VOLUME 145 ISSUE 65 | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2025 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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A tractor a day … Tractors, farm equipment, food trucks and vendor displays fill the parking area at the Agri-Civic Center during Saturday's annual Agri-Civic Day celebration. The free family event featured educational demonstrations, live music and children's activities, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of the Agri-Civic Center.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Trump administration vying to own big stake in Intel after SoftBank’s $2B bet on company U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday confirmed the U.S. government is vying for a 10% stake in Silicon Valley pioneer Intel in an unusual deal that would deepen the Trump administration’s financial ties with major computer chip manufacturers and punctuate a dramatic about-face from the president’s recent push to oust the company’s CEO. The ambitions that Lutnick confirmed in a televised interview with CNBC came the day after various news outlets reported on the negotiations between the Trump administration and Intel. The talks come on the heels of a $2 billion investment that Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group announced Monday.
Okla. to require N.Y., Calif. teachers to pass ideology test Oklahoma will require applicants for teaching jobs from California and New York to pass an exam that the state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology.” Opponents decry the exam as a “MAGA loyalty test.” Ryan Walters, the state public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass Oklahoma’s PragerU assessment test before getting a certification. PragerU is short for Prager University and promotes itself as a leading conservative nonprofit. State education officials say the 50-question test is finalized and will be rolling out “very soon.”
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Man found guilty of woman’s 2019 murder, sentenced to life in prison It was the second trial in the case, after the first ended with a hung jury By Charles Curcio Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — A Stanly County jury found a man guilty of first-degree murder in a homicide case dating back more than half a decade. The jury came back with two counts of first-degree murder against Joseph Lee Rhodes for the death of Sasha Lee Duley Naylor and her unborn child. Rhodes was also found guilty of concealing Naylor’s death. Rhodes’ trial started with jury selection on July 22 and featured 10 days of testimony. The jury took five hours of deliberation to render their verdict. Naylor was first reported missing on Jan. 14, 2019, with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office launching an investigation. Naylor’s family, who live in
Ohio and West Virginia, reported having not heard from her for several months. The investigation, which included searches, cellphone forensics and witness interviews, eventually led investigators to Union County, where Naylor’s Ford Taurus has been spotted in August the prior year. Along with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina SBI and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department combined to search the area with cadaver K-9 dogs and other investigative support. Rhodes was charged in Februaruy 2019 with two counts of first-degree murder, approximately six months from the last time Naylor had been seen alive, according to a release from Capt. Chris Huneycutt of the Stanly Sheriff’s Office. Naylor was not seen after Aug. 24, 2018, when she was seen in Norwood, despite some unverified reports following a silver alert. At the time, Naylor was 15 weeks pregnant.
“Without the diligent work of the detectives and deputies, our office would not have been able to successfully present this case to the jury.” T. Lynn Clodfelter, district attorney Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Patrick T. Nadolski sentenced Rhodes to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment without parole, along with a 73-to-100 month sentence for concealing Naylor’s death, which will run concurrently. District Attorney T. Lynn Clodfelter prosecuted the case, assisted by Assistant District Attorneys Virginia Ann Sullivan and Peter Strickland. Clodfelter expressed his gratitude to the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office for its tireless efforts during the investi-
Albemarle councilmember Whitley resigns, council to appoint replacement Chris Whitley submitted his resignation By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle City Council will soon have an open interim position for its District 4 seat. At the council’s meeting on Monday night, Mayor Ronnie Michael announced that Councilmember Chris Whitley officially submitted his resignation from the council. “As many of you have seen over the past few months, Councilmember Whitley has missed several meetings. That
is due to a lengthy illness by one of his family members,” Michael said. “Mr. Whitley knows that that is going to continue for some time, and he has decided to submit his resignation. It will be effective Aug. 30 of this year. Council will follow the same process that we have followed in the past to put a new member on the board.” Starting Aug. 30, the council will accept confidential letters of interest from District 4 residents seeking appointment to Whitley’s empty seat. All submissions that are marked confidential and addressed to the mayor’s office at AlbemarSee COUNCIL, page A2
“(Whitley) has been a very dedicated councilmember.” Benton Dry, councilmember
gation, trial preparation and trial. “Without the diligent work of the detectives and deputies, our office would not have been able to successfully present this case to the jury,” Clodfelter said. “The staff I have have literally gone well above and beyond with this case,” Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco said in a phone interview Monday. Crisco said this case was “one of those anomalies where you do not have a body and you don’t have a crime scene.” He credited Capt. Huneycutt, Lt. George Miller, Sgt. Karson Vick-Dunn and Sgt. Trent Middlebrook, along with the rest of the staff with being unquestionably prepared for the recent trail. “They literally poured their heart and soul into this,” Crisco said. The sheriff also thanked the jurors, saying in his 33 years of witnessing and being part of the investigation associated See TRIAL, page A2