Stanly News Journal Vol. 145, Issue 91

Stanly NewS Journal

WHAT’S HAPPENING

House votes overwhelmingly to force release of Epstein les, sending bill to Senate Washington, D.C.

The House voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its les on the convicted sex o ender Je rey Epstein. It’s a remarkable display of approval for an e ort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. Trump now says he will sign the bill if it passes the Senate. Tuesday’s vote showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers and the Trump administration to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case les on Epstein. He was a well-connected nancier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and tra cked underage girls.

Federal judges block Texas from using new U.S. House map in 2026 midterms

A panel of three federal judges has blocked Texas from using a new congressional map that Republicans drew in hopes of picking up ve U.S. House seats. The 2-1 ruling Tuesday was a blow to President Donald Trump’s e orts to have states draw more favorable maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections so the GOP can preserve its slim U.S. House majority. In Texas, civil rights groups and black and Hispanic voters have argued the new map is an illegal racial gerrymander. The judges were receptive enough to those claims to block the map’s use pending further court review. Texas’ expected appeal would be directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

UN approves Trump administration’s plan for future of Gaza

United Nations

The Trump administration’s blueprint to secure and govern Gaza has won strong approval at the United Nations. It’s a crucial step that provides international support for U.S. e orts to move the devastated territory toward peace following two years of war. The U.S. proposal that passed the United Nations’ most powerful body on Monday authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in Gaza and approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump.

Stanly County receives clean audit report for 2024-25

An accounting rm issued the county an unmodi ed report

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — Stanly County has been given a clean audit report indicating the county’s nancial health for the scal year ending June 30, 2025, from Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams and Company.

At the Stanly County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday night, the board re -

ceived the county’s nancial statements and an unmodied audit report from Alan Thompson, a representative of the full-service accounting rm based in Whiteville.

The audit includes the nancial statements of governmental activities, business-type activities, the discretely-presented component unit, each major fund and the aggregate remaining fund information of the county for scal year 2024-25.

“The main thing you hire us as an independent audit rm to do is issue an opinion

“If you have a takeaway from this presentation, you had an unmodi ed and clean report, and nancially you’re in good shape.”

Alan Thompson

on the nancial statements as a whole,” Thompson said.

“If you have a takeaway from this presentation, you had an

Albemarle receives nancial reporting award

The city was honored by the Government Finance O cers Association

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — Albemarle’s nance department has been recognized for the quality of its reporting for the eighth consecutive year.

At the Albemarle City Council’s meeting Monday night, the department was awarded with the Government Finance O cers Association (GFOA) Certi cate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

The honor was given for Albemarle’s annual compre-

hensive report for the scal year that ended on June 30, 2024.

“It is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting andnancial reporting,” said Jacob Weavil, Albemarle nance director. “Receiving the award demonstrates a constructive spirit of full disclosure that clearly communicates the city’s nancial story. Since we have received the award eight years in a row, it might be easy to assume this as routine or guaranteed, but that is far from the truth.” Weavil has served as the city’s full-time nance director since 2021 following a

unmodi ed and clean report, and nancially you’re in good shape.” Thompson added that there were no uncorrected misstatements or disagreements with management in the audit.

He went on to highlight key metrics, such as a general fund balance of $62.37 million — up from $40.06 million four years ago — along with an unavailable fund balance of $9.95 million, a general fund expenditure of $95.35 million, a fund balance available at 54.97% and a property tax collection percentage of 98.45%.

The county’s total debt is $43.7 million, with governmental debt at 73% and business-type activities at 27%.

Two minor ndings were noted in the audit report and

THANKSGIVING ANNUAL FOOD DONATION DRIVE

Nov. 20

Annual Community

Nov. 22

Second

Ferguson

Holiday

A

ers participants an exclusive tour of 10 homes decked out with holiday decorations. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit AlbemarleDowntown. com. Advance tickets are available for $20; tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour for $25 from 3:30-5 p.m. at Starnes Bramlett Jewelers at 127 W. Main St. in Albemarle. Downtown Albemarle

THE CONVERSATION

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

VISUAL VOICES

Climate has a new head clown

Newsom blamed the Los Angeles wild res on global warming even though the res were started by arson.

OVER, Al Gore. The climate clown car has a new self-anointed driver. His name is Gavin Newsom.

The California governor is trying to use the ongoing United Nations climate conference (COP30) to position himself as the leader of the U.S., if not the world, on climate change. In hopes of advancing his presidential aspirations in 2028, Newsom is attempting to exploit the vacuum created by the boycott of COP30 by the Trump administration.

Toward that end, Newsom has attacked President Donald Trump as “an invasive species,” boasted about California’s success in climate and traveled into the Amazon jungle to “absorb a deeper spiritual connection to this issue that connects all of us.” Cue the eyeroll.

But Newsom is actually more of a tragic nuisance than any kind of hero when it comes to climate.

Californians pay the highest prices for electricity in the continental U.S. This is because Newsom has loaded the California grid with expensive wind, solar and utility-scale batteries. Not only has all this green technology caused prices to soar, it has also weakened grid reliability. During periods of peak electricity demand, EV owners are warned not to charge their vehicles.

Californians also pay the highest prices for gasoline in the continental U.S because the state requires special blends of gasoline that are supposed to be improving air quality. One

might think that Newsom would be helping the oil industry to lower costs. But he’s not.

Newsom’s hostility to the oil and gas industry forces California to import gasoline from foreign countries that don’t produce oil as cleanly as we do in the U.S. He’s trying to block o shore drilling that would actually reduce oil pollution in the ocean. Oil from below the ocean oor naturally seeps into the ocean o the California coast. Oil drilling would reduce that natural seepage by reducing pressure.

Newsom is also chasing re neries out of California. The problem is so acute that Newsom is actually now forced to consider a state takeover of the re neries as the industry ees the state.

But it gets worse.

After more than four decades of forest mismanagement that has turned publicly owned forests and lands in California into tinderboxes just waiting for sparks to turn into deadly, out-of-control wild res, Newsom has opposed Trump’s suggestions to clean up the forests and public lands. These wild res have burned down forests that companies like Microsoft tried to preserve by purchasing carbon o sets.

While the California legislature had directed in 2012 that reservoirs be built to provide water to ght wild res and drought, Newsom failed to build any. When Trump directed the diversion of water from Southern California to end, Newsom opposed the move.

Democrats blame Republicans for multiple Democrat failures

No Republican wanted Obamacare, and no congressional Republican voted for it.

A KEY REASON Democrats make so many Republicans grind our molars is that they will not take responsibility for their own gargantuan failures. Instead, Democrats blame the GOP for the damage that they in ict on America.

It’s bad enough when someone takes a skillet and repeatedly wallops you across the back of your head. What really irks is when that person then screams at you: “Stop smacking your skull with a skillet!”

This is a big part of why Democrats have become utterly insu erable.

This month alone, Democrats refused to own their disastrous “Schumer Shutdown.” Thankfully, Democrats’ 43- day kidnapping conspiracy zzled out last Wednesday night.

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted to end the federal shutdown one day after eight Senate Democrats joined nearly unanimous Republicans, stopped the Democrats’ libuster, and adopted legislation to reopen the government.

Shortly before the House vote, Democrat leader Hakeem Je ries of Brooklyn took to the oor and presented a master class in how to shirk responsibility and shift blame.

“Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency,” Je ries said. “(President) Donald Trump and Republicans made the decision to shut the government down, the longest shutdown in American history.”

Wrong!

House Republicans passed a “clean” continuing resolution on Sept. 19. It would have sustained Biden-era federal spending on autopilot until Jan. 30. There were

no strings, budget cuts or policy reforms attached.

This bill went to the Senate, where — as Je ries damn well knows — overall Republican control is limited by the requirement for 60 votes to overcome a libuster. Republicans have only 53 votes, seven short of the number needed to adopt the House bill.

Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer of New York weaponized this rule and launched the Democrat libuster that shut down the federal government on Oct. 1.

Fourteen separate times, Senate Republicans (absent the dissenting Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky) voted to end the Democrat libuster. While three Democrats concurred with the GOP, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota still fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to stop Schumer from holding the American people and their government hostage until Democrats scored $192.8 billion for illegal-alien health care.

Je ries knows all of this. Nonetheless, he stood up and lied about it.

Je ries continued to blame Republicans for his party’s ops. “House Democrats will continue to ght to address the health care crisis that Republicans have created,” Je ries said. A huge part of America’s pounding migraine on health insurance is Democrats’ proudest baby: Obamacare. To say that this is a baby only a mother could love is an insult to ugly babies.

Obamacare was supposed to lower insurance premiums by $2,500. Instead, they have soared by at least that much. The

At COP30, Newsom blamed the Los Angeles wild res on global warming even though the res were started by arson that was not completely extinguished by re ghters. When the con agration later spread, aided by the naturally occurring Santa Ana winds, there was no water in the re hydrants. None of this is climate change. It’s incompetent government led by a vacuous hologram of a person.

Since 2012, California has charged the oil industry and consumers billions and billions of dollars as part of a cap-and-trade scheme to lower emissions. Not only have the wild res more than o set all the emissions cuts, but the California legislature recently approved a bill to drill 2,000 new oil wells so that the state could reap more revenue from the cap-and-trade scheme.

The beep-beep of Newsom’s climate clown car is deafening. It’s a warning for 2028.

Steve Milloy is a biostatistician and lawyer. He posts on X at @ JunkScience. This column was rst published by Daily Caller News Foundation.

entire boondoggle is a scal tumor that requires massive taxpayer subsidies to stay alive. Democrats are desperate to keep these subsidies owing, lest Obamacare atline. Democrats cannot blame the GOP for this mess. No Republican wanted Obamacare, and no congressional Republican voted for it. Democrats own Obamacare and every one of its painful symptoms.

Je ries then denounced “the Republican refusal to extend the A ordable Care Act tax credits.” Once again, Je ries cannot pin this on the GOP. These tax credits are scheduled to expire on New Year’s Eve because that is exactly what Democrats wanted!

As Sally Pipes of the Paci c Research Institute detailed for me, Section 9661 of the COVID-19-fueled Biden/Democrat American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 included “expanding premium assistance” as a “Temporary rule for 2021 and 2022.” Later, Section 12001 of the Biden/Democrat In ation Reduction Act of 2022 aimed to “improve a ordability and reduce premium costs of health insurance … before Jan. 1, 2026.”

“A proposal being weighed by congressional Democrats and party advisers in recent weeks aims to temporarily extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies that were part of the nancial aid package President Joe Biden signed into law last March,” Politico explained on June 24, 2022, regarding this second bill.

If Democrats wanted to subsidize Obamacare into 2026 and beyond, they should have written that into legislation that they, not Republicans, sponsored.

As the saying goes, “When you point a nger at someone, three ngers point back at you.” Je ries and other Democrats should remember that before, yet again, giving Republicans the nger.

Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor and a contributing editor with The American Spectator. This column was rst published by The Daily Signal.

Feds to expand immigration action to Raleigh

The capital’s mayor said the sweep will expand beyond Charlotte

By Erik Verduzco, Tim Sullivan and Gary D. Robertson

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city.

Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.

“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” Cowell said in a statement.

U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, a federal ocial said Monday.

The movements in North Carolina come after the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both of those are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent o cials who make no secret of their anger at the White House. The political reasoning there seemed obvious.

But why North Carolina and why was Charlotte the rst target there?

Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein in particular has tried hard to get alongwith the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state’s two U.S. senators are both Republican, and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.

The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.

But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation, some observers say.

The White House “can have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it’s a weaker version” than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.

“They’re not interested in just deporting people. They’re interested in the show,” he said.

The crackdown

The Trump administration has made Charlotte,

a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime — despite local opposition and declining crime rates.

Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol o cers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.

The crackdown set o erce objections from area leaders.

“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary

garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizensbased on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.

“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.

The debate over crime and immigration

Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.

“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges.”

Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell

The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte lightrail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times.

Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, o cials say.

Lyles easily won a fth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.

While the Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal o cials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police do not help with immigration enforcement.

In Mecklenburg County, the jail did not honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law e ectively made it mandatory starting last year.

DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.

For years, Mecklenburg Sheri Garry McFadden pushed back against e orts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheri s from other urban counties to accept U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers.

Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.

While McFadden has said his o ce is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.

Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”

Last month, McFadden said he’d had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.

“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.

But such talk doesn’t calm the political waters.

“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.

Disney reaches new deal with YouTube TV, ending blackout that lasted more than 2 weeks

ESPN, ABC and more are back on the streaming service

By Wyatte Grantham-Philips

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Disney and YouTube TV reached a new deal to bring channels like ABC and ESPN back to the Google-owned livestreaming platform Friday, ending a blackout for customers that dragged on for over two weeks.

“As part of the new deal, Disney’s full suite of networks and stations — including ESPN and ABC — have already begun to be restored to YouTube TV subscribers,” The Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.

YouTube TV also con rmed the return of Disney content on its platform, noting that subscribers should see channels back “over the course of the day.” It apologized for the disruption and thanked customers for their “patience as we negotiated on their behalf.”

Disney content went dark on YouTube TV the night of Oct. 30 after the two sides failed to reach a new licensing deal. In the days that followed, YouTube TV subscribers were left without Disney channels on the platform — notably disrupting coverage of top college football matchups and professional sports games, as well as news and entertainment programming.

Beyond ESPN and ABC, other Disney-owned content removed from YouTube TV during the impasse included channels like NatGeo, FX, Freeform, SEC Network, ACC Network and more.

Disney Entertainment CoChairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chair-

AUDIT from page A1

presented to the commissioners for full transparency.

“There were two small ndings, nothing serious on that, making sure the subsidiary accounts reconciled to the general ledger,” Thompson said.

man Jimmy Pitaro said Friday that they were “pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”

When talks broke down last month, YouTube TV said Disney was proposing costly terms that would lead to higher prices for and fewer choices for its subscribers. It accused Disney of using the blackout as a negotiating tactic — claiming the maneuver also bene ted Disney’s own streaming products like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo. Disney, meanwhile, said that YouTube TV had refused to pay fair rates for its channels. The California entertainment giant

“There was a Medicaid testing issue. Medicaid has become challenging in the sense that we went from pandemic-era guidelines back to normal guidelines, which is a transition for everybody. So there are a couple things there that they’re working to make sure we’re all in compliance. We do 27 of the 100 counties in the state, so that’s a challenge statewide in making sure everybody gets in compliance back to the old way.”

AWARD from page A1

three-year stint as an assistant nance director.

“I’d like to sincerely thank my nance sta for their hard work and dedication,” Weavil said.

“With everything we do relating to our policies and our procedures, they are all designed to ensure we keep receiving the award each year. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the rest of the city, including all departments, administration and coun-

cil. We could not do what we do without your partnership and support.”

Founded in 1906, GFOA promotes government nance sustainability by providing practices, professional development, resource and practical research for more than 21,000 members and their respective communities.

“The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclo-

also accused Google of “using its market dominance to eliminate competition.” And executives blasted the platform for pulling content “prior to the midnight expiration” of their deal in late October.

Both sides also publicly sparred over negotiations and content available leading up to Nov. 4 elections across the U.S.

By the time Disney’s channels returned to YouTube TV, Google’s streamer said it had “reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future exibility in our offers.” Disney executives maintained that the deal re ected the company’s “continued commitment to delivering ex-

Following Thompson’s presentation, Commissioner Bill Lawhon made a motion to approve the nancial audit as presented, and a 7-0 vote supporting that soon followed.

The Stanly County Board of Commissioners will hold its next regular meeting on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Gene McIntyre Meeting Room at Stanly County Commons.

sure to clearly communicate its nancial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report,” GFOA provided in a press release.

With ve responsibilities shared between two divisions, Albemarle’s nance department is tasked with administration, accounting, nancial reporting, treasury management and revenue collection.

Led by Weavil, the department’s rst division is responsible for maintaining the account-

ceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch.”

The two-week blackout is among a growing list of licensing disputes seen in the streaming world today, particularly as competition grows overs hosting live content. And consumers often pay the price when company negotiations break down. The showdown between Disney and YouTube was not their rst. YouTube TV subscribers lost access to all Disney content after 2021 contract talks broke down, but that disruption lasted less than two days.

And YouTube TV has removed other content from its platform after expired agree-

“(We are) pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”

Disney executives

ments. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has been unavailable on YouTube TV since Sept. 30, for example. Parent company TelevisaUnivision decried Google’s move, saying it would strip “millions of Hispanic viewers of the Spanish-language news, sports, and entertainment they rely on every day,” and called on the platform to reverse course.

YouTube TV’s base subscription plan costs $82.99 per month — which, beyond Disney content, currently includes live TV o erings from networks like NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS and more. The platform previously said it would give subscribers a $20 credit its dispute with Disney lasted “an extended period of time” — which it reportedly allowed customers to start claiming on Nov. 9.

Disney also doles out live TV through both traditional broadcasting and its own lineup of streaming platforms. ESPN launched its own streamer earlier this year, starting at $29.99 a month. And other Disney content can be found on platforms like Hulu, Disney+ and Fubo. Disney currently allows people to bundle ESPN along with Hulu and Disney+ for $35.99 a month — or $29.99 a month for the rst year.

ing and reporting system, paying nancial obligations, purchasing equipment, conducting the bidding process for all contracts, providing scal management for all city funds, preparing payroll and working with auditors in preparation of statements.

The department’s secondary division, led by Richard Lanzillotti, provides administrative and clerical services for the collections of all funds related to the city.

This category includes util-

Alan Thompson presented the county’s audit report on Monday night at the Stanly County Board of Commissioners meeting.

ity bills and related costs, water, sewer, street assessments, parking tickets, grant revenue, licenses, permits, tax revenue, parks and recreation admissions, and land ll dumping fees. Albemarle residents are encouraged to review the city’s current and past nancial reports at albemarlenc.gov/departments/ nance.

The Albemarle City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.

OBITUARIES

BILLY ANDREW SHAVER

AUG. 9, 1940 – NOV. 13, 2025

Billy Andrew Shaver, 85, of Rich eld, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Stanly Manor.

His funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, November 17, 2025, at Alleghany Global Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Fred Ingle o ciating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church from 2-2:45 p.m. prior to the service.

Born August 9, 1940, in Rowan County, Billy was the son of the late Daniel Shaver and Artie Treece Shaver Earnhardt. He graduated with honors from Rockwell High School in 1958. He attended Zion Methodist Church until joining Alleghany Methodist Church in 1960. He retired from a long career in the textile industry and was a devoted member of Alleghany Global Methodist Church. Billy began his career at Cannon Mills in Kannapolis and concluded his working years at Perfect Fit in Rich eld.

Billy will be remembered as a kind, hardworking, and thoughtful man, one who always put his family rst. A faithful husband and loving father, he was a steady provider and a gentle presence in the lives of those he loved. He enjoyed tending a small hobby farm with a plentiful vegetable garden and animals including goats, chickens, cows, and a donkey. He could often be found hauling hay or working outdoors—places where he felt most at peace.

He loved music, especially the old church hymns, and for many years he sang joyfully in the choir whenever his health allowed. Billy also loved sports, traveling with his wife, and attending concerts to hear a variety of gospel music groups.

Billy is survived by his wife, Kirksey Michael Shaver, and his son, Kelvin Shaver, both of Rich eld, as well as a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his siblings Kenneth Shaver, Roy Shaver, Clara Mae Shaver Basinger, and Floyd Shaver.

The family requests that memorials be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Murray and the sta of Stanly Manor for their loving and compassionate care of Mr. Shaver during his time there.

JILL TURNER

SEPT. 28, 1967 – NOV. 13, 2025

Jill DeAnne Speight Turner, 58, of Oakboro, passed away on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at CMC Main in Charlotte.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Oakboro. Pastors Jonathan Waits, Robert Leonard and Terrell Watts will o ciate. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. Burial will follow at St. Martin’s Lutheran Cemetery in Albemarle.

Jill was born on September 28, 1967, in Stanly County to Allen Dean Speight Sr. and Nancy E rd Haywood. She graduated from South Stanly High School in 1985 and went on to work as a telecommunicator for the NC State Highway Patrol. She retired as the center supervisor for Troop H. Jill was a member of First Baptist Church, Oakboro. She loved her family, friends and her special fur baby, Sullivan.

She is preceded in death by her ancé, Charles “Chip” Emery Osborne III.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her son Cade E rd Turner (Emma), siblings Allen Dean Speight Jr. (Wanda), and Jennifer Speight Black, stepmother Pat Boggan Speight, nephew and niece: Kyle Speight and Cortney Speight Davenport (Steven), great nieces and nephews: Ty, Aly, Kandyn and Kallen.

Jill was a bright light and proved to be a friend to all. Her zest for life will be remembered by all who loved her. The laughs we shared and the memories we made will sustain us until we meet again.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Oakboro Brotherhood.

BOBBY EFIRD

MAY 29, 1957 – NOV. 16, 2025

Bobby Allen E rd,68, of Albemarle, passed away Sunday, November 16, 2025, at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Edwards Funeral Home, with Pastor Warren Brown o ciating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Mr. E rd was born on May 29, 1957, in Rowan County to the late Wayne Leverne E rd and Alma West Broadway, who survives. He was a retired Truck Driver. Bobby loved his animals, especially his dog Sandy, and he loved to sh.

In addition to his father, Wayne E rd, he is preceded in death by his wife, Sheila Burleson E rd; and brother Rickey E rd; and sisterin-law, Sonya E rd

In addition to his mother, Alma E rd, he is survived by his brothers: Rodney E rd (Vickie) and Je E rd (Marisa); his sister: Pam Je eries (Cli ); nieces: Tina Matthews (Jesse) and Christy Gilbert (Je ); and his canine companion, Sandy; and numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Sally Kirkland, stage and screen star who earned an Oscar nomination in ‘Anna,’ dead at age 84

She appeared in numerous lms, including a cameo in “Blazing Saddles”

By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Sally Kirkland, a one-time model who became a regular on stage, lm and TV, best known for sharing the screen with Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “The Sting” and her Oscar-nominated title role in the 1987 movie “Anna,” has died. She was 84.

Her representative, Michael Greene, said Kirkland died Tuesday morning at a hospice in Palm Springs, California.

Friends established a GoFundMe account this fall for her medical care. They said she had fractured four bones in her neck, right wrist and left hip. While recovering, she also developed infections, requiring hospitalization and rehab.

“She was funny, feisty, vulnerable and self deprecating,” actor Jennifer Tilly, who costarred with Kirkland in “Sallywood,” wrote on X. “She never wanted anyone to say she was gone. ‘Don’t say Sally died, say Sally passed on into the spirits.’ Safe passage beautiful lady.”

Kirkland acted in such lms as “The Way We Were” with Barbra Streisand, “Revenge” with Kevin Costner, “Cold Feet” with Keith Carradine and Tom Waits, Ron Howard’s “EDtv,” Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” “Heatwave” with Cicely Tyson, “High Stakes” with Kathy Bates, “Bruce Almighty” with Jim Carrey and the 1991 TV movie “The Haunted,” about a family dealing with paranormal activity. She had a cameo in Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles.”

Her biggest role was in 1987’s “Anna” as a fading Czech movie star remaking her life in the United States and mentoring to a younger actor, Paulina Porizkova. Kirkland won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination along with Cher in “Moonstruck,” Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction, Holly Hunter in “Broadcast News” and Meryl Streep in “Ironweed.”

“Kirkland is one of those performers whose talent has been an open secret to her fellow actors but something of a mystery to the general public,” The Los Angeles Times critic wrote in her review. “There should be no confusion about her identity after this blazing comet of a performance.”

Kirkland’s small-screen acting credits include stints on “Criminal Minds,” “Roseanne” and “Head Case,” and she was a series regular on the TV shows “Valley of the Dolls” and “Charlie’s Angels.”

Born in New York City, Kirkland’s mother was a fashion editor at Vogue and Life magazine who encouraged her

daughter to start modeling at age 5. Kirkland graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and studied with Philip Burton, Richard Burton’s mentor, and Lee Strasberg, the master of the Method school of acting. An early breakout was appearing in Andy Warhol’s “13 Most Beautiful Women” in 1964. She appeared naked as a kidnapped rape victim in Terrence McNally’s o -Broadway “Sweet Eros.”

Some of her early roles were Shakespeare, including the lovesick Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for New York Shakespeare Festival producer Joseph Papp and Miranda in an o -Broadway production of “The Tempest.”

“I don’t think any actor can really call him or herself an actor unless he or she puts in time with Shakespeare,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. “It shows up, it always shows up in the work, at some point, whether it’s just not being able to have breath control, or not being able to appreciate language as poetry and music, or not having the power that Shakespeare automatically instills you with when you take on one of his characters.”

Kirkland was a member

of several New Age groups, taught Insight Transformational Seminars and was a longtime member of the a liated Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, whose followers believe in soul transcendence.

She reached a career nadir while riding nude on a pig in the 1969 lm “Futz,” which a Guardian reviewer dubbed the worst lm he had ever seen. “It was about a man who fell in love with a pig, and even by the dismal standards of the era, it was dismal,” he wrote.

Kirkland was also known for disrobing for so many other roles and social causes that Time magazine dubbed her “the latter-day Isadora Duncan of nudothespianism.”

Kirkland volunteered for people with AIDS, cancer and heart disease, fed homeless people via the American Red Cross, participated in telethons for hospices and was an advocate for prisoners, especially young people.

The actors union SAG-AFTRA called her “a fearless performer whose artistry and advocacy spanned more than six decades,” adding that as “a true mentor and champion for actors, her generosity and spirit will continue to inspire.”

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@stanlynewsjournal.com

STANLY SPORTS

North Stanly eclipses East Surry in second round playo thriller

The two teams combined for 14 touchdowns

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

NEW LONDON — In a state playo shootout that came down to the nal minute, North Stanly defeated East Surry 49 - 45 on Friday night in R.N. Je rey Stadium.

The second round of the 3A playo s turned into a back-and-forth thriller, with the teams trading seven touchdowns apiece.

Trailing 45-42 with 37 seconds left, the No. 4 Comets (10 -1) used a 6-yard keeper from junior quarterback Brady

Lowder to deliver the fatal blow to the No. 13 Cardinals (5-7), who had climbed back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter.

North Stanly — now riding a ve-game winning streak — advanced to the third round where it will host No. 12. West Davidson (9-3) this Friday.

Coming o a rst round bye to kick o the tournament, North Stanly coach Chad Little said it took a while for his team to kick into gear.

“That bye week was really a kryptonite for us,” he said. “When you come back to play you’re rusty, and it’s just hard to keep that same game. So it took us until the second half to get rolling, but we’re here now.”

The Comets coach said his eyes were rmly on the clock during East Surry’s go-ahead scoring drive to go up 45-42 with four minutes left in the game.

“We knew we could come back and win it because our o ense was doing that good. If they’d held it too long, we wouldn’t have had time to do it,” Little said. “It’s about the senior leadership and our coaching sta preparing each week like we do. We watch a lot of lm, and it’s all about the coaching sta . Our coaches prepare, and that’s what gets us through.”

With 4:54 left in the rst quarter, East Surry quarterback JB Davis scored the rst touchdown of the game with a 2-yard

“We knew we could come back and win it because our o ense was doing that good.”

Chad Little, North Stanly coach

run to put the Cardinals up 7-0.

The Comets evened the scoreboard three minutes later as senior running back Juice Lilly ran in a 3-yard touchdown.

The teams traded scores in the second quarter, but a missed extra-point attempt and failed two-point try left the Cardinals trailing 21-19 at halftime. Lilly added another rushing

touchdown in the third quarter before East Surry’s Nathan Kiger trimmed North Stanly’s lead to 28-25.

In the fourth quarter, the Comets jumped to a 10-point lead twice, with the Cardinals nding themselves down 42-32 with seven minutes left in the game. Davis and Kiger each scored again to catapult East Surry back into the lead before North Stanly won the game on its nal touchdown of the night.

The Comets have now scored at least 49 points in three consecutive games.

“We have athletes left and right. We’re fast and we’re very good,” Little said. “And you know, that team (East Surry) right there is a very good team. They played a tough schedule, and their o ensive line surge outmatched our defensive line. But we came back and we had a good gameplan in the second half. We did some tweaks on defense, and it worked out.”

South Stanly prepares for rst road trip of state playo s

The Rowdy Rebel Bulls will travel to Boonville

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — In the second round of the NCHSAA state playo s, Stanly County’s two football teams playing on the road both su ered blowout losses to their higher-seeded opponents.

The two local squads playing at home against lower-seeded teams each won their games to stay alive and advance to the third round of postseason play.

No. 7 South Stanly at No. 2 Starmount

Coming o a rst-round bye week in the 2A bracket, the No. 7 South Stanly Rowdy Rebel Bulls came out swinging in their second round matchup with No. 10 Christ the King, shutting out the Crusaders 38-0 in Norwood.

The Bulls (9-2) will now head to Boonville for their third round game against No. 2 Starmount, which defeated No. 15 Cherryville 56-7 over the weekend.

South Stanly has won ve games in a row, but they will now travel to face a Mountain Valley Conference-winning Rams team (9-2) that has won its last three games by a margin of 163-7. Both teams used their rushing attacks in the second round, with the Bulls (297 rushing yards) and Rams (248 rushing yards) each driving their

o enses through the ground game.

No. 12 West Davidson at No. 4 North Stanly

In North Stanly’s 3A matchup, the No. 4 Comets (10-1) defeated No. 13 East Surry 49-45 in New London, capping o an o ense-heavy shootout with a game-winning drive. The Comets will get to play on their home eld again in

their third round game as they host West Davidson. The No. 12 Dragons (9-2) are coming o a 31-21 road victory over No. 5 Providence Grove. Aiming for its fth straight win, North Stanly will challenge an improved West Davidson roster that began the season 3-3 but hasn’t lost since Oct. 3. The Dragons had 440 yards of o ense in their upset win as four di erent running backs and two wide receiv-

ers each notched over 40 yards. No. 16 Albemarle (eliminated)

On Friday, the No. 16 Albemarle Bulldogs (5-7) were knocked out of the 2A bracket in a 57-14 road loss to the No. 1 Murphy Bulldogs. The top-seeded team blasted o to a 29-0 lead in the rst quarter before increasing its lead to 43-7 at halftime.

South Stanly’s football team has already put together three more wins than it had during its 6-5 campaign last year.

No. 24 West Stanly (eliminated)

In a 49-7 loss at No. 8 Burns in the 4A bracket, the No. 24 West Stanly fell to 2-10 on the season as the Colts scored an early touchdown but never added to it the rest of the game. The 49 points scored by the Bulldog were the most points allowed by the Colts since a 56-7 home loss to Monroe on Oct. 10.

Football coach John Beam from ‘Last Chance U’ dead after shooting

Police call the on-campus shooting “a targeted incident”

By Mike Catalini and Haven Daley

The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland’s celebrated former football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netix series “Last Chance U” that showcased his success with players others wouldn’t gamble on, died Friday, a day after being shot on the college campus where he worked.

Police arrested the 27-year- old suspect Friday. Authorities said he knew the 66-year-old coach, and it was a targeted attack.

The shooting at Laney College rattled Oakland, with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died. He was remembered as someone who would help anyone.

Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant” in the city who mentored thousands of young people, including her own nephew, and “gave Oakland’s youth their best chance” at success.

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and o the eld, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” Lee said.

Authorities credited technology, speci cally cameras at the college campus, private residences and on public transit, in tracking the suspect identi ed as Cedric Irving Jr. Irving was arrested without incident at a commuter rail station in Oakland just after 3 a.m. on Friday and police recovered the gun. He was being held at a local jail on charges of murder and carrying a concealed weapon.

Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a “specific reason” but did not elaborate on what that was. “This was a very targeted incident,” he said.

Beere did not say how Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at a high school where Beam had worked, but not at the time the coach was employed there.

Coach had deep relationships with players

The Net ix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around, and

Laney College Athletic

Director John Beam poses with the trophy after Laney won the California state football championship in 2018.

Beam’s Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season. Beam developed deep relationships with his players while elding a team that regularly competed for championships.

Two of Beam’s former players — brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, now in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints — posted on social media after the shooting.

“You mean the world to me,” Rejzohn Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.

His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.

Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies, who previously served as a deputy chief in the Oakland Police Department said he was a friend, mentee and long time admirer of Beam.

“John was so much more than a coach,” he said. “He was a father gure to thousands of not only men but young women in our community.”

Shavies said he met Beam when he was in the eighth grade, and he supported him after Shavies lost his father in high school, calling him “an absolutely incredible human being.” He asked how did Beam leave his mark on so many people “with just 24 hours in a day, right?”

Beam’s family said in a statement that he was a “loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend.”

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love,” the family said, requesting privacy.

Beam, who was serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. He retired from coaching in 2024 but stayed on at the school to shape its athletic programs. According to his biography on the college’s website, at least 20 of his players went on to the NFL.

Roundball kicks o on Stanly County courts

Stanly News Journal sta

South Stanly boys’ basketball, 0-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A (17-9 last year)

Last week’s scores: None

This week’s schedule: Nov. 24 at Piedmont

South Stanly girls’ basketball, 0-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley 2A/3A (1-20 last year)

Last week’s scores: None

This week’s schedule: Nov. 24 at Piedmont

West Stanly boys’ basketball, 0-1, 0-0 in Rocky River 4A/5A (10-15 last year)

Last week’s scores: Lost

SIDELINE REPORT

NBA Pelicans re Green 12 games into fth season, Borrego named interim coach

New Orleans The New Orleans Pelicans red coach Willie Green on the heels of a 2-10 start to his fth season in charge. Pelicans rst-year basketball operations chief Joe Dumars named assistant James Borrego as interim coach. Green was hired to his rst head coaching job in 2021 and has gone 150-190 in four-plus seasons. His teams made the playo s twice, losing in the rst round to Phoenix in 2022 and Oklahoma City in 2024. Borrego was formerly the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons from 2018 to 2022.

70-53 to Albemarle

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 18 vs. Charlotte Latin

• Nov. 21 at North Stanly

• Nov. 24 at Gray Stone Day

West Stanly girls’ basketball, 0-1, 0-0 in Rocky River 4A/5A (14-12 last year)

Last week’s scores: Lost 52-47 to Albemarle

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 18 vs. Charlotte Latin

• Nov. 21 at North Stanly

• Nov. 24 at Gray Stone Day

North Stanly boys’ basketball, 0-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley (22-7 last year)

Last week’s scores: None

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 19 vs. East Rowan

• Nov. 21 vs. West Stanly

North Stanly girls’ basketball, 0-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley (13-13 last year)

Last week’s scores: None

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 19 vs. East Rowan

• Nov. 21 vs. West Stanly

• Nov. 24 vs. Anson

Albemarle boys’ basketball, 1-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley (2-21 last year)

Last week’s scores: Won

70-53 vs. West Stanly

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 18 vs. Forest Hills

• Nov. 21 vs. Anson

Albemarle girls’ basketball, 1-0, 0-0 in Yadkin Valley (25-5 last year)

Last week’s scores: Won 52-47 vs. West Stanly

This week’s schedule:

• Nov. 18 vs. Forest Hills

• Nov. 21 vs. Anson

NHL Devils leading scorer Hughes out 2 months after nger surgery

Newark, N.J. New Jersey Devils leading scorer Jack Hughes is expected to be out two months after undergoing surgery to repair a nger injury. The team announced Hughes had the operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Hughes’ expected return-to-play timeline is eight weeks, and he’ll be reevaluated at the six-week mark. It wasn’t clear which nger or which hand Hughes had surgery on.

SPORTS BROADCASTING

Disney reaches new deal with YouTube TV, ending two -week blackout

New York Disney and YouTube TV have reached a new deal to bring channels like ABC and ESPN back to the Google-owned livestreaming platform. The agreement ends a blackout for customers that lasted about two weeks. Disney content went dark on YouTube TV the night of Oct. 30 after the two sides failed to reach a new licensing deal. YouTube TV subscribers were left without Disney channels on the platform — notably disrupting coverage of top college football matchups and professional sports games, among other news and entertainment o erings.

Games last week (Nov. 14)

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NOTICES NOTICES

Notice NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK 25SP000082-830 ANNMARIE STOLLE-ROCCO, Petitioner, vs. JOHN ABRUZZO, HOWARD G. STOLLE, JR., MARK STURT TRIPP, LINDA SUSAN VINICOMBE, and PATRICIA MARIE VANMIDDELEM, Respondents.

NOTICE OF SALE

Under and by virtue of an Order of the Clerk of Superior Court of Stanly County, North Carolina, entered on the 27th day of August, 2025, made in the above captioned Estate, the undersigned, was by said Order appointed Commissioner to sell the land described in the Petition, and will on the 24th day of November, 2025, at 12:00 Noon at the Stanly County Courthouse, Albemarle, North Carolina, o er for sale to the highest bidder for cash, that certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in Locust, Stanly County, North Carolina and being more particularly described as follows:

TRACT ONE BEING all of Lot 30 in Locust Valley Subdivision as shown on map thereof in Plat Book 19, page 153, Stanly County Public Registry. Reference to said plat being hereby made for a more complete description by metes and bounds. The above-described property is subject to a Declaration of Restrictive Covenants, including the creation of a homeowners association, as shown in Book 1077, page 89, Stanly County Registry. For reference see Deed Book 1166, Page 588, Stanly County Registry. For further reference see deed recorded in Book 1039, page 147, Stanly County Registry. Parcel ID: 557502665767

combinación de

That by deed dated April 16,

made by the defaulting bidder shall secure payment of the amount, if any, for which the defaulting bidder remains liable under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.30. 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

Esto informa al público de que se celebrará una audiencia pública sobre la propuesta de solicitud del Programa de Transporte Comunitario del Condado de Stanly, que debe presentarse al Departamento de Transporte de Carolina del Norte a más tardar el 30 de octubre de 2025. La audiencia pública se celebrará el 1 de diciembre de 2025 a las 18:00 horas ante los comisionados del condado de Stanly (de la junta directiva) en la sala de reuniones Gene McIntyre, situada en 1000 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001. Quienes estén interesados en asistir a la audiencia pública y necesiten ayudas auxiliares y servicios bajo la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA) o un traductor de idiomas deben contactar con Tyler Brummitt antes del 16 de noviembre de 2025, en el número de teléfono 704-986-3602 o por correo electrónico en tbrummitt@ stanlycountync.gov.

El Programa de Transporte Comunitario proporciona asistencia para coordinar los programas de transporte existentes que operan en el condado de Stanly , así como ofrece opciones y servicios de transporte para las comunidades dentro de esta área de servicio. Estos servicios se ofrecen actualmente mediante vías de demanda y respuesta y suscripción. Los servicios se prestan con furgonetas y vehículos ligeros de transporte. La cantidad total estimada solicitada para el periodo del 1 de julio de 2026 al 30 de junio de 2027.

NOTA: La cantidad de la participación local está sujeta a la disponibilidad de nanciación estatal.

Los programas de nanciación cubiertos son 5311, 5310, 5339 Bus e Instalaciones de Autobuses, 5307 (Rutas jas pequeñas, sistemas regionales y urbano-rurales consolidados)

Esta solicitud puede inspeccionarse en 1000 N. First Street, Suite 15, Albemarle, NC de 9:00 a 15:00. Los comentarios escritos deben dirigirse a Andy Lucas antes del 16 de octubre de 2025.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Section 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5339, 5307 and applicable State funding, or combination thereof.

This is to inform the public that a public hearing will be held on the proposed Stanly County Community Transportation Program Application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation no later than October 30, 2025. The public hearing will be held on December 01, 2025 at 6:00pm before the (governing board) Stanly County Commissioners in the Gene McIntyre Meeting Room located at 1000 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001.

Those interested in attending the public hearing and needing either auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a language translator should contact Tyler Brummitt on or before November 16, 2025, at telephone number 704986-3602 or via email at tbrummitt@stanlycountync.gov.

The Community Transportation Program provides assistance to coordinate existing transportation programs operating in Stanly County as well as provides transportation options and services for the communities within this service area. These services are currently provided using demand and response and subscription routes. Services are rendered by vans and light transit vehicles.

The total estimated amount requested for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

NOTE: Local share amount is subject to State funding availability.

Funding programs covered are 5311, 5310, 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities, 5307 (Small xed route, regional, and consolidated urban-rural systems)

‘Wicked: For

Good’ soundtrack, Ted Danson,

Aerosmith teams up with Yungblud for “One More Time”

The Associated Press

TED DANSON’S “A Man on the Inside” returning to Net ix for its second season, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo belting out the “Wicked: For Good” soundtrack 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: Aerosmith teaming up with Yungblud on a new EP, “The Bad Guys 2” hitting Peacock, and Jordan Peele looking at black cowboys in a new documentary series.

MOVIES TO STREAM

“Train Dreams,” (Friday on Net ix), Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Denis Johnson’s acclaimed novella, stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a railroad worker and logger in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest. The lm, scripted by Bentley and Greg Kwedar (the duo behind last year’s “Sing Sing”), conjures a frontier past to tell a story about an anonymous laborer and the currents of change around him.

The DreamWorks Animation sequel “The Bad Guys 2” (Friday on Peacock) returns the reformed criminal gang of animals for a new heist caper. In the lm, with a returning voice cast

NOTICES

‘The

Bad Guys 2,’ black cowboys

including Sam Rockwell, Awkwa na, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos and Marc Maron, the Bad Guys encounter a new robbery team: the Bad Girls. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy lamented an over-amped sequel with a plot that reaches into space: “It’s hard to watch a franchise drift so expensively and pointlessly in Earth’s orbit.”

In “The Roses,” Jay Roach (“Meet the Parents’), from a script by Tony McNamara (“Poor Things”), remakes Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy, “The War of the Roses.” In this version, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star as a loving couple who turn bitter enemies. In his review, Kennedy called “The Roses” “an escalating hate fest that, by the time a loaded gun comes out, all the fun has been sucked out.”

MUSIC TO STREAM

Musical theater fans, your time has come … again. “Wicked: For Good” is upon us, and with it comes the release of its o cial soundtrack. On Friday, after or before you catch the lm in theaters, stream its life-afrming compositions to your heart’s content. Might we suggest Grande’s “The Girl in the Bubble?” Or Erivo’s “No Place Like Home?” And for the Je Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey lovers, yes, there’s gold to be unearthed too.

Rock this way: Aerosmith is back with new music. Following their 2023 “Greatest Hits” collection and just a few months

after the conclusion of their “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” (the band said it would no longer hit the road due to singer Steven Tyler’s voice becoming permanently damaged by a vocal cord injury), they’re teaming up with next gen rock ’n’ roller Yungblud. It’s a collaborative EP called “One More Time,” out Friday. The anthemic opening track, “My Only Angel” sets the tone. What’s another one for the road?

SERIES TO STREAM

Raise your hand if you still miss “Succession” Sundays on HBO. An acclaimed Swedish drama called “Vanguard” debuts Tuesday on Viaplay that’s of the same vein. It’s a dramatization about Jan Stenbeck, one of Europe’s most in uential media moguls. There’s ambition,

betrayal and yes, sibling rivalry. Danson’s “A Man on the Inside” returns to Net ix for its second season on Thursday. Danson plays a widower named Charles who has found a new sense of purpose as an amateur private detective. In Season 1, Charles moved into a retirement home to catch his culprit. In Season 2, he goes back to college to solve a case. Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, joins the cast as Charles’s love interest as he explores the idea of a second chance at romance.

Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore co-star in “The Assassin” for AMC+. Hawes (“Bodyguard”) plays a retired assassin living in solitude on a Greek island whose peaceful life is turned upside down when her estranged son (Highmoore) comes to visit. When the two

“The Roses” is an escalating hate fest that, by the time a loaded gun comes out, all the fun has been sucked out.”

Mark Kennedy, AP Film Writer

nd themselves in danger, they must work together to stay alive. It premieres Thursday.

Peele has a new documentary series called “High Horse: The Black Cowboy” coming to Peacock on Thursday. The three-part series examines how stories of black cowboys have been erased from both pop culture and history books.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

If you bought Mario Kart World when Nintendo launched the Switch 2 back in June, you may be wondering: Do I really need another racing game? Kirby Air Riders comes from designer Masahiro Sakurai, the mastermind behind Super Smash Bros., so it adds that franchise’s chaotic combat to the mix. Each of the competitors has di erent weapons and each of the vehicles has di erent bene ts and drawbacks. And everyone can use Kirby’s signature “inhale” technique, which lets you absorb an opponent’s skills by, well, swallowing them. So if you like your racing weird, get your motor running Thursday.

Clerk’s o ce at (704) 986-3600 at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK Having quali ed as Co-Executors of

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given; a public hearing will be held by the City of Albemarle City Council pursuant to N.C.G.S. 158-7.1 on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 6:30pm or shortly thereafter in the City Council Chambers in City Hall located at 144 N. Second Street, Albemarle, North Carolina.

The purpose of the public hearing is to invite public comment on the proposed economic incentive agreement that will result in an eight (8) year, 75% business development grant between the City of Albemarle and an existing manufacturing company expanding their operations in the city limits of Albemarle, North Carolina. The grant will aid and encourage new taxable investment within the City of Albemarle and Stanly County. The company will invest an estimated $9,058,000 in equipment and create approximately 13 new jobs. The incentive agreement will be funded out of the General Fund revenues. The City of Albemarle will recover the cost from the new tax revenue, and the public will bene t from the additional property, business, and sales tax revenue, stimulation of the overall economy, and expanded employment opportunities in Albemarle and Stanly County.

All interested persons are invited to attend this hearing.

Person’s needing special assistance should contact the City Clerk’s O ce at 704-984-9411 at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000584-830 Having quali ed as Co-Executors of the estate of Sherrill Edwin Clark deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Sherrill Edwin Clark to present them to the undersigned on or before February 20, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 19th day of November, 2025 Brenda Shoe 16217 HWY 73 E Mt. Pleasant, NC 28124 Co-Executor Annette Harkey 28410 NC 73 HWY Albemarle, NC 28001 Co-Executor

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 23E000560-830 Having quali ed as Administrator CTA of the estate of Jack Delane Rowland, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Jack Delane Rowland to present them to the undersigned on or before February 6, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 5th day of November, 2025 Amanda Delane Hathcock 32189 B Old Parker Road Albemarle, NC 28001 Administrator CTAStanly

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 23E000576-830

Having quali ed as Administratrix of the estate of Kevin Otis Lee, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said Kevin Otis Lee to present them to the undersigned on or before February 6, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 5th day of November, 2025 Faith Lee 310 Fairhaven Street Florence, SC 29501 Administratrix Tia Alicia Wallace 16208 Foreleigh Road Huntersville, NC 28078-7674

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000602-830

Having quali ed as Co-Executors of the estate of William Edward Pratt deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said William Edward Pratt to present them to the undersigned on or before February 20, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 19th day of November, 2025 Gregory Allen Pratt 251 Admiral Cochrane Drive Apt 4024 Annapolis, MD 21401 Executor

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E000545-830

Having quali ed as Administrator of the estate of James Lee Williams, deceased, of Stanly County, North Carolina, This is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said James Lee Williams to present them to the undersigned on or before January 30, 2026 or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This 29th day of October, 2025 Michael Ray Williams 259 Hilltop Road Oakboro, NC 28129

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION STANLY COUNTY BEFORE THE CLERK FILE NO. 25E-000562-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Executrix of the estate of Dora

NOTICE