VOLUME 146 ISSUE 13 | WEEKEND EDITION, FEB. 14 – FEB. 15, 2026 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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Stanly NewS Journal THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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Top of the world The United States’ Elizabeth Lemley holds her gold medal after winning the women’s freestyle skiing moguls finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, on Wednesday
WHAT’S HAPPENING Judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Kelly for call to resist unlawful orders A federal judge has blocked the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that Pentagon officials have violated Kelly’s First Amendment free speech rights. Kelly, who represents Arizona, sued in federal court to block his Jan. 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers appeared on a video in which they urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not to follow unlawful military directives from the Trump administration.
House GOP pushes for stricter proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters House Republicans approved legislation that would impose strict new voter ID requirements ahead of the midterm elections. The bill passed Wednesday is a priority of President Donald Trump priority aimed at safeguarding ballot access. But it faces blowback in the Senate. Called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America, Act, the legislation requires Americans to present proof of citizenship when they register to vote and to show a valid photo identification before they cast ballots.
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Early voting opens for Stanly County primary election The period runs through Feb. 28 By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — In-person early voting for the primary election began Thursday morning in Stanly County, giving voters more than two weeks to cast ballots before March 3. Early voting is taking place at the Stanly County Commons, located at 1000 N. First St. in Albemarle. The site is open weekdays through Feb. 27 from 8 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m., as well as Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is Feb. 17; in-person requests for sick and disabled absentee ballots begin Feb. 18 and end March 2. Stanly County voters will see several local races on their primary ballots, depending on party affiliation, with registered Republicans selecting nominees in three Stanly County Board of Commissioners district races. In District 1, incumbent Mike Barbee and Lane Furr are running for the GOP nomination to face Democrat Bret Mathew in November.
TED SHAFFREY / AP PHOTO
In-person early voting got underway in Stanly County on Thursday morning. For District 2, Bill Soren- good commissioner. He underson — a current member of the stands what it takes to make Stanly school board — is set to a payroll and run a profitable face Shaun Morgan for the seat business.” Commissioner incumbent now held by Vice Chairman Bill Trent Hatley and James Cagle Lawhon. In a social media statement, are listed on the ballot for DisLawhon, who will appear as trict 4. Democratic voters will the GOP’s at-large nominee in November, endorsed Mor- choose a nominee for the gan’s candidacy for District 2: “Shaun Morgan will make a See VOTING, page A8
Pfeiffer introduces physician assistant class of 2028 The program is housed at the Center for Health Sciences By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal MISENHEIMER — Pfeiffer University announced its physician assistant class of 2028 on Wednesday in a press release, honoring a group of 28 students enrolled in the university’s master’s program. The full-time program is housed at Pfeiffer’s Center for Health Sciences in downtown Albemarle. The curriculum includes 116 credit hours divided between classroom instruction and clinical training. “This class reflects the academic strength, depth of character, clinical readiness and
commitment to service that defines Pfeiffer’s Physician Assistant Program,” said Christopher Boe, dean of the graduate school. “We are proud to welcome these students and look forward to supporting them as they prepare to serve patients in and around the community.” According to university data, students in the class of 2028 enter the program with an average of 3,125 hours of direct patient care experience. Many previously worked as medical assistants, emergency medical technicians, certified nursing assistants, scribes, phlebotomists, patient care technicians and athletic trainers. The cohort also averaged See CLASS, page A7
“We are proud to welcome these students and look forward to supporting them as they prepare to serve patients in and around the community.” Christopher Boe, dean of the graduate school