,000 U.S. soldiers were killed during the ve-week campaign.

1961: President John F. Kennedy held the rst live televised presidential news conference.

1971: Charles Manson and three followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and

On Jan. 22, 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at 81, ending a reign of more than 63 years that helped de ne the Victorian era and the height of the British Empire.

conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

JAN. 26

1887: Groundbreaking began for the Ei el Tower; it was completed just over two years later.

1905: The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found at 3,106 carats, was discovered in South Africa.

2020: NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year- old daughter Gianna and seven others

were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense fog in Southern California; the former Los Angeles Lakers star was 41.

JAN. 27

1756: Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.

1880: Thomas Edison received a patent for his incandescent electric lamp.

1945: During World War II, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi concentration camps in Poland.

JAN. 28

1547: England’s King Henry VIII died at 55 and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

1813: Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” was rst published anonymously in London.

1922: Ninety-eight people were killed when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., collapsed under the weight of nearly 2 feet of snow.

1956: Elvis Presley made his rst national TV appearance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

Domingo, Hemsworth, Schnapp among celebrities to pack Ralph Lauren’s Milan Fashion Week show

The fashion icon opened the season with a star-studded front row and an Olympics tie-in

By Colleen Barry

The Associated Press

MILAN — Colman Domingo, Liam Hemsworth and Noah Schnapp were among the celebrities who packed the Ralph Lauren front row during Milan Fashion Week on Friday for the launch of a Milan-centric season that includes dressing Team USA for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.

Domingo was fresh o the Golden Globes red carpet, Hemsworth took a break from the ski slopes, and Schnapp just wrapped the “Stranger Things” nale. Ralph Lauren’s runway collection for next winter was Americana, featuring layered outerwear, Texan suiting and hand-knit ski sweaters.

Hundreds of screaming fans waited outside the brand’s Milan palazzo for K-pop star Mark Lee, rushing his vehicle as he stepped out to give fans a big heart sign.

The Canadian-born singer said that K-pop’s massive appeal continues to catch him o guard.

“It surprises me even to this day. I was born in North Amer-

ica, and even then, K-pop wasn’t this big,’’ Lee said from the front row before the show. “I am honored to be able to be a part of this phenomenon. I feel like it’s kind of my responsibility to share the good in uences that I have in K-pop, for the world.’’

During the show, singer Nick Jonas and actor Tom Hiddleston anked David Lauren, the fashion house’s brand and innovation leader who will be back in Milan as Team USA is tted for the opening and closing ceremony looks for the Feb. 6-22 Games.

After the release of “Stranger Things’” nal season, Schnapp said he is reading scripts and looking perhaps beyond the sciworld.

“I’m pretty proud of what we have done,” the 21-year-old actor said before the show. “I am

“I love Italy, I love the Italian people, and I love this brand.”

Noah Schnapp

happy to close it out. I think it’s time. I am excited about what’s to come.”

“I love Italy, I love the Italian people, and I love this brand,’’ said Schnapp, wearing a smart double-breasted Navy jacket with golden buttons. The University of Pennsylvania senior said he would be back in Italy in a couple of weeks to watch some Olympic ice hockey games with his Canadian-born parents.

Domingo turned heads at the Golden Globes with a lapel full of Boucheron diamonds. For Ralph Lauren, he wore Boucheron stud earrings to accompany his three-piece suit with a matching overcoat ung jauntily over his shoulders.

Domingo, a darling of the fashion world who won an Emmy for “Euphoria,” said the collection felt “very modern.”

“I think that is the most beautiful expression of Ralph Lauren. You feel the aspirational American values in your clothing,’’ Domingo said.

famous birthdays this week

Neil Diamond hits 85, Linda Blair is 67, Cajun musician Doug Kershaw turns 90, Alicia Keys is 45

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

JAN. 22

Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (“The Galloping Gourmet”) is 92. Singer Steve Perry is 77. Film director Jim Jarmusch is 73. Actor Linda Blair is 67. Actor Diane Lane is 61. DJ Jazzy Je is 61. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 58.

JAN. 23

Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is 90. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 83. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 76. Retired airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (“Miracle on the Hudson” landing) is 75. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 73.

JAN. 24

Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 90. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 87. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 85. Singer Aaron Neville is 85. Comedian Yakov Smirno is 75. Actor William Allen Young is 72. Musician Jools Holland is 68.

JAN. 25

Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller is 84. Actor Leigh Taylor-Young is 81. Actor Jenifer Lewis is 69. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios is 64. Actor Ana Ortiz is 55. Actor Mia Kirshner is 51. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 48. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is 45.

JAN. 26

Actor David Strathairn is 77. Football Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood is 76. Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 73. Singer Anita Baker is 68. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter is 49.

JAN. 27

Actor James Cromwell is 86. Rock musician Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) is 82. Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov is 78. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Jus-

EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP

Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, pictured at the 77th Tony Awards in 2024 in New York, turns 45 on Sunday.

tice John Roberts is 71. Political and sports commentator Keith Olbermann is 67. Actor Bridget Fonda is 62.

JAN.28

Actor Alan Alda is 90. Former NBA coach Gregg Popovich is 77. Golf Hall of Famer Nick Price is 69. Film director Frank Darabont is 67. Singer Sarah McLachlan is 58. Rapper Rakim is 58. Humorist Mo Rocca is 57.

the stream

AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

The thrash metal band announced a

‘The

Smashing Machine,’ Louis Tomlinson,

‘The Beauty,’

Lucinda Williams drops “World’s Gone Wrong”

The Associated Press

DWAYNE JOHNSON transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming o erings worth your time this week: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their nal, self-titled album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his e orts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”

HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!” arriving Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien. The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me

From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Written and directed by Scott Cooper,

Bruce Springsteen biopic

RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Lauren Hashian, left, and Dwayne Johnson arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The couple stars in “The Smashing Machine,” which comes to HBO Max this week.

the lm stars White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”

A few other lm festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a ctional Italian president.

MUSIC TO STREAM

You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash

metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their nal album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.

Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Tomlinson will release his third solo album Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct inuences, Britpop chie y among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.”

The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those in uences are still present but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop -rock choruses.

The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk —

and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.

SERIES TO STREAM

FX’s new series cocreated by Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so - called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.

“Drops of God” also returns to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Ge rier

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabeled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world. On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Net ix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a gure skater training for the world championships, who nds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.

Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died, and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close, but Malcolm and Lori nd themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy o ce cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show o that in uence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.

Duplin Journal

the BRIEF this

week

Public Safety

o cials urge caution ahead of possible wintry weather

Duplin County Duplin County Public Safety encourages residents to monitor the National Weather Service for updates on a system that could bring wintry precipitation to eastern North Carolina this weekend, with potential impacts from Saturday into Sunday. Forecast models suggest snow, ice or a mix is possible, which could create hazardous travel conditions. O cials caution that small shifts in the storm’s track could signi cantly a ect outcomes and encourage residents to rely on o cial forecasts for updates.

Police warn of phone scam activity

Beulaville

The Beulaville Police Department is warning residents about recent phone scams in which callers use spoofed law enforcement phone numbers to appear legitimate. Scammers claim individuals have outstanding warrants or missed jury duty and demand payment to avoid arrest, often requesting gift cards or reloadable debit cards. Police remind citizens that law enforcement agencies do not call to demand payment and urge the public to remain vigilant.

Free Adult Wellness

Screenings o ered

Beulaville

Free adult wellness screenings will be o ered Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kingdom Partnership Christian Center, 3501 N.C. 24 in Beulaville. Screenings include body mass index, blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol checks, along with health coaching. No preregistration is required. For more information, call 910-296-8836.

Sheri ’s o ce warns of jury duty phone scam

Duplin County Sheri Stratton Stokes and the Duplin County Sheri ’s O ce are warning residents about a phone scam in which callers claim to be deputies and demand payment for missed jury duty. Scammers may use spoofed phone numbers, threatening language, deputy names or fake case numbers. The sheri ’s o ce emphasizes that deputies will never call to demand payment or request gift cards, prepaid cards or electronic payments. Residents who receive such calls are urged to hang up and report the calls.

Robert Burns Supper brings tradition, festivity

Philip Ross led the festivities as master of ceremonies at the 24th Annual Robert Burns Supper at the Country Squire Restaurant and Winery, celebrating the life, poetry and legacy of Scotland’s national bard with traditional music, haggis and community camaraderie. Turn to page A6 for more.

JSCC announces new president

Shannon Hair was named the seventh president of James Sprunt Community College

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENASVILLE — James

Sprunt Community College is entering a new chapter with the appointment of Shannon Hair as its seventh president, ocially approved Jan. 16 by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges. JSCC announced Hair will take the reins in early February.

Hair’s career spans more than two decades and bridges higher education, workforce development and regional economic growth. According to the announcement made by James Sprunt Community College last week, at Danville Community College in Virginia, Hair led initiatives that connected students with real-world skills, expanded fundraising e orts, and strengthened ties between the college and local businesses. Prior to that, Hair spent over a decade with Dewberry, Inc., helping communities in Virginia and North Carolina secure funding for major workforce

and infrastructure projects.

A lifelong learner, Hair holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from National University, a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Nebraska, and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Old Dominion University, along with technical degrees from Danville Community College.

“The Board of Trustees and James Sprunt Community College look forward to welcoming Dr. Shannon Hair to campus and beginning this next chapter of leadership,” stated the announcement.

Teachey board reviews new subdivision plans

The developers seek townhome guidelines and eye a 2028 construction start Shannon Hair

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Developers presented preliminary plans for a new subdivision in Teachey to the town’s board of commission-

ers at its Jan. 12 meeting. The plans call for townhomes and single-family homes to be built on a site located near the intersection of N.C. Highway 117 and Hunter Street on a 9.7-acre site.

Chad Lambert of Bert Prop-

erties and his business associate Robert Stevens, as well as project engineer Jonathan Holmes, requested speci c rules be adopted regarding building townhomes on the property within town limits.

“As you know, there is a lot of building going on in Wallace and we see the growth in Duplin County, and we’re trying to bring that growth to the town of Teachey,” Lambert said in opening remarks. “We have a plan for a small subdivision with townhomes up front.”

Audit of Rose Hill reveals healthy nances for 2024-25

The auditor praised the town’s $1.9 million undesignated fund balance

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

ROSE HILL — The auditor

conducting a state-required audit for the Town of Rose Hill for its scal year 2024-25 gave the town a clean nancial bill of health in a presentation given to the town board via a video conference during its Jan. 13 meeting.

their nances as “very impressive numbers.”

Eubanks seemed most impressed with the undesignated fund balance of the town.

“The minimum undesignated fund balance and percentage of expenditures minimum threshold is 34%,” he said. “Your undesignated fund balance is $1.9 million. You’re sitting at 151.47%, well over the minimum threshold.”

The board was also pleased to learn they are in good shape for any unexpected situations.

“As of June 30, 2025, if you did not collect any more additional revenue, you can still operate on a normal basis, not having to reduce any expenditures. You could still operate for $2.00

Austin Eubanks of the Wilmington o ce of Thompson, Price, Scott & Adams, CPA told the board he found no problems with Rose Hill’s nances in the audit. He referred to

Austin Eubanks

Lambert said the property is currently zoned R-10, which allows for single-family and multifamily dwellings, including

O

We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@ nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

Fatal Warsaw shooting found to be justi ed self-defense, DA says

A son red at his mother’s alleged attacker after receiving an emergency call

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

WARSAW — A 41-year- old Warsaw man was shot and killed Sept. 7, 2025, at the home of his longtime girlfriend by her adult son, authorities said. District Attorney Ernie Lee said after reviewing reports from the Warsaw Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation that the shooting was legally justi ed. According to the DA’s ofce, investigators concluded that Eliecer Luna’s actions

created an apparent threat to the lives of the son and other occupants of the residence, including six children. Law enforcement stated the son acted after receiving a call from his younger sister reporting that Luna was allegedly assaulting their mother and told her to call the police.

Law enforcement said the son retrieved a handgun and went to the home where he found his mother badly beaten. The son red multiple times after Luna allegedly approached him with a raised st. Police found Luna dead inside the home.

Authorities said the mother sustained injuries, she “had an excessive amount of blood on her head, chest and legs,” said the report. “The victim had

su ered a head injury causing the bleeding and there was a substantial amount of long, dark hair, consistent with the victim’s hair near the blood on the oor.”

According to authorities, two children were upstairs and four others were found hiding in the closet. According to the DA’s o ce, SBI interviews and statements from the mother reportedly corroborated the son’s account of events. The autopsy conrmed Luna died from multiple gunshot wounds. Ofcials said they found no evidence of criminal intent and cited Luna’s prior history of domestic violence and the immediate threat to residents as justi cation for self-defense.

MLK celebration honors youth voices, community legacy

A local Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at the Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center highlighted the voices and talents of Duplin County youth while honoring the history and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Musical performances by the youth choir from Diversity Nurtures Achievement, an enrichment program based in Warsaw, energized the audience, while youth performers lled the room with song and joy.

Share with your community! Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@ duplinjournal.com Weekly deadline is Monday at noon.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Duplin County.

Jan. 23

Basics of Air Frying Workshop

10 a.m. to noon

Have an air fryer you haven’t used yet, thinking about buying one or looking for new recipes? Join the Duplin County Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences team for a hands-on Basics of Air Frying Workshop. Participants will learn how to cook with and care for an air fryer and explore di erent models during a live cooking demonstration. The workshop will be held at the Cooperative Extension O ce. The cost is $15. Space is available on a rst-come, rst-served basis. To register, call 910-296-2143. 165 Agriculture Dr., Kenansville

Feb. 7

Duplin County Historical Society meeting

Noon

The Duplin County Historical Society meeting will be at Wesley Chapel UMC Fellowship Hall. Members, and the public is invited to discuss the status of the organization and its future. Please note that the Duplin County Historical Society will not meet at the Rose Hill Restaurant. Annual membership fees are due and can be paid at the meeting: $20 for individuals and $25 for families.

1127 North N.C. 11-903 Highway, Kenansville

Feb. 8

Pitch It Duplin

Aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to compete in Pitch It Duplin, a business pitch competition hosted by the JSCC Small Business Center in partnership with Marine Federal Credit Union and the Kenansville Area Chamber of Commerce. Participants will pitch their Duplin County business ideas to a panel of “Business Bulldogs” for a chance to win start-up funding: $3,000 for rst place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third. For details, contact Joy Wynne at 910-659-6008.

JSCC Small Business Center Kenansville

Mount Olive hydrants take a beating

Multiple accidents prompt long repairs but no major service interruptions

By Mark Grady For Duplin Journal

MOUNT OLIVE — Glenn

Holland, interim town manager for Mount Olive, said several of the town’s re hydrants have been damaged in recent incidents.

“I know of at least four, and there might be a total of six within the last few months,” Holland said in an interview with Duplin Journal. “I know there have been at least three in the past 60 days.”

The most recent incident occurred Jan. 13 when a truck belonging to North Carolina Department of Transportation struck a hydrant located near the end of the access ramp from U.S. Highway 117 South to N.C.

Highway 55. The truck was leaving after performing routine maintenance on equipment located in the area for DOT work.

As the truck was leaving, it hit the hydrant and broke it o . Repairing the hydrant proved challenging for Holland and the town crew.

“We didn’t have a replacement hydrant valve, so we couldn’t cut the hydrant o ,” Holland said. “We tried to go around town to kill water on the line, and we

were unable to. We eventually began opening other hydrants to reduce pressure. We xed it while it was still under pressure.”

Holland added the most time was spent reducing the water pressure.

“It took about six hours to get the pressure down where we could work on it, but only about an hour to x it,” he said. “I don’t think anybody actually lost water. I think they just had low water pressure.”

Several businesses are located near the intersection of N.C. Highway 55 and U.S. Highway 117, including a Hardee’s restaurant. Another hydrant was recently damaged when a farmer struck a hydrant while preparing land with a tractor. The tractor swung to avoid a light pole, and the disc hit the hydrant, pulling it out of the ground. Another hydrant was damaged when it was hit by a re truck. Holland blamed that accident on narrow roads built in town many years ago that don’t give much room for larger vehicles to maneuver.

Greenevers board reviews infrastructure, community projects

The mayor questioned hydrant costs as the town explored grant opportunities for sidewalks and recreation

By Rebecca Whitman Cooke For Duplin Journal

GREENEVERS — Commissioner Rozena Bivens was sworn into o ce early in the evening at the Jan. 12 meeting in Greenevers. The meeting continued with project updates from Town Clerk Emma Brinson including partial completion of the water and sewer extension, re hydrant replacements, and renovations starting on well houses and the water tower. Mayor Diane Brown questioned why $10,000 of the town’s funds had to be used for parts to x two hydrants when 18 hydrants are in need of repair or replacement.

In November, Brinson shared that the N.C. Municipal ARP funding included mass grant

an additional 18 months,” Eubanks told the board.

Those numbers are obviously good news, especially when the brie ng from the auditor was followed by town business revealing a need to fund several repairs and projects in town.

One of those needed projects is replacing a heat pump unit at the Rose Hill Community Library. The unit that handles the main library area has been out for more than a month, forcing the library to limit hours on days when the temperatures were very low. The board voted to replace the unit at a cost of $16,600 which will go to Powell Heating & Air, which was the lowest of three bids.

The board also approved a contract to repair the roof at town hall and the police department at a cost of $38,000.

The board voted to table two other major projects in town in hopes of obtaining more than one bid on them.

One of those projects involves repairs to a gravity sewer line on Charity Road. Rose Hill Public Works Director Blake Parker told the board the line is broken in three places. He added the repairs will be challenging because the 30 feet of line that needs repairs is 17 feet deep.

Parker said he had only received one bid on the project at a total cost of $33,500.

In another major project, the town is attempting to improve

REBECCA WHITMAN COOKE FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

writing to assist towns. The town approved seeking their assistance in the hopes of funding re hydrants, stormwater, sidewalks, small business, public housing and recreation. At the time, Brinson said this opportunity would

most likely help with grants for sidewalks and recreation. After working with them, she was able to a rm in the January meeting that she was correct. Though the town is likely to welcome grant funds for sidewalks and recre-

MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Members of the Rose Hill Board of Commissioners listen to CPA Austin Eubanks as he gives a report on the state-required audit for the scal year 2024 -25.

a sidewalk along Church Street to make it easier to access businesses located on the northern side of the street. A beauty shop had requested handrails be installed along steps in front of their business to help older clients safely get to their business. It was determined any repairs or additions to the sidewalk would have to bring that block into Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Only one bid for the sidewalk repairs, which would include a handrail along the entire block, as well as the addition of an accessible ramp at the corner of Church Street and Railroad Street, was priced at $56,292.

The sewer line repair project and the Church Street sidewalk project were tabled in order to seek additional bids.

In other business

• The board reappointed Town Administrator Angela Smith to serve another term as a representative on the Eastern Carolina Council General Membership Board.

During department reports, Commissioner Billy Wilson Jr., who also serves as chief of Rose Hill Fire Department, said he was hoping to hear soon from the state regarding the town’s latest re rating after their recent inspection. The rating of local re departments a ects the cost of homeowners insurance in the area they serve.

ation, Brown was discouraged to see no other funds discovered for the town’s more pressing needs.

In other updates and news

• The planning board set a meeting with Carlton Gideon for 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 to review plans concerning the subdivision annex.

Designation of a town representative for the East Carolina Council was discussed, but no commissioner committed to the role.

• The board also discussed drainage problems on Lillian Moore Road and how much the town is responsible for. An estimate was given for part of the work, but it came in high. The board requested Brinson seek more estimates. A tax release was approved in order to separately bill the

TEACHEY from page A1

townhomes. But the zoning rules for Teachey cover lot size and details for single-family homes, which do not match what would be required for townhomes.

“There is no townhome set of rules for Teachey. They don’t exist,” Stevens added. “We’ve taken the liberty of reading all the other ordinances around the area, other similar towns. We’ve kind of pulled some things from here and there that t for Teachey.”

Town attorney Joseph Ezzell recommended the town adopt speci c requirements for townhome construction. The board agreed to discuss the issue at an upcoming Board of Commissioners workshop scheduled for Jan. 30. If the board decides to consider an ordinance, a public hearing would need to be scheduled, most likely at the March meeting.

In an interview with Duplin Journal, Lambert said construction is expected to begin on the new subdivision in 2028 if the town adopted rules for townhome construction.

It is not the rst development project for Lambert in Teachey. He also owns apartments on Lodge Street.

actual owner of the property in question.

Financial reports were shared, and the board discussed ordering leather o ce chairs to move the board meetings back to town hall.

• A grease buildup in the community center’s pipes prompted the board to discuss repairs and maintenance.

The planning board decided to close the center’s gates at night to prevent extended parking. Concern over recent violence and misuse of the lot has caused the town to decide it needs to protect its property.

• The board discussed other repairs needed including replacement of the 10-year-old toilets in the building. The meeting adjourned shortly after this discussion.

MARK GRADY FOR DUPLIN JOURNAL

Developers Chad Lambert, left, and Robert Stevens of Bert Properties listen as Teachey Town Board members discuss the possibility of adopting speci c rules for townhome construction in town.

Mayor Bobby Jones responded by saying, “If we allow that, who’s to say that someone could come in here and say, ‘Hey, I got two pet horses on my quarter-acre lot that I’d like to have. I’ll keep them fenced in.’”

Citing existing ordinances regarding livestock, the board denied his request.

The board voted to have a workshop session on Jan. 30 at noon.

During the visitor comment period, Robbie Rosak of Calico Bay Road asked the board for permission to keep a sheep gifted to him by his father on his property. Rosak said the sheep is a pet and would not be used for any agricultural purposes. He also said the animal would be kept in a picket fence he plans to erect around his property, and he would not be adding any more animals.

THE CONVERSATION

Trip

Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| REP. JIMMY DIXON

Why local Democrats must speak up

I believe there is a dangerous distortion between what the national leadership represents and what the local Democrats I know actually believe.

DECEPTION, DISTORTION and detraction are the methods ultra-liberal media sources use to bring dangerous anti-Christian thoughts into our nation, our government, our homes and the minds of our children. They target those who are uninformed, and their goal is to misinform those most vulnerable.

Do local Democrats really believe, support and practice the policies espoused by the current ultra-liberal wing of the national Democrat Party?

I believe there is a dangerous distortion between what the national leadership of the Democrat Party represents and what the local Democrats I know believe and practice. I also believe the liberal news media uses the high-pro le elected Democrats to make the abnormal look normal. They are very good at making that which is so wrong look so right.

I’m going to express some opinions about the national leadership and policies of the Democrat Party and contrast that with what I perceive to be the views of the leadership and policies of local Democrat leaders.

First, I know several local Democrats whom I would readily support going to the national level and replacing some of the crazy, so - called Democrats in other states and at the federal level. In other words, in my opinion, the people who make up the local leadership of the Democrat Party are good people who do not

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Do better

Dear Editor,

This comes as a response to your article titled “Warsaw mayor sounds alarm on town governance, cites intimidation” on page A6 of your Jan. 15, 2026, edition.

True or not, the information in this article angers me. Warsaw citizens should make you angry also. I don’t live in the town of Warsaw but have a Warsaw address. I don’t vote for the mayor or board members, but what they do a ects all who surround the town too.

The town is economically depressed and being held back by the pettiness and self- enforced depravity of those who think they know best. Pettiness abounds. Shamefully so.

Lea Turner, town manager, in her time in the aforementioned position, I have not heard or seen one written statement about her that has been positive. If you have, please share it. Of the board members, I personally know only one and have always thought of him as an upstanding community member. But here is his name cast in a negative light along with a number of the other board members. Shame on all of you.

To Ms. Turner and the town of Warsaw board members: Stop the political BS that is going on. Do better for your town, your constituents and your county.

Debby Scott Warsaw

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@

really believe or support the ultra-radical left wing that controls the national Democrat Party.

The main question that I have for my Democrat friends is this: What are you doing locally to show that you are di erent from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer or California Gov. Gavin Newsom?

I do not believe local Democrats really believe or support many of the far-left radical ideas proposed by these and other high-pro le Democrats. I understand that party unity and loyalty is important if we want to achieve the value of strength in numbers. But that principle can be taken too far. I believe the national radical leftist movement is asking the good, local Democrats to be loyal to a variety of beliefs not consistent with many local tenants of traditional Democrat leaders.

From experience, I know that the vast majority of folks of both major political parties in our area regularly attend church and have faith in the Judeo-Christian belief system of organized religion. I also believe that the secular progressive tenets of the national leadership of the Democrat Party are inconsistent with those Christian values.

I will cite just two related modern social movements and one public safety issue to make

COLUMN | STEPHEN MOORE

my point. First, gender identity and same-sex marriage. Second, public safety and the left’s attack on ICE.

Nothing could be more essential to the proliferation of mankind than God’s creation of two genders: male and female. Only through the combination of those two genders can future generations be produced. Radical national Democrat leaders want local Democrats to accept or turn a blind eye to their distorted Godless ideas about gender, transgender issues and same-sex marriage. Nothing could be more essential to us all than public safety. If we are not safe, what else matters? Most of us have probably said, “Nothing surprises me anymore.” Then we get surprised again. The radical Democrats led attacks on law enforcement, especially the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is di cult to comprehend and disturbing to watch. All the Democrat leaders named above appear very self-righteous as they spout out hateful attacks on those trying to protect us from murderers, rapists and scum of all kinds. We the people, all the local people of both parties, should reject anything not consistent with our traditional Christian values.

Rep. Jimmy Dixon represents Duplin and Wayne counties in the N.C. House of Representatives.

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity.

Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones. Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax writeo s? It’s farcical.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune.

Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed. These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team. Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

Duplin County Animal Shelter shows progress in state review

A January inspection found compliance with animal welfare standards and noted improvements

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE — After repeated state citations and public scrutiny, the Duplin County Animal Shelter received an approved compliance inspection from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Animal Welfare Section last week, indicating documented improvements across multiple operational areas.

The Facility Compliance Inspection, approved Jan. 13, evaluated the shelter under the North Carolina Animal Welfare Act and related administrative codes. The shelter received an overall approved status, with most areas fully compliant and only minor corrective actions noted.

County Manager Lisa Hughes acknowledged the shelter’s history of violations and said the county is focused on long-term improvements.

“We want to make sure that we get it right and the chang-

es made are permanent and in the best interests of the animals we protect and house temporarily at the Animal Shelter,” Hughes said.

State inspectors noted signi cant improvements in cleanliness and facility conditions. The shelter “was much cleaner and had improved smell throughout the facility,” the inspector noted.

According to the AWS report, animal care practices were found to be compliant during the January visit.

“All animals had water during inspection,” and “all animals with medical concerns had proper documentation and veterinarian records,” the inspector reported.

Inspectors also noted that “no animals were present in the play yard during this inspection.”

The inspection report found recordkeeping to be compliant.

“Medication records have proper reason noted from shelter veterinarian treatment recommendations or shelter treatment protocol.” Inspectors further noted that “record keeping has been updated and have been consistently being lled out daily with prop -

“We want to make sure that we get it right and the changes made are permanent and in the best interests of the animals we protect and house.”

Lisa Hughes

er details required.” Adoption documentation was also compliant, with “adoption records reviewed had legal ID for adopters and proper documentation for adoption,” the report states.

Veterinary oversight met regulatory requirements. “During this inspection I reviewed new documentation of veterinary care and treatment plans from the shelter vet,” the inspector wrote, adding that “treatment plans set by the shelter vet have been followed and properly documented.”

Indoor conditions, including ventilation, were found to be compliant. Inspectors noted one area requiring improvement: the absence of a functional thermometer in the cat room to verify temperature monitoring. The issue was documented with corrective action recommended.

Duplin County Schools awarded $20K to expand construction trades training

The award will help fund a new metal shop at East Duplin High School

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE — Duplin County Schools is expanding hands-on construction training for students through the North Carolina Homebuilders grant, which will support facility upgrades, industry credentials and workforce-ready learning at East Duplin High School. The district is one of 10 statewide selected to strengthen career pathways for students, including those considered at-risk and those with disabilities.

Duplin County Schools will receive $20,000 in funding to support the new woodworking and construction trades program at East Duplin High School and address long-standing facility limitations. School o cials said the grant will fund a dedicated 30-by-30-foot metal shop beside the current building, improving safety and allowing the program to grow in response to strong student interest.

“We are deeply grateful for this support, and we look forward to seeing the student projects, credentials, and partnerships that will grow out of these investments in our programs,” said Erica Jones, director of 9–13 Curriculum and Career and Technical Education.

Construction is planned for the spring. With expanded shop space, EDHS students will begin live production work and

“Securing these grants has been an enormous opportunity for our students.”

Erica Jones

prepare to participate in Pender County’s SHED competition during its rst full year.

Participants can earn National Center for Construction Education and Research certications and OSHA safety credentials, which are designed to prepare students for entry-level employment and continued training after graduation.

The EDHS program includes coursework in Construction Core, Carpentry I and II, and Woodworking I and II, and provides opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized credentials, including NCCER Construction Core, Carpentry I and II, OSHA 10 Construction Safety, and the Woodwork Career Alliance Sawblade Certi cate.

“These grants put hammers, tools and real-world skills into the hands of students across North Carolina,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green. “When students build homes, sheds, and structures alongside industry professionals, they’re not just learning a trade — they’re building a pathway to a career and strengthening their communities.”

This is the second consecutive North Carolina Homebuilders grant secured by Duplin

County Schools to strengthen skilled trades education for students and help expand hands-on learning environments, support industry partnerships and prepare students for high-demand careers.

In the 2024-25 school year, the district received $20,000 to implement a program change at James Kenan High School, shifting from full-scale homebuilding projects to shed construction. This adjustment addressed scheduling and curriculum timing limitations associated with long-term homebuilding, enabling instruction to continue throughout the school year. Grant funds were used to remove an existing house foundation and install a concrete slab and covered metal shop space, which was completed in the fall of 2024.

According to school o cials, the updated facility now serves 210 students and supports both carpentry and electrical courses. The shared space has enabled coordinated instruction between the two programs, with students working jointly on shed construction projects. To date, two student-built sheds have been completed and are planned for local sale, providing applied trade experience and supporting community use.

“Securing these grants has been an enormous opportunity for our students,” said Jones. “The enhanced shop spaces at James Kenan and East Duplin allow us to deliver hands-on, industry-aligned instruction that prepares students for real careers in the skilled trades.”

Additional improvements to water access and sanitation are underway. “Water bowls have been added to the outdoor portion of kennels for animals when animals are moved there during cleaning,” the report states, and “the facility is working on water line cut o values to ensure water bowls can be more easily sanitized daily.”

Inspectors observed that there were county workers working on the water lines while they were there for the inspection.

“Overall, the shelter has improved with deep cleaning and verifying all animals have consistent access to water,” wrote the AWS inspector.

Inspectors also cited improvements in sta oversight and daily monitoring. “Facility has implemented walk-throughs rst thing in

the morning by supervising sta to monitor for any medical concerns and ensure all animals have water.”

The inspector also noted that the facility has been in consistent contact regarding policies and plans to send the inspector copies as they are completed for review.

When Duplin Journal asked Hughes whether any rescues or volunteers will remain banned from the facility, and about the timeline for completing the improvements suggested on the inspection, she stated that policy revisions remain in progress and those updates will include increased accountability measures.

“All of the Shelter’s policies, procedures and forms are being reviewed and revised appropriately for more accountability, including documentation,” Hughes told Duplin Journal. “We will go through a vetting process for rescues and a process for volunteers that includes background checks.”

As for the timeline for completing the improvements suggested on the inspection, Hughes said the county is evaluating best practices and consulting with other shelters before nalizing changes.

“While we are doing the things as expeditiously as possible, it is more important to us that we take the time needed to do the research and make sure it is right,” she said. “We are talking with other Shelters and visiting other Shelters as well.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all-cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

Trump lands in Switzerland after delay caused by switching aircraft

Zurich Air Force One touched down in Zurich a little after 12:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, nearly two hours after President Donald Trump was originally scheduled to arrive for an economic forum. The trip to Davos got o to a hiccup when a minor electrical issue aboard Air Force One led the crew to turn his plane around 30 minutes into the ight out of an abundance of caution. Trump changed planes in Washington, D.C. The president instead ew on one of the smaller planes used as Air Force One, an aircraft that’s typically used for domestic trips to smaller airports. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt made a joke to reporters about a Qatari jet sounding “much better” than the aging 747 typically used as Air Force One.

Scotland tradition comes to town

Philip Ross lead the 24th annual Robert Burns Supper at the Country Squire

By Mark Grady Duplin Journal

JUST A FEW weeks ago when the clock struck midnight, ushering in a new year, people in towns and cities all over the country, all over the world for that matter, broke out in song.

“Should old acquaintances be forgot ...”

Members of the Port City Pipes and Drums perform a musical tribute to Robert Burns during the 24th annual Robert Burns Supper at the Country Squire Restaurant and Winery.

The question is, how many people know who wrote those words?

Those famous words that became the New Year’s standard, “Auld Lang Syne,” came from the pen, most likely a quill one, of Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788. Burns said he was actually capturing the words from an old man.

Burns was born on Jan. 25, 1759, in Scotland. His father died in 1784, leaving his son to run a not-too-successful family farm. Just before his father’s death, Burns began writing poetry for himself and friends. He eventually published a book of his creations titled “Poems, Chie y in the Scottish Dialect,” in 1786. It became a hit in Scotland.

Burns died at the young age of 37 in 1796, leaving behind a legacy of being the national poet

Bottom left, a youth member of the Port City Pipes and Drums opens a moving rendition of “Amazing Grace” as the last song during their musical tribute to Robert Burns on Saturday. Bottom middle, Donald Ross gives an address during the traditional “Presentation of the Haggis” at the Robert Burns Supper held at the Country Squire Restaurant and Winery Saturday evening. Right, Todd Kitsick and Kelly Smith, of the Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle, visited the Duplin County version of the Robert Burns Supper for the rst time.

of Scotland. Five years after his death, friends held a “Burns Supper” to mark the fth anniversary of his passing. It was an enormous success and was soon duplicated every year across the globe to honor Burns’ life, words and reputation as being a bit of a rebel.

For 24 years, the Country Squire Restaurant and Winery has hosted its version of a Robert Burns Supper. This past Saturday’s event featured the Port City Pipes along with the tradi-

Age Scottish national poet Robert Burns died in 1796

tional dinner of “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties,” followed by a selection of more American-known entrees for the packed banquet hall.

The Country Squire is owned by Iris Lennon, who is a native of Scotland.

DUPLIN SPORTS

MR. FOOTBALL 2025

Unstoppable Lamb has started his college football journey

Jamarae Lamb, the third-leading rusher in N.C., wins Duplin’s top prep honor before an early exit to play at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Jamarae Lamb is unlike any athlete in Duplin County.

He nished his prep football career in November and last week started attending classes at Lenoir-Rhyne University while also learning the Bears’ playbook.

Yet the Wallace-Rose Hill running back has one more news item attached to his resume: Mr. Football.

Lamb, who led the county with 2,426 yards and 30 touchdowns,

turned his back on 10 Division I offers to play for the Division II school in Hickory. Though he had more carries than both James Kenan’s Jeremiah Hall and North Duplin’s Carell Phillips, the Bulldog played more defensively and on special teams, and he was counted on to be the No. 1 and only option at WRH. And even when teams knew the ball would be in his hands from a direct snap, opponents were unable to stop him.

Lamb was held to 60 yards in a season-opening loss to East Duplin but had his way the rest of the fall.

He compiled more than 200 yards against six teams while adding 192, 179, 168, 145, 140 yards in ve other games. And unlike most running backs, if

Lamb hit the second level he was on his way to pay dirt. He scored ve times and had two conversions in a rst-round playo win over Greene Central. He scored four times against Spring Creek, had four games with four scores and two games with three scores. He averaged 202 yards per game and 8.8 yards per carry. He threw a touchdown pass, made eight conversions and caught six passes for 66 yards.

Lamb follows former Bulldogs greats such as Johnny Glaspie (ECU), Keyshawn Canady (ECU), Javonte Williams (UNC), Cameren Dalrymple (Navy), Kanye Robert (Appalachian State) and Irving Brown (Ohio University) — six Division I

See MR. FOOTBALL, page B3

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025

Tigers’ Zeleya sacri ces o ense to become feared sniper

David Zeleya let his JK teammates score touchdowns so he could concentrate on being a free-ranging safety with a nose for the ball

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

WARSAW — David Zeleya would be a star running back at any school other than James Kenan. As a Tiger, he’s the Defensive Player of the Year. Zeleya, whose runs and catches were limited this season because of his 2,060-yard senior classmate Jeremiah Hall and emerging roles for Taulil Pearsall and CJ Hill, became a monster free safety who led Duplin in both tackles (143) and solo tackles (87). His ve interceptions were second to seven via

See DEFENSE, page B4

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025 Tigers’ Hall, Rebels’ Phillips end banner careers as star bookends

JK’s Jeremiah Hall and ND’s Carell Phillips were as close statistically and what they did for their respective teams

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

CALYPSO — Senior Jeremi-

ah Hall has been a key o ensive player in the turnaround of James Kenan’s football fortunes the past two seasons. So has classmate Carell Phillips, who had two of the greatest seasons in North Duplin history. Both lauded similar statistics and were play- and game-breakers.

The running backs also led their respective schools to at least a share of consecutive conference titles.

They will share the O ensive Player of the Year award as both were mega-alpha runners.

Hall ran for 2,060 yards as the ninth-leading rusher among all classi cation. Phillips had 2,049 and was 10th in the state.

Phillips had 28 touchdowns in 12 games; Hall 27 in 14 games.

Both ran for more than 200 yards four times.

And while football is a team game, JK is 24-2 in the previous two seasons; ND is 20-3.

See OFFENSE, page B2

Abby Rose

North Duplin, girls’ basketball

Abby Rose has blossomed into a basketball player that can lead a team.

Rose, a North Duplin sophomore, has averaged 16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 3.2 assists.

She has hit double gures in every game for ND (12-3) and tied her career-high 22 during a win over Wayne Christian. She also had 22 against 3A Kinston (11-1) and hit for 21 in two other a airs.

She’s had one double-double while getting one short of that rebound total in the other three games.

And all of that is a big jump from her sophomore campaign of 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Tigers girls claw past Panthers for signature rivalry victory

JK snapped a six-game skid against ED, which won 16 straight from 2014-19

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

BEULAVILLE — Y’An-

na Rivers, Aleyah Wilson and Gabi Outlaw have James Kenan looking like a contender.

Rivers scored four of her game-high 21 points in thenal two minutes to lift the Tigers to a 44-41 win over East Duplin last Thursday night.

It broke the Panthers’ six-game winning streak in the series. JK won two games in 2021 but were on the lopsided end of a 16-0 run by the Panthers from 2014 to 2019.

The win was the rst for Tigers head coach Aaron Smith, an ED alumni.

It was big because Mark Lane is 321-127 through 17 seasons in Beulaville.

Outlaw hit a key 3-pointer to give JK as 39-35 lead. The next play was pivotal as Panthers star Kinsey Cave delivered a perfect pass to Andraia Scarbough to trim the de cit to a deuce, but Cave hurt her ankle on the play and hobbled o the oor.

Rivers seized the moment by driving for a layup and posting up in the paint to give JK a 43-39 edge Wilson, who had 12 points, canned a free throw with 4.3 ticks left on the clock.

Cave (12 points) returned to feed Bennett Holley for a hoop with 9.3 seconds remaining. But Wilson, who had 12 points, canned a free throw with 4.3 ticks left on the clock to seal the win for JK (9-2).

Cave didn’t play two days later and is expected to miss at least a week.

The loss only hurts the Panthers in a rivalry sense as the schools are in di erent conferences.

Rivers netted 18, Wilson 14 and Outlaw 10 when JK whacked Princeton 53-14 for its ninth win.

But let’s be honest, fans in Warsaw were jumped for joy, a celebration that carried over to last Monday’s 47-31 win over the Panthers in Warsaw.

Outlaw gunned in 18 and River, Wilson and Kendria Smith each red in eight markers.

JK (10-2) took control in the middle two quarters, going on a 15-5 burst in the second to lead 23-13 at haltime and blitzing to a 13-5 run in the third that put the Tigers comfortably in front 41-18 entering

OFFENSE from page B1

Hall might have had a better o ensive line, though both schools were rebuilding its blocking brigade.

One award for two winners seems rather apropos. The duo is the rst to share the award, which was started in 2009.

Phillips took the honor in 2024 and joins Tigers quarterback Ken Avent III (’15, ’16) and WRH running back Kaymond Farrior (’20, ’21) as double winners.

Phillips, who ran for 1,300 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior, nished his career with 4,876 yards and 70 scores. He went over the 100-yard plateau 21 times in two seasons.

He averaged 9.2 yards per carry and 171 per game in 2025.

Hall did all his damage in

Y’anna Rivers is averaging 18 points a game for JK, which

ED last week for the rst time in six encounters.

the nal eight minutes of play.

ED (11-4, 2-0 ECC) beat Wallace-Rose Hill 55-40 one night after being upset as Lorena Rodriguez tossed in a career-high 18 points. Zakoya Farrior added 11, Scarborough eight and Zoe Cavanaugh seven. The Panthers had excellent ball movement and got past the inside presence of Marion Franics (14 points) and speedy guard QuoRyiona Vine, a freshman point guard.

ED will host unbeaten Clinton (13-0) this week in a battle for the lead in the ECC.

WRH (10-6, 4-1 Swine Valley) clobbered Rosewood 55-14 after its setback and has a league date with JK on the same night the Panthers and Dark Horses battle.

Rebels rattle two foes to roll to eighth straight win

Don’t count out North Duplin. The rebuilding-team-thatcan dunked Wayne Christian (53-22) and West Columbus (54-20) for its eighth win in a row. Abby Rose scored 22 points and had nine rebounds and Lilly Fulghum 12 points and ve steals as ND topped the Eagles.

OFFENSIVE POY

2009: Devonta Herring, WRH

2010: Omar Carr, WRH

2011: Devin Oliver, ND

2012: Tyler Royal, ND

2013: Daron Goodman, ND

2014: Ken Avent III, JK

2015: Ken Avent III, JK

2016: Chris Benson, ED

2017: Will Archer, ND

2018: John Thomas Avent, JK

two seasons. He bolted for 1,150 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior to nish with 3,210 yards. Two of his 200-yard games came in the playo s. He 202 and three scores in a 44-42 loss to 6A Southern Nash.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Maggie Brown added eight points and Abigeal Norris 11 rebounds.

Fulghum led the way in the triumph over the Vikings, tossing in 16 markers, dishing out ve assists and blocking two shots.

Rose chipped in with 11, which was the same number of rebounds that Brown and Norris pulled down together. Reagan Herring pitched in four points and seven boards as ND prepped for its Carolina Conference showdown with Lakewood this week. The Rebels (12-3, 4-0) will try to slow down run-and-gun swing player Areona Mckoy (24.8 points per game), one of the best shooters in the East.

ND coach Jon Kornegay has the Rebels exceeding nearly everyone’s preseason expectations after losing guard Addy Higginbotham and center Tatewayna Fasion, two 1,000-point career scorers who are playing college sports.

So far, the Rebels’ lack of depth hasn’t hurt them as several players are emerging and the team is playing well together.

The Feb. 12 matchup between ND-Lakewood is the regular season nale for both schools.

2019: Cameren Darymple, WRH

2020: Kaymond Farrior, WRH

2021: Kaymond Farrior, WRH

2022: Kanye Roberts, WRH

2023: Corbin Kerr, WRH

2024: Carell Phillips, ND

2025: Carell Phillips, ND and Jeremiah Hall, JK

He averaged 11.3 yards per carry and 182 per game. Hall and Phillips are similar in another area as both are seeking to nd a place to play in college. They are the rst players to share the O ensive Player of the Year award.

The Beulaville Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Monday, February 2, 2026 at approximately 6:45 p.m. at the Beulaville Town Hall, 508 East Main St. The purpose of the public hearing will be to receive public comment on a Re-Zoning Request for property located at East Park Drive from Highway Business (HB) to Residential (R5 Conditional). The property requested is Parcel #07-2219 containing 3.39 acres and 1.61 acres of Parcel #07-4030-3.

A description of the Re-zoning Request will be available for public inspection at the Town Hall during

hours. All interested persons are urged to attend the public hearing. Lori T. Williams, Town Manager

Bulldogs, Tigers clear the table for rst rivalry clash

Two games between Wallace-Rose Hill and James Kenan will have major conference and playo implications

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

TEACHEY — Two basketball success stories who have combined for a 21-2 record will collided early this week.

Meanwhile, a big man from another school is making a huge impact in the paint.

Wallace-Rose Hill (12-1, 4-1) and James Kenan (9-3) were slated to play in Warsaw early this week and then have a rematch Feb. 13 on Steve Robinson Count in Teachey.

Both schools lost to and trail Goldsboro (11-3, 5-0) in the Swine Valley 3A Conference standings.

Duplin County’s 4A team, East Duplin could have the most emerging center in sophomore Dominic Hall.

Here are a few snapshots from last week’s games as the Panthers lost to both of their Duplin rivals.

CJ Hill scored 16 points, Eli Avent 14, Zamarion Smith 12 and Kentrell Morrisey 11 as JK whipped ED 63-51 in Beulaville.

Smith hit a pair of 3-pointers and a jumper in succession to send the Tigers to an early 17-7 edge. Neither team was playing all that well until late in the second quarter when Zachary Ball and DJ Davis hit bombs, which were immediately matched by two long Avent zingers, the last of which gave JK a 32-27 halftime lead. The Tigers had 18 points via 3-point shots and went to the foul line 10 times as compared to twice for the Panthers.

Using a balanced attack, JK went in front 45-35 entering the nal quarter.

MR. FOOTBALL from page B1

signees at WRH since 2015.

He ran for more yards than everyone but Roberts, who holds the Duplin County single-season record of 3,055 yards.

Lamb, third in the state in rushing among all classi cations, meets the “eye test” that goes beyond statistics. No matter the outcome of the game, the player with the orange No. 1 jersey was the best player on the eld.

“He’s a football player,” said WRH head coach Kevin Motsinger, “and can play at running back, quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback, safety and outside linebacker. He’s a lockdown defensive player.”

WRH struggled to a 6-6 mark while losing by two points to Kinston (the 3A East nalist), and one-score games against James Kenan (12-2 and East Region nalists), Midway (8-3) and Pender (10-2).

“With all the injuries we had he had to be the guy, and everyone knew that to beat us you have to tackle him. And he had to be it for every play.”

For now, Lamb won’t be a defensive player at Lenoir-Rhyne.

“He’s had a great rst week, and they want him to learn the o ense as a running back and

A 3-pointer by Jordan Pickett trimmed the de cit to eight with 1:55 to play, but Hill converted a layup, and he and Jeremiah Hall combined for ve charity tosses.

Dominic Hall had nine markers and 11 rebounds, and he would be more dangerous when ED faced WRH the following night.

He scored 23 points, but it was not enough to overcome the Bulldogs, who turned it on in the fourth quarter for a 66 -58 win.

Raqwon McCrimmon scored 14, Matthew Wells and Kayden Keith 12 apiece, and Darrius McCrimmon nine.

Dominic Hall, a 6-foot-5 cen-

ter, scored ve points in thenal two minutes of the rst half to rally ED to a 23-23 deadlock at halftime.

ED took leads of 38-34 o a Hall hoop and 40-38 following his jam and were in front by four after three periods.

A driving score by Keith and two Raqwon McCrimmon trifectas allowed WRH to go in front for good at 55-52 with 4:35 to play.

ED fought hard but WRH had the momentum, and that force was greater than it could overcome.

A Pickett bomb got the bulge to 63-58 with 22 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs handled Rosewood 59-47 the next night for their 12th win, which is one more than they had last winter. They could be en route to passing the WRH team from ’16 went 18-8, the last big season for coach Robinson, who led the Bulldogs to a 2A title in ’98 and a 1A crown in ’06.

Three new schools atop CC as ND wins three of four

Sophomore Jae’lyn Ingram is averaging 16 points and 7.5 rebounds for North Duplin, which lost to West Columbus 50-49 last Friday in a Carolina Conference game in Cerro Gordo.

It ended the Rebels’ three -game winning streak.

ND and longtime CC members Lakewood, Hobbton, Lakewood and Union trail new schools East Columbus, West Columbus and East Bladen in the standings, which are in the league after the NCHSAA’s four-year realignment plan. Ingram scored 22 a day before the loss as ND slipped by Wayne Christian 56-40. Senior Quan Stevens added nine and sophomore Messiah Cooper six.

slot receiver,” Motsinger said. “They have high expectations for him. He’s up at 5 a.m. for 6 a.m. workouts.” Lamb, who ran for 1,361 yards as a junior, is the ninth

Bulldogs player to capture the Mr. Football title, with Glaspie (’14 and ’15), Williams (’16, ’17), Roberts (’20, ’21) and JK’s Marcelias Sutton (’12, ’13) winning it twice.

JK’s Hassan Kornegay, the state’s leading tackler, won it in 2024. He’s just the second defensive player to capture the honor. ED linebacker Amaru Herring took the award in 2018.

ND (6-8, 2-3) is also getting contributions from two other sophomores — Noah Bennett (6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds) and Noah Price (5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds).

Senior Stevens, Holden Williams, Carell Phillips and Lucas Dail are combining to give 16 points and 14 rebounds in coach Je Byrd’s two-platoon lineup.

Crusaders win in a row, one win away from 20th Same formula, di erent night.

Antonio McKoy, Dashuan McKoy and Amir Moore combined for 48 points and 22 rebounds as Harrells Christian Academy (19-4) beat Rocky Mount Academy 85-25 in a laugher on the Crusader’s court last Thursday.

Look for HCA to win 20 games for the fourth season in a row this week when it has three scheduled games. The Crusaders have won 30, 22 and 20 games in the previous three seasons.

Two days earlier, the McKoy cousins, who are both seniors, and Moore, a junior, combined for 63 markers in an 82-50 domination of Liberty Christian.

Antonio McKoy, who is heading to Western Carolina, is averaging 28.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and is shooting 59 percent from the oor.

Dashaun McKoy is at 16.2 points, 6.8 boards and is hitting 53% from the eld and 72% from the free-throw line and has 27 blocks. Moore is at 12.2 points, seven rebounds and has 23 blocks.

Point guard J’Kaeshi Brunson leads the team in assists at 6.4 and is second in steals to Antonio McKoy.

MR. FOOTBALL

2009: Delonte Miller, ED

2010: Dawan McKenzie, WRH

2011: Traveon McKenzie, WRH

2012: Marcelias Sutton, JK

2013: Marcelias Sutton, JK

2014: Johnny Glaspie, WRH

2015: Johnny Glaspie, WRH

2016: Javonte Williams, WRH

2017: Javonte Williams, WRH

2018: Amaru Herring, ED

2019: K.D. McClarin, ED

2020: Co: K.D. McClarin, ED

Co: Kayne Roberts, WRH

2021: Kanye Roberts, WRH

2022: Avery Gaby, ED

2023: Corbin Kerr, WRH

2024: Hassan Kornegay, JK

2025: Jamarae Lamb, WRH

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.”

Will Power

fourth on the all-time wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles.

But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the making, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a contract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organi-

zation to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and getting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

FILE#26E000002-300

The undersigned, IRIS JEAN BLANTON, having quali ed on the 5TH DAY of JANUARY, 2026, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ALVIN JOE BASS, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 15TH Day of APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 15TH Day of JANUARY 2026.

IRIS JEAN BLANTON, EXECUTOR 118 CLAY HILL FARM DRIVE ROSE HILL, NC 28458

Run dates:J15,22,29,F5p

The statewide primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote. All voters will be allowed to vote with or without ID. If a voter does not have ID, they will vote on a provisional ballot. Registered voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. Find out more at ncsbe.gov/voter-id.

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

Early voting will be held at the following location from Thursday, February 12, 2026, to Saturday, February 28, 2026: Ed Emory Auditorium, 165 Agriculture Dr., Kenansville, NC 28349

Thursday, February 12 8:00 AM-7:30 PM

Friday, February 13 8:00 AM-7:30 PM

Monday, February 16 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Tuesday, February 17 8:00 AM-7:30 PM

NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

FILE#25E001060 -300

The undersigned, RONNIE DEAN ENGLISH, having quali ed on the 5TH DAY of JANUARY, 2026, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ROBBIE ENGLISH, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 8TH Day of APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 8TH Day of JANUARY 2026.

RONNIE DEAN ENGLISH, EXECUTOR 1725 KINGS LANDING RD. HAMPSTEAD, NC 28443

Run dates:J8,15,22,29p

Wednesday, February 18 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Thursday, February 19 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Friday, February 20 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Sunday, February 22 1:00 PM-5:00 PM Monday, February 23 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Tuesday, February 24 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Wednesday, February 25 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Thursday, February 26 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Friday, February 27 8:00 AM-7:30 PM Saturday, February 28 8:00 AM-3:00 PM

Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning Monday, January 12, 2026. A voter can ll out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe. gov, or by lling out a request form provided by the county board of elections o ce. The request must be received through the website or by the Duplin County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. February 17, 2026. In the general election, voters will select candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, N.C. General Assembly, state

DEFENSE from page B1

East Duplin’s Zachary Ball. He averaged 11.3 tackles, which included big nights against Southern Nash (22), Wallace-Rose Hill (16 and 13 tackles), Midway (15), East Duplin (14) and Franklin Central (13) in the fourth round of the 3A playo s. Zeleya came up to defend the run exceptionally well and had eight tackles for lost yardage.

His role as the minister of the defense was pivotal for the Tigers, who lost to Kinston in the East Region nal for their second-straight 12-2 campaign. His number of solo tackles also meant he was a top -notch open- eld tackler, which served to limit an opponent’s yards and points.

Defensive coordinator John Bert Avent allowed Zeleya to have more roaming time than an unlimited cell phone account, trusting his instincts and ability to recover if he needed to change his direction.

Ironically, he lled the role of the Tigers’ Hassan Kornegay, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year who led the state in tackles.

Yet head coach and o ensive coordinator Tim Grady used Zeleya as he accounted for 18.9 yards in receiving each game and 13.9 yards in running. He scored ve times rushing and once via a pass. And there’s more.

Zeleya returned a punt, kicko and fumble for a touchdown. He compiled 190 interception yards and another 370 yards in punts and kicko s. He had six picks and 115 tackles as a junior when

FORECLOSURES

DEFENSIVE POY

2009: Dre Scarbrough, ED

2010: Traveon McKenzie, WRH

2011: Derrick Black, ED

2012: Dijon Kenan, WRH

2013: Dijon Kenan, WRH

2014: Timmy Turner, WRH

2015: Javonte Williams, WRH

2016: Xavier Murray, WRH

2017: Jordan Mitchell, ED

2018: Cameron Donaldson, WRH

2019: Russell Gaby, ED

2020: Russell Gaby, ED

2021: Daunte Hall, ED

2022: Mason Brown, JK

2023: Hassan Kornegay, JK

2024: Trashawn Ru n, ND

2025: David Zeleya, JK

he was used more running (87- 483, 10 TDs) and catching the ball (14-250, 3 TDs). One game fans will remember came against WRH as Zeleya continueously ran the ball through the defense to will the ball into the end zone on a late game-winning drive.

He made 48 more tackles in ’25 and had one more interception (six) in his nal season. He is the third Tiger to win the award. Logan Brown took it in 2022 as JK has produced the top defender in three of the previous four seasons. WRH’s Dijon Kenan (’12, ’13) and ED’s Russell Gaby (’19, ’20) are the lone two-time winners. Six Bulldogs have walked o with the honor, which started in 2009.

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY In the Superior Court CARDINAL FINANCIAL COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP v. TIA JONES; ANY KNOWN SPOUSE OF TIA JONES; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS AGENCY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; GODDARD & PETERSON, PLLC; 25CV001678-300 Party to be served: TIA JONES; ANY KNOWN SPOUSE OF TIA JONES

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been led in the above-entitled special proceeding. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Plainti is seeking the foreclosure of real property at 570 W MAIN ST, WALLACE, NC 28466

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than February 16, 2026, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This, the 2 day of January 2026

Gregory P. Cowen NC Bar# 39608 Attorney for Petitioner Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 13010 Morris Road, Suite 450 Alpharetta, GA 30004

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

FILE#25E001476 -300

The undersigned, BRYAN RHODES, having quali ed on the 22ND DAY of DECEMBER, 2025, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ARLINE RHODES, aka, ARLINE C. RHODES, aka ARLINE CAVENAUGH RHODES, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 8TH Day of APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 8TH Day of JANUARY 2026.

BRYAN RHODES, EXECUTOR PO BOX 905 NEWPORT, NC 28570

Run dates:J8,15,22,29p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY

FILE#25E001473-300

The undersigned, DANIEL R. BLIZZARD, having quali ed on the 3RD DAY of DECEMBER, 2025, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of CONNIE BLIZZARD TYNDALL, deceased, of DUPLIN County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 22ND Day of APRIL 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 22ND Day of JANUARY 2026.

DANIEL R. BLIZZARD, ADMINISTRATOR 439 N BLIZZARDTOWN RD. BEULAVILLE, NC 28518

Run dates:J22,29,F5,12p

and local judges, district attorney, and county o ces.

The voter registration deadline for this election is 5 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2026. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. New registrants will be required to provide documentation of their residence.

Absentee meetings

Jesse “Bubba” Leon Osborne

July 7, 1958 – Jan. 14, 2026

Jesse “Bubba” Leon Osborne, 67, of Winnabow, passed away on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center.

He was born on July 7, 1958, in Wilmington, North Carolina, to the late Samuel and Alice Mae (Faine) Osborne.

Bubba was an accomplished carpenter and handyman. He could x cars, frame houses, or install chimneys. Bubba enjoyed target shooting with his son, Patrick, whom he taught to shoot at an early age. Bubba will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Bubba is survived by his wife, Jennifer Osborne; his son, Patrick Osborne and wife, Kourtney; his daughter, Jessica Fields; his brother, Samuel Edward Osborne; his grandchildren, Laurah, Derek, Devin, Tara, Olivia; and a host of other family members and friends.

In addition to his parents, Bubba was preceded in death by his brothers, Jewell Lee Osborne and Stephen Osborne, and his sisters, Patsy Ann McLachlan and Catherine Faye Higdon.

Gary Michael James

Jan. 4, 1938 – Jan. 15, 2026

Mr. Gary Michael James, age 65, of Dillon, SC, passed away on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at home. The funeral service will be held at Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill, NC, on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 11 am. Burial will follow at Little Mission Cemetery in Magnolia, NC.

Alton Dactor Lanier

June 26, 1933 – Jan. 19, 2026

Alton Dactor Lanier, 93, passed away on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The funeral service is Monday, January 26, 2026, at noon at The Church at Pin Hook at 1650 Deep Bottom Road in Wallace, NC.

Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service.

Burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery at 1090 Old Maple Road North in Maple Hill, NC.

He is survived by son Chip Lanier, of Maple Hill, NC; daughter April Lanier, of Virginia Beach, VA; sister Faye Russ, of Wilmington, NC; and brother Barden Lanier, in Swansboro, NC.

Elwood Coombs

Dec. 31, 1937 – Jan. 17, 2026

Elwood Coombs passed from this life into the presence of his Lord on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at home surrounded by his family. Born December 31, 1937, he is the son of the late Stanley Coombs and Olivia Williams Coombs in Lenoir County. He is also preceded in death by his siblings, Larry Williams Coombs, Barbara Ann Coombs and Bernice Edna Coombs, and his nephew, Michael William Coombs.

Elwood was a loving husband, father and Poppie. Left to cherish his memory and carry his legacy is his wife of 60 years, Sherry Cavenaugh Coombs; son Roger Lee Coombs (Michelle) and daughter Susan Coombs Bradshaw (Ashley); grandchildren Madelyn Coombs, Olivia Bradshaw, Maggie Ray Bradshaw, Claire Elizabeth Bradshaw and Robert Stanley Coombs; and special family Beth and Bo Fussell and Kim and Dennis Patram.

He loved his country and served in the US Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet from 1956 to 1960. He was a poultry farmer and retired from textiles; however, after retirement, he enjoyed driving a rollback for his son’s business and delivering peanuts for English Family Peanuts. He loved people and brought laughter and joy wherever he went, wearing crazy wild socks and sharing a joke to lift spirits and bring smiles to others.

He loved his church and served his Lord with enthusiasm. He helped with the Backpack ministry of Westview Methodist Church, packing bags of food and sharing in delivering them to the schools. He loved air-frying turkeys for the Heroes In Training (HIT Squad) gatherings, helping them in any way he could. He enjoyed the children of the church and delighted in them being “children.”

His greatest love was his grands – Madelyn, Olivia, Maggie Ray, Claire-Beth and Robert. He had a special relationship with each one and spent as much time with them as they would allow. Whatever they wanted, he tried to make it happen. He loved being their Poppie!

Elwood’s family will greet friends at a visitation on Tuesday, January 20, from 6-8 p.m. or on Wednesday, January 21, at 1 p.m. with service in the chapel of Padgett Funeral Home at 2 p.m. After the service, interment will be in Riverview Memorial Park of Watha.

Fran McDu e

Sept, 26,1962 – Jan. 14, 2026

Goldsboro- Ms. Fran McDu e, 63, completed her earthly journey and transitioned from labor to reward, Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at UNC Health Wayne, surrounded by her loving family. The arrangements are currently incomplete. Please join us in prayer for her family during their time of bereavement.

Ronald “Gene” Rhodes

Aug. 8, 1951 – Jan. 15, 2026

Ronald “Gene” Rhodes, known to most simply as Gene, passed away Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the age of 74.

Gene was born on August 8, 1951, and lived a life marked by hard work, strong opinions, quick humor, and a heart that made room for just about everyone. He never met a stranger, and if you crossed his path, chances are he spoke to you, joked with you, or told you exactly what he thought. Those who knew him best also knew that whatever came up usually came out. Gene was often heard saying, “It is what it is,” which demonstrated his resilience and good nature.

Gene proudly served his country in the United States Navy, including time stationed in Naples, Italy. By trade, he was a carpenter who built things with his hands and appreciated a job well done.

Family was important to Gene, and he loved his children deeply. He once admitted that when his son Glenn was born, he was so tiny that Gene was scared to hold him. But Gene’s life stands as a witness to the fact that his love carried through the years steadily and unmistakably.

Gene and his wife, Peggy, shared 50 years of marriage together, and February of 2026 would have marked 51 years. Their life together was lled with dancing at the Moose Lodge, friendships that spanned decades, and memories that will continue to echo in the lives they touched.

Gene had a fondness in his heart for older folks. He enjoyed keeping his vehicle shiny and spotless and loved anything with horsepower and a goodsounding exhaust. He was known for cooking pigs, telling colorful jokes, and bringing laughter wherever he went. He could be short-fused at times, but he cooled o just as quickly as he heated up and moved on with the business of living.

In recent years, Gene especially enjoyed time spent talking with friends at Kurt’s shop, Sanders Auto Parts, and with his buddy, Bip. Those conversations—full of stories, laughter, and sprinkled with truth—are great memories for those who shared them.

And if you ever had one of Gene’s pecan pies—especially if your name was Mike—you knew you were loved.

Gene attended Baysden’s Chapel Church in Richlands, and his service will be o ciated by Pastor David Jarman.

He is survived by his loving wife, Peggy Rhodes of Richlands; his son, Glenn Rhodes and wife Amy of Potters Hill; his daughter, Donna Camell and husband Robert of Pink Hill; his sister, Debbie Hatcher and husband Phil of Chinquapin; his brothers, Mike Rhodes and wife Becky of Raleigh, and Billy Rhodes and wife Mary of Clayton; and his cherished grandchildren, Isaiah Rhodes, Zoey Shoup and Baylee Raynor.

Visitation will be held Monday, January 19, 2026, from 6-8 p.m. at Community Funeral Home in Beulaville.

Graveside services will be held Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 3 p.m. at East Duplin Memorial Gardens in Beulaville.

Gene leaves behind a legacy of honesty, laughter, hard work and connection. He spoke his mind, loved his people, and lived fully in the middle of life. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.

Nellie Mae James-Wells

Jan. 26, 1935 – Jan. 14, 2026

Mrs. Nellie Mae James-Wells, age 90, of Teachey, NC, passed away on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, NC. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill, NC. Burial will follow at Duplin Memorial Garden in Teachey, NC.

Marjorie Wallace

Sept. 24, 1945 – Jan.12, 2026

Mrs. Marjorie Lavonna Tate Wallace, age 80, of Teachey, NC, passed away on Monday, January 12, 2026, at ECU Health Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, NC.

The memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 1 pm at the Rose Hill Funeral Home Chapel in Rose Hill, NC.

Left to cherish her precious memories are her children: Patsy Wallace of Teachey, NC, Heather Wallace of Rose Hill, NC and Dorothy Wallace of Teachey, NC; sister, Carolyn Tate of Missouri; seven grandchildren: Chasity Bryant, Sierra Bryant, Tyler Bryant, Eric Wallace, Jalen Wallace-Mathis, Lake Wallace and David Ingram; three greatgrandchildren: Easton Bryant, Simba Hagler and Mike Carter; a host of other relatives and friends that will miss her dearly.

Elton Dean Byrd

Jan. 10, 1944 – Jan. 19, 2026

Elton Dean Byrd, 82, passed away on Monday, January 19, 2026, in Kitty Askins Center, Goldsboro, NC.

The funeral service is Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 1 p.m. at Community Funeral Home in Beulaville, NC

Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Lanier Cemetery in Chinquapin, NC

He is survived by his stepdaughters Sharon Pullen (David), of Chinquapin, NC, and Edith Mobley (Chris), of Beulaville, NC; step-sons Randy Mobley, of Chinquapin, NC, and Kirk Mobley, of Ohio; and sister Bertha Hanson (Jim), of Beulaville, NC.

Charles Martin

Lockamy

Jan. 14, 1943 – Jan. 15, 2026

Warsaw-Charles Martin

Lockamy, 83, of Warsaw, passed away Thursday, January 15, 2026, at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.

Charles was born on January 14, 1943, in Duplin County to the late Aldridge Crosby Lockamy and Emma Allen Scott Lockamy.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the Devotional Gardens Mausoleum. A visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Community Funeral Home of Warsaw.

Left to cherish his memory, Mr. Lockamy is survived by his son, Troy Lockamy of Raleigh, and his sister-in-law, Rebecca Lockamy. In addition to his parents, Mr. Lockamy was preceded in death by his wife, Sandra Lanier Lockamy; his son, Charles “Chuck” Martin Lockamy Jr.; and his brother, Bobby Scott Lockamy. In lieu of owers, memorial donations may be made to Pet Friends of Duplin, P. O. Box 152, Wallace, NC 28466.

Lawrence Fisher Herring Sr.

Feb. 17, 1944– Dec. 30, 2025

Mr. Lawrence Fisher Herring Sr., age 81, of Rose Hill, NC, passed away on Tuesday, December 30, at home.

The funeral service will be held at New Bethel A.M.E. Church in Magnolia, NC, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Herring Cemetery in Rose Hill, NC.

Left to cherish his precious memories are his children: Lawrence Fisher Herring Jr. (Deborah) of Teachey, NC, Jeannette Chester of Coatesville, PA, Eric West of Raleigh, NC, Daryl West (Denise) of Clinton, NC, Keith Herring of Winston-Salem, NC and Tasha West of Clinton, NC; sisters: Inell Davis of Wallace, NC and Mary Caroline Williams (Neaman) of Statesville, NC; sister-in-law, Marilyn Herring of Statesville, NC; brother like, Wade Ward (Cam) of Rose Hill, NC; special grandson, Thomas Vincent Herring Jr. (Victoria) of Middleburg, FL.; two right hands: Gregory Peterson and Ulysses Hu n of Statesville, NC and fur baby of 14 years “Cookie” Herring; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that will miss him dearly.

Gary Steven Lanier

Nov. 12, 1960 – Jan. 8, 2026

Gary Steven Lanier of Rose Hill (NC) passed away on Thursday, January 8, 2026, while in the care of Sampson Regional Medical Center. He was preceded in death by his parents, Norwood (Pete) and Nancy Turner Lanier.

Left to cherish his memory are his brother, Harry Keith Lanier, and wife, Susan of Harrells (NC); nephew, Jerry Lanier and wife Haley of Clayton; niece, Olivia Lanier of Raleigh; great nephews, Thomas and Carson Lanier; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Gary was born in and grew up in the Duplin County area and graduated from James Kenan High School in 1979. He took great pride in his lifelong career as a truck driver. He simply loved being behind the wheel—whether it was an eighteen-wheeler or one of his favorite cars. Always quick with a smile or a laugh, Gary was a friend to many.

His family will greet friends at a visitation set for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, in the chapel of Padgett Funeral Home, with a service to celebrate his life at 2 p.m. Interment will follow in the Oak Plain Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rose Hill. In lieu of owers, the family requests donations be made to Oak Plain Presbyterian Church, Beth Smith, 438 Halls Pond Rd, Rose Hill, NC 28458.

Jimmy Hall

March 22, 1943 – Jan. 8, 2026

Goldsboro- Mr. Jimmy Hall, age 82, peacefully accepted his call from his Heavenly Father while in the compassionate care of Kitty Askins Hospice in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on Thursday, January 8, 2026. The arrangements are incomplete at this time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, and please continue to keep the family in your prayers.

Elizabeth “Skeet” (Futreal) King Horrell

June 26, 1933 – Jan. 5, 2026

Elizabeth “Skeet” Futreal King Horrell, 92, of Wallace, left this earthly life for her eternal home to be with Jesus Christ, her Lord, forever.

She was born on June 26, 1933, in Duplin County, the daughter of the late Henry N. and Katie Lee Wilson Futreal. She was also preceded in death by her rst husband and father of her children, Wilbert Doris King; her late husband, Morris Horrell; and her daughter, Sarah King Baker.

Mrs. Horrell was an active member of the Willard Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church as long as her health permitted.

Surviving to cherish her memory is her children JB King and wife Debbie of Fayetteville, Wilbert D “Bill” King Jr. and wife Terri of Burgaw and Gary Neal King and wife Tracy of Teachey; grandchildren Derrick King (Sarah), Jordan King (Anna), Jessica King Bain (Neal), Ashley King (Joel), Michelle Baker Ross, Amy King Stone, Brailey Jones (Kristin), Maddison McFadden (Tyreck), Ashley Henderson (Jason), Jake Tucker (Vickie), Courtney Tucker and Eli Tucker; numerous great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends that loved Skeet dearly.

Elizabeth or “Skeet” as everyone a ectionately called her was a devoted wife and loving mother and grandmother. She was a simple woman who enjoyed the simple things in life, but her greatest joy was family.

Being a diligent homemaker and great cook, she lled her home with love and welcomed all who entered. Skeet was a great woman of faith. She loved and served her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and lived a life that glori ed Him. Today, she has run the race and has achieved all that she has strived for all her life - to be with Jesus. Skeet will surely be missed but she will never be forgotten.

Funeral service will be held at 12 Noon on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home, Wallace Chapel, with her son, JB King, o ciating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. to noon, one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Interment will follow the service in Riverview Memorial Park, Watha, NC.

Roy Lee Taylor

July 1, 1939 – Jan. 9, 2026

Roy Lee Taylor, native of the Summerlin’s Crossroads area of Duplin County, and a long-time resident of Calypso, passed away early Friday morning, January 9, 2026, while receiving care at Wayne UNC Healthcare. He was 86.

Roy Lee was a retired volunteer with Oak Wolfe Fire Department, and he was a member of Bethel Church of Mount Olive. He retired from Smith eld Foods where he was their purchasing agent. He, too, had served for 30 years with the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Roy Lee leaves behind his son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Jessica G. Taylor, of La Grange three grandchildren, Brynlee Taylor, Gabriel Taylor, and Ainsley Taylor; a brother, Elmer “Buddy” Taylor of the Summerln’s Crossroads area, Mount Olive; a sister and brother-inlaw, Betty Faye and Jimmy Sauls of Bowdens; a sister-in-law, Annette P. Taylor, of Grantham; and several nieces and nephews to include Je rey Cooke and Marshall Cooke, who were very attentive to him.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Jones Taylor; his parents, Roland and Estelle Rhodes Taylor; a brother, Joel Ray Taylor; a sister-in-law, Faye S. Taylor; and Carolyn’s parents, Charlie and Suddie Jones, and all their children and spouses.

A private graveside service was held. Mr. Taylor lay in state for viewing at the Tyndall funeral home on Monday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

In lieu of owers, it is requested that memorial gifts be made to Oak Wolfe Fire Department, c/o Jack Alphin, 519 Bethel Church Road, Mount Olive, NC 28365, or Bethel Church, c/o Mrs. Murray McClenny, 240 Jones-Turner Road, Mount Olive, NC 28365.

James Ray Ball

Sept. 20, 1960 – Jan. 17, 2026

James Ray Ball, 65, passed away on Saturday, January 17, 2026. Arrangements are incomplete at this time.

Rita Sutton Quinn

Nov. 28, 1936 – Jan. 7, 2026

Warsaw - Rita Sutton Quinn, 89, passed away Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at Rex Hospital, Raleigh, NC. Born November 28, 1936, Rita was the daughter of the late James Lewis Sutton and Alberta Strickland Sutton of Warsaw. In addition to her parents, Rita was predeceased by her husband, Gerald Haywood Quinn Sr., and her grandson, Dillon James Rouse. Surviving Mrs. Quinn are her daughter Carla Quinn Rouse and husband, Rick; and son, Gerald Haywood Quinn Jr. and wife, Patricia, of Kenansville. Also surviving are her grandchildren, Leslie Rae Rouse, Ivey Quinn Rouse and ancé, Zach McLamb; and Gerald Haywood ‘Luke’ Quinn, III and wife, Madison; and sister Helen Sutton Steed and brother, Charles Lee Sutton and wife, Jane; and sister-in-law, Faye Quinn Williams. Heartfelt gratitude for the comfortable lifestyle care given by Kate Kendro and other friends from Golden Harmony. Rita graduated from Warsaw High School in 1954 and went on to attend High Point Business School. Before starting her family, Rita worked at BB&T Bank and Vance Gavin’s law o ce. A devoted wife and mother, Rita supported her husband, children and grandchildren in business, education, sports and civic activities. Rita was a member of Warsaw Baptist Church and prided herself in her strong Christian faith. She and Gerald were married for 58 1/2 years. They enjoyed many years of traveling with friends and family. Visitation will be in Powell Hall at Warsaw Baptist Church at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 10. Funeral services will follow at 2:30 p.m. in the Warsaw Baptist Church. Entombment will follow at Devotional Gardens.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to Warsaw Baptist Church, 209 E. College Street, Warsaw, NC 28398, or Charity Mission Center, 1333 W. Charity Road, Rose Hill, NC 28458.

Hilda Smith

Oct. 30, 1949 – Jan. 5, 2026

Goldsboro -With heartfelt reverence on behalf of the family of Ms. Hilda Smith, age 76, we announce her transition into eternal peace on Monday, January 5, 2026. The Celebration of Life will be Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 2 p.m. at New Stoney Hill United Holy Church, 1003 Dr. H. E. McNair Street, Goldsboro, NC, 27530. There will be a church viewing from 1 -1:50 p.m. She will be laid to rest at Old Mill Cemetery, 3718 Central Heights Road, Goldsboro, NC 27534. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, and please continue to keep the family in your prayers during their time of bereavement and beyond. What’s your fondest memory of Hilda?

Jerry William Elmore Jr.

Nov. 20, 1954 – Jan. 7, 2026

Jerry William Elmore Jr., 71, passed away on January 7, 2026, in Kitty Askins Hospice Center, Goldsboro, NC Arrangements will be made at a later date.

He is survived by his wife Pattie Wells Elmore, of Kinston, NC; father Jerry W. Elmore Sr., of Deep Run, NC; son Jerry W. Elmore III “Little Jerry” (Christy), of Kinston, NC; daughter Laura E. Weston (Ryan), of Kinston, NC; sister Wilma Jarman, of Deep Run, NC; grandchildren Hailey Ellis (Blake), Michaela Elmore (Zach), Canaan Weston, Bryden Weston, Ellie Elmore (Seth), Kylee Weston and Jace Elmore; and great-grandchildren Brixton Ellis and Sloane Gri n.

LIST YOUR DUPLIN COUNTY TAXES BY MAIL

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

All property subject to ad valorem taxes shall be listed as of January 1, unless otherwise provided for in the General Statutes of North Carolina. Listing shall begin on January 2, and continue through February 2, 2026. Personal property such as unlicensed vehicles, campers, mobile homes, boats & motors, jet skis, airplanes, all farm equipment and machinery, rental household personal property and business personal machinery and equipment must be listed EVERY YEAR. If you received a listing form it should be completed and returned to the County Assessor’s O ce, PO Box 968, Kenansville, NC 28349 by February 2, 2026.

IMPROVEMENTS OR OTHER CHANGES TO REAL PROPERTY MUST BE REPORTED BY FEBRUARY 2, 2026

Duplin County has the permanent listing of REAL PROPERTY; therefore,

JANUARY 2, 2026 THRU FEBRUARY 2, 2026

real estate can be brought forward; however, improvements (such as additions, new construction, decks, outbuildings, remodeling etc.) or other changes made to your real property MUST BE LISTED. You may be penalized for failure to report such improvements.

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR ELDERLY AND PERMANENTLY DISABLED PERSONS

North Carolina General Statute 105277.1 excludes from property taxes the greater of twenty ve thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or fty percent (50%) of the appraised value of a permanent residence owned and occupied by a qualifying owner. A North Carolina resident age 65 or older (whose income does not exceed $38,800.00) or totally and permanently disabled (whose income does not exceed $38,800.00) is eligible to apply. The exclusion covers real property occupied by the owner

as his or her permanent residence or mobile home used by the owner in connection with his or her permanent residence. Disposable income includes all moneys received other than gifts or inheritances received from a spouse, lineal ancestors, or lineal descendants. Both incomes (husband & wife) must be reported. Application must be received in the Tax O ce by June 1, 2026.

FILE FOR THIS EXEMPTION DURING LISTING PERIOD

LISTING BY MAIL IS ENCOURAGED LIST EARLY TO AVOID LONG LINES AND/OR LATE POSTMARK IF YOU LIST IN PERSON, BRING YOUR FORM WITH YOU

LISTINGS RETURNED BY MAIL MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 2, 2026 TO AVOID THE LATE LISTING PENALTY

Anyone having questions concerning the forms or need help with the

listing should contact the County Assessors’ O ce, 117 Beasley Street, Kenansville, NC, between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm Monday through Friday from January 2 – February 2, 2026. Telephone number is (910) 296-2110.

COMPLETED LISTING CAN BE PLACED IN THE DROP BOX LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TAX OFFICE BUILDING AT 117 BEASLEY STREET – BOX IS CHECKED TWICE A DAY

TAX OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2026

Applications for Present Use (Land Use) valuation must be led with the o ce of the county assessor during the regular listing period (by February 2, 2026). Applications are available in the county’s assessor’s o ce.

GARY M. ROSE TAX ADMINISTRATOR DUPLIN COUNTY

Stanly NewS Journal

THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Icing

Locust Police Department releases 2025 report

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote.

The department has a positive assessment of its annual crime review

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

LOCUST — Despite its continued population growth, the city of Locust maintained a low overall level of criminal activity in 2025, according to the Locust Police Department’s annual

crime report released Friday.

The review includes annual statistics, analysis and incident clearance data for the past year.

The department recorded 457 arrest charges in 2025, a decrease of 223 from 2024. In his written analysis, Locust Police Chief Je Shew attributed the decline in arrests to reduced criminal activity rather than less proactive policing.

At the same time, o cers responded to a department-re-

cord 8,070 calls for service and activities, reaching the highest total since the LPD began formally tracking call volume.

“Activities in 2025 continued to show Locust as a very safe city with a low overall level of criminal activity.”

Je Shew, Locust police chief

“Activities in 2025 continued to show Locust as a very safe city with a low overall level of criminal activity,” Shew said. “Because of the lower volume of overall criminal activity that I believe our outstanding o cers play a valuable part in preventing, when criminal incidents do occur, our o cers are able to respond quickly and apprehend many o enders at the time of o ense.”

Albemarle Police provides midyear scal update

The department’s scal year budget is $7.6 million

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

Ryan Manley,

police chief

ALBEMARLE — Halfway through its scal year which began in July, the Albemarle Police Department has provided a midyear update outlining its budget and recent investments in equipment, training and personnel.

Albemarle Police Chief Ryan Manley detailed the department’s spending priorities in a video statement released Jan. 14, highlighting purchases aimed at improving o cer safety,

technology and overall service to the community.

“The Albemarle Police Department’s total budget is $7.6 million,” Manley said. “The city invests heavily in public safety. In fact, the city spends more on police and re than it collects in property taxes. That’s why sales tax and other revenue sources are critical to keeping our operations running smoothly.”

A sizable portion of the department’s recent spending has gone toward technology and eet improvements.

APD has invested $484,000 to equip patrol vehicles with new camera systems, technology intended to

The report noted that growth in the Locust area has resulted in increased activity and calls for service, but data continued to re ect a low level of serious crime. O cers conducted a department record of 33,223 business and

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY JAN. 22

FRIDAY JAN. 23

SATURDAY JAN.24

SUNDAY JAN. 25

Tillery Christian Academy

Tillery Christian Academy in Norwood is proud to announce the students who received honor roll during the second quarter of the 2025-26 school year.

Kindergarten: Amelia Allred, Clyde Brewer, Elijah Shankle, Leeland King, Milah McKethan, Oaklyn Hathcock, and Sydney Ellenberg.

First Grade: Aria Ledford, Carter E rd, Ezra Moua, Iris Overton, Jax Thompson, Joseph Sang, and Penny Parry.

Second Grade: Harmony Brown, Hayden Tarlton, Justice Diveley, Kayleigh Colson, Rachel Chang, Gigi Oliver, Saint Montenegro, JohnKarter Montenegro.

Third Grade: Aiden Tarlton, Atlas Rodriguez, Grace Swaringen, Katie Britt, Lucy Parry, Mia Brown, Owen Peralta, Reed Burleson, Raymond Huang, Richard Huang, Skylar Li.

Fourth Grade: David Archer Cotoni, Grayson Blalock, Katherine Sharpe, Kenzie Williamson, Laurel Reeves, Mason Lowder, Merrick Cox.

Fifth Grade: Austin Hill, Briana Gaddy, Dalton Keely, Ellie Morton, Elly Parry, Ethan Tarlton, Holy Par, Jamie Chang, John Sharpe, Madison Nordan, Mason Hall, Micah Williamson, Sawyer Allen, Zayla Trul, Zoe Torres.

Sixth Grade: Case Smith, Charly Burleson, Cora Parry, Florence Par.

Seventh / Eighth Grade: Amberlyn Bowers, Anna Sharpe, Ava Harwood, Kiah Thomas, Lestat Rodriguez

High School: Addyson Burleson, Blake Threadgill, Cailey Gibson, Coraly Burleson, Harley Dodge, James Johnson, Jaxon Ruppe, Lillie Morton, Lily Bledsoe, Mercy Iang, Tawk Hei.

Practical Beekeeping for New and Current Beekeepers

Jan. 26 – March 9, 2026 Every Monday for 7 weeks

6:30 - 9 p.m. Cost: $35 plus book

Farm Bureau Livestock Arena (next to the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center) 26130 Newt Rd, Albemarle, NC

Sponsored and taught by the Stanly County Beekeeper’s Association

This seven-week class includes basic and advanced training on how to prepare for, acquire, and manage honeybee colonies. A eld day will be held after the nal day of class.

To register or for more information Call Mark Little 704-985-3383

a variety of media and genres. The show awards a rst-, second- and third-place prizes, along with honorable mention ribbons given at the judge’s discretion. Admission to the exhibit is free.

Stanly Arts Guild & Gallery 330 N. 2nd St. Albemarle

with

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity. Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

NEW YORK CITY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability.

That is your duty.” Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune. Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed.

These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.” — A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10th grade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

She set a photo a re, lit a cigarette — and became a symbol of resistance for

Iran protesters

From

Toronto to Tehran,

an act of de ance against the Islamist theocracy

By Laurie Kellman

The Associated Press

LONDON — With one pu of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of de ance against Iran’s bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the ame.

A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the ame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement.

Whether staged or a spontaneous act of de ance — and there’s plenty of debate — the video has become one of the dening images of the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers military action in the country again.

The gesture has jumped from the virtual world to the real one, with opponents of the regime lighting cigarettes on photos of the ayatollah from Israel to Germany and Switzerland to the United States.

In the 34 seconds of footage, many across platforms like X, Instagram and Reddit saw one person defy a series of the theocracy’s laws and norms in a riveting act of autonomy. She wears no hijab, three years after the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests against the regime’s required headscarves.

She burns an image of Iran’s supreme leader, a crime in the Islamic republic punishable by death. Her curly hair cascades — yet another transgression in the Iranian government’s eyes. She lights a cigarette from the ame — a gesture considered immodest in Iran.

And in those few seconds, circulated and ampli ed a million times over, she steps into history.

A battle for narrative control

In 2026, social media is a central battleground for narrative control over con icts. Protesters in Iran say the unrest is a demonstration against the regime’s strictures and competence. Iran has long cast it as a plot by outsiders like United States and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

And both sides are rac-

REPORT from page A1 neighborhood patrols during 2025. Tra c enforcement activity also increased, with o cers conducting 4,264 tra c stops — a 16.6% increase from the previous year — and issuing 4,598 citation charges and warnings.

ing to tell the story of it that will endure.

Iranian state media announces wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those it calls “terrorists” and also apparently looking for Starlink satellite internet dishes, the only way to get videos and images out to the internet. There was evidence last Thursday that the regime’s bloody crackdown had somewhat smothered the dissent after activists said it had killed at least 2,615 people. That gure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the mayhem of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Social media has bloomed with photos of people lighting cigarettes from photos of Iran’s leader. “Smoke ’em if you got ’em. #Iran,” posted Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana.

In the age of AI, misinformation and disinformation, there’s abundant reason to question emotionally and politically charged images. So when “the cigarette girl” appeared online this month, plenty of users did just that.

It wasn’t immediately clear, for example, whether she was lighting up inside Iran or somewhere with free-speech protections as a sign of solidarity. Some spotted a background that seemed to be in Canada. She con rmed that in interviews. But did her collar line up

Reported tra c crashes rose by 20 incidents, from 258 in 2024 to 278 in 2025. Reported assault o enses remained low at 20 cases in 2025, matching the total from each of the previous two years. Property crime and fraud o enses declined by 17.5%, with 240 reported incidents compared to 291 in 2024.

correctly? Was the ame realistic? Would a real woman let her hair get so close to the re?

Many wondered: Is the “cigarette girl” an example of “psyops?” That, too, is unclear. That’s a feature of warfare and statecraft as old as human con ict, in which an image or sound is deliberately disseminated by someone with a stake in the outcome. From the allies’ fake radio broadcasts during World War II to the Cold War’s nuclear missile parades, history is rich with examples.

The U.S. Army doesn’t even hide it. The 4th Psychological Operations Group out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina last year released a recruitment video called, “Ghost in the Machine 2 that’s peppered with references to “PSYWAR.” And the Gaza war featured a ferocious battle of optics: Hamas forced Israeli hostages to publicly smile and pose before being released, and Israel broadcast their jubilant reunions with family and friends.

Whatever the answer, the symbolism of the Iranian woman’s act was powerful enough to rocket around the world on social media — and inspire people at real-life protests to copy it. The woman behind the imagery

The woman did not respond to multiple e orts by The Asso-

LPD posted a 75.7% positive clearance rate for property crime and fraud cases, meaning roughly three-quarters of those o enses resulted in an arrest, an arrest warrant or another positive clearance outcome.

ciated Press to con rm her identity. But she has spoken to other outlets, and AP con rmed the authenticity of those interviews.

On X, she calls herself a “radical feminist” and uses the screen name Morticia Addams — after the exuberantly creepy matriarch of “The Addams Family” — sheerly out of her interest in “spooky things,” the woman said in an interview with the nonpro t outlet The Objective. She doesn’t allow her real name to be published for safety reasons after what she describes as a harrowing journey from being a dissident in Iran — where she says she was arrested and abused — to safety in Turkey. There, she told The Objective, she obtained a student visa for Canada. Now in her mid-20s, she said she has refugee status in and lives in Toronto.

It was there, on Jan. 7, that she lmed what’s become known as “the cigarette girl” video a day before the Iranian regime imposed a near-total internet blackout.

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them,” she said in an interview on CNN-News18, a network a liate in India.

In the interviews, the woman said she was arrested for the rst time at 17 during the “bloody November” protests of 2019, demonstrations that erupted after Trump pulled

the U.S. out of the nuclear deal that Iran had struck with world powers that imposed crushing sanctions.

“I was strongly opposed to the Islamic regime,” she told The Objective. Security forces “arrested me with tasers and batons. I spent a night in a detention center without my family knowing where I was or what had happened to me.” Her family eventually secured her release by o ering a pay slip for bail. “I was under surveillance from that moment on.” In 2022 during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, she said she participated in a YouTube program opposing the mandatory hijab and began receiving calls from blocked numbers threatening her. In 2024, after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, she shared her story about it — and was arrested in her home in Isfahan.

The woman said she was questioned and “subjected to severe humiliation and physical abuse.” Then without explanation, she was released on a high bail. She ed to Turkey and began her journey to Canada and, eventually, global notoriety.

“All my family members are still in Iran, and I haven’t heard from them in a few days,” she said in the interview, published Tuesday. “I’m truly worried that the Islamic regime might attack them.”

“They continued to participate in numerous community service endeavors, and continued to strengthen relationships with our city’s businesses and residents with a community policing approach that is always

Shew credited o cers for expanding their professional training through a range of disciplines, including multiple in-house training sessions coordinated by LPD personnel.

our department’s highest priority,” Shew said. “I am honored to work with each one of our ocers and count it as the greatest blessing to have such a tremendous group here. They did a phenomenal job in 2025!”

The Locust Police Department’s full 2025 crime report is available at locustnc.com.

Protesters shout at federal law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Saturday in Minneapolis.

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS

— The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and

leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears

BUDGET from page A1

better document incidents and enhance safety for both o cers and the public. The department also purchased three new patrol vehicles and up tted them at a total cost of $200,000.

Inside those vehicles, ocers now have access to 18 new Panasonic Toughbook computers — purchased for $69,000 — to support real-time information access, mobile reporting and communication while o cers are in the eld. Maintaining the department’s eet costs approximately $100,000 annually for fuel and another $50,000 for service.

The department has also al-

to match that of the David Eas-

terwood identi ed in court lings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conference last October.

Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located.

Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ash-bang gre-

located $33,000 for training, ranging from leadership development to advanced tactical instruction, with the goal of improving preparedness and professionalism.

An additional $40,000 has been spent on durable uniforms and gear designed to help o cers perform their duties while maintaining a professional appearance. Protective equipment, including ballistic vests and related safety gear, accounted for another $25,000.

“Most importantly, we’re investing in our people with $5.9 million in salaries and bene ts, because our people make our mission pos-

nades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.” Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided. “If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

sible,” Manley said. “Every dollar spent supports the city’s commitment to the strategic plan goal of safety and security. Thank you for trusting us to protect and serve our community.”

APD, headquartered at 155 W. South St. in downtown Albemarle, has been an accredited law enforcement agency since 1995. Community policing remains a priority for the department, which assigns four school resource o cers to city schools to focus on safety, mentoring, DARE instruction and student engagement. Residents can sign up for local emergency alerts through the city’s website at albemarlenc.gov.

OBITUARIES

Debra Cagle Dunevant

Nov. 9, 1953 – Dec. 21, 2025

Debra Cagle Dunevant, 72, passed away on Monday, December 21, 2025 at the Palms Nursing Center in Florence, South Carolina after several years of declining health.

Debra was born in Albemarle, NC on November 9, 1953 to Thomas Alexander Cagle and Betty McIlwaine Cagle. She graduated from West Stanly High School in 1972. She obtained additional education through the community college system. Debra spent the greater part of her life working forWalmart, Inc., often moving to new locations to serve in positions within the company. Her nal position was serving as an AP Team Lead in the company. Debra was an exemplary employee working for over 35 years forWalmart.

Debra is survived by her husband, Paul Virgil Dunevant and her mother, Betty McIlwaine Cagle. She is survived by a number of cousins as well. Debra was preceded in death by her father, Thomas Alexander Cagle. Debra was an only child beloved by her parents. She had a close relationship with both of her parents and lived near them most of her life. She enjoyed shopping with her mother and was known for her love for fashion and jewelry. She often accompanied her mother to the wholesale markets and trade shows for retail sales. Debra would speak of those times with her mother as precious moments. She had proud memories of her father, his military service, who was in active duty during some of her childhood years. She admired her father, and his military healthcare experience.

During Debra’s last promotion with Walmart, she was asked to move to Hartsville, South Carolina. Her parents accompanied her and her husband to Hartsville. It was here that they enjoyed their last years together. Debra was able to care for her father during his declining years of health with Parkinsons Disease as well as her mother’s aging years until her own health took precedence. Debra always had an improvement project and she could depend on her husband, Paul, as the handy man. She would often share a picture of the design work she desired and he could get the job done. Debra was proud of Paul’s craftmanship and loved his willingness to go the extra mile to love and care for her. Debra was a pet lover and had a dog or two always in her home. Over time, she was the owner of three French Bulldogs, a favorite breed of hers. During her years of declining health, these pets brought her great comfort and joy. A memorial service will be held at Stanly Funeral Home at a later date.

Todd Lewis Fincher

Apr. 25, 1966 – Jan. 17, 2026

Todd Lewis Fincher, 59, of Albemarle, peacefully passed away on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Stanly Manor Nursing Facility.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2026, in the Stanly Funeral Home Chapel, with Tommy Fincher o ciating.

Burial will follow in Stanly Gardens of Memory. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. prior to the service.

Todd was born on April 25, 1966, in Stanly County to the late Donald “Don” Lewis Fincher and Nancy Almond Fincher, who survives him. He is lovingly survived by his sons, Dustin Fincher (Lisa) of Albemarle and Matt Fincher of Albemarle; his cherished grandchildren, Jillian, Kyler, and Jolee; and his girlfriend, Kelly Howard.

In addition to his father, Todd was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Grady and Ruby Almond, and his paternal grandparents, Bill and E e Fincher. Todd had a deep love for the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, shing, and spending time outside. He was passionate about hot rods and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Above all, Todd was a devoted and loving father who treasured time with his family.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the sta of Woodhaven Courts, Stanly Manor, and Atrium Hospice for the compassionate care and support shown to Todd during his declining illness.

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is honored to serve the Fincher family.

Jerry Duane Gray

May 17, 1943 – Jan. 18, 2026

Jerry Duane Gray, 82, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Bethany Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Albemarle Wesleyan Church, with Pastor James Valk o ciating.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m., prior to the service.

Born on May 17, 1943, in Michigan, Jerry was the son of the late Robert and Margaret Gray. Jerry is lovingly survived by his daughter, Audra Eury (Mark) of New London; grandchildren, Brittany Eury (Luke) and Shane Eury (Heather); greatgrandchildren, Hunter Tredway, Karley Harkey (Clay), Brendan Edwards, McKenzie Tredway, Connor Tredway, Paisley Tredway, and Brandon Eury; and

Linda Gay Duke Francis

Jan. 27, 1939 –Dec. 24, 2025

Linda Gay Duke Francis lived at the intersection of vision and action.

She quietly passed away the morning of Christmas Eve 2025. Born January 27, 1939, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Linda was the daughter of the late James Claude Duke and Thelma Duke Forrest, and sister to Jimmy Duke of Albemarle. She was a faithful attendee of First Presbyterian Church of Albemarle, where she shared her love of music through singing hymns and participating in the church choir.

Trained in Home Economics at East Carolina University— an education that, in her era, encompassed design, management, logistics, and systems thinking—Linda built a career that shaped homes, businesses, and communities across North Carolina.

Her professional life began in public service, working more than a decade in social services at the state level in Atlanta Georgia, auditing county programs across multiple jurisdictions to ensure compliance and protect critical funding.

By the late 1960s and 1970s, Linda transitioned into sales, marketing, and business systems in Atlanta, Ga, later in New York, NY. In male-dominated industries, she consistently outperformed peers, earned repeated sales awards, and was known for her ability to understand complex systems, and proved herself equally adept at persuasion and precision.

Returning to Albemarle in early 1970s, Linda became a driving force behind downtown revitalization and civic beauti cation. Working with the City of Albemarle, the Mayor’s

great-great-grandchild, Ember.

He is also survived by his devoted canine companion, Zoe, who brought him great comfort and companionship. In addition to his parents, Jerry was preceded in death by his brother, Darrell Gray; his sister, Cheryl Lemmond; and his longtime companion, Hilda Jenkins. Jerry was a devoted father and grandfather who was deeply involved in his grandchildren’s lives.

He was very proud of his service in the Air Force. Known for his quick wit and infectious sense of humor, he was a true jokester who never met a stranger and could strike up a conversation with anyone. A jack of all trades, Jerry had a passion for woodworking and took pride in his ability to x or build just about anything. He loved the outdoors, especially shing, and cherished his trips to the beach. Always optimistic, he saw the good in everyone and faced life with happiness and a stubborn independence that de ned his character.

In lieu of owers, memorial contributions may be made to the Stanly County Humane Society, 2049 Badin Road, Albemarle, NC 28001.

The family extends their sincere gratitude to Jerry’s friends at Uwharrie Trails Senior Apartments for the love, friendship, and support they shared with him over the years. Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care is honorably serving the Gray family.

O ce, and the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce, she led public-private initiatives from Co-Chairing the Federal Bicentennial Celebration in Albemarle - and painting rehydrants like revolutionary soldiers- to the Beauti cation committee to improve storefronts, public spaces, and the visual character of the city. Using graphic renderings—well ahead of their time—she helped stakeholders see what was possible, often delivering award-winning results with minimal budgets by leveraging donated labor and materials. She also played an integral part in the facilitation of the new Courthouse Town Square Park.

Linda remained deeply engaged in community leadership through the 80s. She co-chaired Stanly County’s Mayfest, raised all funds for the county-wide celebration, and received the Chamber’s Outstanding Achievement Award 1983. She served as President and Vice-President of the Community Concerts Association, was active in the PTA, led a Girl Scout troop, restored a 100-year-old home largely with her own labor, and raised her daughter as a single parent while selling ads for the local radio station WZKY. In 1986, Linda founded Haute Couture Services, a multidisciplinary design and consulting business o ering custom clothing, interior design, wardrobe consulting, event planning, and catering. Her work blended aesthetics with logistics, producing cohesive environments—homes, events, and wardrobes—that re ected both beauty and function. She also founded and ran earlier ventures in business forms brokerage and temporary sta ng, handling nancing, operations, sales, and bookkeeping herself.

Also during this time, Linda took on complex civic challenges that required long-term planning and persistence. One of her most consequential e orts was her role in securing the remodel and modernization of Albemarle’s existing post o ce facility. She proposed reorienting the building by making the rear entrance the primary public entrance, addressing safety concerns associated with the original front access and improving space for public use. Advancing the project required sustained work with local o cials and correspondence

Ray Columbus Kimsey

July 18, 1933 – Jan. 15, 2026

Ray Columbus Kimsey, 92, of Midland, peacefully passed away on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026, at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Locust, with Pastor Ron Lo in o ciating. Burial will follow in Oakboro Cemetery. The family will receive friends from

July 31, 1970 – Jan. 14, 2026

Kenneth (Kenny) Ray Trull, 55, of Albemarle, NC passed away surrounded by family on January 14, 2026. Kenny was born on July 31, 1970 in Concord to Laura Ussery. In later years, he went to

with state and federal o cials, including U.S. Senator Richard Burr. She founded the Albemarle Cemetery Foundation, Inc. and, for more than a decade, personally led the restoration and preservation of the Albemarle Cemetery. In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars, she was directly involved in physical cleanup of the grounds, repair and resetting of gravestones, planting over 50 trees, construction of a perimeter fence, and acquisition of additional land. She also conducted and directed extensive research to identify, document, and map burial plots and the individuals interred there, including chronological listing by birth date, death date, and a military service listing. An e ort which led the Stanly County Historic Preservation Commission to grant Linda the Individual Award for Preservation 1996. She was also granted Governor’s Award 1987, for outstanding Volunteer Service, as well as Woman of the Year award 1998, by the Albemarle Women’s Club.

Linda was an active member of the Daughters of the Revolution and discovered that she was a descendant of one of Stanly county’s rst settlers. She is Survived by her Daughter Keely Francis Owens, and her Husband Stephen Craig Owens of Kitty Hawk, 2 Grandchildren Stryker Duke Owens of Florida and Sadie Lucille Owens of Kitty Hawk; and cousins Charles Shoe and Tommy Shoe, both of Concord.

“…She has given of herself, her talent, abilities, energy, time and even physical labor in tackling projects most people would never even think of” - Linda Moose, SNAP December 31st 1998. Her legacy is one of competence, creativity, and determined authority —the kind that leaves places better than she found them.

A Service of Remembrance will be held on February 28th at 2:00 at the CB Crook Pavilion at the YMCA in Albemarle, where the family will welcome stories from family and friends to celebrate her life well lived and all her contributions to this world. In lieu of owers, memorials can be sent to Stanly Funeral Home. Linda’s family would like to donate a bench in her honor of her lifelong community service to be dedicate in the Albemarle cemetery. These memorial gifts will be used toward the purpose of the bench.

11:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. prior to the service.

Mr. Kimsey was born on July 18, 1933, in Clinton, South Carolina to the late William Kimsey and Mallieann Kimsey. He is survived by his children: Doug Kimsey of Midland, Teresa Bowen of Lancaster, South Carolina, and Chris Kimsey (Barbara) of Midland; along with many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Irene Kimsey (2014); his son, Rodney Kimsey; his daughter, Paula Kimsey; and his siblings.

Ray was a caring and devoted father who always put his family rst. He deeply loved his grandchildren, was dedicated to his profession, and took great pride in his military service. Known for his sel essness, he consistently put the needs of his family before his own.

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Locust is serving the Kimsey family.

work as a machinery operator within the shipping and receiving industry. When not working he loved rebuilding engines and racecars at Concord Speedway. Kenny is predeceased by his wife of 20 years Tammy Smith. He is survived by his mother Laura Ussery of Kannapolis, NC, daughter Kristi (Justin) Myrick of Candor, NC son, Brian (Brittany) Rowland of Midland, NC, sister, Alisha Trull of Kannapolis, NC, grandchildren, Kalli Myrick, Wesley Myrick, Karmen Barbee, Madison Rowland and Marissa Rowland, and one greatgrandchild, Daxton Kiser. He is also survived by his brother from another mother, Steve (Sherry) Wingle of Kannapolis, NC.

A private graveside will be held at a later date. In lieu of owers, please consider a donation to Breast Cancer Awareness at https:// www.komen.org/how-to-help/ donate/

STANLY SPORTS

Rich eld racer wins KTM Junior Supercross debut

Noah Forte locked up his spot for the championship round

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

RICHFIELD — A young, up-and-coming motocross racer from Stanly County recently made a statement on one of the sport’s biggest stages, leaving his rst Supercross appearance with a rst-place trophy in hand.

On Jan. 10, 8-year-old Richeld resident Noah Forte won the KTM Junior Supercross race at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, during the opening round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

Forte was one of a select group of youth riders selected nationwide to compete at the Anaheim stop for the KTM Junior Supercross program, which allows riders ages 7-10 to race during the main Supercross show as an introduction to the sport at its highest professional level.

Among a eld of 14 racers, Forte captured the victory in the KTM Junior main event with a three-lap overall time of 5:27.030. His best lap came on the third circuit at 1:52.599, the second-fastest lap recorded by any rider in the race.

Forte set the tone from the moment the gate dropped, securing the holeshot to the rst turn and leading wire to wire, never relinquishing the top spot.

For Forte and his family, the

Falcons surge

Pfei er is 4-2 in conference play

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

MISENHEIMER — With four consecutive USA South Athletic Conference victories, the Pfei er men’s basketball team has quickly reversed course after a seven-game losing streak that stretched back to November.

The Falcons (8-8, 4-2 USA South) have surged back to the .500 mark overall and currently sit fourth in the conference standings behind Southern Virginia, N.C. Wesleyan and Methodist following a strong January run.

Pfei er capped its recent hot stretch Saturday afternoon with an 88-78 road win at rival Greensboro, giving the Falcons four league victories after opening USA South play with an 0-2 start.

The Falcons began January with narrow road losses at N.C. Wesleyan and Methodist before rebounding with a decisive home win over Southern Virginia. Pfei er followed that with an overtime home victory against Mary Baldwin and a nine-point

vard,

win was the ful llment of a long-held goal.

“I remember him being 3 years old and saying he was going to go there and win,” said Brittany Forte, Noah’s mother. “Leading up to this race in particular, he said he was going to win, but saying it and following through are two completely different things. All day, he was so calm and had a one-track mind. He had one thing in mind — getting the holeshot and winning — and that’s exactly what he did, down to a T.”

Inspired by his father Aleck’s motocross background, Forte rst climbed onto a dirt bike at age 4 and began racing competitively a year later. Since then, his rapid progression has See SUPERCROSS, page B3

with

fourth straight USA South win

bounds and 10 blocks, recording the second triple-double of his collegiate career.

Pfei er seized control early in the second half by opening on an 11-0 run sparked by Sucarichi’s perimeter scoring and Smith’s

ons. Pfei er nished 18-8 overall and 12-2 in league play last season.

O ensively, the Falcons rank third among the USA South’s 10 teams at 79.5 points per game. Smith has been central to that production, ranking third in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game and rst in rebounding (9.1), blocks (three) and eld-goal percentage (.636). Defensively, Pfei er allows 81.4 points per contest, placing the Falcons sixth in the league in that category.

Pfei er returned home Tuesday to host Methodist and will travel to Raleigh on Saturday to face William Peace before hosting nonconference opponent Christopher Newport on Sunday afternoon.

Indianapolis 500 champion Will Power, of Australia, poses with the trophy after winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018.

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

Andretti

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

— Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the alltime wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles.

But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the making, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for

almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a contract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and getting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

From sideline sprints to surprise interviews, ESPN’s Rutledge enjoys a hectic football season

Already busy, the veteran added a “Monday Night Football” role this season

By Joe Reedy The Associated Press

LAURA RUTLEDGE’S schedule during football season has always been hectic.

The ESPN reporter has hosted “NFL Live,” the network’s year-round weekday news show, since 2020, along with “SEC Nation” on college football Saturdays.

Rutledge took on another assignment this season when she became a full-time sideline reporter on “Monday Night Football.”

With her seemingly e ortless transition from host to reporter — sometimes in a matter of minutes — and her uency in both college football and the NFL, the always enthusiastic Rutledge has become the face of football on ESPN.

Rutledge’s typical schedule was hosting “NFL Live” on Mondays from the game site and then doing sideline reports for the game. Then it was back to ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored “NFL Live” from Tuesday through Thursday before traveling on Friday and hosting “SEC Nation” on Saturday.

Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has been on “SEC Nation” since it started. She also has had other roles in ESPN’s college football coverage.

“Whether she’s reporting on-air or feeding key information to the truck … Laura’s natural reporting instincts and storytelling ability are spot- on,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president of production. “She brings an energy and passion that are contagious, and she genuinely lifts everyone around her.”

ESPN approached Rutledge during the spring about doing

SUPERCROSS from page B1

taken him well beyond local competition.

As a factory KTM Junior Athlete, Forte got to experience racing on the same professionally built Supercross track used by the world’s top riders, surrounded by the full atmosphere of a major stadium event. He has already spent signi cant time on the Arenacross circuit, which features tight, technical indoor tracks that often serve as a developmental pathway to Supercross-style racing.

With the season under-

a full “Monday Night Football” schedule. She understood she would be adding more responsibility and not trading one job for another.

“I think when it comes down to what the schedule ended up being, it was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild,” Rutledge said last week as she prepared for Sunday’s divisional-round game between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. “It was sort of like this revolving-door cycle throughout each week, but what an honor to be on these things. I mean, it’s beyond even my wildest dreams. I think for me that was what I’ve constantly reminded myself of when things get a little hairy with the schedule.”

Rutledge has also showed during college football and NFL coverage that she can quickly adjust on the y.

During the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, ESPN’s cameras caught Rutledge running from one sideline — where she was reporting for “SEC Nation” on SEC Network — across the

eld to anchor halftime coverage on ESPN.

The 45-second dash even got a full highlight narration from Chris Berman, who whooped with delight as he watched Rutledge weaving her way through the Mississippi band.

“I’ll never get over it,” Rutledge said. “It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me in my life. He’s been an incredible mentor to me, so it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”

Rutledge can also give rsthand perspective on trying to get a postgame interview immediately after a game when time is at a premium because of the 11 p.m. local news.

That happened after the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-19 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 8, when Rutledge buttonholed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert immediately after the game and seemingly caught him o guard.

Rutledge got the interview — even if Herbert was reticent at rst — after the Eagles appeared to be driving for the winning score and Rutledge was on the other side of the eld.

“We had even less time than we normally would, and I was still trying my best to let Justin Herbert shake the hands that he wanted to and see the people that he wanted to,” Rutledge said. “From my perspective too, you never want the player to be caught unawares. So we’re trying to be sensitive to so much. And then yet when a team has said, ‘You’re going to get this player,’ that’s what we have to do.

“I don’t fault anybody in that scenario. We were both trying to do our jobs, and he stood there and did the interview.

“I try to never say anything publicly about these things. but I’m not going to have people trashing these guys. They deserve better than that.”

way, Forte’s focus now shifts to his next major stop: Daytona Supercross, scheduled for Feb. 28 at Daytona International Speedway. The event represents his next high-prole opportunity before the season’s junior nale.

KTM Junior Supercross, now in its 27th year, is contested at 10 select rounds during the 2026 season, with each race operating as a standalone event rather than a points-based series.

Winners from each of those rounds earn an invitation to the 11th and nal event — the KTM Junior Supercross

Championship Round — held May 9 in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the Supercross season nale. All 10 race winners will compete head-to-head in that championship event.

As the winner of the season-opening round, Forte will enter the nale riding the No. 1 plate.

“That alone gives him major con dence,” Brittany Forte said. “He says that he’s going to holeshot and win again. I denitely believe he can do anything he says he can do at this point. At this point, he says there’s nothing he hasn’t been able to do so far, so bring it.”

SOUTH STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

5-11, 0-3 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 65-39 vs. North Stanly

• Won 77-30 vs. South Davidson

• Lost 39-29 at Union Academy

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 22 at West Stanly

• Jan. 23 vs. Gray Stone Day

• Jan. 27 vs. Albemarle

SOUTH STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

4-9, 0-4 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 59-39 vs. North Stanly

• Won 62-21 vs. South Davidson

• Lost 62-51 at Union Academy

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 22 at West Stanly

• Jan. 23 vs. Gray Stone Day

• Jan. 27 vs. Albemarle

WEST STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

6-9, 1-4 in Rocky River 4A/5A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 71-57 at North Stanly

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 20 at Mount Pleasant

• Jan. 22 vs. South Stanly

• Jan. 23 at Central Academy

• Jan. 27 vs. Parkwood

WEST STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

7-8, 3-2 in Rocky River 4A/5A

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 57-56 at North Stanly

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 20 at Mount Pleasant

• Jan. 22 vs. South Stanly

• Jan. 23 at Central Academy

• Jan. 27 vs. Parkwood

NORTH STANLY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

16-1, 4-0 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 65-39 at South Stanly

• Won 71-57 vs. West Stanly

• Won 55-54 vs. North Rowan

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 20 at Anson

• Jan. 23 at Albemarle

• Jan. 27 at Union Academy

NORTH STANLY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

12-3, 4-0 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Won 59-39 at South Stanly

• Won 57-56 vs. West Stanly

• Won 57-45 vs. North Rowan

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 20 at Anson

• Jan. 23 at Albemarle

• Jan. 27 at Union Academy

ALBEMARLE BOYS’ BASKETBALL

5-10, 2-1 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 65-40 vs. Uwharrie Charter

• Lost 77-51 at North Rowan

• Won 71-27 vs. Gray Stone Day

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 21 at Christ the King

• Jan. 23 vs. North Stanly

• Jan. 27 at South Stanly

ALBEMARLE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

8-8, 2-2 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 50-45 at North Rowan

• Won 67-37 vs. Gray Stone Day

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 21 at Christ the King

• Jan. 23 vs. North Stanly

• Jan. 27 at South Stanly

GRAY STONE DAY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

1-15, 0-3 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 63-38 vs. Union Academy

• Lost 71-27 at Albemarle

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 20 at Math & Science Academy

• Jan. 22 at Sun Valley

• Jan. 23 at South Stanly

• Jan. 27 at North Rowan

GRAY STONE DAY

GIRLS’ BASKETBAL

2-10, 0-3 in Yadkin Valley

Last week’s scores:

• Lost 52-23 vs. Union Academy

• Lost 67-37 at Albemarle

This week’s schedule:

• Jan. 22 at Sun Valley

• Jan. 23 at South Stanly

• Jan. 27 at North Rowan

NOTICES

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Dates 01/14/2026, 01/21/2026, 01/28/2026, and 02/04/2026)

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT – JUVENILE DIVISION FILE NORTH CAROLINA – STANLY COUNTY

NOTICE

To the UNKNOWN FATHER of a FEMALE CHILD, L.A.C. born on April 19, 2025 to mother Queena Lashalle Shanta Clayton in Stanly County. Ms. Clayton is an African American female approximately 37 years old. Take notice that a Petition to TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS of you has been led in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is to terminate the parental rights of the father to the minor child L.A.C. You are required to answer the petition within 30 days after the date of the rst publication of this notice,

NOTICE

We are eager to welcome individuals who are dedicated to our mission and committed to enhancing our community. Interested candidates are invited to browse our open full and part time positions via the website below to nd out how to apply for one of our job openings at SCC. NOTICE

This

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 24E0000435-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE

NOTICE NORTH

AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

The thrash metal band announced a

‘The

Smashing Machine,’ Louis Tomlinson,

‘The Beauty,’

Lucinda Williams drops “World’s Gone Wrong”

The Associated Press

DWAYNE JOHNSON transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming o erings worth your time this week: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their nal, self-titled album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his e orts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”

HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-YearOld Man!” arriving Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien.

The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me

From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Written and directed by Scott Cooper,

Bruce Springsteen biopic

RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Lauren Hashian, left, and Dwayne Johnson arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The couple stars in “The Smashing Machine,” which comes to HBO Max this week.

the lm stars White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”

A few other lm festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a ctional Italian president.

MUSIC TO STREAM

You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash

metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their nal album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.

Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Tomlinson will release his third solo album Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct inuences, Britpop chie y among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.”

The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those in uences are still present but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop-rock choruses.

The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk —

and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.

SERIES TO STREAM

FX’s new series cocreated by Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so-called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.

“Drops of God” also returns to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Ge rier

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabeled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world.

On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Net ix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a gure skater training for the world championships, who nds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.

Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died, and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close, but Malcolm and Lori nd themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy o ce cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show o that in uence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.

Randolph record

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. There’s a chance of wintry weather this weekend in the region.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country.

The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all-cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

$2.00

Randolph County Schools awarded digital learning grant

The $285,000 grant will support expanded opportunities for students

By Ryan Henkel Randolph Record

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System is going to receive some much-needed nancial support thanks to a state grant.

The Randolph County Schools Board of Education accepted a $285,000 grant from the North Carolina State Board of Education at its January meeting.

The Digital Learning Initiative Impact Grant is a state-sponsored grant started in 2017 that aims to support districts by “creating hubs of innovation across the state that model digital leadership and that support NC educators in

their professional growth, students’ access to highly-qualied educators and opportunities increases.”

“That’s a pretty big grant,” board chair Gary Cook said. “You guys do a great job of nding money, grants and all. We’re very fortunate for everybody that works on these grants.”

The district will use the funding to support a school system wide program aimed at growing the amount of digital learning opportunities for students.

“The project is titled Advancing K-12 Digital Learning through Computational Thinking and Innovation, and it’s all about expanding opportunities for our students in STEM, robotics, coding, eSports, etc. at all schools,” said Shenna Creech, executive director of curriculum and instruction/director of digital

“That’s a pretty big grant. We’re very fortunate for everybody that works on these grants.”

Gary Cook, board chair

teaching and learning. “So all schools will be impacted, and there will be a lot of professional development opportunities for sta as well.”

The grant will be spread out across three years, meaning the district will be allocated $95,000 each year.

“We’ve got a really big team e ort here,” superintendent Stephen Gainey said.

The board also recognized the recipients of the 2025 -26 Randolph County School

System Endowment Teacher Grant, which aims to support student needs and sta development.

The grant awarded a total of $6,420 dollars split amongst 27 county teachers in 14 di erent schools.

In addition, the board also recognized students from the Providence Grove High School Farm Business Management Team who competed at the National FFA Convention a few months prior.

The team nished as a silver emblem team and four students received individual honors as well.

Trey Blakley and Hunter Ward were individual goldnalists, and Peyton McGraw and Caleb Ward were individual silver nalists. The team’s adviser was Morgan Johnson.

The Randolph County Schools Board of Education will next meet Feb. 9.

NASCAR community mourns Bi e, 6 others killed in plane crash at memorial service

His friends and family urged people to give back “like Bi ” did

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Hundreds in the NASCAR community gathered for a memorial service at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum on Friday for former driver Greg Bi e, his family and others who were killed in a plane crash last month. Bi e was among seven killed along with his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, when the plane crashed as it returned to the airport in Statesville, according to authorities. Others on

the plane were identi ed as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

Driver/in uencer Garrett Mitchell, known as “Cleetus McFarland” in his YouTube videos and a close friend of Bi e’s, was among those who spoke at the service.

“We have all been saying, ‘Be like Bi ,’ since we lost our hero,” said Mitchell, who befriended Bi e later in his life. “What does that mean? That means to take opportunities when you see them. Whether you are taking opportunity to pass somebody on the track or getting o your couch to chase a dream you have only been talking about for the past ve years.

THURSDAY 1.22.26

North State

(USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)

Trip Ho end, Publisher

Jim

Cory

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan

More work planned at new exchange near U.S. 421

The new pattern provides another option for drivers near the new Toyota plant

Randolph Record sta LIBERTY — Even with the new opening of an interchange on U.S. 421 there’s still more road work to be done in that area. The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced that a nal layer of asphalt and markings will be put in place in the spring when there’s more consistent warmer temperatures. The newest U.S. 421 interchange is at Shiloh Road. It’s

the second interchange o the highway that’s connected to the opening of the Toyota battery plant.

The NCDOT says that the interchanges should improve safety and mobility in the region.

The new interchange is at the southern portion of Shiloh Road. There are roundabouts at the on/o ramps on both sides of U.S. 421.

Work crews spent about two months realigning ramps, paving and putting down pavement markings to prepare the interchange, according to NCDOT information.

Drivers can use the interchange from Shiloh Road or

Asheboro concrete plant changes hands

The former owner of the operations cited a change in strategy prompting the sale

Randolph Record sta ASHEBORO — Piedmont Ready Mix in Asheboro has been sold as part of an acquisition made by Hardrock Ready Mix. The transaction included Piedmont Ready Mix’s plant in Asheboro, according to information from the purchaser. The Asheboro facility will continue operations under the new ownership.

Victor Lopez, owner of VL Concrete, Inc., is the former

CRIME LOG

Jan. 12

• Sharen Allred Register, 60, of Archdale, was arrested by RCSO for tra cking in methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance and exposing a child to a controlled substance.

• Forrest Hunter Rei , 30, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for shoplifting by concealment of goods.

Jan. 13

Eric James Dunkley, 29, of Miami, was arrested by RCSO for obtaining property by false pretense and felony accessing computers.

• Harold Bryce Kinley, 40, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for domestic violence protective order violation.

• Richard Hampton Robinson, 88, of Ramseur, was arrested by RCSO for sexual battery.

• Kari Raquel Whittmann, 54, of Thomasville, was arrested by RCSO for second degree burglary and rst degree trespass/ squatting.

Jan. 14

• Seth Richard Bullard, 20, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for felony disseminating obscenity.

Justin Michael Godfrey, 40, of Winston Salem, was arrested by Asheboro PD for communicating threats.

owner of Piedmont Ready Mix.

“This acquisition represents a strategic step forward for Hardrock Ready Mix,” Drew Boggs, president and chief executive ocer of Hardrock Ready Mix, said in a statement. “Piedmont Ready Mix has built a strong reputation for quality and service under Victor’s leadership, and we are excited to build on that foundation while expanding our operational capacity and geographic reach. I have known Victor for over a decade and share his commitment to customers, employees, and operational excellence. Our goal is to ensure a seamless transition while continuing to drive

Javin Samuel Harris, 51, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Joshua Dean Hughes, 38, of Sophia, was arrested by RCSO for non-support of child.

• Ian Caine Lloyd, 44, of Liberty, was arrested by RCSO for assault on a female, domestic violence, resisting a public o cer and interfering with emergency communication.

• Travis James Overby, 48, of Archdale, was arrested by RCSO for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of heroin, resisting a public o cer and communicating threats.

• Nicolas Romero-Garcia, 34, of Seagrove, was arrested by RCSO for domestic violence protective order violation.

• Roger David Witmer, 34, of Archdale, was arrested by RCSO for possession of marijuana up to one half ounce, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, resisting a public o cer and a number of tra c infractions.

Jan. 15

Logan Dale Perry, 29, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for resisting a public o cer and identity theft.

• Deondre Michael Smith, 38, of Raleigh, was arrested by RCSO for possession of stolen motor vehicle, possession of stolen rearm, resisting a public o cer, common law robbery, assault on a female and communicating threats.

Starmount Road to access U.S. 421. The rst new U.S. 421 interchange in that area opened in 2024 about 1.5 miles to the north at Julian Airport Road and Dogwood Lane.

Investigation launched On another part of U.S. 421, there was a major incident last week. Tra c heading from Guilford County on U.S. 421 toward Randolph County was redirected Jan. 13 after a trooper-involved shooting.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol pursued a vehicle exceeding the speed limit on U.S. 421 South to Pleasant Garden Road. An initial police report says the driver pulled out a handgun, and the trooper red his weapon. Kasandra Forbes, 36, of Greensboro was struck by a bullet and transported to a hospital in critical condition. Charges against Forbes were pending. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case.

meaningful growth across the region.” Lopez said: “This sale reects our long-term strategic focus. VL Concrete intends to concentrate exclusively on our concrete placement business, and divesting the ready-mix operations allows us to dedicate our resources and attention to that core segment. We believe Hardrock Ready Mix is well positioned to continue serving Piedmont Ready Mix customers and employees with the same commitment to quality.”

Based on a news release, Hardrock Ready Mix plans to integrate Piedmont Ready Mix’s operations and team members into its existing organization.

Piedmont Ready Mix has another plant under construction in Mebane. The company is a provider of ready-mix concrete serving commercial, residential and infrastructure projects in North Carolina.

• Jonathan Dewayne Walters, 42, of Denton, was arrested by RCSO for assault on a female, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jan. 16

• Brantley Wayne Hicks, 36, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for hit and run leaving scene with property damage, resisting a public o cer, simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance and a number of tra c infractions.

• Daniel Lee Hutchins, 34, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randolph County Emergency Services for second degree trespass.

• Enmanuel Pineiro Pradera, 20, of Clinton, was arrested by RCSO for simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jan. 17

• Stephen Davis Eller, 45, of Liberty, was arrested by RCSO for possession of rearm by felon.

• Daniel Christian Garner, 41, of Asheboro, was arrested by Randolph County Emergency Services for second degree trespass, disorderly conduct and impeding tra c by sitting, standing or lying.

• Dakota Aaron Helms, 33, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for assault on a female.

Randolph Guide

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Randolph County.

Jan. 24

Liberty Showcase Presents: Stephen Freeman

7 p.m.

Freeman’s Elvis tribute concert is a popular attraction with only one concert scheduled. Tickets start at $41 and go up to $81. 101 S. Fayetteville St. Liberty

Jan. 29

Books and Banter (YA Club)

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Teens ages 13-16 meet each Thursday to talk about books and more. Every fourth Thursday, the group discusses the same book, which can be picked up in advance at the library.

Seagrove Public Library 530 Old Plank Road Seagrove

Jan. 30

Two Guys Named Chris Comedy Show

7-9 p.m.

Sponsored by the Two Guys Named Chris radio show, comedians E.J. Masicampo, Jeremy Alder and Dave Landau have been handpicked to o er the audience a variety of humor and comedy styles. Tickets are $25.

The Sunset Theatre 234 Sunset Ave. Asheboro

Feb. 2

Randolph County Commissioners’ Meeting 6-9 p.m.

Open to the public, and members of the community are encouraged to attend.

145 C. Worth St. Asheboro

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ randolphrecord.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| STEPHEN MOORE

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity. Uh-huh. Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

COLUMN | LARRY ELDER

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune. Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed.

These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

Mamdani’s fantasy world of equal outcome

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

NEW YORK CITY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability.

That is your duty.” Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and selfreliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.” — A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10thgrade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

Geneva Luck Goins

Feb. 26, 1936 – Jan. 15, 2026

Geneva Luck Goins, age 89, entered her eternal rest surrounded by the love of her family on January 15, 2026. A native of Randolph County, she was born on February 26, 1936, in Asheboro, North Carolina. She was the cherished daughter of Gillis and Viola Luck. Geneva grew up with a gentle spirit, a strong work ethic, and a deep love for home and family, qualities that would de ne her entire life.

She attended Franklinville School and proudly graduated with the Class of 1955. In 1954, Geneva met the love of her life, Edgar Goins. Their bond quickly became unbreakable, and the two were united in marriage on February 5, 1956. Together, they built a life marked by devotion, steadiness, and quiet joy. Geneva worked for a short time at Klockman Mills before beginning her long-term career at the Energizer Battery Plant, then Union Carbide, in 1960. She remained there until her retirement in 1996. In 1964, she and Edgar planted their roots on family land just outside of town, a place that became the heart of countless memories, meals and gatherings.

Geneva was a woman of many talents, but her home was her canvas. She loved to sew, clean, arrange owers, and play games, but her true gift was found in the kitchen. A masterful cook and baker, she poured love into every dish she prepared. Her food was always requested at church events, family celebrations, and community gatherings, where her warm hospitality was as cherished as her recipes.

A lifelong member of Spoon’s Chapel Christian Church, Geneva served faithfully in many roles throughout the years. Her dedication to her church family re ected her deep and abiding faith, lived out through service, kindness, and steadfast commitment. Above all, Geneva loved her family. She was the heart of her home, steady and endlessly giving. Her legacy is one of love lived quietly but powerfully, through simple acts of care that shaped the lives of all who knew her.

Geneva is survived by her daughter Anita O’Donnell (Sean) of Ramseur, son Mike Goins (Trina) of Asheboro; grandchildren Christopher Goins and Dillon Goins (Casey) both of Asheboro, great grandchild Kyle Richardson (Jaletta) of Penns Creek, Pennsylvania, great great grandchild Avonlea Richardson, of Penns Creek, Pennsylvania, granddaughter-inlaw Jana Richardson Strickland (Melvin), step grandson Alex O’Donnell of Ramseur, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and siblings, she is also preceded in death by her husband, Edgar, of almost 65 years, and grandson Kyle Richardson.

The family will receive friends on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 1 p.m. at Spoons Chapel Christian Church by the Reverend Isaac Fetterho . Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family requests that, in lieu of owers, donations be made in memory of Mrs. Goins to either Hospice of Randolph, Asheboro, NC, or Spoons Chapel Christian Church, Asheboro, NC.

Glenn M. Gravitt

Jan. 18, 1953 – Jan. 12, 2026

Glenn M. Gravitt (72), of Asheboro, NC, passed away on Monday, January 12, 2026, at Randolph Hospital in Asheboro, NC.

Glenn was born on January 18, 1953, in Winston-Salem, NC, to Howard and Jayne Gravitt. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, where he met his wife, Jo. Glenn enjoyed life and worked in a variety of jobs. His greatest joy was spending time with his family and friends. He lived a remarkable life of integrity and trust in Jesus. He was resilient and full of faith, even through the trials of lung cancer. He was a courageous man, a generous father, and a devoted grandfather.

Glenn is survived by his beloved wife, Jo, of Asheboro; a daughter, Hannah, of Raleigh, NC; three sons, Nathan (Katie) of Lynchburg, VA, Sam of Lynchburg, VA, John David (Erin) of Asheboro, NC; six grandchildren-Quill (10), Abigail (9), Ferris (6), Jericho (2), Danielle (2), and the newest baby arriving in March; and his brother, Joe (Valerie), of Carmel, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Jayne, and his brother, James.

A celebration of life service will be held at Central Methodist Church on Saturday, January 31, at 1 p.m., followed by light refreshment and fellowship.

In lieu of owers, the family is asking that memorials be made to one of the following: Mission India, Your Choices Randolph, A Place for the Heart or Timothy Two, International.

Hattie “Libby” Elizabeth Diehl

Feb. 17, 1945 – Jan. 16, 2026

Hattie “Libby” Elizabeth Diehl, 80, of Randleman, passed away on January 16, 2026. Born in 1945 in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Libby was raised in the church, traveling to di erent churches, revivals and homecomings where she sang alongside her parents and two sisters. She had a deep love for Southern gospel music and was blessed with a beautiful alto voice. Libby had the biggest heart and the most beautiful soul. She would do anything she could to help others and had a way of making everyone around her feel special and deeply loved. She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Alice, sisters Mary and Shirley, and stepson Charlie. She is survived by her husband Charles, daughter Katherine, son Kenneth (wife Lauren), son Billy, and grandson Charlie. She is profoundly loved and will be terribly missed. A celebration of life will be held at Balfour Baptist Church, 1642 N. Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, North Carolina, on Friday, January 23, at 2 p.m.

Nancy Stephens Davis

Oct. 26, 1944 – Jan. 13, 2026

Nancy Stephens Davis, born on October 26, 1944, in Long Beach, California, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, in Ramseur, North Carolina, at the age of 81.

A Celebration of Life Service will be scheduled at a later date. Nancy was a dedicated and loving mother and grandmother whose life was centered around her family. Her career included devoted service in the deli departments of both Lowes Foods and Walmart, where she brought warmth and kindness to her coworkers and customers alike. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Garry Davis, and her father, Cli ord Stephens; her mother, Harriet Bernth, and husband Howard Bernth; and her great-grandson, Bently Creason.

Nancy’s legacy of love and devotion continues through her daughters: Loretta Davis of Ramseur, Brenda Davis Atchison of Thomasville, and Shannon Davis of Rosemount, Minnesota. She was a cherished grandmother to Johnathon Burke, Bobbie Jo Perry, Je Badders, Jacob Lo in, Sean Atchison, Jessica Roderick, Rebecca Stewart, John Crawford, Kenneth Crawford, and Dani Crawford.

Nancy’s lineage further extends to her greatgrandchildren: Hunter Perry, Walker Creason, Braxton Creason, Micheal Creason, Aiden Creason, Raylan Badders, Ava Badders, Layla Roderick, Archer Roderick, Lydia Roderick, Stanley Stewart, Syrus Stewart, and Samuel Stewart. She also had a “bonus” granddaughter and six “bonus” great grandchildren. Each of them carries forward her spirit, surrounded by the love and values she instilled in her family. Her life was a testament to resilience, care, and unwavering support for her loved ones, leaving a lasting imprint on all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Leroy Gar eld Webb

Oct. 2, 1940 – Jan. 15, 2026

Leroy Gar eld Webb, age 85, of Asheboro, passed away on January 15, 2026, at TerraBella of Asheboro.

Mr. Webb was born in Charleston, WV, on October 12, 1940, to Hobart Leroy and Cleo Wolfe Webb and was a graduate of East Bank High School. Leroy served his country in the U.S. Air Force and, following his service, went to work at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV. He was a volunteer for the Community Center in Arbovale, WV. Leroy moved to Greensboro, NC, in 1974, where he went to work at Lorillard Tobacco Company, retiring as an Instrumentation Specialist. Leroy was the former President of the Lions Club in Greensboro. He loved to sh.

In addition to his parents, Leroy was preceded in death by his wife, Jenny Ryalls Webb and granddaughter, Kailey Suzanne Benton.

He is survived by his daughter, Susan Henderson (Michael) of Trinity; son, David Lee Webb (Althea) of Randleman; and grandson, Christian Grant Henderson.

No services are planned at this time.

Kimberly “Kim” Michele Kindley Wol s

July 3, 1969 – Jan. 13, 2026

Kimberly “Kim” Michele Kindley Wol s, age 56, of Asheboro, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, and is now breathing freely and enjoying her new Heavenly life. She was born July 3, 1969, in Randolph County, North Carolina, the daughter of the late Larry Quinton Kindley and Sharleen Marie Ann Carroll Kindley. Following the passing of her parents, she deeply missed them and is now reunited in paradise with those who have gone before. Kim dedicated herself to nurturing and supporting those around her, both in her professional and personal life. After earning her degree, Kim embarked on a ful lling career as a special education teacher—a testament to her boundless patience and generous spirit. Her dedication to her students left an indelible mark on many lives, earning her the admiration and gratitude of countless families. Following her career, Kim turned her care and commitment toward her husband, Chuck, becoming his devoted caregiver during his illness. Her strength and unwavering support were a true re ection of her deep love and commitment. She deeply cherished her family and friends, always placing them at the center of her world. She was a steadfast friend to her tribe of best friends, maintaining lifelong bonds that enriched her life and theirs. Her role as an aunt was one that she embraced wholeheartedly, spoiling her nieces and nephews with trips to Disney and being their biggest cheerleader. These were just a few ways that Kim showered her family with love and care. A passionate animal enthusiast, Kim adored her three Yorkies—Toby, Max and Rudy— who brought endless joy and companionship into her life. She also found solace in travel and the wonders of the ocean, with tropical destinations always holding a special place in her heart. Through her faith, Kim guided her footsteps with grace, leaving a legacy of compassion and kindness. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Charles “Chuck” Wol s; sons, Todd Wol s and Troy Wol s; sister, Lynnette Kindley and signi cant other Robert Coble; brother, Quinton Kindley and wife Jess Kindley; stepmother, Wally Kindley; nephew, Justin Kindley; niece, Jasmine Gaines; and numerous other beloved friends and family. A memorial visitation will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026, at Midstate Cremation and Funeral Service Chapel, 304 Lanier Avenue, Asheboro, NC 27203. Flowers are welcome or memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph County, the Randolph County SPCA or a charity of one’s choice.

Ramona Dula

Oct. 21, 1955 – Jan. 13, 2026

Ramona Dula went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, peacefully and unexpectedly at her home, surrounded by the love, care, and compassion of her husband, Bill, and son, Everett. As the family matriarch, she kept her sights set on Jesus and loved her two men ercely.

Ramona was a devoted wife and mother, loyal friend, woman of deep faith and a prayer warrior for many throughout her life.

Ramona is preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence M. Burgess and Evelyn Burgess, sister, Connie Burgess Grantham, and brother, Barron M. Burgess.

She is survived by her husband of 47 years, William (Bill) Dula and her son, Everett Dula, both of the home. Ramona was a 1974 graduate of Eastern Randolph High School. Ramona married her lifelong love, Bill, in 1979, and they built a life of love and devotion to one another. She doted on their son, Everett, until her last breath.

Ramona retired from selling real estate across Randolph County and the Triad after many years serving hundreds of families under the Wilson Realty / Century 21 banner. She found great pleasure in helping home buyers realize the dream of home ownership. As a dedicated Republican woman, for the last couple of decades Ramona was a tireless volunteer, leader, and worker for the Republican Party, helping Republicans get elected up and down the ballot. She served multiple terms as President of the Randolph County Republican Women and was a recipient of the Alice Ward Award for her dedicated service across Randolph County and beyond. Ramona along with her husband Bill, served in various o ces and positions with the RCGOP, Congressional Districts, and NCGOP Republican Committees up to the time of her passing. In her early years, she lived her lifelong passion of riding and showing Appaloosa horses, winning many ribbons with her beloved horse Manhattan. In her later years, she found comfort and joy in her house kitties Faith, Cuddles, and Comet. She was a lover and helper to all living beings and cared for her outdoor pride of cats with devotion.

Her greatest hope was that everyone she knew would be saved in Jesus’ name and live out eternity in heaven. Ramona’s presence with the Lord is to be absent from sight until we meet to rejoice together again in heaven.

Ramona’s body will lie in repose on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. The family will receive friends on Tuesday from 1-2 p.m., with the funeral service following at 2 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel with Pastor Ed Arroyo o ciating. Interment will be held at Randolph Memorial Park. Donations can be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Dennis Ray Shortridge

Dec. 4, 1963 – Jan. 14, 2026

Dennis Ray Shortridge, 62, of Franklinville, went home to be with the Lord on January 14, 2026, at Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro.

Dennis was born on December 4, 1963, in Buchanan County, VA, to parents Airs and Ruby Shortridge. Dennis had a laugh like a diesel engine - it was distinct and could be heard frequently from across any busy family gathering. He was a great storyteller and an even better listener. No one would ever describe him as a small-framed man, but beneath his stature and calloused hands was a kind and gentle spirit. Every member of his immediate and extended family can tell you a few stories about a time that their car had broken down - all it took was one phone call, no matter where you were or the time of day - and Dennis would be there with his tow truck. He operated Shortridge Towing in Franklinville for 30 years.

Joy was seen in his eyes in the moments when he was talking about his family, but especially his precious grandchildren and children. Dennis’s last hours on this side of heaven were spent surrounded by that very same family - laughing, sharing memories and praying. As usual, the things he chose to speak about the most were telling everyone how proud he was of them, how lovely their families are and marveling at the wonderful 44 years of marriage he had to the love of his life. In addition to his parents, Dennis was preceded in death by his sisters, Naomi Smith, Maxie Gallimore, Betty Lou Lester, Jettie Spivey and Mildred Redding.

Dennis is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sue Dotson Shortridge of the home; children, Melinda Shortridge Kidd and husband Danny of Asheboro, and Crystal Denise Batchelor and husband John “Bob” of Franklinville; grandchildren, Cameron, Hunter and Maleah; brothers, Daniel Shortridge and wife Patty of Honaker, Virginia, and David Shortridge and wife Patricia of Virginia; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, January 18, 2026, from 2-3 p.m. at West Asheboro Church of God. A graveside service will be held on Monday, January 19, 202,6 at 2 p.m. at Forest Hills Memory Gardens in Abington, Virginia, with Rev. Franklin Smith o ciating, 19415 Lee Highway, Abington, VA.

David “Dave” Stanley McGowan

Aug. 18, 1943 – Jan. 14, 2026

David “Dave” Stanley McGowan, age 82, of Asheboro, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at Randolph Hospice House, surrounded by family.

Dave was born on August 18, 1943, in Euclid, Ohio, to the late Donald Hugh McGowan and Helen Dorothy Roach McGowan.

He was a graduate of Euclid High School and proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1961 to 1967.

He was employed by W.S. Tyler for 43 years, where he dedicated himself to his work and colleagues. He was a faithful and active member of West Bend Church, where he served in numerous roles, including Sta Parish Relations Committee Chairperson, usher, Finance Committee member, Church Council member, and Trustee.

He enjoyed Duke basketball, playing golf with his best friends, spending time at the beach, drinking Mello Yellos, and, most of all, spending time with his family. His jokes and sense of humor will be missed.

In addition to his parents, Dave was preceded in death by his brother, James McGowan; sisters, Barbara Park and Lou Hein; and granddaughters, Avrey and Miller Phillips.

He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Kathy McGowan of Asheboro; sons, Je McGowan (Ashley) of Greensboro and Scott McGowan of Chester, Virginia; daughters, Heather Tilley (Daniel) of Asheboro and Adrianne Phillips (John) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Kendra Leazer of Chester, Virginia, Bryant McGowan (Liza) and Blake McGowan, both of Raleigh, Preston Tilley and Rowan Phillips, both of Asheboro; greatgrandsons, Aiden and Jacob Cullum of Chester, Virginia; and many nieces and nephews.

The Family will receive friends from 2-2:45 p.m. at West Bend Church on Saturday, January 17, 2026, with a memorial service following.

The family would like to thank Hospice of Randolph for their care and support. In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Randolph, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.

Frances “Charlene” Williams McDaniel

July 15, 1949 – Jan. 14, 2026

Charlene Williams McDaniel, born on July 15, 1949, in Randolph County, passed away peacefully at the age of 76 on January 14, 2026, at the Randolph Hospice House.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 10-10:45 a.m. at Lo in Funeral Home, followed by Funeral services to honor Charlene’s life at 11 a.m. in Lo in Chapel, where family and friends will gather to celebrate her memory and legacy.

O ciating, Rev. Randy Kelley.

A dedicated entrepreneur, Charlene was the Owner and Operator of Reel Time Video Rentals and Just Videos, both establishments in Asheboro. Her work brought joy and entertainment to many over the years. Charlene found immense joy in the simple pleasures of life. She loved spending time with her family and friends, always cherishing the moments they shared. Her little dog Cody held a special place in her heart, providing companionship and comfort throughout the years. Charlene also treasured the time spent at the beach with her beloved husband, Jim, where they created countless memories together. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim McDaniel Sr., her parents, Charlie and Mildred Davis Williams, and her sister, Alice Routh.

Charlene leaves behind a loving family who will miss her dearly. She is survived by her daughters, Jeri Arrington and husband, Charles, of Ramseur, and Jodi Hildreth and husband, Chad, of Sophia; her son, Jim McDaniel and wife, Christie, of Ramseur; her grandchildren, Chase Arrington and wife, Brittany, of Seven Lakes, Jacie Arrington, of Marietta, GA, Caleb McDaniel and wife, Megan, of Ramseur, Colin McDaniel and ancée, Hanna Coen, of Ramseur, Lanie McDaniel, of Ramseur, Chloe Ferguson and husband, Joey, of Denton, and Cale Hildreth, of Sophia; her great-grandchildren, Elijah Arrington, Nora Arrington, Carson McDaniel and Caden McDaniel; and her sister, Pat Williamson, of Rock Hill, SC.

In lieu of owers, memorials may be made to Randolph Hospice House, 416 Vision Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.

Doris Lorene Coleman “Memaw” Thompson

Aug. 23, 1940 – Jan. 15, 2026

Lorene Coleman “Memaw” Thompson, born August 23, 1940, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026, at Clapp’s Convalescent Center, Asheboro, North Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Isom Melvin and Ina Mae Gregory Coleman, two brothers and three sisters.

Lorene was married to Willard E. Thompson for over 65 years, a testament to their enduring love and partnership. She is survived by her devoted husband Willard; two sons, W. Allen Thompson (Ella) and W. Keith Thompson (Christina); nine grandchildren David Walters (Nora), Ashley Flournoy (Eric), Miranda Carter (Jonathan), Amanda Williams (Nick), Rock Williams, Sarah Lorene McDonald (Earl), Aaron Thompson (Rhi), Courtney Pierce, Julia Pierce; nineteen great-grandchildren; and numerous others who lovingly knew her as “Memaw.”

A graduate of Rankin High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lorene retired from South Eastern Randolph Middle School. Lorene was a faithful member of Maple Springs Community Church. She will be missed by many. Visitation will be held at Lo in Funeral Home in Ramseur, Monday, 19 January 2026, from 6-8 p.m.

Memorials may be made to Maple Springs Community Church Women in Action or Church Building Fund, c/o Lib Brown, 5775 NC Hwy. 22/42, Ramseur, NC 27316. Funeral services will be held at Maple Springs Community Church, 6231 NC-Hwy. 22/42, Ramseur on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, at 2 p.m.

O ciating, Rev. Ed Carter.

Donald Sherman Henley Sr.

May 3, 1931 – Jan. 12, 2026

Donald Sherman Henley Sr., age 94 of Asheboro, passed away on January 12, 2026, at Moses Cone Hospital.

Donald was born on May 3, 1931, in Franklinville Township and was a lifelong resident of Randolph County. Even at 94, he was one of the toughest and hardest-working men around. Rest was not a word in his vocabulary, and he genuinely found joy in the simple, steady work of the land he proudly called home. Few things represented him better than his John Deere tractors, the hum of his sawmill, and his well-known red lumber truck, all symbols of a life spent working with purpose.

Donald proudly served his country as a veteran of the Korean War, a chapter of his life he enjoyed sharing with others. He had a soft spot for animals, especially his Tom cat and the countless dogs he had as pets over the years. He loved watching the deer on “The Ponderosa” and hosting sh fries with family and friends. He was a cornerstone of the community and he will be dearly missed.

A proud family man, Donald raised ve sons: Donald Jr. “Donnie” (Maria) of Randleman, William “Billy” of Asheboro, Tim of Asheboro, David (Rachel) of Sophia, and Jason (Crystal) of Randleman. Of all the successes and things he accomplished in life, leaving a legacy of strength, perseverance, hard work and quiet kindness in his boys may be the greatest.

In addition to his sons, Donald is survived by his grandchildren: Samantha, Donald III, Amanda, Christopher, Nicholas, Spencer, Brent, Reagan, Anna, Thomas, and Brittany; his brother, Joseph; 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Clyde Henley and Lillie Faye Poole Henley.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, January 15, 2026, from 6-8 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 1 p.m. at the Glenn “Mac” Pugh Chapel with Ken McDowell o ciating. Burial will follow at Randolph Memorial Park with full military honors.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@randolphrecord.com

“It means showing up for your friends and family. It means using your heart to make the world a better place. It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi ,” Mitchell added.

Bi e, who was 55, was selected by NASCAR as one of its top 75 drivers in history, was a Hall of Fame nominee for the stock car series and drove for 18 years at the top of the sport.

He drew headlines last year for his tireless humanitarian efforts as a helicopter pilot supplying aid in the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Bi e’s niece, Jordyn Bi e, told stories about Ryder’s hero being his father, Emma’s laughter and Cristina’s loving nature.

She said the Bi e family “lived fully, loved deeply and gave freely.”

“Their lives remind us that what matters isn’t how long we are here but how we use the time we are given and how ercely we love while we are here,” Bife added. “And while this loss is devastating beyond words, their impact remains etched into all of us that were lucky enough to have known them, loved them and be changed by them.”

In the parking lot outside of the coliseum, fans paused to

peer inside three race cars Bife drove during his career.

Inside, the pictures of the seven who lost their lives were shown on a videoboard above the makeshift platform in the center of the covered hockey rink. There were seven wreaths on the stage where Mitchell, Bife and former drivers Je Burton and Phil Parsons addressed the crowd.

Dylan Zirkle, 28, of Archdale, worked one year for Bi e at Roush Racing as a pit support employee while he was in high school.

He said Bi e made a lasting impact on him, and he felt he needed to attend.

“Greg was always a really good guy, and I enjoyed being around him,” Zirkle said. “You could always talk to him at anytime and he was just a real person. You could talk to him about anything.”

Back home, Zirkle still has model racing trucks in his gameroom autographed by Bi e that he cherishes.

Zirkle said he didn’t believe the news of the crash when he heard it.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Zircle said. “I was watching some of his YouTube videos the other night, and it just doesn’t seem real at all.”

Tanner Roberts and Jassamin Green made the four-hour trek from Wilmington with their 7-year-old son Bentley after hearing about the memorial.

“He was a good race car driver and I enjoyed him,” Roberts said. “And he was a good person. I grew up watching him and Dale Earnhardt. Them two were my favorites. They were good people and they loved to race.”

The Cessna C550 carrying the Bi e family and the others erupted in ames when it hit the ground shortly after it had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about an hour’s drive north of Charlotte.

The plane crashed while trying to return and land, authorities said.

The crash a week before Christmas left the NASCAR community shaken and was another blow in a long oseason. Ten days later, on the 52nd wedding anniversary of Denny Hamlin’s parents, the house the future Hall of Famer built to repay them for their years of sacri ce burned down. His father, Dennis, was killed, and Mary Lou Hamlin was rushed to a hospital burn unit.

Sheri ’s deputies are also investigating an alleged break-in and theft last week at Bi e’s home in Mooresville that netted $30,000 in cash, some guns and memorabilia. As part of the public tribute, Mitchell planned to do a burnout later Friday near Bi e’s marker along the North Carolina Auto Racing Walk of Fame in Mooresville.

STATE & NATION

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal

and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted. Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have

someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court l-

ings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October. Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday. In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move

aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime

NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet

assistant AG

license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ashbang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.

RandolpH SPORTS

Asheboro, Randleman see need for football schedule tweaks

to open the season Aug. 21. Randleman is sorting out its options.

It would help us, I would think, with our RPI. We feel really good about the RPI.”

On the move

Former Eastern Randolph o ensive lineman

Jani Norwood has signed with Boston College this month after entering the transfer portal. He announced the decision to leave UNC in December with the accompanying photo. He spent two seasons with the Tar Heels program, one under coach Mack Brown and one under coach Bill Belichick. It’s expected that Norwood will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

ASHEBORO and Randleman football teams faced schedule vacancies for the 2026

season after High Point Central put its varsity team on pause for next season.

Asheboro lled its slot within a couple of days, setting up a matchup with Scotland at home

High Point Central’s announcement came last week. Asheboro acted quickly.

“It will be a good game right out of the gate,” Asheboro athletics director Wes Berrier said. “I gives us a good measurement.

That’s because the Ratings Percentage Index is used to determine postseason seeding.

The Bison went 0-10, with every game ending with a running clock because of the mer -

cy rule. The team was outscored 523-0. Asheboro beat the visiting Bison 59-0 and Randleman won by 42-0 at High Point Central.

Asheboro’s new schedule opening was in the rst week of the season, while Randleman played High Point Central in the Piedmont Athletic Conference in the third-to-last week of the regular season — or the ninth playing week out of 11 weeks. Some clarity for Randleman could come from an upcoming PAC meeting. Randleman’s 2025 open week came at

See FOOTBALL, page B3 Trinity’s Aiden Burkholder, pictured in last year’s state tournament, is having another strong

Trinity wrestling team locks in for more success on mats

The Bulldogs have cruised to numerous tournament championships during the regular season

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

TRINITY — Expectations are naturally high for Trinity’s wrestling team.

The Bulldogs have rolled for most of the season as they gear up for the postseason, which will begin later next week.

“A little bit better than anticipated,” coach Brandon Coggins said. At the bottom weights and at

the top, Trinity is particularly strong — and formidable in between as well.

Coggins said there are wrestlers capable of championships from 106 pounds through 144 pounds, giving the Bulldogs a string of chances to rack up points.

Reigning state champion

Aiden Burkholder at 113 and Steven Cross at 120 are a dynamic pair. Cross, a sophomore who placed fth in the state last season, has lost one match this season and Burkholder has dropped two.

Of course, they’re workout partners in practice.

“We beat the crap out of

each other,” Burkholder said.

The entire group of wrestlers in the lower weights get after it.

“It’s like a little shark tank over there,” Coggins said.

Senior heavyweight Joseph Trahan is undefeated.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs went 5-0 in the Redskins Duals at Manteo. It was the team’s rst appearance in the event, with the trip to the eastern part of state a chance to lock up with wrestlers they rarely encounter.

“I wanted to get out and see some di erent o cials around the state and some di erent competition and broaden our experiences a little bit,” Coggins said.

Area girls’ teams stack up victories

It was a strong week for numerous teams in Randolph County in league play

Randolph Record sta ALL THREE Randolph County girls’ basketball teams in the Central Carolina 3-A Conference were winners Friday night. Trinity trounced visiting Thomasville 54-16 with Madison Hill scoring 18 points and Carolina Case posting 13 points. Wheatmore took down visiting West Davidson 44-38. Providence Grove handled visiting East Davidson 54-41. It was mostly a light week for area teams because of nal exams for the rst semester.

• Southwestern Randolph’s Jordin George racked up 22 points in a 67-27 road romp against Eastern Randolph in the Four Rivers Conference. Maddie Strider added 13 points. Roxanne Davis had 10 points for Eastern Randolph.

• Uwharrie Charter Academy won three times last week,

The conference standings will begin to sort out with key matchups as play continues across the next few weeks.

capped by Friday night’s 61-20 domination of visiting North Moore as Lainey Thomas posted 14 points in the Four Rivers Conference game. The Eagles beat host Albemarle 66-43 as Nevaeh Staples became the rst player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark by posting 28. Thomas had 19. Staples tacked on 15 points in a 58-41 road victory against Union Academy.

• Randleman’s three-game winning streak ended, falling 47-42 to visiting Ledford in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.

• Asheboro absorbed a 53 -29 home setback to Eastern Guilford despite Adalynn Scherer’s 12 points in the Triad Area Athletic Conference.

Dominic Hittepole

Wheatmore, wrestling

Hittepole is winding down his stellar wrestling career with more success for the Warriors.

Moving up to the 190-pound division as a senior, he has won six individual tournaments this season across three di erent months.

BOB SUTTON / RANDOLPH RECORD

He added to his victory total with three more victories in Saturday’s Montgomery Central Duals.

Hittepole placed fourth in Class 2A as a freshman, claimed a state runner-up spot in 2024 and became a state champion last February.

A former football player for the Warriors, he competed as a thrower and middle distance runner on Wheatmore’s track and eld team last spring.

PREP BOYS’ ROUNDUP

Cougars, others look strong in league play

There were several teams in the county that won outings in a limited schedule last week

Randolph Record sta

SOUTHWESTERN Ran-

dolph’s boys’ basketball team has started the Four Rivers Conference portion of its schedule with back-to-back victories against in-county opposition.

The Cougars’ latest conquest came with Friday night’s 75-62 victory at Eastern Randolph. Kenan Sugg notched 17 points, Levi Dalke provided 16 points and Colton McKee had 12 points.

Those helped counter Tyler Gee’s 30 points and Emmitt Frye’s 15 points for Eastern Randolph.

It’s Southwestern Randolph’s rst victory in three years against the Wildcats, who won four straight in the series. With an 8-6 overall record, the Cougars eclipsed last season’s seven-win mark.

• Uwharrie Charter secured three convincing victories during the week, nishing the

stretch with a 67-24 pounding of visiting North Moore in a Four Rivers Conference game.

The Eagles also upended host Albemarle 65-40 and topped host Union Academy 65-49. Jaxon Mabe had 21 points and Justyce Lawson cranked out 18 points against Union Academy.

• Asheboro won 59-42 against visiting Eastern Guilford as Nirey White compiled 20 points in the Triad Area Athletic Conference game. Jewel Barrett-Riggins had 12 points and Darrion Johnson added 10 points.

• Providence Grove and Wheatmore improved to 3-0 in Central Carolina 3-A Conference play.

Providence Grove drubbed visiting East Davidson 80-45 behind Cam Jones’ 28 points and Andrew Thomas’ 19 points. Will Dabbs supplied 13 points and seven rebounds.

Wheatmore pulled out a 54 - 49 home decision against West Davidson as Jordan Starkey tallied 17 points.

• Trinity wasn’t as fortunate in Central Carolina 3-A Conference action, falling 56-35 to visiting Thomasville.

Area wrestlers continue to rack up accolades

Tournament entrants from UCA, Eastern Randolph and Asheboro were individual champs in weekend action

Randolph Record sta

TWO STATE champions and two Asheboro wrestlers were among individual champions in high school wrestling tournaments Saturday.

Here’s a look at some of the area results.

Nighthawk Invitational

Three-time state champion Lorenzo Alston was the lone individual champion for Uwharrie Charter Academy, claiming the 175-pound title in the tournament at Northern Guilford.

Alston ended his rst two matches in less than 90 seconds and then used 2:20 for a technical fall against Atkins’ Cooper Ranson in the nal.

Paxton Kearns (126 pounds), Michael Hardie (138) and Ric Riccardella (150) were second — all losing to Northern Guilford entrant in nals. Kearns won three times (two pins, one technical fall) before falling 10-0 to Carter Furman. Hardie was a victim of a technical fall against Northern Guilford’s Waylon Pinnix. Riccardella won by two rst-period pins before absorbing a 7-3 setback to Jack Gibson.

Riccardella, a junior, notched his 100th career victory during the tournament.

UCA’s Ayven Virasone Chitavong (113), Brennan Worrell (144) and Jesse Bowles (215) all placed third with 3-1 records.

COLLEGE NOTES

In a 19-team eld, UCA nished third in the team standings with 141½ points behind Northwest Guilford with 244½ and Greensboro Grimsley with 161½.

• In girls’ competition, Asheboro’s Alaina Scherer was the heavyweight champion with two rst-period pins, including a attening of Oak Grove’s Vonna Cartrette in 1:26 of the nal.

UCA’s Riley White won three matches for the title at 132, starting with two pins and then a 9-4 decision against West Stanly’s Cheyenne Bramhall.

Avriana Whit eld of UCA was in second place at 138, losing to Wake Forest’s Benny Jenkins by 16-5 after notching two pins.

Patriot Invitational

At Climax, David Lambright of Eastern Randolph won the 126-pound individual title in the tournament at Providence Grove.

Lambright, a 2025 state titlist, needed to win just two matches and neither went the distance, including a pin of North Moore’s Kenneth Mills in 1:17 of the nal.

Teammates Jamie Crabtree (144) and Maddox Carson (285) were runners-up, while Lucas Kennedy and Trever Crabtree (138) placed third. Jamie Crabtree won by a pair of pins before an 11-4 loss to Southeast Guilford’s Ronadl Shuford, while Carson had two rst-period pins before Southeast Guilford’s Brian Bellerand prevailed 3-2 in overtime in the title bout.

Providence Grove’s Jeremiah Payne was the 120 runner-up, scoring two technical falls before he was victim of a technical fall in 4:17 against Southeast Guilford’s Jacob Bone. Teammate Ayden Terwillinger (132) placed third.

Central Davidson won among 14 teams, with Piedmont the runner-up and Southeast Guilford in third place. Eastern Randolph was fourth followed by North Stanly, Providence Grove and North Moore.

Coach T Memorial Classic

At Durham, Asheboro’s Oscar Zelaya was the champion at 132 pounds in the tournament at Durham Riverside.

Zelaya won by a pair of second-period technical falls and then defeated Southern Alamance’s Landen Curtis 11-5 in the nal.

Je rey Harper of Asheboro went 5-1 for third place at 157. Asheboro placed eighth among 24 teams. Cardinal Gibbons was the champion, followed by Lumberton and Southern Alamance.

Montgomery Central Duals

At Troy, Wheatmore’s Adyen Sumners (126) and Dominic Hittepole (190) each went 3-0. Heavyweight Peyton Russo went 2-1 with a pair of pins. Randleman’s Alex Raymundo (106) and Lloy Bosan (126) each won a pair of matches. Eden Morehead defeated Montgomery Central 52-29 to win the tournament. Wheatmore fell 54-23 to the host team.

Letterlough collects soccer honors in freshman year

The former Asheboro standout had a stellar rst season for his college team

Randolph Record sta

CAM LETTERLOUGH’S freshman season with Chowan came with numerous distinctions.

The former Asheboro standout received Division II All-America second-team recognition from the Conference Commissioners Association after leading Conference Carolinas with 15 goals.

Letterlough, whose six game-winning goals were the most in the conference, was named to the All-Conference Carolinas rst team and picked as the league’s Freshman of the Year.

The Hawks nished with a 14-4-4 record. Former Asheboro players Calvin Smith and Diego Bustamante both appeared in about half of Chowan’s 2025 games, while ex-Blue Comets David Agudelo and Arath Jaimes also made it into game action.

SPORTS BRIEFS

TENNIS

Letterlough’s high-scoring high school career ended in the 2024 Class 3A state nal for Asheboro.

Hernandez honored in wrestling

Former Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestler Aldo Hernandez of Appalachian State was named the Southern Conference’s Wrestler of the Week earlier this month.

Hernandez, a redshirt sophomore, notched a 5-0 decision against Presbyterian’s Ryan Luna in a 141-pound

Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win Melbourne, Australia

Zeynep Sönmez stopped a game to help an ailing ballkid during her rst-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. The Turkish quali er was receiving serve in the second set when the ballkid wobbled and stumbled backward near the umpire’s chair. The ballkid stood up again but was clearly o balance when Sönmez stopped play. She held the ballkid around the waist and walked her toward some shade. Tournament o cials and medical sta took over and, after a delay of around seven minutes, the match continued.

match in a conference opener. Hernandez had a 19-14 record last season. He’s up to 13 victories this season, including a 4-2 decision against nationally ranked Jordan Titus of West Virginia in November. He dropped a 4-3 decision to Virginia Military Institute’s Dyson Dunham in last week’s dual meet. Also earlier in the month, he went 2-2 in the Southern Scu e in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hernandez was a two-time individual state champion for UCA (after winning one title for Montgomery Central).

MLB Tucker, Bichette sign free agent contracts

Two of the biggest free agents of the o season found new teams. Kyle Tucker agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Tucker is among baseball’s best all-around players. But he has played just 214 regular-season games the past two years. Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract. Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop with Toronto, will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, despite never playing a professional game there. Bichette can opt out after the rst or second season.

pen & paper pursuits

this week in history

California gold rush begins, Battle of the Bulge ends, Auschwitz and Birkenau liberated

JAN. 22

1901: Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after a reign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

1953: Arthur Miller’s drama “The Crucible” opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.

1973: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the Constitution protects a nationwide right to abortion.

1973: Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch at age 64.

JAN. 23

1368: China’s Ming dynasty began after Zhu Yuanzhang was acclaimed the Hongwu Emperor following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

1789: Georgetown University was established in present-day Washington, D.C.

1870: About 200 Piegan Blackfeet tribal members, mostly women, children and older adults, were killed by U.S. Army troops under Maj. Eugene M. Baker in Montana, in what became known as the Baker Massacre.

JAN. 24

1848: James W. Marshall found a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California, sparking the California gold rush.

1945: Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among captives executed by German soldiers at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

On Jan. 22, 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at 81, ending a reign of more than 63 years that helped de ne the Victorian era and the height of the British Empire.

1965: Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

1989: Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair.

JAN. 25

1924: The rst Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

1945: The World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as the German army concluded its nal o ensive on the Western Front; about 19,000 U.S. soldiers were killed during the ve-week campaign.

1961: President John F. Kennedy held the rst live televised presidential news conference.

1971: Charles Manson and three followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actor Sharon Tate.

JAN. 26

1887: Groundbreaking be-

gan for the Ei el Tower; it was completed just over two years later.

1905: The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found at 3,106 carats, was discovered in South Africa.

2020: NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a steep hillside in dense fog in Southern California; the former Los Angeles Lakers star was 41.

JAN. 27

1756: Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.

1880: Thomas Edison received a patent for his incandescent electric lamp.

1945: During World War II, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi concentration camps in Poland.

JAN. 28

1547: England’s King Henry VIII died at 55 and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

1813: Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” was rst published anonymously in London.

1922: Ninety-eight people were killed when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., collapsed under the weight of nearly 2 feet of snow.

1956: Elvis Presley made his rst national TV appearance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

1986: The space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lifto from Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing all seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuli e.

FOOTBALL from page B1 the end of the regular season, so that’s something that Tigers coach David Diamont said he would like to change.

In the meantime, Diamont said he has reached out to High Point Andrews coach Mook Reynolds about the possibility of moving their scheduled game from the rst week of the conference slate to the last week of the regular season (when High Point Andrews was to meet High Point Central).

That would give Randleman exibility to ll a spot in the season’s fth or ninth week.

“That’s going to be a lot easier to nd (an opponent) than the last week,” Diamont said. “… We’re trying to get ahead of the curve.”

It’s bound to be tricky because Diamont pointed out that most schools signed two-year contracts for nonleague games beginning with 2025.

Randleman was the PAC runner-up last season and High Point Andrews placed third.

Getting rid of the open date on the nal week would please

Diamont, whose team had back-to-back weeks o last fall because of a rst-round bye in the Class 4A state playo s. Plus, winter sports practices were beginning when the Tigers were o prior to the postseason, de ecting players’ attention during a time when the football team didn’t even know who its next opponent would be.

“I’m so against it,” he said of the Week 11 open date. “It’s just not ideal.”

The decision by High Point Central leaves the PAC with six teams playing football, meaning there will be ve conference games for each team among 10 regular-season games.

“First of all, very unfortunate,” Diamont said, though he

DJ Scott carries the ball against High Point Central last season.

praised the Bison’s energy and classy nature from their matchup. Asheboro and Randleman are already scheduled to meet.

Aside from PAC games and Asheboro, the Bison also faced Western Guilford and Southwest Guilford out of conference.

The change means Asheboro will have six of its 10 reg-

ular-season games at home in 2026.

Another opening-week option for the Blue Comets might have been Greensboro Smith, but an agreement was reached with Scotland.

“It didn’t take long,” Berrier said.

Scotland went 8-4 last year, losing 35-24 at Jacksonville in the second round of the Class 6A state playo s. Asheboro, also a Class 6A team, went 7-4 last year.

The Fighting Scots opened the 2025 season with a 36-33 home loss to Dillon, South Carolina. Chris Metzger, formerly the coach at Montgomery Central, is on the Scotland coaching sta as defensive coordinator. Montgomery Central was in the same conference as Asheboro in the past four school years.

Asheboro and Scotland agreed to a one-year contract, Berrier said. The schools will meet in a junior varsity game Aug. 20 in Laurinburg.

High Point Central has a plan for a junior varsity team next season based on the school’s announcement.

Thousands of fans celebrate life of legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Weir in San Francisco

The jam band icon died Jan. 10 at age 78

By Janie Har

The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Thou-

sands of people gathered Saturday at San Francisco’s Civic Center to celebrate the life of Bob Weir, the legendary guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead who died last week at age 78.

Musicians Joan Baez and John Mayer spoke on a makeshift stage in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium after four Buddhist monks opened the event with a prayer in Tibetan. Fans carried long-stemmed red roses, placing some at an altar lled with photos and candles. They wrote notes on colored paper, professing their love and thanking him for the journey.

Several asked him to say hello to fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia and bass guitarist Phil Lesh, also founding members who preceded him in death. Garcia died in 1995; Lesh died in 2024.

“I’m here to celebrate Bob Weir,” said Ruthie Garcia, who is no relation to Jerry, a fan since 1989. “Celebrating him and helping him go home.”

Saturday’s celebration

“The show must go on.” Monet Weir

brought plenty of fans with long dreadlocks and wearing tie-dye clothing, some using walkers. But there were also young couples, men in their 20s and a father who brought his 6-year-old son in order to pass on to the next generation a love of live music and the tight-knit Deadhead community.

The Bay Area native joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,”

“One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.” He was generally considered less shaggy looking than the other band members, although he adopted a long beard like Garcia’s later in life.

The Dead played music that pulled in blues, jazz, country, folk and psychedelia in long improvisational jams. Their concerts attracted avid Deadheads who followed them on tours. The band played on decades after Garcia’s death, morphing into Dead & Company with John Mayer.

Darla Sagos, who caught an early ight out of Seattle on Saturday morning to make the public mourning, said she suspected something was up when there were no new gigs announced after Dead & Company played three nights in San Francisco last summer. It was unusual, as his calendar often showed where the band would be playing next.

“We were hoping that everything was OK and that we were going to get more music from him,” she said. “But we will continue the music, with all of us and everyone that’s going to be playing it.”

Sagos and her husband, Adam Sagos, have a 1-year- old grandson who will grow up knowing the music.

A statement on Weir’s Instagram account announced his death Jan. 10. It said he beat cancer but succumbed to underlying lung issues. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who were at Saturday’s event. His death was sudden and unexpected, said daughter Monet Weir, but he had always wished for the music and the legacy of the Dead to outlast him.

American music, he believed, could unite, she said.

“The show must go on,” Monet Weir said.

SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

Min Jin Lee’s ‘Pachinko’ follow-up, ‘American Hagwon,’ will explore Korean education obsession

The author immigrated from Seoul at age 7 and holds degrees from Yale and Georgetown

By Hillel Italie

The Associated Press

NEW YORK— Min Jin

Lee’s rst novel since her million-selling “Pachinko” is a long book that grew out of a basic question: What do Koreans care most about?

“We’re obsessed with education, and it became my obsession over why Koreans care so much,” said Lee, whose “American Hagwon,” scheduled for Sept. 29, will likely be one of the year’s most anticipated books. Hagwons are for-pro t tutoring centers — sometimes likened to “cram schools” — where Koreans of all ages receive instruction for everything from English to guitar and cooking. Any language school or organization that gives private lesson music classes can be considered a Hagwon, Lee said.

The author, 57, calls herself an “accidental historian,” a novelist who uses broad narratives to unearth the past, make sense of the present and explore race, gender and class among other issues. “American Hagwon” is the third of a planned quartet about Korea and the Korean diaspora that began with “Free Food

AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO Min Jin Lee attends the GQ Global Creativity Awards in New York on April 6, 2023.

for Millionaires” in 2007 and continued a decade later with “Pachinko,” a National Book Award nalist that was adapted by Apple TV+ into a series and has been translated into dozens of languages.

In 2024, The New York Times ranked “Pachinko” at No. 15 among the best novels of the 21st century.

Cardinal, a Hachette Book Group imprint, is calling her new release a deep look into “what happens when the rules shift, the world order becomes suddenly unrecognizable, and benchmarks of success are no longer a guarantee.” In “American Hagwon,” Lee sets her story everywhere from Korea to Australia to Southern California as she tracks the journey of a middle-class Korean family upended by the Asian

“I want to hold up a mirror to society and ... do a ‘vibe check.’” Min Jin Lee

nancial crisis and hoping to regain its bearings.

“Almost 10 years after Pachinko, Min Jin Lee continues to give shape to history’s seismic shifts in her ction, refracting generational change through indelible, masterfully etched characters you can’t help rooting for,” Cardinal Publisher and Senior Vice President Reagan Arthur said in a statement. A native of Seoul whose family emigrated to New York City when she was 7, Lee attended the elite Bronx High School of Science, studied history at Yale University and law at Georgetown University. She knows well the importance of preparation and laughs as she remembers that her father has nicknamed her “the turtle” because she is slow — but “very steady.” Her books take a long time, in part, because she puts so much work into them. Her stories are based not just on research and re ection, but on extended travel and interviews.

“I want to hold up a mirror to society, and, as the kids say, do a ‘vibe check,’” she said.

famous birthdays this week

Neil Diamond hits 85, Linda Blair is 67, Cajun musician Doug Kershaw turns 90, Alicia Keys is 45

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

JAN. 22

Celebrity chef Graham Kerr (“The Galloping Gourmet”) is 92. Singer Steve Perry is 77. Film director Jim Jarmusch is 73. Actor Linda Blair is 67. Actor Diane Lane is 61. DJ Jazzy Je is 61. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 58.

JAN. 23

Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is 90. Jazz musician Gary Burton is 83. Actor Richard Dean Anderson is 76. Retired airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (“Miracle on the Hudson” landing) is 75. Rock singer Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) is 73.

JAN. 24

Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 90. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 87. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 85. Singer Aaron Neville is 85. Comedian Yakov Smirno is 75. Actor William Allen Young is 72. Musician Jools Holland is 68.

JAN. 25

Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller is 84. Actor Leigh Taylor-Young is 81. Actor Jenifer Lewis is 69. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios is 64. Actor Ana Ortiz is 55. Actor Mia Kirshner is 51. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 48. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is 45.

JAN. 26

Actor David Strathairn is 77. Football Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood is 76. Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is 73. Singer Anita Baker is 68. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter is 49.

JAN. 27

James Cromwell is

JAN.28

the stream

AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

during the 2023 Louder Than Life Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The thrash metal band announced a

‘The

‘The

Smashing Machine,’ Louis Tomlinson,

Beauty,’ Bruce Springsteen

Lucinda Williams drops “World’s Gone Wrong”

The Associated Press

DWAYNE JOHNSON transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming o erings worth your time this week: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their nal, self-titled album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his e orts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”

HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-YearOld Man!” arriving Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien.

The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me

From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Written and directed by Scott Cooper,

biopic

RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Lauren Hashian, left, and Dwayne Johnson arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The couple stars in “The Smashing Machine,” which comes to HBO Max this week.

the lm stars White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”

A few other lm festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a ctional Italian president.

MUSIC TO STREAM

You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash

metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their nal album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.

Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Tomlinson will release his third solo album Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct inuences, Britpop chie y among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.”

The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those in uences are still present but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop-rock choruses.

The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk —

and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.

SERIES TO STREAM

FX’s new series cocreated by Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so-called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.

“Drops of God” also returns to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Ge rier

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabeled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world.

On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Net ix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a gure skater training for the world championships, who nds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.

Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died, and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close, but Malcolm and Lori nd themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy o ce cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show o that in uence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.

HOKE COUNTY

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. Far more ice and snow could be in the forecast for this weekend.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all- cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all- cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

County planning to hold 2-day concert series for America 250

The county is putting forth $75,000 to help support the event

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — Hoke Coun-

ty is planning to host a two-day, outdoor concert series this summer as part of the celebrations for the country’s semiquincentennial.

At the Hoke County Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 20 meeting, the board was presented with the plan for the “We Are One” concert series.

The event will take place July 3-4 in Hoke County to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence.

Day one of the event is themed

“United in Freedom, Heritage and Heart” and will feature music in the genres of country, Christian and rock, as well as military band performances.

The second day is themed “Rhythms of the People” and will feature R&B, soul and gospel music along with a rework nale.

While there will be food vendors at the event, the county will also be making sure to provide free food options for those that attend.

“I want to make sure that any kid that walks up and doesn’t have the funds to get something from the trucks will be able to get a free hot dog, drink, things like that,” said Chairman James Leach. “They will not be

turned down from eating at this accreditation.”

The anticipated turnout for the event is expected to be around 12,500 -20,000 across the two days, and in total, the overall cost of the event is expected to be around $312,000, but a large portion of that is anticipated to be in-kind.

Because of that, the requested funding from the county is $75,000.

“That is what I have in my budget,” said County Manager Letitia Edens.

Following the presentation, the board approved the $75,000 allotment, but with the stipulation that the county manager would have the authority to spend up to $100,000 should the need arise.

The board also approved the surplusing of a Glock 22 and three 15-round magazines in order for it to be issued to upcoming Hoke County Sheri ’s O ce retiree Capt. Jennifer Lewis.

“One of our o cers is retiring after 23 years of service, and we’re simply just asking to surplus her rearm and the magazines that go with that rearm,” said Maj. Alan Sanchez.

“This is the routine that we normally do when a law enforcement o cer retires,” said vice chair Harry Southerland. “They put so many years of law enforcement service in for us.”

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 2.

Forecasters warn of ‘potentially catastrophic’ winter storm from Texas to Carolinas

Signi cant amounts of snow and ice could be in store

By Je Martin and Haya Panjwani

Associated

The

Press ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the Nation-

A person

al Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

on Tuesday warned that the ice could weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

“Great swaths” of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected

The National Weather Service warned of “great swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

See STORM, page A2

THURSDAY

“Join the conversation”

STORM from page A1

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a “major winter storm”

An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures. When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: hokecommunity@northstatejournal.com

Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic.”

Keith Avery, Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina

states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

“Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta o ce.

If signi cant accumulations of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees in Atlanta. The city’s high temperature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extreme-

ly cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days. In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid o an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday.

The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather

Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a brie ng on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that signi cant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difcult forecast,” Shamburger said.

At an Arkansas hardware store, customers gear up for storm

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a steady stream of customers on Tuesday were stocking up on supplies at Fuller and Son Hardware.

“Right now, parents of young children are getting sleds,” said James Carter, the company’s director of operations.

People were also getting shovels, ice-melting products and covers for outside faucets to keep them from freezing, since low temperatures in the Little Rock area are forecast to fall into the teens, he said.

A podcast local to Hoke-Raeford, NC, with Ruben Castellon and Chris Holland.

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| STEPHEN MOORE

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity. Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax- deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to -play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to -play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write- o s? It’s farcical.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

NEW YORK CITY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability.

That is your duty.” Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and selfreliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune. Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed. These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.” — A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10thgrade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

From Toronto to Tehran, an act of de ance against the Islamist theocracy

By Laurie Kellman

The Associated Press

LONDON — With one pu of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of de ance against Iran’s bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the ame.

A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the ame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement.

Whether staged or a spontaneous act of de ance — and there’s plenty of debate — the video has become one of the dening images of the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers military action in the country again.

The gesture has jumped from the virtual world to the real one, with opponents of the regime lighting cigarettes on photos of the ayatollah from Israel to Germany and Switzerland to the United States.

In the 34 seconds of footage, many across platforms like X, Instagram and Reddit saw one person defy a series of the theocracy’s laws and norms in a riveting act of autonomy. She wears no hijab, three years after the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests against the regime’s re-

quired headscarves.

She burns an image of Iran’s supreme leader, a crime in the Islamic republic punishable by death. Her curly hair cascades — yet another transgression in the Iranian government’s eyes. She lights a cigarette from the ame — a gesture considered immodest in Iran.

And in those few seconds, circulated and ampli ed a million times over, she steps into history.

A battle for narrative control

In 2026, social media is a central battleground for narrative control over con icts. Protesters in Iran say the unrest is a demonstration against the regime’s strictures and competence. Iran has long cast it as a plot by outsiders like United States and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic. And both sides are racing to tell the story of it that will endure.

Iranian state media announces wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those it calls “terrorists” and also apparently looking for Starlink satellite internet dishes, the only way to get videos and images out to the internet. There was evidence last Thursday that the regime’s bloody crackdown had somewhat smothered the dissent after activists said it had killed at least 2,615 people. That gure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the mayhem of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Social media has bloomed with photos of people lighting cigarettes from photos of Iran’s leader. “Smoke ’em if you

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them.”

The anonymous protester

got ’em. #Iran,” posted Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana.

In the age of AI, misinformation and disinformation, there’s abundant reason to question emotionally and politically charged images. So when “the cigarette girl” appeared online this month, plenty of users did just that.

It wasn’t immediately clear, for example, whether she was lighting up inside Iran or somewhere with free-speech protections as a sign of solidarity. Some spotted a background that seemed to be in Canada. She con rmed that in interviews. But did her collar line up correctly? Was the ame realistic? Would a real woman let her hair get so close to the re?

Many wondered: Is the “cigarette girl” an example of “psyops?” That, too, is unclear. That’s a feature of warfare and statecraft as old as human con ict, in which an image or sound is deliberately disseminated by someone with a stake in the outcome. From the allies’ fake radio broadcasts during World War II to the Cold War’s nuclear missile parades, history is rich with examples.

The U.S. Army doesn’t even hide it. The 4th Psychological Operations Group out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina last year released a recruitment video called, “Ghost in the Machine 2 that’s peppered with references to “PSYWAR.” And the Gaza

Integrity Open Arms Residents of the Month

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Jermaine Moore

Jermaine is a talented cook who does a wonderful job. He’s always joking around with the residents, keeping everyone full, happy, and smiling. We appreciate him so much for all his hard work.

Mrs. Florence Herbert has been a resident here since May 2021. She moved to North Carolina from Pennsylvania to escape the bad weather. Florence enjoys word searches, BINGO, watching TV and spending time with her friends on the Special Care Unit at Integrity Open Arms.

Mrs. Betty Purcell is from Raeford, North Carolina. She moved into our assisted living this past June. Besides being the mother of two, she worked for many years at Burlington Mills. Betty enjoys church, watching youtube and doing word searches.

war featured a ferocious battle of optics: Hamas forced Israeli hostages to publicly smile and pose before being released, and Israel broadcast their jubilant reunions with family and friends.

Whatever the answer, the symbolism of the Iranian woman’s act was powerful enough to rocket around the world on social media — and inspire people at real-life protests to copy it.

The woman behind the imagery

The woman did not respond to multiple e orts by The Associated Press to con rm her identity. But she has spoken to other outlets, and AP con rmed the authenticity of those interviews.

On X, she calls herself a “radical feminist” and uses the screen name Morticia Addams — after the exuberantly creepy matriarch of “The Addams Family” — sheerly out of her interest in “spooky things,” the woman said in an interview with the nonpro t outlet The Objective. She doesn’t allow her real name to be published for safety reasons after what she describes as a harrowing journey from being a dissident in Iran — where she says she was arrested and abused — to safety in Turkey. There, she told The Objective, she obtained a student visa for Canada. Now in her mid-20s, she said she has refugee status in and lives in Toronto.

It was there, on Jan. 7, that she lmed what’s become known as “the cigarette girl” video a day before the Iranian regime imposed a near-total internet blackout.

“I just wanted to tell my

friends that my heart, my soul was with them,” she said in an interview on CNN-News18, a network a liate in India.

In the interviews, the woman said she was arrested for the rst time at 17 during the “bloody November” protests of 2019, demonstrations that erupted after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal that Iran had struck with world powers that imposed crushing sanctions.

“I was strongly opposed to the Islamic regime,” she told The Objective. Security forces “arrested me with tasers and batons. I spent a night in a detention center without my family knowing where I was or what had happened to me.” Her family eventually secured her release by o ering a pay slip for bail. “I was under surveillance from that moment on.”

In 2022 during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, she said she participated in a YouTube program opposing the mandatory hijab and began receiving calls from blocked numbers threatening her. In 2024, after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, she shared her story about it — and was arrested in her home in Isfahan.

The woman said she was questioned and “subjected to severe humiliation and physical abuse.” Then without explanation, she was released on a high bail. She ed to Turkey and began her journey to Canada and, eventually, global notoriety.

“All my family members are still in Iran, and I haven’t heard from them in a few days,” she said in the interview, published Tuesday. “I’m truly worried that the Islamic regime might attack them.”

HOKE SPORTS

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Will Leak

Hoke County track and eld

Will Leak is a senior on the Hoke County track and eld team. He also plays football for the Bucks and is a multitime winner of our Athlete of the Week award over his high school career.

Leak was a big winner at the Mid-South 7A/8A conference track and eld meet. He took rst place in the long jump and triple jump, adding two more conference championships to his trophy case

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

One of the top IndyCar drivers is ready to join his new team at Andretti

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

— Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the all-time wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles.

But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, sim-

ply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the making, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension.

But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a contract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar.

Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and get-

ting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

Hoke girls are state champions

The wrestling team made it a three-peat for the uno cial dual-team title

North State Journal sta THE HOKE COUNTY girls’ wrestling team won the uno cial state championship.

The NCHSAA will hold its o cially sanctioned individual state championship for girls’ wrestling next month, but last weekend, the best girls’ teams in the state got together in Kannapolis for the dual-team title, which is not o cially recognized by the state high school organization.

Hoke took out the host A.L. Brown girls’ team to win the “large school” division, made up of schools rated as 5A, 6A, 7A or 8A by the NCHSAA.

Hoke got a rst-round bye and then topped Pinecrest in round two 33-31. That was the closest call for the Bucks’ girls. Hoke topped West Forsyth in the semis 35-31 then beat Brown 42.29.

The win capped a three-peat for the Hoke girls.

Boys’ wrestling

On the boys side, Hoke’s Gabriel Cabezudo reached the 100-win plateau last week.

Boys’ basketball

The Bucks won one of three last week, beating Pine Forest on the road 58-43. That was sandwiched between a 54-49 home loss to Overhills and a 60-50 road loss at Terry Sanford. Gabriel McLeod led the way with 17 points in the win. This week, the Bucks travel to Richmond and Jack Britt and host Pinecrest. Hoke is 7-8 on the year, 1-1 in conference.

Girls’ basketball

The Hoke girls lost three straight this week, falling to Overhills 61-44 at home. They then lost on the road at Pine Forest 44-30 and home to Fairmont 70-24. This week, the Bucks travel to Richmond and Jack Britt and host Pinecrest. Hoke is 8-5 on the year, 0-2 in conference.

SIDELINE REPORT

TENNIS

Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Melbourne, Australia Zeynep Sönmez stopped a game to help an ailing ballkid during her rst-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. The Turkish quali er was receiving serve in the second set when the ballkid wobbled and stumbled backward near the umpire’s chair. The ballkid stood up again but was clearly o balance when Sönmez stopped play. She held the ballkid around the waist and walked her toward some shade. Tournament o cials and medical sta took over and, after a delay of around seven minutes, the match continued.

MLB Tucker, Bichette sign free agent contracts

Two of the biggest free agents of the o season found new teams. Kyle Tucker agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Tucker is among baseball’s best all-around players. But he has played just 214 regular-season games the past two years. Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract. Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop with Toronto, will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, despite never playing a professional game there. Bichette can opt out after the rst or second season.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Oregon QB Moore to return to Ducks rather than declare for NFL Draft

Eugene, Ore.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL Draft. The 20-year-old Moore announced his decision on ESPN. Moore completed nearly 72% of his throws for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.

Oregon nished 13-2. Moore had been forecast to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL Draft behind Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Ice dance champ Papadakis says she lost Olympic commentary role for NBC over dispute with ex-partner

Her new book made revelations that started the controversy

By Jerome Pugmire The Associated Press

PARIS — Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis says she lost her commentary role with NBC at the upcoming Winter Olympics because of her former skating partner’s response to revelations in her new book.

In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe on Friday, the retired French skater said the decision was taken after Guillaume Cizeron publicly contested what she wrote in “So as Not to Disappear,” released last week.

Cizeron asked his lawyers last Tuesday to formally put all parties involved on notice to cease the “ dissemination of defamatory statements” about him.

“To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume ling a formal notice, which was made public, (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrali-

ty was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games,” Papadakis told L’Équipe.

“I’m not dealing with it very well, I’ve cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just beginning that career as a commentator.”

The 30-year-old Papadakis, who retired in December 2024, said: “To lose the opportunity to start a new career is very di cult to take. I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

In her book, Papadakis described su ering in a deeply unbalanced relationship with longtime ice dance partner Cizeron, with whom she broke the world record when claiming gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Papadakis wrote that, at a certain point, the idea of nding herself alone with him terri ed her. She wrote about him being a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and expressed a feeling of “being under his grip” at times.

In Friday’s interview, she expanded further on their relationship.

I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

Gabriella Papadakis

“As long as I took a backseat role while Guillaume was the leader, everything went well,” she said. “It’s when I wanted to be an equal in this relationship that things started to become more and more di cult.”

They also won an Olympic silver medal, ve world championships and ve European Championships together, as well as the Grand Prix Final twice.

Last Tuesday, Cizeron said Papadakis was spreading lies about him leading up to the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with the labels being attributed to me,” Cizeron said. “These alle -

gations arise at a particularly sensitive time ... thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.

“I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”

Cizeron said he had shown “deep respect” for Papadakis and that their working relationship had seen “moments of success and mutual support.”

Papadakis refuted that the book’s release was timed to coincide with Cizeron’s participation at next month’s Olympics.

“I can understand this perception from the outside,” Papadakis said. “But the publication date was already planned before the announcement of his return (with his new skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry).”

Fournier Beaudry previously competed for Canada. She recently gained French citizenship, clearing the path for the pair to compete together at the Olympics, where they will be among the top contenders.

Kelly Ray “Kell Hog” Scott

Nov. 8, 1971 – Jan. 12, 2026

Mr. Kelly Ray “Kell Hog” Scott, age 54, was born on November 8, 1971, to the late Mr. Alton Eugene Scott and Mrs. Stella Scott in Robeson County. He departed this life into eternity on January 12, 2026, at UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, North Carolina. Along with his father, he is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Roosevelt and Anna Scott. Maternal grandparents, A.C. and Ida Smiling. He leaves to cherish his memories, his mother Mrs. Stella Scott of the home, three sons, Cory Scott and wife Glena of Lumberton, North Carolina, Conner Scott and Noah Scott both of Rockingham, North Carolina; one daughter, Tressa Pittman and husband Jarrod of Rockingham, North Carolina; Four Brothers, Randy Scott and wife Creaser of Maxton, North Carolina; Rodney Scott and wife Sandra of Lumberton, North Carolina; Eugene Scott and wife Patty of Maxton, North Carolina; Nathan Locklear and wife Amanda of Maxton, North Carolina one sister, Natasha Davis and husband Stanley of Rowland, North Carolina, four grandchildren, Adalynn Scott, Braxton Scott, Valeyree Chance, Joscelyn Pittman, nieces, nephews and a host of other family and friends.

Sarah Warner Banitt

March 28, 1938 –Jan. 13, 2026

Mrs. Sarah Warner Banitt, of Raeford, NC, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the age of 87.

She was born in Norman, NC, on March 28, 1938, to the late Edward Frank and Glenn Warner.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Carl Edward Parsons; her brother, Bobby Warner; her brother-in-law, Pete Thomas; and her sister-in-law, Irene Warner.

Sarah was the best mother, very sweet and loving. She was a people person and very giving. She always made you feel her love and made everyone feel like family. Sarah was a great cook and enjoyed learning from a young age how to cook southern dishes from her mom.

She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Clyde W. Banitt; her children, Kathy Parsons Cox, Brenda Lee Bryant (Ron Bryant), and Carol Viola Banitt; her four grandchildren; her two great-grandchildren; her two sisters, Faye Thomas and Jane Covington; and her brother, Frank Warner Jr.

A visitation will be held at Crumpler Funeral Home from 2-3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

A service will be held at Crumpler Funeral Home at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 03, 2026. A committal service for the burial will follow in the Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery at 2 p.m.

obituaries

Lawrence Ludwell Hales

July 1, 1940 – Jan. 13, 2026

Mr. Lawrence Ludwell Hales went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the age of 85. Lawrence was born on July 1, 1940, to the late Ludwell Hales and Edna Marie Hales. He was a member of Raeford United Methodist Church and retired from McCain Prison in Raeford as a security guard. He enjoyed hunting, shing, and spending time with his family and friends.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Martha Hales of Raeford; sons, Michael Hales (Teresa) of Wagram and Mitchell Hales of South Carolina; daughter, Tammy Hales of Goldsboro; three brothers, Donald Hales, Danny Hales, and Larry Hales; an aunt and uncle; several nieces and nephews; a sister- and brother-in-law; and grandchildren. A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 18, 2026, from 2-3 p.m., followed by a service at 3 p.m. at Raeford United Methodist Church, 308 N. Main Street, Raeford, NC 28376. Graveside services will be held afterwards at Highland Biblical Gardens, 601 Scott Currie Road, Raeford, NC 28376.

Rachel Cole

July 19, 1927 – Jan. 13, 2026

Ms. Rachel M. Cole, age 98, went home to rest with her Heavenly Father on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, January 21, at 1 p.m. at Spring Branch Missionary Baptist Church. Public viewing will be prior to the service from noon until 1 p.m. Rachel will be greatly missed.

Nathan Ray Bryant

Aug. 23, 1954 – Jan. 14, 2026

Mr. Nathan Ray Bryant, age 71 of Maxton, North Carolina, was born on August 23, 1954, to the late Mr. Nathaniel McMillan and Mrs. Rebecca Bryant in Robeson County. He departed this life into eternity on January 14, 2026, at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He leaves to cherish his memories his wife, Goldie Bryant of the home, four daughters, Tina Locklear and husband Jonathan, Nina Locklear, Dana Locklear, Lana Locklear and husband Nick Key, all of Red Springs, North Carolina, and one son, Ryan Locklear of Maxton, North Carolina. Three sisters, Mary Bryant and Dora Mae Bullard, both of Red Springs, North Carolina. Carrie Mae Jacobs of Pembroke, North Carolina, has ten grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren, and a host of other family and friends.

Scott Adams, whose comic strip ‘Dilbert’ ridiculed o ce life, dead of cancer at 68

The author and commentator had been ghting prostate cancer

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

SCOTT ADAMS, whose popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern o ce culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks, has died. He was 68.

His rst ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced the death last Tuesday on a livestream posted on Adams’ social media accounts. Adams revealed in 2025 that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Miles had said he was in hospice care in his Northern California home on Monday.

“I had an amazing life,” the statement said in part. “I gave it everything I had.”

At its height, “Dilbert,” with its mouthless, bespectacled hero in a white short-sleeved shirt and a perpetually curled red tie, appeared in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in at least 70 countries and 25 languages.

Adams was the 1997 recipient of the National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award, considered one of the most prestigious awards for cartoonists. That same year, “Dilbert” became the rst ctional character to make Time magazine’s list of the most in uential Americans.

“We are rooting for him because he is our mouthpiece for the lessons we have accumulated — but are too afraid to express — in our e ort to avoid cubicular homicide,” the magazine said.

“Dilbert” strips were routinely photocopied, pinned up, emailed and posted online, a popularity that would spawn bestselling books, merchandise, commercials for O ce Depot and an animated TV series, with Daniel Stern voicing Dilbert.

The collapse of “Dilbert” empire

It all collapsed quickly in 2023 when Adams, who was white, repeatedly referred to black people as members of a “hate group” and said he would no longer “help black Americans.” He later said he was being hyperbolic, yet continued to defend his stance.

Almost immediately, newspapers dropped “Dilbert” and his distributor, Andrews McMeel Universal, severed ties with the cartoonist. The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, decided to keep the “Dilbert” space blank for a while “as a reminder of the racism that pervades our society.”

A planned book was scrapped.

“He’s not being canceled. He’s experiencing the consequences of expressing his views,” Bill Holbrook, the creator of the strip “On the Fastrack,” told The Associated Press at the time. “I am in full support with him saying anything he wants to, but then he has to own the consequences of saying them.”

Adams relaunched the same daily comic strip under the name Dilbert Reborn via the video platform Rumble, popular with conservatives and far-right groups. He also hosted a podcast, “Real Co ee,” where talked about various political and social issues.

After Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC was suspended in September in the wake of the host’s comments on the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Adams stood for free speech.

“Would I like some revenge?” Adams said. “Yes. Yes, I would enjoy that. But that doesn’t mean I get it. That doesn’t mean I should pursue it. Doesn’t mean the world’s a better place if it happens.”

How “Dilbert” got its start Adams, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, was working a corporate job at the Pacific Bell telephone company in the 1980s, sharing his cartoons to amuse co-workers. He drew Dilbert as a computer programmer and engineer for a high-tech company and mailed a batch to cartoon syndicators.

“The take on o ce life was new and on target and insightful,” Sarah Gillespie, who helped discover “Dilbert” in the 1980s at United Media, told The Washington Post. “I looked rst for humor and only secondarily for art, which with ‘Dilbert’ was a good thing, as the art is universally acknowledged to be… not great.”

The rst “Dilbert” comic strip o cially appeared April 16, 1989, long before such workplace comedies as “O ce Space” and “The Ofce.” It portrayed corporate culture as a “Severance”-like, Kafkaesque world of heavy bureaucracy and pointless benchmarks, where employee e ort and skill were underappreciated.

The strip would introduce the “Dilbert Principle”: The most ine ective workers will be systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage — management.

“Throughout history, there have always been times when it’s very clear that the managers have all the power and the workers have none,” Adams told Time. “Through ‘Dilbert,’ I would think the balance of power has slightly changed.”

Other strip characters included Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss; Asok, a young, naive intern; Wally, a middle-aged slacker; and Alice, a worker so frustrated that she was prone to frequent outbursts of rage. Then there was Dilbert’s pet, Dogbert, a megalomaniac.

“There’s a certain amount of anger you need to draw ‘Dilbert’ comics,” Adams told the Contra Costa Times in 2009. In 1993, Adams became the rst syndicated cartoonist to include his email address in his strip. That triggered a dialogue between the artist and his fans, giving Adams a fountain of ideas for the strip.

“Dilbert” was also known for generating aphorisms,

like “All rumors are true — especially if your boss denies them” and “OK, let’s get this preliminary pre-meeting going.”

“If you can come to peace with the fact that you’re surrounded by idiots, you’ll realize that resistance is futile, your tension will dissipate, and you can sit back and have a good laugh at the expense of others,” Adams wrote in his 1996 book “The Dilbert Principle.”

In one real-life case, an Iowa worker was red from the Cat sh Bend Casino in 2007 for posting a “Dilbert” comic strip on the o ce bulletin board. In the strip, Adams wrote: “Why does it seem as if most of the decisions in my workplace are made by drunken lemurs?” A judge later sided with the worker; Adams helped nd him a new job.

A gradual darkening

While Adams’ career fall seemed swift, careful readers of “Dilbert” saw a gradual darkening of the strip’s tone and its creator’s descent into misogyny, anti-immigration and racism. He attracted attention for controversial comments, including saying in 2011 that women are treated di erently by society for the same reason as children and the mentally disabled — “it’s just easier this way for everyone.” In a blog post from 2006, he questioned the death toll of the Holocaust. In June 2020, Adams tweeted that when the “Dilbert” TV show ended in 2000 after just two seasons, it was “the third job I lost for being white.” But, at the time, he blamed it on lower viewership and time slot changes.

Adams’ beliefs began bleeding into his strips. In one in 2022, a boss says that traditional performance reviews would be replaced by a “wokeness” score. When an employee complains that could be subjective, the boss said, “That’ll cost you two points o your wokeness score, bigot.” Adams put a brave face on his fall from grace, tweeting in 2023: “Only the dying leftist Fake News industry canceled me (for out-of-context news of course). Social media and banking una ected. Personal life improved. Never been more popular in my life. Zero pushback in person. Black and White conservatives solidly supporting me.”

Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump remembered Adams as a “Great In uencer.” “He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so. He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease,” the president posted on his social media platform Truth Social.

STATE & NATION

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal

and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have

someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court l-

ings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October. Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move

aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime

NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant AG

license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ash-bang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.

MOORE COUNTY

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. Far more ice and snow could be in the forecast for this weekend.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Commissioners approve changes in public comment procedures

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all-cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

The new rules grant the commission more power to keep order

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

CARTHAGE — The Moore County Board of Commissioners has established an updated set of rules and procedures for the public comment period.

At the board’s Jan. 20 meeting, the board approved the changes, including new rules that allow the board to establish when in the meeting the public comment period can take place, rather than it always taking place at the beginning of meetings.

“What happened to us last time we had our meeting, we had quite a disruption at the end of the public comment, so we, at our discretion, can move the public comment period if we feel like we have a reason to move it to the end,” said Board Chair Nick Picerno.

Other changes include requiring speakers to either reside in Moore County, pay property or sales tax in Moore County, or to utilize a service or conduct a business that is germane to Moore County government, forbidding speakers from engaging the audience and granting the chairperson the ability to maintain order and decorum during the public comment period.

“We had quite a disruption at the end of the public comment, so we can move the public comment period if we feel like we have a reason to move it.”

Nick

Picerno,

board chair

In addition, the new rules establish the punishment of a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person who willfully disrupts an o cial meeting and who, upon being directed to leave the meeting by the presid-

ing o cer, willfully refuses to leave the meeting, which is allowed per North Carolina general statute.

The board also approved a recommendation to the Moore County School System to use SRO lapsed salary dollars to complete the payment for the Union Pines High School turf project.

“Last year, the board allocated $1 million to the schools for arti cial turf at Union Pines High School and at North Moore High School,” said County Manager Wayne Vest. “It was roughly $600,000 for each project, which was the estimated cost, and then

Forecasters warn of ‘potentially catastrophic’ winter storm from Texas to Carolinas

By Je Martin and Haya Panjwani The Associated Press

ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the Nation-

al Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “I don’t know how people are going to deal with it,” he said.

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

“Great swaths” of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected

The National Weather Service warned of “great swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

See STORM, page A2

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

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Trip Ho end, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Ryan Henkel, Reporter PJ Ward-Brown, Photographer

MONDAY JAN. 26

VP Vance, second lady expecting fourth child, couple announces

The new arrival will join Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel

By Ali Swenson The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, are expecting a son in late July, they announced in a social media post on Tuesday.

The couple said they were excited to share the news of their fourth child, who will join their other three young kids: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

Vance, 41, and his wife, 40, said in the post that both mother and baby were doing well.

“During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doc-

CRIME LOG

Jan. 12

• Roger Alexander Murchison, 62, of Robbins, was arrested by MCSO for possession of stolen motor vehicle.

• Alice Goodwin Little, 61, of Marston, was arrested by Pineblu PD for felony possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jan. 14

• Daniel Reese Russell, 37, of Robbins, was arrested by MCSO for ee and elude arrest with a motor vehicle, possession of rearm by felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting a public o cer and a number of tra c infractions.

• Sidney Dillon Pittman, 23, of Ellerbe, was arrested by Richmond County for attempted rst degree murder.

• Demarius Raquan Graham, 29, of Aberdeen, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jan. 15

• Madden Chene Scout Milstead, 19, of Southern Pines, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for assault on government o cial/employee, consuming alcohol by 19/20 year old, intoxicated and disruptive and resisting a public o cer.

• Tracy Johnson Hurley, 47, of Star, was arrested by MCSO for possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

• Justin Bailey Freeman, 42, of Eagle Springs, was arrested by MCSO for nonsupport of child, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Christian James Biby, 22, homeless, of Carthage, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor larceny, breaking and entering and larceny of a rearm.

Jan. 16

• Loni Elizabeth Torres, 44, of Ramseur, was arrested by MCSO for resisting a public o cer.

Jan. 18

• Seoqua Clarnassia Person, 23, of Aberdeen, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for simple assault and domestic violence.

BOARD from page A1

in December, the Convention and Visitors Bureau awarded grant funds in the amount of $120,000 to Moore County Schools for the turf projects.”

The school district has had a signi cant number of vacancies in terms of SROs, so there is a pot of lapsed salaries that have accumulated over time.

“We allocated a special al-

STORM from page A1

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a “major winter storm”

An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures. When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

“Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta o ce. If signi cant accumula-

tors who take excellent care of our family and for the sta members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” the post read.

The news of the Republican vice president’s growing family comes as he has spent years passionately advocating for Americans to have more children.

Vance repeatedly expressed alarm about declining birth rates as he launched his political career in 2021 with a bid for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. As vice president, he has continued on that mission, saying in a 2025 March for Life speech, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”

The vice president has been accompanied on overseas travels by Usha Vance and

lotment to the Moore County Schools to increase the SRO positions to every school, which was about 13 more positions, and we funded that in subsequent years,” Picerno said. “We understand that they are still struggling to get SRO positions lled, so we felt like asking the schools for the use of the lapsed salaries.”

Finally, Vest stated that in response to the upcoming

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic.”

Keith Avery, Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina

tions of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees in Atlanta. The city’s high temperature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days. In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid o an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday.

The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure cen-

“We are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family.”

Vance family statement

their children, the kids usually in pajamas as they board Air Force Two for overnight trips.

Throughout history, it’s been exceptionally rare for the occupants of the highest leadership roles in the U.S. to have children while in o ce. One well-documented exception was President Grover Cleveland, whose wife, Frances Cleveland, gave birth to their second child in 1893 during his second term in o ce.

winter weather projected for the weekend, the county will open a shelter at the Moore County Parks and Recreation site at 155 Hillcrest Park Lane in Carthage late Friday afternoon.

“Anybody that’s struggling, the shelter is there,” Picerno said. “Go use it.”

The Moore County Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 3.

tered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a brie ng on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that signi cant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very difcult forecast,” Shamburger said.

At an Arkansas hardware store, customers gear up for storm

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a steady stream of customers on Tuesday were stocking up on supplies at Fuller and Son Hardware.

“Right now, parents of young children are getting sleds,” said James Carter, the company’s director of operations.

People were also getting shovels, ice-melting products and covers for outside faucets to keep them from freezing, since low temperatures in the Little Rock area are forecast to fall into the teens, he said.

moore happening

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

Jan. 22-24

Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House and Property Tours

1-4 p.m.

The Moore County Historical Association’s grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. Tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning about the impressive history of Moore County.

Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Southern Pines

Jan. 24

The Carolina Philharmonic Presents: “The Wizard of Oz”

3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

The Carolina Philharmonic celebrates the original movie soundtrack with a live matinee performance at 3 p.m. followed by an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $40-$80.

Owens Auditorium

Bradshaw Performing Arts Center 3395 Airport Road Pinehurst

Jan.

27

Movie: Tuesday Night Music Club: “The Grateful Dead Live at Carter-Finley” 7-9 p.m.

You can experience this popular band’s live performance held in Raleigh on July 10, 1990, thanks to this lm that captures it on tape. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Sunrise Theater 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines

Jan. 28

Dementia Caregiver Support Group

1 p.m.

Caregivers receive education and support along with strategies for caring for family members and other loved ones su ering from dementia. The group is led by Pat Soler and Dale Krech, certi ed facilitators through the Dementia Alliance of NC. Contact Kelly Pritchard at 910-715-4224 for more information.

Shadowlawn Room Clara McLean House 20 First Village Drive

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| STEPHEN MOORE

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity. Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

NEW YORK CITY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability.

That is your duty.” Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and selfreliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune. Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed.

These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.” — A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10thgrade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

She set a photo a re, lit a cigarette — and became a symbol of resistance for

From Toronto to Tehran, an act of de ance against the Islamist theocracy

By Laurie Kellman

The Associated Press

LONDON — With one pu of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of de ance against Iran’s bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the ame.

A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the ame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement. Whether staged or a spontaneous act of de ance — and there’s plenty of debate — the video has become one of the dening images of the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers military action in the country again.

The gesture has jumped from the virtual world to the real one, with opponents of the regime lighting cigarettes on photos of the ayatollah from Israel to Germany and Switzerland to the United States.

In the 34 seconds of footage, many across platforms like X, Instagram and Reddit saw one person defy a series of the theocracy’s laws and norms in a riveting act of autonomy. She wears no hijab, three years after the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests against the regime’s required headscarves.

She burns an image of Iran’s supreme leader, a crime in the Islamic republic punishable by death. Her curly hair cascades — yet another transgression in the Iranian government’s eyes. She lights a cigarette from the ame — a gesture considered immodest in Iran.

And in those few seconds, circulated and ampli ed a million times over, she steps into history.

A battle for narrative control

In 2026, social media is a central battleground for narrative control over con icts. Protesters in Iran say the unrest is a demonstration against the regime’s strictures and competence. Iran has long cast it as a plot by outsiders like United States and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

And both sides are racing to tell the story of it that will endure.

Iranian state media an-

Iran protesters

nounces wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those it calls “terrorists” and also apparently looking for Starlink satellite internet dishes, the only way to get videos and images out to the internet. There was evidence last Thursday that the regime’s bloody crackdown had somewhat smothered the dissent after activists said it had killed at least 2,615 people. That gure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the mayhem of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Social media has bloomed with photos of people lighting cigarettes from photos of Iran’s leader. “Smoke ’em if you got ’em. #Iran,” posted Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana.

In the age of AI, misinformation and disinformation, there’s abundant reason to question emotionally and politically charged images. So when “the cigarette girl” appeared online this month, plenty of users did just that.

It wasn’t immediately clear, for example, whether she was lighting up inside Iran or somewhere with free-speech protections as a sign of solidarity. Some spotted a background that seemed to be in Canada. She con rmed that in interviews. But did her collar line up correctly? Was the ame realistic? Would a real woman let her hair get so close to the re?

Many wondered: Is the

“cigarette girl” an example of “psyops?” That, too, is unclear. That’s a feature of warfare and statecraft as old as human con ict, in which an image or sound is deliberately disseminated by someone with a stake in the outcome. From the allies’ fake radio broadcasts during World War II to the Cold War’s nuclear missile parades, history is rich with examples.

The U.S. Army doesn’t even hide it. The 4th Psychological Operations Group out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina last year released a recruitment video called, “Ghost in the Machine 2 that’s peppered with references to “PSYWAR.” And the Gaza war featured a ferocious battle of optics: Hamas forced Israeli hostages to publicly smile and pose before being released, and Israel broadcast their jubilant reunions with family and friends.

Whatever the answer, the symbolism of the Iranian woman’s act was powerful enough to rocket around the world on social media — and inspire people at real-life protests to copy it.

The woman behind the imagery

The woman did not respond to multiple e orts by The Associated Press to con rm her identity. But she has spoken to other outlets, and AP con rmed the authenticity of those interviews.

On X, she calls herself a “radical feminist” and uses the

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them.”

The anonymous protester

screen name Morticia Addams — after the exuberantly creepy matriarch of “The Addams Family” — sheerly out of her interest in “spooky things,” the woman said in an interview with the nonpro t outlet The Objective. She doesn’t allow her real name to be published for safety reasons after what she describes as a harrowing journey from being a dissident in Iran — where she says she was arrested and abused — to safety in Turkey. There, she told The Objective, she obtained a student visa for Canada. Now in her mid-20s, she said she has refugee status in and lives in Toronto.

It was there, on Jan. 7, that she lmed what’s become known as “the cigarette girl” video a day before the Iranian regime imposed a near-total internet blackout.

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them,” she said in an interview on CNN-News18, a network a liate in India.

In the interviews, the woman said she was arrested for the rst time at 17 during the “bloody November” protests

of 2019, demonstrations that erupted after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal that Iran had struck with world powers that imposed crushing sanctions.

“I was strongly opposed to the Islamic regime,” she told The Objective. Security forces “arrested me with tasers and batons. I spent a night in a detention center without my family knowing where I was or what had happened to me.” Her family eventually secured her release by o ering a pay slip for bail. “I was under surveillance from that moment on.”

In 2022 during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, she said she participated in a YouTube program opposing the mandatory hijab and began receiving calls from blocked numbers threatening her. In 2024, after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, she shared her story about it — and was arrested in her home in Isfahan.

The woman said she was questioned and “subjected to severe humiliation and physical abuse.” Then without explanation, she was released on a high bail. She ed to Turkey and began her journey to Canada and, eventually, global notoriety.

“All my family members are still in Iran, and I haven’t heard from them in a few days,” she said in the interview, published Tuesday. “I’m truly worried that the Islamic regime might attack them.”

MOORE SPORTS

Union Pines nishes third in state

Girls’ wrestling took bronze in the dual-team championships

North State Journal sta

THE UNION PINES girls’ wrestling team nished third in the uno cial state championships.

The NCHSAA will hold its o cially sanctioned individual state championship for girls’ wrestling next month, but last weekend, the best girls’ teams in the state got together in Kannapolis for the dual-team title, which is not o cially recognized by the state high school organization.

The Vikings took third in the “large school” division, made up of schools rated as 5A, 6A, 7A or 8A by the NCHSAA.

Union Pines opened the tournament with a 60-12 win over Cary. Pinecrest also advanced with a 48-20 rst-round win over Olympic.

In the second round, Pinecrest fell to eventual champion Hoke County 33-31, while Union Pines fell to Millbrook 37-36. Both teams went to the consolation round, and Union Pines won out, taking third with a 36-33 win over Jack Britt.

Boys’ basketball

North Moore split two games last week, beating Central Carolina and losing to Uwharrie Charter. The 4-7 (0-3 in conference) Mustangs hit the road with games at Faith Christian, Chatham Central, Eastern Randolph and Southwestern Randolph this week.

Union Pines saw its losing streak extend to six with losses to Triton and Willow Springs.

The Vikings now face Western Harnett, West Johnston and South Johnston this week, all at home. They are 4-11, 1-4.

The Pinecrest boys have lost ve straight after losses last

week to Overhills and Apex Friendship. They are now 4-10, 0-1 and have games this week at home against Pine Forest and Richmond, as well as at Hoke.

Girls’ basketball

North Moore won two of three last week, Beating Central Carolina and Douglas Byrd while falling to Uwharrie. The Mustangs are 3-10, 0-3 in conference. They have road games this week at Chatham Central, Eastern Randolph and Southwestern Randolph.

Union Pines won back-to-back games and have now won seven of eight after beating Triton and Sanderson this week. Next up for the 10-4, 3-2 Vikings are Western Harnett, West Johnston and South Johnston.

The Pinecrest girls fell below .500 with losses to Overhills and Queen’s Grant. The Patriots are now 7-8, 0-1 and face Pine Forest, Hoke and Richmond this week.

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Will Harrlow (5) goes after a loose ball in Pinecrest’s game against Overhills last week.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Kennedy Moore

Pinecrest, girl’s basketball

Kennedy Moore is a junior point guard on the Pinecrest girls’ basketball team.

In a game against Overhills last week, Moore scored a team-high 15 points, adding three rebounds, three assists and four steals. Moore leads the Patriots in scoring, assists, steals, blocks and 3-point shooting accuracy.

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

One of the top IndyCar drivers is ready to join his new team at Andretti

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the all-time wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles.

But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition

more than a year in the making, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season. With Power still at the top of

his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already

had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested. Power instead signed a contract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Mo -

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.”

Will Power

torsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and getting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

Johnny Antonio Wilson

Sept. 6, 1981 – Jan. 11, 1941

Mr. Johnny Antonio Wilson, 44, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Johnny Antonio Wilson in your thoughts and prayers.

Arrangements are entrusted to McLeod Funeral Home of Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Lena Johnson Collins

Oct. 3, 1934 – Jan. 14, 2026

Lena Johnson Collins, Age 91, of Vass, went to her heavenly home on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at her home, surrounded by her loving family.

A Graveside Service will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Cypress Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall following the graveside service.

Lena was born in Hoke County on October 3, 1934, to the late James Johnson and Ruth Stewart Johnson. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters, Bonnie Cole, Frances Baker, and her brothers, Jimmy Johnson and J. D. Johnson.

She is survived by her loving husband of 69 years, Worth Collins; daughters, Donna Martin of Vass, Janet Collins also of Vass; grandchildren, Michelle Gagnon, Robert Gagnon, Christi Burns (Mike), Faith Clark (Kyle); great-grandchildren, Sean, Britani, Gena, Jaxson, Michael (Lilly), Angel; great-greatgrandson, Bryce.

She was a lifetime member of Cypress Springs Presbyterian Church, where she loved working with the children. She also made sure no one left her home hungry. Lena was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend and will be greatly missed. In lieu of owers, donations in memory of Lena Collins may be made to St Jude Children Hospital.

Jackie Arnold Morrison

April 21, 1949 – Jan. 11, 1941

Mr. Jackie Arnold Morrison, 76, of West End, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at FirstHealth Moore Regional in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Deacon Jackie Morrison, 76, of the Taylortown Municipality in West End, North Carolina, entered eternal rest on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at FirstHealth Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Jack Morrison was born on April 21, 1949, to the late Mary Catherine Morrison in Moore County, North Carolina.

Jack was a longtime member of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, where he served as an Usher, Trustee, and Deacon. He graduated from Academy Heights School in Taylortown. He also attended Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines, NC. Jack proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps. He was a Vietnam veteran. Jack enjoyed shing, watching the NFL, especially his Washington Redskins, and woodworking projects around the house.

Jack was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and Prince Hall Masons. He was a member of Prince Hall Masonic Lodge #322 of Wagram, NC. He also earned a 32nd degree.

Jack will be dearly missed by his devoted wife, Katrina of 49 years; his two children, Courtland Morrison of Taylortown and Byron Morrison of Raleigh, NC; a brother, William Morrison (Lucy) of Aberdeen, NC; four brothers-in-law, Howard Gillespie, Jr. (Anita) of Atlanta, GA, William Gillespie (Kim) of Raleigh, NC, Leon Gillespie (Venetia) of Winterville, NC and Arnold Gillespie of West End, NC; a sister-in-law, Vida Cooper of Cincinnati, OH; several nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.

In addition to his mother, Jack was preceded in death by his sisters Doris Morrison and Gloria Butler.

Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Jack Morrison in your thoughts and prayers.

David “Corky” Ray Allred

Dec. 31, 1949 – Jan. 16, 2026

David “Corky” Ray Allred, 76, passed away Friday, January 16, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his family.

He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He lived a simple, honest life and found his greatest joy in being with his family and friends. He had a lifelong passion for the outdoors and spent countless hours doing what he loved: hunting and shing. These were not just hobbies; they were a way of life and a source of happiness and peace.

James

“Jay” Daniel Burris Sr.

Nov. 15, 1934 – Jan. 14, 2026

James “Jay” Daniel Burris Sr., 91, of Southern Pines, passed peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

Born in Campbell County, TN, Nov. 15, 1934, he was the son of the late Oscar and Eliza Grubb Burris. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor Clare Murray Burris; his son, James Daniel Burris, Jr.; and his daughter, Susan Eleaine Sparrer. James is survived by his son David (Deborah) Burris of Southern Pines, NC, his brother William (Gail) Burris, Oakridge, TN, sonin-law David Sparrer, Gloucester, VA, grandchildren Tavis and Wendy Sparrer, Washington, DC, Vincent, Sara, Joshua and Lilah Burris, Southern Pines and Chantelle Harlan, VA.

Jay grew up in a coal mining town in Tennessee. He was a Ridge Runner before he entered the U.S. Army. James earned the rank of Sp4 before his honorable discharge from the service. In the late 1960s, Jay moved to Southern Pines and started working at Golf World. In the early 1980s, he started a career with Highland Press in Fayetteville, retiring in 2009.

James was very active in the Boy Scouts. He was Troop Leader on the Occoneechee Council, #223. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

He didn’t ask much of life but gave his time, loyalty and love to those who loved him. His legacy will be passed on by the family he created and the memories that will never be forgotten.

He is preceded in death by parents, Emily and Dewey Allred; siblings: Larry Allred, Felton Allred, Jerry Allred, Merlin Allred, J D Allred, Dot Garner, Libby Garner, Joyce Davis and Evelyn King.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Allred, daughter, Tammy Frye (Je ), sons: Billy Allred (Dawn), James Allred (Misty). grandchildren:. Will Garner, Jamie Long, Nathan Allred, Megan Allred, Hope Allred, Jacob Marley, McKayla She eld. Clayton Alllred, Blake Allred, Skylar Allred; great-grandchildren: Lynlee, Bennett, Long, Kaydence, Lynleigh, and Brooklyn. loving sister, Brenda Allred.

The family wants to send a special thank you to Marty Larsen, Brian Morris (Little Corky) and Paul Atkinson for all of their love and support during this di cult time.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at Kennedy Funeral Home.

Barbara “Marie” Whichard

Oct. 8, 1950–Jan. 11, 1941

Barbara Marie Whichard, 75, of Cameron, passed away on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at Dahlia Gardens in Aberdeen, North Carolina.

Born on October 8, 1950, in Wadesboro, she was the daughter of James and Mary Jacobs Lee. Barbara was known as a true “jack of all trades,” especially skilled in sewing and tailoring, and gifted with many creative talents. She loved tending to her owers, listening to music, and dancing. Her playful spirit made her easy to love and impossible to forget. Marie will be remembered as strong-willed, fun-loving, and with a silly side. She was hardworking and never without a spark. Above all, she loved her family ercely. Her smile and sense of humor will always be cherished. We miss you so much, Mama. We will see you later, alligator.

Marie was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Joseph Benjamin Whichard. She is survived by her daughters, Deanna Buchanan of Apex and Brittany Whichard (Anthony Locklear) of Roxboro, along with her three grandchildren, Pryce Buchanan, Charlie Locklear, and Hazel Locklear. A private memorial service will be held by the family.

Dorothy “Dot” Maness Boudoin

Oct. 18, 1937 – Jan. 12, 1937

Dorothy Maness Boudoin, 88, of Robbins died peacefully on Monday, January 12, 2026, at her home, surrounded by her family.

A native of Moore County, she was the daughter of the late Kenneth Cassidy and Lydia Ann Wallace Maness. Known to many as “Dot”, she was a poultry farmer, the biggest part of her life. Gardening, cooking, baking, bluegrass music, family, and friends were her passions.

Dot never met a stranger; by the time she nished talking to you, you were family. She loved the Lord and was a faithful member of Trinity Bible Church in Carthage.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Walter “Frenchie” Boudoin; sister: Bonnie Maness Faulkner; Gertrude Duguay and her husband Robert; brothers: Donnie Maness, James Paul Maness and wife Francis, Clyde Maness; brother-in-law: Leonard Ross Moore.

Dorothy is survived by a sister, Judy Moore; her brothers, Leroy Maness, David Maness, and Johnny Maness; his wife, Georgia; a sister-in-law, Edna Maness; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, January 16, 2026, at Flint Hill Baptist Church, with Reverend William J. Maness, Jr. and Pastor Bryan Maness o ciating. Burial will follow in Pine Rest Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at Kennedy Funeral Home from 6– 8 p.m., Thursday, January 15, 2026, and other times at the home.

The family would like to thank those who helped care for Dot the last few months: Sue Callicut, Judy Pope, Ann Marie, Leslie LePlume and Tammy She eld. Memorials may be made to FirstHealth Hospice Foundation, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374.

Matthew Allen Cogar

Aug. 9, 1979 – Jan. 13, 2026

Matthew Allen Cogar, age 46, was born on August 9, 1979, in Wooster, Ohio. He passed away suddenly on January 13, 2026, and had the love of all those who knew him best.

Matthew most recently resided in North Carolina.

Matthew was a devoted family man who deeply loved those closest to him. He was known for his warm personality, his ability to make friends wherever he went, and his genuine enjoyment of life. A proud Moose member, Matthew cherished fellowship and making people laugh. He loved country music, spending time with friends, and above all being with his family. His presence brought laughter, loyalty and kindness and he will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

Matthew is survived by his parents Gary and Christine Cogar, his siblings, MaryAnn (Ed) Reeves, Lisa (Alan) Harowski, Timothy Fodor (Christine Brandon) and Jessica (William) Ribar and his beloved stepson, Joey Groves. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Eva (Zackery) Robert, Nancy, Fred, Kaitlyn, Makayla, Alex, Cory and Ethan all of whom he loved dearly.

He was preceded in death by his mom, Nancy Cogar, and sister-in-law, Nicole Fodor.

There will be a memorial service to be held in Ohio and one in North Carolina, with dates and times to be announced.

Matthew’s memory will live on through the many lives he touched, the friendships he built and the love he shared so freely.

Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Matthew Allen Cogar in your thoughts and prayers.

Clara VonCanon Bowles

April 18, 1929 – Jan. 16, 2026

Clara VonCanon Bowles, age 96, of Carthage, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, January 16, 2026, while her family was with her.

A native of Moore County, she was the daughter of the late F.W. and Margaret McCaskill VonCanon. Clara graduated from business school and began working at Sanford Furniture as a clerk. She was also a homemaker while her children were young. She worked in the lunchroom at Carthage Elementary School for several years, and in the 1980s, she worked as an o ce assistant for the Town of Carthage. After that, she became a caretaker for her husband, Robert Bowles, until his passing in 1994.

In addition to her husband, Clara was preceded in death by her brothers, Whit and John VonCanon; sisters, Alice Cotton, Beth Buchanan, Jean Hilton, Julia Rose and Peggy Wyatt; and her grandson, Eric Bowles.

She is survived by her children, Bethany Harper and husband Kenneth, Richard Bowles and Susan Bowles, all of Carthage; grandchildren, Adam Bowles, Christopher Harper (Sumer); great-grandchildren, Aiden and Andrew Harper. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Monday at Carthage United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in Cross Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends prior to the service in the Shaw Room of Carthage United Methodist Church.

Norma Ann Campbell Boswell

Oct. 20, 1939 – Jan. 13, 2026

Norma Ann Campbell Boswell, 86, of Robbins, NC, passed away on January 13, 2026, surrounded by the love of family, friends and the medical care team at Reid Heart Center in Pinehurst, NC.

Norma was born in Kerrs Creek, VA, on October 20, 1939. She was the youngest daughter of nine children to the late Hattie and Renard Campbell.

Norma was a loving sister, friend, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was an educator all of her life, graduating from Piedmont Bible College in Winston-Salem, NC. She loved all of her students and the children who attended her daycare deeply. After she retired, she would often volunteer to help students with their work and reading, as well as volunteer to teach Sunday school and play the piano for the churches she attended. She also taught piano lessons from home, sharing her love of music with others. She would do anything she could to support her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Norma was devout in her faith, sharing in the love of God through her works and kindness.

Norma had a love of sweets, especially chocolate, and also loved spoiling all of the pets: Roxie, Gracie, Oakley, Atlis, Violet and Bobo.

Norma is survived by her sister Elsie Broughman of Lexington VA; son and daughter-in-law Joey and Martha Boswell of Robbins NC; son and daughter-in-law Chris and Marla Boswell of Robbins NC; Seven grandchildren, Jeremy Boswell, Mindy Boswell, Kaylee Boswell, Brandon Cox, Timmy Mor n, and Ashley and Cali Mor n; and three greatgrandchildren, Evan Boswell, Ainsley Vamper and Briggs Mor n.

Visitation will be at Kennedy Funeral Home in Robbins, NC, on January 18, 2026, from 2-3:30 p.m.

The family has a funding page online for those who would like to support them in the funeral costs for Norma at https://tinyurl. com/NSJBoswell.

Steven Garrick Smith

May 9, 1980 – Jan. 14, 2026

Mr. Steven Garrick Smith, 45, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Please keep the family and friends of Mr. Steven Garrick Smith in your thoughts and prayers.

Arrangements are entrusted to McLeod Funeral Home of Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Charlotte Hayes

April 1, 1947 – Jan. 12, 2026

Charlotte Hayes, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, peacefully departed this world on January 12, 2026, at the FirstHealth Hospice House in Pinehurst, North Carolina. She was born on April 1, 1947, in Holzheim, Germany. Charlotte was 78 years old at the time of her passing, leaving behind a legacy of love, resilience and unwavering dedication to her family.

Charlotte’s early life in Germany laid the foundation for her remarkable journey. After moving to the United States, she embraced her new home with open arms. While navigating the challenges of being a military wife, Charlotte demonstrated incredible strength and determination as she raised her two sons, Daniel and Anthony, across various military bases both in the US and abroad. Her commitment to her family never wavered, and during these years, she managed to complete her high school education and proudly obtained her US citizenship, showcasing her dedication to building a future for her family.

As a devoted homemaker, Charlotte supported her husband throughout his distinguished Army career, adapting to the many changes that came with military life. Her nurturing spirit created a warm and loving home for her children, instilling in them the values of hard work and perseverance.

After her sons had grown, Charlotte ventured into the workforce, nding her passion in the hospitality industry. Her career ourished, culminating in a position as a supervisor at the esteemed Pinehurst Resort Spa. Charlotte’s warmth and kindness touched the lives of everyone she encountered, and her contributions to the hospitality sector were marked by her genuine desire to make others feel welcome and cared for.

Charlotte’s family was her greatest pride and joy. She is survived by her two sons, Daniel Hayes and his wife Judy, Anthony Hayes and his wife Kelly. Her legacy continues through her six cherished grandchildren: Raven, Krystal, Emily (Matt), Tyler, Brandon and Katie (Josh), as well as her beloved great-grandchild, Finnley. Each one of them carries with them the love and lessons she imparted throughout her life.

Charlotte’s spirit will forever be remembered for her unwavering love, her strength in the face of adversity, and her compassion for others. Her laughter and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Charlotte requested that no services be held. Her wish was that everyone remember her in their own special way, as she remembered everyone who loved her. In lieu of owers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care, located at 251 Campground Road, West End, NC 27376, in honor of the compassionate care Charlotte received in her nal days.

As we celebrate Charlotte’s life, let us remember her as a remarkable woman who touched the lives of many. Her memory will live on in the hearts of her family and friends, a shining example of love and resilience. Rest in peace, dear Oma.

Wanda Whitaker Garner

July 11, 1948 – Jan. 14, 2026

Wanda Whitaker Garner of Carthage, NC, went home to be with the Lord on January 14, 2026, while surrounded by her family. She is now peacefully reunited with her husband, Don Garner. Wanda was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many people in the community.

Wanda was born in Moore County on July 11, 1948. She was the daughter of the late Elmer Whitaker and Oma Campbell Whitaker. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don Garner. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Wilton Ray Whitaker and Roy Whitaker; and her sisters, Shirley Walsh and Sybil Garner.

Wanda devoted her life to caring for others. She served as Postmaster in Glendon and Bennett, NC. She later ran a home daycare, caring for many children, including her own grandchildren. Known for her sense of humor, welcoming home, and excellent cooking, Wanda’s strong faith guided her life. She and her husband also founded the Five Mile Flea Market on Joel Road in Carthage, NC, re ecting their shared love for people and community.

From an early age, Wanda shared her faith through music. She sang with her sisters as a member of The Whitaker Girls, a Southern Gospel group that performed in churches, at revivals, and on local radio. Their harmonies continued to bless family gatherings for many years. She is survived by her three sons, Brian Phillips of Carthage, NC; Kevin Phillips (Kellie) of Conover, NC; and Shannon Phillips of Highfalls, NC; her stepdaughter, Donna Garner Murphy (Brad) of Glendon, NC; and her stepson, Ryan Garner (Kim) of Highfalls, NC. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Jacob Phillips of Bennett, NC; Hannah Phillips of Charlotte, NC; Samuel Phillips of Carthage, NC; Maddy Phillips of Conover, NC; Jack Phillips of Conover, NC; Makayla Garner of Highfalls, NC; and Van Ritter of Glendon, NC; her siblings, Janet Frye of Albemarle, NC; Lucille Collins (Billy) of Vass, NC; Bonnie Garner of Vass, NC; and Gail Gathagan (Gene) of Knoxville, TN; Russell Whitaker (Mary Ruth) of Carthage; as well as multiple nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly. On Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Yates Thagard Baptist Church in Carthage, NC, a visitation will take place at 2 p.m. Then, a Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. with Sammy Frye o ciating. Burial will follow at Yates Thagard Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest beside her husband.

In lieu of owers, donations may be made in memory of Wanda Garner to Gentiva Hospice (1836 Doctors Drive, Sanford, NC 27330) or Yates Thagard Baptist Church (3820 Vass-Carthage Road, Carthage, NC 28327).

July 24, 1977 – Jan. 9, 2026

Shawna Nutt, 48, of Rowland departed this life on January 9, 2026. Memorial service will be held at a later date. Services are entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

William Paul Paulus

April 5, 1927 – Jan. 16, 2026

William Paul Paulus, age 98, of Cameron, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his family.

A Graveside Service will be held on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Creekside Community Church Cemetery with Pastor John Brown and Pastor Chandler Wilkes o ciating.

Bill was born in Merrimac, Virginia, on April 5, 1927, to the late Hendrick Paulus and Lovvina Young Paulus. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by wife, Orene She eld Paulus, son, David Wicker, six brothers and four sisters.

He is survived by his wife, Josephine Marks Paulus, sons, Paul Paulus (Lupe) ,Jerry Paulus (Lori), James Wicker, stepdaughter, Carol Doby (Donny), stepsons, Darryl Marks (Angie), Wayne Marks (Natalie), Charlie Marks (Tay Foley); grandchildren, Angie Tyner (Robbie), Brandon Paulus, Wade Paulus, step-grandchildren, Sarah Beard (Jeremy), Aaron Marks (Elena), Eric Doby (Rachel), Stephanie Campbell (Dylan), Katie Hall (Alec), Colton Marks (Carly), McKennely Marks (Dana); great-grandchildren, Britney Newman, Austin Newman, seventeen step-greatgrandchildren; sister, Barbra Ann Zahl (Phillip).

Bill was in the U.S. Navy in the Paci c during World War II. After the war, he joined the U.S. Army in the 82nd Airborne. He served during the Korean War. He was highly decorated for his service. After he retired from the U.S. Army, he served as a Fish & Wildlife Ranger at Fort Bragg. He also worked as a policeman in the Carthage and Pinehurst Police Departments.

The family would like to thank Dr. David Hipp for his loving care of Mr. Paulus.

In lieu of owers, donations may be made to FirstHealth Hospice in memory of William Paulus.

June 30, 1952 – Jan. 16, 2026

Timmy Lee Morgan (73) passed away on 1/16/2026 at his residence.

He loved the outdoors and spent countless hours doing what he loved: hunting and shing. He loved going to the beach and spending time with his family. Timmy never met a stranger and loved talking to anyone he met. He loved preaching the word of God and wanted people to know that “Jesus Loves You,” taking every opportunity to guide them toward Him.

He was the son of the late Jessie Lee Morgan and Betty Lou Key Morgan.

He is survived by his sons, Travis Morgan and Thad Morgan (Michelle). Brother Stoney Morgan (Olivia). Grandson Mason Morgan. Nieces Shana and Samantha, and nephews Dakota and Landon. Also, surviving is long-time friend Sharon Wright. In lieu of owers, donations can be made to East Laurinburg Church of God, Laurinburg, NC, or a charity of your choice.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Browns Chapel Church, with Pastor John Chavis o ciating. The family will welcome visitors at 1 p.m. at the church.

STATE & NATION

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal

and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have

someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court l-

ings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October. Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move

aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime

NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant AG

license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ashbang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.

Icing over

The water fountain outside the Asheboro Public Library was turned into an ice sculpture last Friday morning as temperatures dropped as low as 19 degrees. Far more ice and snow could be in the forecast for this weekend.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across country

More than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid o the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state. The massive pileup Monday prompted the Michigan State Police to close both directions of Interstate 196 just southwest of Grand Rapids. The State Police say there were numerous injuries but no deaths reported. The crash is just the latest impact of the major winter storm moving across the country. The National Weather Service issued warnings about either extremely cold temperatures or the potential for storms across several states.

Net ix intensi es bid for Warner Bros., makes $72B o er in all cash

Net ix is now o ering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business in an all-cash deal. This move aims to win over Warner’s shareholders for a $72 billion merger and counter a bid from Paramount. On Tuesday, Net ix and Warner announced a revised transaction to simplify the structure and speed up a shareholder vote. The all-cash o er is valued at $27.75 per Warner share. Warner’s leadership supports the merger with Net ix. Meanwhile, Paramount has made a $77.9 billion o er and plans a proxy ght. The sale could face antitrust scrutiny and political in uence.

$2.00

Commissioners approve housing assistantship programs

The two programs are aimed at housing rehabilitation and downpayment assistance

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — The Forsyth Board of Commissioners met Jan. 15 with multiple contractual matters on the agenda.

The board rst dealt with two housing matters, including an interlocal agreement with the city of Winston-Salem for the participation in the HOME Investment Partnership.

“This will authorize our participation and acceptance of $221,000 in funding to operate a housing rehab and rst-time homebuyer downpayment assistance program from July 1,

2025, through June 30, 2030,” said County Manager Shontell Robinson.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with just under $200,000 of it reserved for housing activities.

The board also approved a funding agreement with North Carolina Housing Finance Agency for administration of the 2027 Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool program.

The program will provide up to $70,000 in housing rehabilitation services for households with incomes under 80% of the area median income and that qualify as either a veteran, elderly, disabled or have a child 6 or younger who is exposed to lead hazards.

The board then approved a revenue contract with McDan-

storm

Signi cant amounts of snow and ice could be in store

By Je Martin and Haya Panjwani

The Associated Press

iel Supply Company for on-site inmate commissary services at the Law Enforcement Detention Center at a rate on grass sales of 43.5%. They also approved a trio of vehicle purchasing contracts with Emergency Transportation Associates, Modern Chevrolet and Capital Ford, totalling $540,000 for two Ford F-250s, a Chevrolet 5500HD, four Chevrolet 3500HDs and four Ford Maverick Hybrid AWDs. The nal three contractual items were a $320,000 contract with Storr O ce Environments of the Triad for the purchase of furniture for the Agricultural Park project, a $120,000 contract with Quality Refrigeration Concepts for the purchase and installation of replacement rooftop units at the Walkertown Branch Library and an agreement with

The amount of housing

NAI Piedmont Triad for brokerage services related to the sale of the Hall of Justice property to Medsolutions Compounding Pharmacy.

The sale is set to be completed at a nal price of $2.65 million, and NAI will be paid a 6% commission should the sale go through. If the deal is terminated, the agreement with NAI will also be terminated. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet Jan. 29.

Oceanic and

“If you get a half of an inch of ice — or heaven forbid an inch of ice — that could be catastrophic,” said Keith Avery, CEO of the Newberry Electric Cooperative in South Carolina.

“Great swaths” of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected

Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say. Forecasters warn of ‘potentially catastrophic’ winter

ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm arriving late this week and into the weekend is shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” said Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the Nation-

The National Weather Service warned of “great swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and treacherous freezing rain” starting Friday in much of the nation’s midsection and then shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.

STORM, page A2

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North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)

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Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

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THURSDAY JAN. 22

FRIDAY JAN. 23

from page A1

The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.

Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a “major winter storm”

An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

“This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the

TUESDAY JAN. 27

NASCAR community mourns Bi e, 6 others killed in plane crash at memorial service

His friends and family urged people to give back “like Bi ” did

By Steve Reed The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Hundreds in the NASCAR community gathered for a memorial service at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum on Friday for former driver Greg Bi e, his family and others who were killed in a plane crash last month.

Bi e was among seven killed along with his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, when the plane crashed as it returned to the airport in Statesville, according to authorities. Others on the plane were identi ed as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

Driver/in uencer Garrett Mitchell, known as “Cleetus McFarland” in his YouTube videos and a close friend of Bi e’s, was among those who spoke at the service.

“We have all been saying,

‘Be like Bi ,’ since we lost our hero,” said Mitchell, who befriended Bi e later in his life.

“What does that mean? That means to take opportunities when you see them. Whether you are taking opportunity to pass somebody on the track or getting o your couch to chase a dream you have only been talking about for the past ve years.

“It means showing up for your friends and family. It means using your heart to make the world a better place. It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi ,” Mitchell added.

Bi e, who was 55, was selected by NASCAR as one of its top 75 drivers in history, was a Hall of Fame nominee for the stock car series and drove for 18 years at the top of the sport.

He drew headlines last year for his tireless humanitarian e orts as a helicopter pilot supplying aid in the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Bi e’s niece, Jordyn Bife, told stories about Ryder’s hero being his father, Emma’s laughter and Cristina’s loving nature.

She said the Bi e family “lived fully, loved deeply and gave freely.”

Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.

An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

“Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta o ce.

If signi cant accumulations of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees in Atlanta. The city’s high tem-

“It means being generous whenever you can and helping other humans when they’re down. That is what it means to be like Bi .”

Garrett Mitchell

“Their lives remind us that what matters isn’t how long we are here but how we use the time we are given and how ercely we love while we are here,” Bi e added. “And while this loss is devastating beyond words, their impact remains etched into all of us that were lucky enough to have known them, loved them and be changed by them.”

In the parking lot outside of the coliseum, fans paused to peer inside three race cars Bife drove during his career.

Inside, the pictures of the seven who lost their lives were shown on a videoboard above the makeshift platform in the center of the covered hockey rink. There were seven wreaths on the stage where Mitchell, Bi e and former drivers Je Burton and Phil

perature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees.

Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days. In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid o an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday.

The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte.

Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across

Parsons addressed the crowd.

Dylan Zirkle, 28, of Archdale, worked one year for Bi e at Roush Racing as a pit support employee while he was in high school. He said Bi e made a lasting impact on him, and he felt he needed to attend.

“Greg was always a really good guy, and I enjoyed being around him,” Zirkle said. “You could always talk to him at anytime and he was just a real person. You could talk to him about anything.”

Back home, Zirkle still has model racing trucks in his gameroom autographed by Bife that he cherishes.

Zirkle said he didn’t believe the news of the crash when he heard it.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Zircle said. “I was watching some of his YouTube videos the other night, and it just doesn’t seem real at all.”

Tanner Roberts and Jassamin Green made the four-hour trek from Wilmington with their 7-year-old son Bentley after hearing about the memorial.

“He was a good race car driver and I enjoyed him,” Roberts said. “And he was a good person. I grew up watching him and Dale Earnhardt.

much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

“There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”

Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a brie ng on the storm.

“At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with

Them two were my favorites. They were good people and they loved to race.”

The Cessna C550 carrying the Bi e family and the others erupted in ames when it hit the ground shortly after it had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about an hour’s drive north of Charlotte.

The plane crashed while trying to return and land, authorities said.

The crash a week before Christmas left the NASCAR community shaken and was another blow in a long oseason. Ten days later, on the 52nd wedding anniversary of Denny Hamlin’s parents, the house the future Hall of Famer built to repay them for their years of sacri ce burned down. His father, Dennis, was killed, and Mary Lou Hamlin was rushed to a hospital burn unit.

Sheri ’s deputies are also investigating an alleged break-in and theft last week at Bi e’s home in Mooresville that netted $30,000 in cash, some guns and memorabilia.

As part of the public tribute, Mitchell planned to do a burnout later Friday near Bife’s marker along the North Carolina Auto Racing Walk of Fame in Mooresville.

the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

Forecasters cautioned that signi cant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

“It’s going to be a very dicult forecast,” Shamburger said.

At an Arkansas hardware store, customers gear up for storm

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a steady stream of customers on Tuesday were stocking up on supplies at Fuller and Son Hardware.

“Right now, parents of young children are getting sleds,” said James Carter, the company’s director of operations.

People were also getting shovels, ice-melting products and covers for outside faucets to keep them from freezing, since low temperatures in the Little Rock area are forecast to fall into the teens, he said.

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

| STEPHEN MOORE

Stop pretending that colleges are nonprofit institutions

Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

HERE’S A RECENT story from the Chicago Tribune that jumped o the page when I read it. Northwestern University is nishing up the construction of a new $800 million football stadium. This is supposedly a nonpro t “educational” entity. Uh-huh.

Northwestern — an “institution of higher learning” located outside of Chicago — is ush with cash. It has an endowment of nearly $15 billion, and the tax-free donations keep owing in.

Almost all the $800 million — which rivals the cost of professional sports arenas with luxury skyboxes and opulent decor — for the lavish Taj Mahal football stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan was donated to the school with tax-deductible dollars. About half the money came from multibillionaire Pat Ryan. No word yet as to whether the Northwestern stadium will come with hot tubs in the end zones.

Meanwhile, universities are now paying star football players millions of dollars thanks to the new “portal” rules. Many basketball and football athletes are now selling their passing, tackling and dunking skills each year to the highest bidder. They can often make more money playing for the old U than if they played in professional leagues like the NFL or NBA.

This is pay-to-play athletics. It won’t be long before women on college volleyball teams are pay-to-play. Star athletes have been exploited by colleges for years, and now they are getting their just dues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love college sports. This is a great product, and we are seeing the best teams money can buy.

But when will Congress stop buying into this mythology that colleges are nonpro t organizations? Why should donations from millionaires and billionaires be IRS tax write-o s? It’s farcical.

Finish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another.

NEW YORK CITY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address, said, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

That sentence captures the essence of socialism: the belief that it is simply unfair that some have more than others. To rectify this, Mamdani proposes taking from those he deems undeserving and giving to those he deems deserving. In other words, life is not only unfair, but it’s government’s job to make it fair — not by guaranteeing equal rights but by promising equal results.

Think tanks on the left, such as the Brookings Institution, and on the right, such as the American Enterprise Institute, pretty much agree on the formula to escape poverty: nish high school, get married before having a child, get a job and keep it until you nd another or until you start a business. I would add, avoid the criminal justice system.

Economist Walter Williams, who grew up poor, said, “You’re not responsible for the cards you’re dealt. But you are responsible for picking them up and playing them to the best of your ability.

That is your duty.” Consider the wisdom of a few nonsocialists:

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor, not alone for its nancial value, but for labor’s own sake and for the independence and selfreliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.”

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

“When a Negro girl learns to cook, to wash dishes, to sew, or write a book, or a Negro boy learns to groom horses, or to grow sweet potatoes, or to produce butter, or to build a house, or to be able to practice medicine, as well or better than someone else, they will be rewarded regardless of race or color. In the long run, the world is going to have the best, and any di erence in race, religion, or previous history will not long keep the world from what it wants.” — Booker T. Washington, born a slave.

It also costs taxpayers a small fortune. Northwestern’s donors will get tax deductions worth almost $200 million.

This makes as much sense as allowing the Chicago Bears to sign the best quarterback and free safety tax-free.

Don’t forget that universities have other absurd tax advantages. They generally are exempt from property taxes — which means the rest of us pay more.

Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, not semipro leagues. To treat them in the tax code as if they were the equivalent of homeless shelters, food banks and the Salvation Army is a fantasy.

Universities are big business. The “amateur student athletes” are de facto professionals. Many rarely if ever attend a class. Some of them are 25 and 26 years old.

The cost to the Treasury of the tax loophole for colleges is enormous. Colleges have a combined endowment today of nearly $1 trillion. Almost none of this money was ever taxed.

These government subsidies to universities are on top of the trillion dollars of student loan subsidies — debts many of which will never be paid back by the former students.

If this giant loophole were plugged, tax rates for families and legitimate businesses could fall by 10% to 15%.

When I attended the University of Illinois, we used to joke that our school motto was: We never let academics stand in the way of a winning football team and basketball team.

Now the universities don’t let money stand in the way of a great team either. And the federal tax code encourages the “best team money can buy” mentality.

Let’s face it. If an institution can spend $800 million on a football stadium, it can a ord to pay its fair share of taxes.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity.

“1. Pay yourself rst and save a part of all you earn.

“2. Save at an established institution such as a bank or savings and loan and stay away from loan sharks.

“3. Take no chances with your money.

“4. Never borrow anything that if forced to it, you can’t pay back.

“5. Don’t get big headed with regular people. If you take care of their needs they will make you big.

“6. Don’t have so much pride and wear the same suit for a year or two. It doesn’t matter the kind of suit if there is no money in it.

“7. Find a need and ll it. Successful businesses are found on the needs of other people. Keep good books and hire the best people you can nd.

“8. Never run around with people that you can’t compete with. Stay in your own class.

“9. Once you get money or a reputation for having money people will give you money.

“10. Once you reach a certain bracket it is very di cult not to make more money.” — A.G. Gaston, grandson of a slave, 10thgrade education, died at age 103 with an in ation-adjusted net worth of $250,000,000.

“Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it. You can’t control outcome, but you are 100% in control of the e ort. When things go wrong, ask yourself, ‘What could I have done to change the outcome?’”

“No matter how hard you work, how good you are, bad things will happen. How you respond will tell your mother and me if we raised a man.” — Randolph Elder, WWII Marine sta sergeant, eighth grade education, died at age 95 with an in ationadjusted net worth of $1.5 million.

Mamdani’s declaration displays a childlike failure by someone raised in a uence to understand or accept why some have more than others. The vast majority of “the rich” achieved that status through hard work consistently applied over a long period of time. Boring, but true.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host.

She set a photo a re, lit a cigarette — and became a symbol of

From Toronto to Tehran, an act of de ance against the Islamist theocracy

By Laurie Kellman

The Associated Press

LONDON — With one pu of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of de ance against Iran’s bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the ame.

A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the ame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement.

Whether staged or a spontaneous act of de ance — and there’s plenty of debate — the video has become one of the dening images of the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers military action in the country again.

The gesture has jumped from the virtual world to the real one, with opponents of the regime lighting cigarettes on photos of the ayatollah from Israel to Germany and Switzerland to the United States.

In the 34 seconds of footage, many across platforms like X, Instagram and Reddit saw one person defy a series of the theocracy’s laws and norms in a riveting act of autonomy. She wears no hijab, three years after the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests against the regime’s required headscarves.

She burns an image of Iran’s supreme leader, a crime in the Islamic republic punishable by death. Her curly hair cascades — yet another transgression in the Iranian government’s eyes. She lights a cigarette from the ame — a gesture considered immodest in Iran.

And in those few seconds, circulated and ampli ed a million times over, she steps into history.

A battle for narrative control

In 2026, social media is a

Scott

resistance for Iran protesters

An anonymous woman in Toronto lights a cigarette from a burning

Khamenei, the leading cleric of the Islamic Republican of Iran.

central battleground for narrative control over con icts. Protesters in Iran say the unrest is a demonstration against the regime’s strictures and competence. Iran has long cast it as a plot by outsiders like United States and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic. And both sides are racing to tell the story of it that will endure.

Iranian state media announces wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those it calls “terrorists” and also apparently looking for Starlink satellite internet dishes, the only way to get videos and images out to the internet. There was evidence last Thursday that the regime’s bloody crackdown had somewhat smothered the dissent after activists said it had killed at least 2,615 people. That gure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the mayhem of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Social media has bloomed with photos of people lighting cigarettes from photos of Iran’s leader. “Smoke ’em if you got ’em. #Iran,” posted Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana.

In the age of AI, misinformation and disinformation, there’s abundant reason to question emotionally and politically

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them.”

The anonymous protester

charged images. So when “the cigarette girl” appeared online this month, plenty of users did just that. It wasn’t immediately clear, for example, whether she was lighting up inside Iran or somewhere with free-speech protections as a sign of solidarity. Some spotted a background that seemed to be in Canada. She con rmed that in interviews. But did her collar line up correctly? Was the ame realistic? Would a real woman let her hair get so close to the re?

Many wondered: Is the “cigarette girl” an example of “psyops?” That, too, is unclear. That’s a feature of warfare and statecraft as old as human con ict, in which an image or sound is deliberately disseminated by someone with a stake in the outcome. From the allies’ fake radio broadcasts during World War II to the Cold War’s nuclear missile parades, history is rich with examples.

The U.S. Army doesn’t even hide it. The 4th Psychological

of

Operations Group out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina last year released a recruitment video called, “Ghost in the Machine 2 that’s peppered with references to “PSYWAR.” And the Gaza war featured a ferocious battle of optics: Hamas forced Israeli hostages to publicly smile and pose before being released, and Israel broadcast their jubilant reunions with family and friends.

Whatever the answer, the symbolism of the Iranian woman’s act was powerful enough to rocket around the world on social media — and inspire people at real-life protests to copy it.

The woman behind the imagery

The woman did not respond to multiple e orts by The Associated Press to con rm her identity. But she has spoken to other outlets, and AP conrmed the authenticity of those interviews.

On X, she calls herself a “radical feminist” and uses the screen name Morticia Addams — after the exuberantly creepy matriarch of “The Addams Family” — sheerly out of her interest in “spooky things,” the woman said in an interview with the nonpro t outlet The Objective. She doesn’t allow her real

Adams, whose comic strip ‘Dilbert’ ridiculed white-collar o ce life, dead at 68

The author and commentator had been ghting prostate cancer

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

SCOTT ADAMS, whose popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern o ce culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks, has died. He was 68.

His rst ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced the death last Tuesday on a livestream posted on Adams’ social media accounts. Adams revealed in 2025 that he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Miles had said he was in hospice care in his Northern California home on Monday.

“I had an amazing life,” the statement said in part. “I gave it everything I had.”

At its height, “Dilbert,” with its mouthless, bespectacled hero in a white short-sleeved shirt and a perpetually curled red tie, appeared in 2,000 newspapers worldwide in at least 70 countries and 25 languages.

Adams was the 1997 recipient of the National Cartoonist Society’s Reuben Award, considered one of the most prestigious awards for cartoonists. That same year, “Dilbert” became the

rst ctional character to make Time magazine’s list of the most in uential Americans.

“We are rooting for him because he is our mouthpiece for the lessons we have accumulated — but are too afraid to express — in our e ort to avoid cubicular homicide,” the magazine said.

“Dilbert” strips were routinely photocopied, pinned up, emailed and posted online, a popularity that would spawn bestselling books, merchandise, commercials for O ce Depot and an animated TV series, with Daniel Stern voicing Dilbert.

It all collapsed quickly in 2023 when Adams, who was white, repeatedly referred to black people as members of a “hate group” and said he

Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, talks about his work at his studio in Dublin, California, in 2006.

After Jimmy Kimmel’s latenight show on ABC was suspended in September in the wake of the host’s comments on the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Adams stood for free speech.

“Would I like some revenge?” Adams said. “Yes. Yes, I would enjoy that. But that doesn’t mean I get it. That doesn’t mean I should pursue it. Doesn’t mean the world’s a better place if it happens.”

name to be published for safety reasons after what she describes as a harrowing journey from being a dissident in Iran — where she says she was arrested and abused — to safety in Turkey. There, she told The Objective, she obtained a student visa for Canada. Now in her mid-20s, she said she has refugee status in and lives in Toronto.

It was there, on Jan. 7, that she lmed what’s become known as “the cigarette girl” video a day before the Iranian regime imposed a near-total internet blackout.

“I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them,” she said in an interview on CNN-News18, a network a liate in India.

In the interviews, the woman said she was arrested for the rst time at 17 during the “bloody November” protests of 2019, demonstrations that erupted after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal that Iran had struck with world powers that imposed crushing sanctions.

“I was strongly opposed to the Islamic regime,” she told The Objective. Security forces “arrested me with tasers and batons. I spent a night in a detention center without my family knowing where I was or what had happened to me.” Her family eventually secured her release by o ering a pay slip for bail. “I was under surveillance from that moment on.” In 2022 during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, she said she participated in a YouTube program opposing the mandatory hijab and began receiving calls from blocked numbers threatening her. In 2024, after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, she shared her story about it — and was arrested in her home in Isfahan.

The woman said she was questioned and “subjected to severe humiliation and physical abuse.” Then without explanation, she was released on a high bail. She ed to Turkey and began her journey to Canada and, eventually, global notoriety.

“All my family members are still in Iran, and I haven’t heard from them in a few days,” she said in the interview, published Tuesday. “I’m truly worried that the Islamic regime might attack them.”

“Severance”-like, Kafkaesque world of heavy bureaucracy and pointless benchmarks, where employee e ort and skill were underappreciated.

The strip would introduce the “Dilbert Principle”: The most ine ective workers will be systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage — management.

“Throughout history, there have always been times when it’s very clear that the managers have all the power and the workers have none,” Adams told Time. “Through ‘Dilbert,’ I would think the balance of power has slightly changed.”

would no longer “help black Americans.” He later said he was being hyperbolic, yet continued to defend his stance.

Almost immediately, newspapers dropped “Dilbert” and his distributor, Andrews McMeel Universal, severed ties with the cartoonist. The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, decided to keep the “Dilbert” space blank for a while “as a reminder of the racism that pervades our society.” A planned book was scrapped. Adams relaunched the same daily comic strip under the name Dilbert Reborn via the video platform Rumble, popular with conservatives and far-right groups. He also hosted a podcast, “Real Co ee,” where talked about various political and social issues.

Adams, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, was working a corporate job at the Paci c Bell telephone company in the 1980s, sharing his cartoons to amuse co-workers. He drew Dilbert as a computer programmer and engineer for a high-tech company and mailed a batch to cartoon syndicators.

“The take on o ce life was new and on target and insightful,” Sarah Gillespie, who helped discover “Dilbert” in the 1980s at United Media, told The Washington Post. “I looked rst for humor and only secondarily for art, which with ‘Dilbert’ was a good thing, as the art is universally acknowledged to be… not great.” The rst “Dilbert” comic strip o cially appeared April 16, 1989, long before such workplace comedies as “O ce Space” and “The O ce.” It portrayed corporate culture as a

Other strip characters included Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss; Asok, a young, naive intern; Wally, a middle-aged slacker; and Alice, a worker so frustrated that she was prone to frequent outbursts of rage. Then there was Dilbert’s pet, Dogbert, a megalomaniac.

In 1993, Adams became the rst syndicated cartoonist to include his email address in his strip. That triggered a dialogue between the artist and his fans, giving Adams a fountain of ideas for the strip.

“Dilbert” was also known for generating aphorisms, like “All rumors are true — especially if your boss denies them” and “OK, let’s get this preliminary pre-meeting going.”

“If you can come to peace with the fact that you’re surrounded by idiots, you’ll realize that resistance is futile, your tension will dissipate, and you can sit back and have a good laugh at the expense of others,” Adams wrote in his 1996 book “The Dilbert Principle.”

Forsyth SPORTS

Power determined to make Penske regret writing him o

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —

Will Power casually walked through the near-empty fan zone at Daytona International Speedway in a simple, white resuit void of any Penske or Verizon Wireless logos. One of the winningest drivers in IndyCar history was practically unnoticeable at an unfamiliar track where few should have recognized the Australian.

And yet suddenly a crowd grew out of nowhere.

“Will Power! When you put your foot on the gas in an IRL car, there’s no stopping you,” one man gushed as he clamored for a sel e.

Others handed him diecasts of his iconic No. 12 Team Penske car for his signature. They heaped praise and admiration and o ered Power a warm welcome at his rst Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race. He will drive for 75 Express, a team owned by fellow Australian Kenny Habul, in the GTD Pro class next week.

It was the con dence boost Power didn’t know he needed.

“It feels good just to be recognized,” he told one fan.

Power had driven for Roger Penske since 2009 and set the series record for poles (71), built a career that has him ranked fourth on the all-time wins list with 71 victories — one of them the Indianapolis 500 — and won two IndyCar titles.

But that math couldn’t compete with the clock, and Power, who turns 45 on the same day the IndyCar season opens

at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018.

March 1 in St. Petersburg, simply doesn’t have much time left on his racing career. It led Team Penske to choose 24-year-old David Malukas as his replacement, a transition more than a year in the making, but a lack of transparency forced Power to twist in uncertainty for almost the entire 2025 IndyCar season.

With Power still at the top of his game, Penske late last season was apparently prepared to o er Power a peace o ering of a one-year contract extension. But the damage to Power’s ego, pride and mental state already had been done; he told his boss of nearly two decades that he wasn’t interested.

Power instead signed a contract with Andretti Global, now owned by TWG Motorsports and Dan Towriss, a group eager to add his veteran leadership in its bid to return the organization to the top of IndyCar. Spurning a return to

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend.” Will Power

Penske did not sit well with the boss, who held Power to a contract that ran through Dec. 31 and essentially parked him from starting with Andretti until the rst of this year.

Malukas, meanwhile, was in Penske merchandise and getting a jump on his new job the entire time Power was sidelined, unable to do anything with his new team.

Power, a career Penske loyalist who meets every de nition of “Penske Material,” has been crushed by the way his parting played out and the animosity he felt from his former organization through the nal four months of last year.

The rami cations may come back to bite Team Penske, which is coming o one of its worst seasons in years: Power rang in 2026 by going for a run at midnight on New Year’s Eve decked in Andretti gear. He was in the shop two days later to meet his new team, sit in the seat of his new car and start working on a campaign he’s determined will make Penske regret writing him o .

“There’s nothing more I want to do this year than beat Penske every single weekend,” Power said. “And I understand why I wasn’t allowed to start at Andretti until now because we’re only two weeks into the year, and we are already working very, very hard on everything we need to get to get to work on.”

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Laila Jones

West Forsyth, girls’ basketball

Laila Jones is a sophomore forward/center for West Forsyth’s girls’ basketball team. The Titans won all three games last week, and Jones was a titan in the paint. She scored 23 points with 19 rebounds, 13 of them o ensive, in a win over Parkland. She added three assists and ve steals, blocking two shots.

For the season, she leads West Forsyth in shooting, rebounding and blocks, and is seventh in NC Class 8A in rebounding.

From sideline sprints to surprise interviews, ESPN’s Rutledge enjoys a hectic football season

Already busy, the veteran added a “Monday Night Football” role this season

By Joe Reedy

The Associated Press

LAURA RUTLEDGE’S schedule during football season has always been hectic.

The ESPN reporter has hosted “NFL Live,” the network’s year-round weekday news show, since 2020, along with “SEC Nation” on college football Saturdays.

Rutledge took on another assignment this season when she became a full-time sideline reporter on “Monday Night Football.”

With her seemingly e ortless transition from host to reporter — sometimes in a matter of minutes — and her uency in both college football and the NFL, the always enthusiastic Rutledge has become the face of football on ESPN.

Rutledge’s typical schedule was hosting “NFL Live” on Mondays from the game site and then doing sideline reports for the game. Then it was back to ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored “NFL Live” from Tuesday through Thursday before traveling on Friday and hosting “SEC Nation” on Saturday.

Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has been on “SEC Nation” since it started. She also has had other roles in ESPN’s college football coverage.

“Whether she’s reporting on-air or feeding key information to the truck … Laura’s natural reporting instincts and storytelling ability are spot- on,” said Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president of production. “She brings an energy and passion that are contagious,

“It was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild”

Laura Rutledge

and she genuinely lifts everyone around her.”

ESPN approached Rutledge during the spring about doing a full “Monday Night Football” schedule. She understood she would be adding more responsibility and not trading one job for another.

“I think when it comes down to what the schedule ended up being, it was more than even I expected. I had sort of prepared myself for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was wild,” Rutledge said last week as she prepared for Sunday’s divisional-round game between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. “It was sort of like this revolving-door cycle throughout each week, but what an honor to be on these things. I mean, it’s beyond even my wildest dreams. I think for me that was what I’ve constantly reminded myself of when things get a little hairy with the schedule.”

Rutledge has also showed during college football and NFL coverage that she can quickly adjust on the y.

During the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, ESPN’s cameras caught Rutledge running from one sideline — where she was reporting for “SEC Nation” on SEC Network — across the eld to anchor halftime coverage on ESPN. The 45-second dash even got a full highlight narration from

Chris Berman, who whooped with delight as he watched Rutledge weaving her way through the Mississippi band.

“I’ll never get over it,” Rutledge said. “It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me in my life. He’s been an incredible mentor to me, so it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”

Rutledge can also give rsthand perspective on trying to get a postgame interview immediately after a game when time is at a premium because of the 11 p.m. local news. That happened after the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-19 over-

time victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 8, when Rutledge buttonholed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert immediately after the game and seemingly caught him o guard. Rutledge got the interview — even if Herbert was reticent at rst — after the Eagles appeared to be driving for the winning score and Rutledge was on the other side of the eld.

“We had even less time than we normally would, and I was still trying my best to let Justin Herbert shake the hands that he wanted to and see the peo -

ple that he wanted to,” Rutledge said. “From my perspective too, you never want the player to be caught unawares. So we’re trying to be sensitive to so much. And then yet when a team has said, ‘You’re going to get this player,’ that’s what we have to do.

“I don’t fault anybody in that scenario. We were both trying to do our jobs, and he stood there and did the interview.

“I try to never say anything publicly about these things. but I’m not going to have people trashing these guys. They deserve better than that.”

SIDELINE REPORT

TENNIS

Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Melbourne, Australia

Zeynep Sönmez stopped a game to help an ailing ballkid during her rst-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open. The Turkish quali er was receiving serve in the second set when the ballkid wobbled and stumbled backward near the umpire’s chair. The ballkid stood up again but was clearly o balance when Sönmez stopped play. She held the ballkid around the waist and walked her toward some shade. Tournament o cials and medical sta took over and, after a delay of around seven minutes, the match continued.

MLB Tucker, Bichette sign free agent contracts

Two of the biggest free agents of the o season found new teams. Kyle Tucker agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Tucker is among baseball’s best all-around players. But he has played just 214 regular-season games the past two years. Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract. Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop with Toronto, will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop, despite never playing a professional game there. Bichette can opt out after the rst or second season.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Oregon QB Moore to return to Ducks rather than declare for NFL Draft Eugene, Ore.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL Draft. The 20-year-old Moore announced his decision on ESPN. Moore completed nearly 72% of his throws for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Oregon nished 13-2. Moore had been forecast to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL Draft behind Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

NCAA BASKETBALL

Division I cabinet changes transfer portal windows for basketball, other sports Oxon Hill, Md. The transfer portal for men’s and women’s basketball will open the day after the championship game for a period of 15 days. The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved changes to the window in several sports, including men’s wrestling, men’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s track and eld. The changes are e ective immediately. The transfer period after a head coaching change starts ve days after a new coach is hired or publicly announced. That window opens on the 31st day if the new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the last coach’s departure.

Ice dance champ Papadakis says she lost Olympic commentary role for NBC over dispute with ex-partner

Her new book made revelations that started the controversy

By Jerome Pugmire The Associated Press

PARIS — Olympic ice dance champion Gabriella Papadakis says she lost her commentary role with NBC at the upcoming Winter Olympics because of her former skating partner’s response to revelations in her new book.

In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe on Friday, the retired French skater said the decision was taken after Guillaume Cizeron publicly contested what she wrote in “So as Not to Disappear,” released last week.

Cizeron asked his lawyers last Tuesday to formally put all parties involved on notice to cease the “ dissemination of defamatory statements” about him.

“To my knowledge, in reaction to Guillaume ling a formal notice, which was made public, (NBC) considered that the perception of my neutrality was compromised and that I could not commentate on the Olympic Games,” Papadakis told L’Équipe.

“I’m not dealing with it very well, I’ve cried a lot. I was super disappointed because I was just beginning that career as a commentator.”

The 30-year-old Papadakis, who retired in December 2024, said: “To lose the opportunity to start a new career

is very di cult to take. I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

In her book, Papadakis described su ering in a deeply unbalanced relationship with longtime ice dance partner Cizeron, with whom she broke the world record when claiming gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Papadakis wrote that, at a certain point, the idea of nding herself alone with him terri ed her. She wrote about him being a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and expressed a feeling of “being under his grip” at times.

In Friday’s interview, she expanded further on their relationship.

Ukraine’s young skiers practice in bombed-out Olympic training base

Aspiring champions train amidst war and destruction

By Illia Novikov

The Associated Press

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine

— Young athletes in northern Ukraine spend their days cross-country skiing through a scorched forest, focused on their form — until a siren inevitably shatters the silence.

They respond swiftly but without panic, ditching their skis and following coaches to an underground bomb shelter.

It’s an ordinary training session at the complex that produced Ukraine’s rst Olympic medalist.

Sleeping children no longer dream of Olympic glory in the facility’s bombed-out dormitories, and unexploded ordnance has rendered nearby land o limits. But about 350 kids and teens — some of the nation’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes — still practice in fenced-o areas amid the sporadic buzz of drones passing overhead then explosions as they’re shot down.

“We have adapted so well — even the children — that sometimes we don’t even react,” Mykola Vorchak, a 67-year-old coach, said. “Although it goes against safety rules, the children have been hardened by the war. Adapting to this has changed them psychologically.”

Sports in the cross re

War has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian sport. Athletes were displaced or called up to ght. Soccer matches are often interrupted by air raid sirens so attendance is capped by bomb shelter capacity. Elite skaters, skiers and biathletes usually train abroad, with attacks and frequent black-

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will. This is the next generation of Olympians.”

Nina Lemesh, former Olympic biathlete

outs shuttering local facilities.

But the government-run Sports Ski Base of the Olympic Reserve is open for cross-country skiing and biathlon, the event which combines skiing with shooting. The sprawling complex is on the outskirts of Chernihiv, a city two hours north of Kyiv along the path of destruction Russia’s army left in its 2022 attempt to capture the capital. Chernihiv remains a regular target for air attacks aimed at the power grid and civilian infrastructure.

Several temporary structures at the sports center serve as changing rooms, toilets and coaches’ o ces. Athletes train on snowy trails during the winter and, throughout the rest of the year, use roller skis on an asphalt track pocked by blast marks.

Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal

Valentyna Tserbe-Nesina spent her adolescence at the Chernihiv center performing these same drills, and won bronze at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer. It was Ukraine’s rst Olympic medal as an independent country.

“The conditions weren’t great, but we had nothing better. And for us, it was like a family — our own little home,” she said inside her apartment, its shelves and walls lined with medals, trophies and souvenirs from competitions around the world.

I understand NBC’s position but, yes, I’m experiencing a feeling of injustice.”

Gabriella Papadakis

the labels being attributed to me,” Cizeron said. “These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time ... thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign.

“I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”

“As long as I took a backseat role while Guillaume was the leader, everything went well,” she said. “It’s when I wanted to be an equal in this relationship that things started to become more and more di cult.”

They also won an Olympic silver medal, ve world championships and ve European Championships together, as well as the Grand Prix Final twice.

Last Tuesday, Cizeron said Papadakis was spreading lies about him leading up to the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with

Cizeron said he had shown “deep respect” for Papadakis and that their working relationship had seen “moments of success and mutual support.”

Papadakis refuted that the book’s release was timed to coincide with Cizeron’s participation at next month’s Olympics.

“I can understand this perception from the outside,” Papadakis said. “But the publication date was already planned before the announcement of his return (with his new skating partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry).”

Fournier Beaudry previously competed for Canada. She recently gained French citizenship, clearing the path for the pair to compete together at the Olympics, where they will be among the top contenders.

Tserbe-Nesina, 56, was shocked when she visited the complex in 2022. Shelling had torn through buildings, re had consumed others. Shattered glass littered the oors of rooms where she and friends once excitedly checked taped-up results sheets.

“I went inside, up to my old room on the second oor. It was gone — no windows, nothing,” she said. “I recorded a video and found the trophies we had left at the base. They were completely burned.”

Tserbe-Nesina has been volunteering to organize funerals for fallen Ukrainian soldiers in her hometown while her husband, a retired military o cer, returned to the front. They see each other about once a year, whenever his unit allows him brief leave.

Act of de ance

One adult who in 2022 completed a tour in a territorial defense unit of Ukraine’s army sometimes trains today alongside the center’s youngsters. Khrystyna Dmytrenko, 26, will represent her country at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that start Feb. 6.

“Sports can show that Ukraine is strong,” Dmytrenko said in an interview next to the shooting range. “We rep-

resent Ukraine on the international stage, letting other countries, athletes and nations see our unity, strength and determination.”

The International Olympic Committee imposed bans and restrictions on Russian athletes after the invasion of Ukraine, e ectively extending earlier sanctions tied to state-sponsored doping. But a small group of them will participate in the upcoming Winter Games.

After vetting to ensure no military a liation, they must compete without displaying any national symbols — and only in nonteam events. That means Russian and Ukrainian athletes could face one another in some skating and skiing events. Moscow’s appeal at the federation level to allow its biathletes to compete is pending.

That’s why many Ukrainians view training for these events as an act of de ance.

Former Olympic biathlete Nina Lemesh, 52, noted that some young Ukrainians who rst picked up ri es and skis at the Chernihiv ski base during wartime have become international champions in their age groups.

“Fortunately, Ukrainians remain here. They always will,” she said, standing beside the destroyed dormitories. “This is the next generation of Olympians.”

the stream

AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Life Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The thrash metal band announced a

‘The

‘The

Smashing Machine,’ Louis Tomlinson,

Beauty,’ Bruce Springsteen

Lucinda Williams drops “World’s Gone Wrong”

The Associated Press

DWAYNE JOHNSON transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming o erings worth your time this week: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their nal, self-titled album.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his e orts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”

HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-YearOld Man!” arriving Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien.

The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me

From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Written and directed by Scott Cooper,

biopic

RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Lauren Hashian, left, and Dwayne Johnson arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The couple stars in “The Smashing Machine,” which comes to HBO Max this week.

the lm stars White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”

A few other lm festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a ctional Italian president.

MUSIC TO STREAM

You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash

metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their nal album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.

Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Tomlinson will release his third solo album Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct inuences, Britpop chie y among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.”

The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those in uences are still present but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop-rock choruses.

The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk —

and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.

SERIES TO STREAM

FX’s new series cocreated by Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so-called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.

“Drops of God” also returns to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Ge rier

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabeled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world.

On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Net ix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a gure skater training for the world championships, who nds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.

Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died, and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close, but Malcolm and Lori nd themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy o ce cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show o that in uence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.

STATE & NATION

DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE o cial is pastor

Protesters livestreamed themselves entering the church

By Jack Brook The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local o cial with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE eld o ce overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal

and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have

someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identi ed in court l-

ings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul eld o ce. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conferencelast October. Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located. Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court ling, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

The SLS rocket will y four astronauts around the moon

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s giant new moon rocket moved to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ rst lunar y-around in more than half a century.

The out-and-back trip could blast o as early as February.

The 322-foot rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at daybreak. The 4-mile trek took until nightfall.

Thousands of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. They huddled together ahead of the Space Launch System rocket’s exit

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”

John Honeycutt, NASA

from the building, built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rockets that sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. The cheering crowd was led by NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, and all four astronauts assigned to the mission.

“What a great day to be here,” said Reid Wiseman, the crew commander. “It is awe-inspiring.”

Weighing in at 11 million pounds, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule on top made the move

aboard a massive transporter that was used during the Apollo and shuttle eras. It was upgraded for the SLS rocket’s extra heft.

The rst and only other SLS launch — which sent an empty Orion capsule into orbit around the moon — took place back in November 2022.

“This one feels a lot di erent, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said on the eve of the rocket’s rollout.

Heat shield damage and other capsule problems during the initial test ight required extensive analyses and tests, pushing back this rst crew moonshot until now. The astronauts won’t orbit the moon or even land on it. That giant leap will take come on the third ight in the Artemis lineup a few years from now.

Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime

NASA astronauts with spaceight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former ghter pilot awaiting his rst rocket ride.

They will be the rst people to y to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turned 96 last Tuesday.

“They are so red up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”

NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before con rming a launch date.

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant AG

license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression, and crowd control devices like ashbang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testi ed that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our o cers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.

The space agency has only ve days to launch in the rst half of February before bumping into March.