Stanly News Journal Vol. 146, Issue 17

Stanly NewS Journal

The best of U.S.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant O cer Eric Slover received the Congressional Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest military award — during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. Slover is a member of the Army’s “Night Stalkers” 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, stationed at Fort Bragg. Read more on page A7.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

FBI searches Los Angeles school district headquarters, superintendent’s home

Los Angeles

The FBI served search warrants at the Los Angeles Uni ed School District’s headquarters and the home of its superintendent. The nature of the federal investigation involving the nation’s second-largest school district and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home was not immediately clear. A davits laying out details for the basis for Wednesday’s searches were under seal. A third location near Miami was also searched. Carvalho previously led public schools in that area.

Cuba says 4 killed in speedboat shooting were attempting to in ltrate the country

Havana Cuba says the 10 passengers on a boat that opened re on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to in ltrate the island and unleash terrorism. The announcement late Wednesday came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened re on the soldiers rst. Cuba’s government says the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is gathering its own information.

Albemarle Police welcomes new o cers, announces promotions

The department formalized the changes on Feb. 17

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle Police Department recently held a swearing-in and promotion ceremony, marking the addition of ve new o cers and the rank advancement of eight others.

Elected o cials, community leaders and family members attended the event on Feb. 17, where Judge T. Thai Vang administered the oath of o ce to the department’s newest o cers.

The newly sworn o cers are James Alexson, a former U.S. Marine Corps member who began his law enforcement career in Union County; and Tanner Lang, Christopher Linker, Marcus Patrick and Trenton Scott, all of whom graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training in December 2025.

The department also announced a series of o cer promotions.

Elevated to sergeant were Douglas Austin, who has more than 20 years of law enforcement and military service; Douglas Edwards, an APD member since 2016; Cody

Stanly Arts Guild to celebrate grand reopening in downtown Albemarle

The event is scheduled for March 7

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — One of Stanly County’s leading arts organizations has a new place to call home.

On March 7, the Stanly Arts Guild will celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand reopening at its new gallery at 152 W. Main St. in downtown Albemarle.

Hosted in partnership with the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce, the event — scheduled for 11 a.m. — will signify the unveiling of the guild’s new gallery space as the pub-

lic is invited to explore exhibits and shop local artwork.

The guild, whose previous gallery was located at 330 N. Second St., held a soft opening Tuesday at its new location.

In a statement released afterward, the organization thanked supporters.

“What a lovely welcome from so many during our soft opening today!” the statement said. “There are so many to thank. Thank you, Uwharrie Bank for believing in us. Thank you, Stanly Arts Council and NC Arts Council for your unwavering support. Thank you to those who have worked tirelessly to make the swift move. Thank you to our

See POLICE, page A5 See ARTS, page A8

“It

is truly a gift to be able to continue the legacy of art in our community.”

Stanly Arts Guild

The legal team has served Stanly County since 1923

By Melinda Burris Stanly News Journal

RICHFIELD — Davis & Davis Attorneys at Law were honored in January by having all eight of its practicing attorneys named to the 2026 Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite. Less than 4% of lawyers in the state receive this recognition, bestowed by attorneys on attorneys.

“We are very honored by the recognition,” said Phillip Vargo, one of the lawyers from Davis Law Firm who received

CRIME LOG

Feb. 17

• Norman Anthony Marsh, 51, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Kevin Lee Harvel, 49, was arrested for felony larceny of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering a place of worship, attempted felony breaking or entering a building, possession of burglary tools, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, larceny after breaking and entering, defacing a public building, breaking or entering a motor vehicle and misdemeanor larceny.

• David Alan Ritter, 42, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.

• Elijah Jequal Potts, 25, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance, carrying a concealed gun, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, expired registration and resisting a public o cer.

• Jayce Anthony Fraley, 18, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in icting

“We

Attorney Phillip Vargo

the award. “Unlike many other awards, the North Carolina Legal Elite Class is selected by fellow attorneys. We strive to be excellent advocates for our clients and being recognized by attorneys we work alongside and respect is deeply humbling.”

Davis Law Firm has been a presence in North Carolina for more than 75 years, with its agship o ce located in Salisbury. When it came

time to expand in the fall of 2023, Vargo and fellow attorney A. Michael Davis agreed that Stanly County was a great t due to its proximity to the rm’s main o ce and also the need at the time for more active lawyers in the county.

The daily activities of the Rich eld o ce for Davis & Davis are overseen in large part by paralegal Samantha Miles, a native of Stanly County.

“She is often the rst person clients meet when they come into our o ce and the rst voice they hear when they call,” said Vargo. “She is instrumental to our success. ... It would be impossible for us to do our jobs without her, and she deserves signi cant credit.”

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Stanly County:

March 1

Believe National Talent Competition (Final Day)

The three-day Believe National Talent Competition concludes at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, featuring dancers from studios across the region competing on a professional stage before certi ed judges. The event began Feb. 27 and admission for spectators varies by session.

Stanly Agri-Civic Center 26032 Newt Road Albemarle

serious injury and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling or moving vehicle.

Feb. 18

• Robert Richard Foley, 60, was arrested for felony larceny and larceny by employee.

• James Clayton Williams, 44, was arrested for possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

• Autumn Gayle Farr, 19, was arrested for assault and battery and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Feb. 19

• Virginia Leigh Allman, 42, was arrested for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon.

Feb. 20

• Jesus Hernandez, 48, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving without an operator’s license and possession of an open container or consuming alcohol in a passenger area.

• Terry Milton Spinks, 36, was arrested for driving while impaired.

Feb. 21

• Melissa Johnanne Beaver, 31, was arrested for misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and simple assault.

• Shequilla Antoinette Lisenby, 38, was arrested for assault by strangulation and assault and battery.

Feb. 22

• Je ery Lee Dacks, 46, was arrested for driving while impaired and speeding.

• Christopher Lamont McRae, 33, was arrested for assault by strangulation, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and misdemeanor larceny.

• Jose Flores Gonzalez, 31, was arrested for driving while impaired.

• Rodney Jonathan Turner, 55, was arrested for injury to real property.

March

5

Stanly County Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner

5:30 p.m.

The Stanly County Chamber of Commerce marks its 90th year with its Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, presenting awards in categories including Ambassador of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year and the newly established Nonpro t Organization of the Year. Tickets are $50 per person and available at stanlychamber.org.

Magnolia Room, AtriumHealth Stanly Atrium Health Stanly Albemarle

March 7

Dwight J. Dennis Memorial Photography Exhibition 10 a.m.

The Stanly Arts Guild’s annual photography exhibition and competition, named in honor of late member Dwight J. Dennis, is open to the public through March 14, with the gallery open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The juried show awards $600 in prizes across rst, second, and third place, with two honorable mentions. Admission is free.

Stanly Arts Guild & Gallery 152 West Main St. Albemarle

THE CONVERSATION

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

VISUAL VOICES

Judicial tyranny is a threat to the rule of law

Just because someone is wearing a black robe doesn’t mean they’re upholding the rule of law.

JUST BECAUSE someone is wearing a black robe doesn’t mean they’re upholding the rule of law. Consider some recent judicial rulings.

Last November, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem published a notice ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. Leave aside the merits of that decision. The law is clear that this decision belongs to the Trump administration. Congress created TPS in 1990. It applies to citizens of other countries living in the United States. It o ers recipients temporary legal protection after their home country has been a ected by a natural disaster or other hardship. Basically, the government says things in your home country are so terrible that it won’t force you to leave or deport you.

The Secretary of Homeland Security decides which countries t this description. The designation can last for six, 12 or 18 months. Before a designation expires, the secretary can choose to extend it or end it. In the case of Haiti, the impetus for this “temporary” status was a 2010 earthquake.

“There is no judicial review of any determination of the Attorney General with respect to the designation, or termination or extension of a designation, of a foreign state under this subsection,” the law states. After 9/11, Congress moved authority over enforcing immigration law from the attorney general to the DHS secretary.

The takeaway is clear. A judge doesn’t get to second-guess Noem’s decision. Doing so

wouldn’t just violate the law, it would run afoul of recent Supreme Court precedent. In a 6-to-3 ruling last October, the Supreme Court smacked down a California judge who told DHS it couldn’t end TPS for Venezuelan nationals.

That didn’t stop District Court Judge Ana Reyes. Earlier this month, she ordered the Trump administration to keep TPS in place for Haitians. Her ruling reads like a screed one would nd on Bluesky, the social media app for liberals seeking sanctuary from conservatives.

She admits that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction over Noem’s decision. But plainti s challenged “how the Secretary went about making her determination.”

Yes, that’s as absurd as it sounds. It requires deeming that “any determination” doesn’t actually mean “any determination.”

Unfortunately, Reyes isn’t the only judge who’s more interested in outcomes than applying the law.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled recently that the Trump administration can detain people it wants to deport. But two Texas judges, who should have been bound by that precedent, quickly found a workaround. District Judge David Briones said longtime illegal immigrants had a “liberty interest” in not being detained.

Criminals everywhere nodded in agreement. Law-abiding citizens, not so much.

Ironically, the disgraced Je rey Toobin identi ed the underlying problem in a

recent New York Times column. He wrote about the American Constitution Society and its new president, Phil Brest. The group is trying to become a left-wing Federalist Society. Its goal is “to expand the use of the courts to oppose President (Donald) Trump’s agenda,” Toobin wrote.

But while leftist judges are clear on their enemy, they aren’t sure about their alternative.

“As for what those judges will stand for — as opposed to what they stand against — Mr. Brest has no clear answer,” Toobin wrote.

Understand what’s happening here. Since Democrats in Congress can’t stop Trump, leftist judges are actively working to thwart his agenda. They aren’t neutrally applying a coherent judicial philosophy. They don’t have one.

This violates the separation of powers. It’s poison to the rule of law. It’s the result of the left’s embrace of critical theory worldview, which holds that truth is relative. Adherents believe that power, not principle, is all that matters.

Liberal judges can’t undo the 2024 election results, but they want to strip Trump of his constitutional authority.

This is judicial tyranny — a grave threat to the country’s constitutional order.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the “Sharpening Arrows” podcast. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Government subsidies killed the EV industry

If you want to kill an industry, subsidize it.

HERE’S A DEPRESSING but all-too -predictable headline from The Wall Street Journal last week: “Detroit’s EV Pullback Is Costing $50 Billion.”

Yikes. That’s a lot of money for the American auto industry to lose. Once again, we have con rmation of an iron law of economics: If you want to kill an industry, subsidize it.

The best recent example of this rule is the green energy industry (solar and wind power), which has been heavily boosted with taxpayer dollars for almost 50 years now and is still an inconsequential form of overall energy supply. Dozens of promising rms like Solyndra collected billions of taxpayer dollars and were supposed to be the energy companies of the future. Now they lie in rest in the business-bust cemetery.

But perhaps an even bigger waste of money has been the tens of billions of taxpayer dollars that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden threw at the electric vehicle industry.

I have nothing against EVs. I own a hybrid, which our family likes a lot. Teslas are great cars. But the Biden administration was so obsessed with ending fossil fuel consumption overnight they didn’t even support hybrids. With the Biden team and the climate-change fanatics, it was total

and immediate transition to electric cars. Or bust.

Well, it’s been mostly bust. My group Unleash Prosperity warned repeatedly during the Biden years that the auto industry was sowing the seeds of its own destruction by getting hooked on the fool’s pro ts of taxpayer handouts for EVs. These included a $7,500 tax credit to entice people to buy an EV, billions of dollars of manufacturing subsidies, free charging stations, choice parking spaces and other special treatments.

The Big Three auto rms got suckered into just what we counseled against: building cars for the politicians, not the car buyers. The problem has been that the know-it-alls in Washington ignored one key feature of the car-buying public: We Americans have a love a air with our cars. We were never going to allow the politicians to tell us what kind of car to buy and drive.

EVs also became knotted up in partisan politics. They became known as “Biden cars.” In this polarized nation, half of Americans hated Biden and his policies. Republican voters weren’t going to obey his car-buying commandment.

EV sales were also stalled by countless horror stories of drivers being stranded in the mountains with no juice left in the battery, or cars not starting on frigid winter

mornings. This made car buyers wary. Also, there have been legitimate concerns about putting the entire transportation system on the strained electric grid system.

So despite all the federal and state handouts to the industry, EV sales fell by half in 2025 once the tax credit expired last year. Sales have fallen to their lowest level in four years. Over the past six months, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis all lost money thanks to overinvestment in EVs. The unsold cars are now piling up on the dealer lots. (Now might not be a bad time to buy an EV. The deals are out there.)

Elon Musk may well be right that electric cars will be the vehicles of choice in the future as battery technology continues to improve. Their costs will fall, the batteries will allow motorists to drive farther without recharging, and the reliability will undoubtedly rise.

But for that future to unfold, keep the government as far away from the auto industry as possible. To slightly alter a phrase from Justice John Marshall, the power to tax and the power to subsidize is the power to destroy.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

IN MEMORY

DAVID LEE MILLS

DEC. 3, 1939 – FEB. 20, 2026

David Lee Mills, 76, of Albemarle, North Carolina, entered his heavenly home on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis, surrounded by the love of his family.

die, but it sure would be inconvenient.”

David also embraced adventure, riding his motorcycle across the country twice, collecting tractors, and spending time at the East Albemarle Xpress Lube, swapping stories and laughter with friends. Wherever he went, joy seemed to follow.

Jason Alexander Trexler

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

Feb. 8, 1983 – Feb. 23, 2026

Jason Alexander Trexler, 43, of Albemarle, passed away on Monday, February 23, 2026.

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Gar eld.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in the chapel of Stanly Funeral Home in Albemarle, o ciated by Rev. Don Burleyson and Rev. Rodney Quesenbury. The family will receive friends from 1:30 p.m. until 2:45 p.m., prior to the service.

Born February 8, 1983, in Mecklenburg County, Jason was the son of Joe Alexander Trexler of Andrews, NC, and Teresa Trexler Smith of Albemarle. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Joshua Trexler of Fletcher, NC, adopted half-brothers, Roger FurrTrexler, Dax Furr-Trexler, and stepbrothers, Chuck Furr, and William Smith, and his maternal grandfather, David Hatley of Albemarle.

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

Jason had a deep love for the outdoors and found great joy in hiking and spending time in nature. He enjoyed a good game of Scrabble, working crossword puzzles, and “Magic the Gathering”. He enjoyed caring for animals. He had a green thumb and a love for horticulture and could ID most species of plants in North Carolina. He was often the smartest person in the room. Known for his warm spirit and easygoing nature, Jason was a very likable person with a wonderful personality who would do anything to help a friend. He will be remembered for his kindness and genuine heart.

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Trexler family.

Dwight Farmer

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

A memorial service celebrating David’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at First Baptist Church of Albemarle, with Rev. Dr. Kendell Cameron o ciating. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service.

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran.

He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheri ’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

James Roseboro

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

Born in Stanly County, North Carolina, David was the beloved son of the late Arlie Junior Mills and Bertha Wright Mills. Following graduation from Albemarle High School in 1968, he proudly served in the US Navy. He built his life on faith, hard work, and an unwavering love for others. After retiring as a supervisor with Alcoa, he continued working as a truck driver for Terminal Trucking and Shoe Show. No matter the job, David approached it with integrity, dedication, and a smile that made the day brighter for everyone around him.

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

A faithful member of First Baptist Church of Albemarle, David’s life was anchored in his love for the Lord. John 3:16 was more than a

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

favorite verse—it was the foundation of how he lived. His faith was evident in his servant’s heart, his quiet generosity, and the way he made every person feel valued. He was one of the happiest, most encouraging souls you could ever meet—quick with a joke, gifted with a contagious laugh, and always ready to lift someone’s spirits. To know David was to be cared for. His family remembers him as loving, devoted, and completely sel ess. Family was his greatest earthly joy, second only to his relationship with Christ. He treasured every gathering, every shared meal, every simple moment together. His familiar words, “Can I get you anything?” were not just a question—they were the expression of a heart that delighted in serving others. Whether delivering doughnuts to surprise someone, o ering a steady listening ear, or simply showing up when needed, David made people feel seen and loved.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

KENNETH EUGENE CROSS

DEC. 28, 1948 – FEB. 20, 2026

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

Kenneth Eugene Cross, 77, passed away peacefully at his home in Fries, Virginia, surrounded by his loving children, on Friday, February 20, 2026, at 6:58 p.m.

Born December 28, 1948, in Dry Fork, West Virginia, Kenneth was the son of the late Alanzo Luke Cross and Liza Wilfong Cross. He was a proud veteran of the United States Army, having served his country during the Vietnam War. His service was a source of great honor to him and to those who loved him.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty. Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

Above all, David lived to love—to serve, to encourage and to re ect Christ in the way he treated others. His presence brought warmth into every room, and his absence will be deeply felt.

John B. Kluttz

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

He found happiness in life’s simple pleasures: a strong cup of co ee, good food, and the classic country music of the 80s and 90s. Conway Twitty, Brooks & Dunn, and especially Alan Jackson lled the soundtrack of his days—because to David, that was “real country.” He loved Westerns and admired Roy Rogers as his lifelong hero. He could quote lines from Lonesome Dove with perfect timing, especially his favorite: “I ain’t afraid to

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

Kenneth went on to build a life de ned by hard work and dedication. He retired from Collins & Aikman, where he worked

SHIRLEY JEANETTE

THOMPSON TUCKER

MARCH 7, 1943 – FEB. 21, 2026

Shirley Jeanette Thompson Tucker, 82, of Albemarle, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Forrest Oaks Healthcare.

Born on March 7, 1943, in Montgomery County, North Carolina, Shirley was the cherished daughter of the late Macie Alvin Thompson and Mary Magdalene Thompson. She was a woman of warmth, strength and deep devotion to her family and faith.

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

as a forklift operator. Known for his steady work ethic and quiet strength, he provided faithfully for his family throughout the years.

A devoted member of Union Chapel Methodist Church, Kenneth’s faith was an important part of his life. Above all, he cherished the time he spent with his children and grandchildren. He found his greatest joy in family gatherings, shared stories, and watching the generations grow.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Susan Elaine Arbogast Cross, who passed away on October 4, 2016.

Doris Jones Coleman

He is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Angela Coley Mills; his children, Leigh Anne Mills Hester (Chuck) of Benson and Jonathan David Mills (Danielle) of New London; and his precious grandchildren, Abram Mills, Bijou Hester, and Leighton Mills, who were truly the light of his life. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his sister, Elizabeth.

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

In lieu of owers, memorials may be made in David’s memory to First Baptist Church, 202 N. Second Street, Albemarle, NC 28001, or to Atrium Health Hospice and Palliative Care, 7800 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28226.

David’s legacy is one of steadfast faith, joyful service, deep love for family, and simple kindness. His was a life beautifully lived and generously given—deeply loved and forever remembered.

When John purchased his rst Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

He is survived by his children: Brett Kenneth Cross and wife Susan of Albemarle; Robert Eugene Cross and wife Betty of Albemarle; Brenda Sue Cross Whitley of Albemarle; and Rebecca Elaine Sides and

those around her.

A faithful member of White Crest Baptist Church, Shirley’s life was grounded in her Christian faith. She found great joy in simple pleasures: shopping, spending time with her family, celebrating the holidays, playing bingo, ower arranging and doing crafts. Her home was often lled with laughter, love and the comfort of togetherness.

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long ght in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away ghting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.

husband Arlie of Fries, Virginia. He is also survived by his brother, Delmar Cross of Perry, Ohio. Kenneth leaves behind numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will continue to carry his memory in their hearts.

At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily. While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

Shirley was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William Ashley Tucker, who passed away on March 1, 2003, as well as her sister, Jennell Strickland.

Darrick Baldwin

Shirley earned CNA certi cation and dedicated many years of caring service while working at Britthaven Nursing Center. Her compassion for others was evident both in her professional life and in the way she loved

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

She leaves behind a loving family who will forever treasure her memory: three sons, Bobby Tucker (Carolyn), Barry Tucker (Angela), and William Tucker (Sandra), all of Albemarle; one daughter, Sherisa Tucker of Hendersonville; and brother, Gary Thompson (Toni) of Mt. Gilead; grandchildren Stephanie,

2-time WNBA champion Kara Braxton dead at 43 after fatal car crash

Georgia’s SEC Freshman of the Year spent 10 seasons in the WNBA

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in SCJ at obits@stanlyjournal.com

By Doug Feinberg

The Associated Press

TWO-TIME WNBA champion Kara Braxton died after being in a car crash in Atlanta on Saturday. She was 43.

The athletic department at

Georgia, where Braxton played in college, texted The Associated Press con rmation of her death on Monday and posted on social media. Her son, Jelani Thurman, posted a photo of his younger self in his mother’s jersey on social media and wrote that he we will miss his “queen.” Braxton last played in the WNBA in 2014 while nishing up a four-year stint with New York. She won two titles with

Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.

The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday evening at Stanly Funeral & Cremation Care in Albemarle. Memorials may be made to Butter y House, 923 North Second Street, Albemarle, NC 28001. Kenneth will be remembered as a devoted father and grandfather, a faithful friend, and a man who loved his country, his church, and his family deeply. His legacy of strength, service, and quiet kindness will live on in all who knew him.

Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.

Makayla, Madeline, Emily, Josh, Lindsey, Ashley, Angela; and great-grandchildren Gareth, Keaton, Joyanna, Camille, Annaleigh, Ryder, Harleigh, Jericho and Evie. Her legacy of love and devotion will continue through them and all who were blessed to know her.

A funeral service will be held at noon on Wednesday at Stanly Funeral & Cremation Care (SFCC), o ciated by Rev. Tab Whitley. Burial will follow at Stanly Garden of Memory. The family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until noon prior to the service at the funeral home.

John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.

Shirley will be remembered for her loving heart, her steady faith, and the joy she found in being surrounded by family. Her gentle spirit and kind presence will be deeply missed but forever held close in the hearts of those she loved. What’s your fondest memory of Shirley?

This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men.

the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008.

She celebrated her birthday last week.

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton,” the league said on social media on Sunday night. “A 10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time.”

Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was sel ess, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.

moved to Tulsa in 2010 before getting traded to Phoenix for the second half of the year.

Braxton then played the rst 18 games in Phoenix in 2011 before being acquired by New York. She played with the Liberty until 2014 when she was waived after playing four games.

The 6-foot-6 Braxton was drafted by Detroit with the seventh pick in 2005. She earned All-Rookie honors that season after averaging 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds.

She played half of a season with the franchise when it

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Rich eld, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; ve great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom

“We mourn the loss of Kara Braxton, a former Liberty player whose presence and passion left a lasting impact on our organization and the women’s game,” the Liberty posted on social media.

Braxton was SEC Freshman of the Year for Georgia in 2002. Thurman played football for Ohio State and won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024. He has since transferred to North Carolina.

Christening gowns for each of her Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond

The depositions marked the rst time a former president has been forced to testify before Congress

By Stephen Groves The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told U.S. House lawmakers on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes at the start of two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.

“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” Hillary Clinton said in an opening statement she shared on social media.

The closed-door depositions in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, a typically quiet hamlet north of New York City, come after months of tense back-and-forth between the former high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. It will be the rst time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress.

Yet the demand for a reckoning over Epstein’s abuse of underage girls has become a near-unstoppable force on Capitol Hill and beyond.

from page A1

Bunce, who joined the department in 2017 and has served as a eld training o cer since 2020; and Amy Hartsell, an APD member since 2019 and a certi ed general instructor.

Promoted to lieutenant were Phillip Huneycutt, an APD member since 2016 who leads the SWAT and Training Division; David Salyers, who brings extensive investigative and leadership experience; Brian Lear, who has nearly 25 years with the department and specializes in collision reconstruction and investigations; and Brandon Tipton, an 11-year veteran and Special Olympics coordinator. Albemarle Police Chief Ryan Manley praised the honorees and emphasized the department’s commitment to the community.

“Tonight, we celebrate not only achievement but the continued promise to serve Albemarle with honor and dedi-

retary of state to address sex tra cking as another reason to insist on her deposition. The committee’s investigation has sought to understand why the Department of Justice under previous presidential administrations did not seek further charges against Epstein following a 2008 arrangement in which he pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl but avoided federal charges. Yet conspiracy theories, especially on the right, have swirled for years around the Clintons and their connections to Epstein and Maxwell, who argues she was wrongfully convicted. Republicans have long wanted to press the Clintons for answers.

President Donald Trump, a Republican who has expressed regret that the Clintons are being forced to testify, bowed last year to pressure to release case les on Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. The Clintons, too, agreed to testify after their o ers of sworn statements were rebu ed by the Oversight panel and its chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.

“To our o cers and their families, thank you for your sacri ce and service.”

Ryan Manley, Albemarle police chief

cation,” Manley said. “To our o cers and their families, thank you for your sacri ce and service.”

The ceremony arrived a day before the police chief released a Feb. 18 social media video documenting the department’s work in January, which he described as “an unusual and di cult month for our community.”

Following the homicide of a juvenile on Jan. 14, APD conducted an investigation that resulted in four arrests connected to the case.

“We are placing additional emphasis on youth crime prevention,” Manley said. “Solving this issue will take more than APD; it will take strong community partnerships.”

In January, APD responded to more than 2,100 calls for service. O cers made an arrest in the month’s only robbery case, which was not random and involved individuals who knew each other. Police reported three aggravated assault cases, two of which resulted in arrests.

Additionally, drug enforcement e orts led to two felony arrests and four misdemeanor arrests; seized in January were two grams of crack cocaine, two grams of fentanyl and ve grams of methamphetamine.

On the city’s streets, trafc enforcement last month resulted in 44 speeding citations, four reckless driving cases and two DWI arrests.

“We have a very clear record that we’ve been willing to talk about,” Hillary Clinton said in an interview with the BBC earlier this month. She added that her husband had own with Epstein for charitable trips and that she did not recall meeting Epstein but had interacted with Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and condant, at conferences hosted by the Clinton Foundation.

Maxwell, a British socialite, also attended the 2010 wedding of their daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

“We are more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behavior or their crimes, and we want to do it in public,” Hillary Clinton said.

Bill Clinton, however, has emerged as a top target for Republicans amid the political struggle over who receives the most scrutiny for their ties to Epstein. Several photos of the former president were included in the rst tranche of Epstein les released by the Department of Justice in January, including a number of him with women whose faces were redacted. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein.

Comer has also pointed to Hillary Clinton’s work as sec-

“I mean, if you’re the wife of Bill Clinton, aren’t you going to have some questions about your husband’s activities?” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a member of the House Oversight Committee. “We only go where the facts take us. We didn’t put the president and the secretary in this position. They put themselves in it.” Democrats, now being led by a new generation of politicians, have prioritized transparency around Epstein over defending the former leaders of their party. Several Democratic lawmakers joined with Republicans on the Oversight panel to advance the contempt of Congress charges against the Clintons last month. Several said they had no relationship with the Clintons and owed no loyalty to them.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said that both Republican and Democratic administrations “have failed survivors in not getting more information out to the public.” He also said he wanted to ask about Epstein’s possible ties to foreign governments. Democrats are also coming o an e ort this week to confront Trump about his administration’s handling of the Epstein les by taking women who survived Epstein’s abuse as their guests to Trump’s State of the Union address. Even senior Democrats, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, said it was appropriate for the committee to interview anyone, including the former president, who was connected to Epstein.

“We want to hear from everyone,” Pelosi said, adding that she did not see why Hillary Clinton was being interviewed and that it was important to “believe survivors.”

Old Apollo rocks shed new light on moon’s magnetic eld long ago

Ancient moon rocks show powerful but eeting magnetic eld spikes

By Marcia Dunn

The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

Lunar rocks collected by Apollo astronauts more than half a century ago are providing a fresh take on the moon’s mysterious magnetic eld, scientists reported Wednesday.

Samples to be retrieved by future moonwalkers in NASA’s new Artemis program should yield even more clues. Four Artemis astronauts are expected to y around the moon in a crucial test ight, blasting o as early as April from Kenne-

dy Space Center after weeks of delays.

The study by University of Oxford researchers in England suggests that while the moon’s magnetic eld has been weak during most of its existence, it strengthened and even exceeded Earth’s magnetic activity during extremely brief periods 3 billion to 4 billion years ago. Their ndings appear in the journal Nature Geoscience. Magnetic elds help to shield against dangerous cosmic rays and, in the case of Earth, the sun’s harsh radiation as well.

The moon had “incredibly short spikes in high magnetic eld strength” lasting no more than 5,000 years and possibly as short as a few decades, the result of melting titanium-rich

rocks deep within the moon, said lead author Claire Nichols.

Scientists previously theorized that the lunar magnetic eld remained strong for long stretches based on their analysis of rocks fetched by Apollo moonwalkers from 1969 through 1972. With Artemis astronauts exploring the moon’s south polar region instead of the low-latitude lava plains of Apollo days, the new samples should shed even more light on the moon’s ancient magnetism. Nichols and her team pored over earlier measurements of the Apollo samples and found that high titanium levels corresponded with preserved traces of high magnetic activity. Rocks from the rst and last moon landings — Apollo 11 and Apollo

17 — were loaded with titanium.

“We have found a missing link,” Nichols said in an email.

Magnetic eld activity can be “intermittently really strong and may uctuate far more than we have traditionally thought.”

The researchers consider the Apollo samples not representative of what’s found on the moon because they came from similar locales where titanium abounded, after being shoved to the surface through volcanic eruptions.

Future Artemis astronauts plan to study ancient rocks near the south pole where permanently shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice.

Understanding the history of the moon’s magnetic shield “is critical for thinking about planetary habitability,” Nichols said.

Harvard researchers used a friction test to decode squeaky

By Adithi Ramakrishnan

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — As he watched the Boston Celtics play from the stands of TD Garden, one noise kept catching Adel Djellouli’s ear.

“This squeaking sound when players are sliding on the oor is omnipresent,” he said. “It’s always there, right?”

Squeaky shoes are part of the symphony of a basketball game, when rubber soles rasp against the hardwood oors as players jab step, cut and pivot and defenders move their feet to stay in front of their assignment.

Returning home from the game, Djellouli wondered how that sound was produced. And as a materials scientist at Harvard University, he had a way to nd out.

Djellouli and colleagues slid a sneaker against a smooth glass plate over and over. They recorded the squeaks with a microphone and lmed the whole thing with a high speed camera to see what was happening under the shoe.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they described what they found. As the shoe works hard to keep its grip, tiny sections of the sole change shape as they momentarily lose then regain contact with the oor thousands of times per second — at a frequency that matches the

pitch of the loud squeak we hear.

“That squeaking is basically your shoe rippling, or creating wrinkles that travel super fast. They repeat at a high frequency, and this is why you get that squeaky noise,” Djellouli said.

The grip patterns on the soles may also play a role. When researchers slid blocks of at, featureless rubber against the glass, they saw a series of chaotic, disorganized

ripples but didn’t hear squeaks.

The ridge-like designs on the bottom of your shoes may organize the bursts to produce a clear, high-pitched sound.

Other researchers have studied these kinds of bursts before, but this sneaker study examines friction happening at much faster speeds. And for the rst time, it links the speedy pulses with the squeaking sound they produce.

These insights don’t just serve to satisfy the curiosity of a basketball fan. They could also help answer important practical questions.

“Friction is one of the oldest and most intricate problems in physics,” wrote physicist Bart Weber in an editorial accompanying the new research.

Yet, despite its practical importance, he wrote, “it is dicult to predict and control.”

“That squeaking is basically your shoe rippling, or creating wrinkles that travel super fast. They repeat at a high frequency, and this is why you get that squeaky noise.”

Adel Djellouli, Harvard University materials scientist

Understanding friction better could help scientists better understand how the Earth’s tectonic plates slide and grind during earthquakes, for example, or to save energy by reducing friction and wear. It could also help eliminate moments o the court when squeaky shoes can be a little awkward or embarrassing, such as in a quiet o ce hallway. This research doesn’t o er a x, though the internet has plenty of advice that may be risky, including rubbing soap or a dryer sheet on the soles. But some of the insights from the study could help to design squeak-free shoes in the future.

For example, one additional experiment found that changing the thickness of the rubber could make the squeak sound lower or higher in pitch. In the future, could we ne-tune our shoes to squeak in a pitch so high we can’t even hear it?

“We can now start designing for it,” said Weber, who is with the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography and the University of Amsterdam, in an interview. “We can start making interfaces that either do it if we want to hear this sound, or don’t do it if we don’t want to hear it.”

Army pilot from Fort Bragg awarded Medal of Honor

He su ered four gunshot wounds while landing his helicopter in Venezuela

By Konstantin Toropin

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

Trump said Army Chief Warrant O cer 5 Eric Slover, who appeared using a walker, was the pilot of the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” where Maduro was staying. The raid, while successful, left seven U.S. service members with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.

“While preparing to land, enemy machine guns red from every angle, and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another,” Trump said, adding that Slover “absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”

Months of covert planning led to the brazen operation that plunged the South American country’s capital into darkness as troops in ltrated Maduro’s home and whisked him to the United States to face drug trafcking charges.

Trump’s description of Slover’s actions that night offer a new, detailed glimpse into the military action that has been largely shrouded in secrecy since it was carried out in the early hours of Jan. 3.

As Slover prepared to land his helicopter, he was confronted with “two machine gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous planes,” according to Trump.

“Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives

Eric A. Slover

Rank:

Branch: U.S. Army

Con ict: Venezuela (Operation Absolute Resolve)

Action Date: Jan. 3, 2026

Action location: Caracas, Venezuela

“Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy and let

his gunners eliminate the threat.”

President Donald Trump

and souls to face the enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat,” Trump said, “saving the lives of his fellow warriors from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.”

The president said “the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinged on Eric’s ability to take searing pain.”

Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Joint Special Operations Command, presented Slover with the Medal of Honor in the gallery overlooking the House chamber. Slover, 45, was in his dress uniform and used a walker to steady himself. Trump said

the soldier was still recovering from his wounds.

Lt. Col. Allie Scott, a spokeswoman for Army Special Operations Command, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Slover enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 2005 and, after completing basic training, attended Warrant O cer Candidate School and ight school, where he became a Chinook pilot.

Scott would not provide any further details on the units Slover had been assigned to during his Army service.

But, in his career of more than 20 years, Slover was given multiple prestigious awards for his service. They include two Distinguished Flying Crosses — including one with a V Device for valor — two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals and two Air Medals, among other awards and decorations, according to records provided by Scott.

Slover was awarded one of his Distinguished Flying Crosses just several years into his service while deployed to Afghanistan, according to a unit magazine available online. Slover, then serving with the

82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, was one of six aviators to receive the prestigious award for “acts of heroism during aviation operations in southern Afghanistan” at Kandahar aireld, according to the January 2010 issue.

Slover’s records also say he has been awarded a Purple Heart.

Trump said 10 other service members who took part in the operation will be receiving medals at a private ceremony soon to be held at the White House.

The military typically shies away from publicly identifying service members who serve in special operations units, often going so far as to blur faces of troops undergoing training for admission into the elite units.

In addition to Slover, Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to retired Capt. E. Royce Williams, a Navy pilot who shot down multiple Soviet jets during the Korean War, upgrading his existing award of a Navy Cross. Trump called the 100-year-old former ghter pilot “one of the last living legends.”

Summers, former Treasury secretary, to resign from

teaching at Harvard during review

His name appeared hundreds of times in newly released Epstein les

By Collin Binkley

The Associated Press

FORMER U.S. TREASURY

Secretary Larry Summers will resign from teaching at Harvard University as the campus reviews his ties to the late convicted sex o ender Je rey Epstein, the university announced Wednesday.

Summers, who has been on leave since November and whose name appeared hundreds of times in newly released Epstein les, will step down at the end of the school year, according to a statement from Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton.

“Professor Summers has announced that he will retire from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of this academic year and will remain on leave until that time,” Newton said.

In a statement, Summers said it was a di cult decision and expressed gratitude to the students and colleagues he worked with over 50 years, including ve as Harvard’s president.

“Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues,” Summers said.

The Justice Department’s latest release has rippled through academia, uncovering Epstein’s ties to numerous researchers who sought his funding and his friendship even after he became a convicted sex o ender. Summers’ resignation follows that of Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel laureate, who on Tuesday announced

of Epstein ties

he would step down as co-director of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Summers served as treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton and went on to lead Harvard for ve years starting in 2001.

A trove of les released by the government cast new light on Summers’ relationship with Epstein, which spanned years and included visits to one another at their homes in Massachusetts and New York. The two traded emails on topics ranging from politics and the economy to women and romance.

Summers, who has been married for 20 years, consulted Epstein on a separate relationship with a woman he was tutoring in economics, according to emails from 2018 and 2019. Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wing man” and encouraged persistence. In a 2018 email, Summers said the wom-

“I look forward to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues.”

Larry Summers

an was never his student but he had “known her father for 20 plus years as Chinese economic o cial.”

“I have a very good life w Lisa kids etc.,” Summers said in a 2018 email, referencing his wife. “Easy to put at risk for something that might not materialize at all or if it does might prove transient.”

In a 2016 email, Summers appeared to use a slur for Asian people while discussing an upcoming meeting between Ep-

stein and an o cial from a Chinese university. Responding to previous revelations, Summers last year said he had “great regrets in my life” and that his association with Epstein was a “major error in judgement.”

Harvard o cials have publicly said little about Summers’ relationship. When Summers went on leave last year, the university said it was reviewing “individuals at Harvard” who were in the Epstein documents “to evaluate what actions may be warranted.”

Epstein’s ties to Harvard were the focus of a 2020 campus report nding that the nancier gave more than $9 million to the Ivy League school, mostly for a center founded by math and biology professor Martin Nowak. The report did not mention Summers’ relationship with Epstein. Nowak was later disciplined by Harvard.

In December, Summers was dealt a lifetime ban from the

American Economic Association, a nonpro t scholarly association dedicated to economic research, over his Epstein ties. He has also left the board of directors at OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

At Columbia, Axel said in a statement Tuesday that he regretted his association with Epstein, calling it a “serious error in judgment.” He said he is also giving up his position as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute but will continue to research and teach in his laboratory at the Zuckerman Institute in Manhattan.

Axel was one of the 2004 winners of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discoveries related to the human olfactory system. His name appears more than 600 times in Justice Department les reviewed by The Associated Press, including in emails he exchanged with Epstein and on schedules noting their meetings, dinners and lunches.

In a news article published in 2007, while Epstein was initially under investigation in Florida, the scientist praised Epstein’s intellect, telling New York magazine: “He has the ability to make connections that other minds can’t make. He is extremely smart and probing.”

The resignations are the latest fallout from the Justice Department’s recent release of millions of pages of records pertaining to Epstein and his longtime con dant and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Resignations have rippled across the academic, legal and business communities.

In Britain, former Prince Andrew and ex-diplomat Peter Mandelson were arrested because of their connections to Epstein and Maxwell.

Horse’s neigh may be unique in animal kingdom; now scientists know how they do it

Their distinctive calls combine vocal cord vibration with internal whistling

By Adithi Ramakrishnan

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Horses

whinny to nd new friends, greet old ones and celebrate happy moments like feeding time.

How exactly horses produce that distinctive sound — also called a neigh — has long eluded scientists.

The whinny is an unusual combination of both highand low-pitched sounds, like a cross between a grunt and a squeal — that come out at the same time.

The low-pitched part wasn’t much of a mystery. It comes from air passing over bands of tissue in the voice box that make noise when they vibrate. It’s a technique similar to how humans speak and sing.

But the high-pitched piece is more puzzling. With some exceptions, larger animals have larger vocal systems and typically make lower sounds. So how do horses do it?

According to a new study, they whistle. Researchers slid a small

“They can express emotions in these two dimensions.”

Elodie

Mandel-Briefer, University of Copenhagen

camera through horses’ noses to lm what happened inside while they whinnied and made another common horse sound, the softer, subtler nicker. They also conducted detailed scans and blew air through the isolated voice boxes of dead horses.

The whinny’s mysterious high-pitched tones, they discovered, are a kind of whistling that starts in the horse’s voice box. Air vibrates the tissues in the voice box while an area just above contracts, leaving a small opening for the whistle to escape. That’s di erent from human whistling, which we do with our mouths.

“I’d never imagined that there was a whistling component. It’s really interesting, and I can hear that now,” said Jenifer Nadeau, who studies horses at the University of Connecticut. Nadeau was not involved with the study, which

was published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

A few small rodents like rats and mice whistle like this, but horses are the rst known large mammal to have a knack for it. They’re also the only animals known to be able to whistle through their voice boxes while they sing.

“Knowing that a ‘whinny’ is not just a ‘whinny’ but that it is actually composed of two different fundamental frequencies that are created by two different mechanisms is exciting,” said Alisa Herbst with Rutgers University’s Equine Science Center, of the study in an email.

A big lingering question is how horses’ two-toned calls came to be. Wild Przewalski’s horses can do something similar, as can elks. But more distant horse relatives like donkeys and zebras can’t make the high-pitched sounds.

The two-toned whinnies could help horses convey multiple messages at the same time. The di erently pitched neighs may help them express a more complex range of feelings when socializing, said study author Elodie Mandel-Briefer with the University of Copenhagen.

“They can express emotions in these two dimensions,” Mandel-Briefer said.

COURTESY UWHARRIE BANK

want to miss this celebration.

show sponsors! It is truly a gift to be able to continue the legacy of art in our community.”

Organizers say the reopening celebration will give visitors an opportunity to tour the renovated space and learn more about the guild’s mission of connecting art and community.

“The Stanly Arts Guild gallery/store is back and better than ever in its new location,” Stanly County Chamber said. “Whether you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind handcrafted gift, interested in upcoming workshops, or simply want to support local talent, you won’t

Come for the ribbon cutting, stay for the inspiration, and be among the rst to experience the new gallery space.”

Founded in 1963, the guild is a nonpro t organization dedicated to promoting, nurturing and teaching ne arts in Stanly County. It serves as a community hub for artists, o ering workshops, art shows and a retail gallery featuring local pottery, paintings, jewelry and other handcrafted items.

The guild is currently showcasing regional talent through the Dwight J. Dennis Memorial Photography Competition and Exhibition, on display through

March 21. The annual exhibit honors the legacy of Dennis, a longtime supporter of the local arts, and provides photographers an opportunity to present their work publicly as they compete for recognition.

Awards will include rst-, second- and third-place prizes of $300, $200 and $100, respectively, along with up to two honorable mentions at the discretion of event judge William Dixon Jr. All entries must be no more than 5 years old and must not have previously won a ribbon in a Stanly Arts Guild show. Sponsors for the exhibition include Starnes Bramlett Jewelers and RLM Ventures.

STANLY SPORTS

Albemarle boys, West Stanly girls win state playo openers

Four other local teams lost in the opening round

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — While North Stanly’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams each earned rst-round byes in the NCHSAA state playo s, six other Stanly County squads took the court Tuesday night in opening-round matchups.

Two teams — the Albemarle boys and West Stanly girls —

advanced to the second round, while four others saw their seasons come to an end.

In the 2A boys’ bracket, the No. 18 Albemarle Bulldogs (12 -14) traveled to face the No. 15 Hayesville Yellow Jackets (11-16) and came away with a 64-54 victory. The win propelled Albemarle into Thursday’s second round against No. 2 Murphy (21-3), which entered the postseason with a rst-round bye. Also in 2A boys’ action, the No. 23 South Stanly Rowdy Rebel Bulls (8-17) fell 71-62

on the road to the No. 10 Elkin Buckin’ Elks (14-9), ending their season.

In the 4A boys’ bracket, the No. 23 West Stanly Colts (7-18) traveled to King to face No. 10 West Stokes (15-11) and were defeated 66-28.

West Stanly delivered the county’s lone rst-round victory on the girls’ side.

The No. 16 Colts (14-12) edged No. 17 Mount Pleasant (11-15) 64-63 at home in a tightly contested 4A matchup. West Stanly advanced to face undefeated No. 1 Maiden (24-0) on

Thursday; the Blue Devils received a rst-round bye.

Elsewhere in 2A girls’ play, two local teams were eliminated. No. 13 Albemarle (14 -13) su ered a 35-32 home upset loss to No. 20 Swain County (6 -19), while No. 21 South Stanly (7-15) fell 65-42 to No. 12 South Stokes (12-12).

North Stanly’s boys’ and girls’ teams, both winners of the Yadkin Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles, earned No. 3 seeds in the 3A bracket and rst-round byes.

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY NEWS JOURNAL

In Thursday’s second round, the Comets boys (24-2) hosted No. 14 Bessemer City (16 -10), while the Comets girls (21-3) hosted No. 19 Pine Lake Prep (10-17).

The third round of the playo s is scheduled for Saturday, followed by the fourth round Monday.

Regional nals are set for March 4-7. The NCHSAA announced the Western Regional nals will be held in Hickory at Shuford Arena on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University, while the Eastern Regional nals will take place in Greenville at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University.

State championship games, scheduled for March 11-14, will return to Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

Pfei er women nixed in USA South tournament opener

The Falcons lost by one point to William Peace

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

MISENHEIMER — Playing as the No. 4 seed in the 2026 USA South Conference tournament, the Pfei er women’s basketball team saw its season end Tuesday night with a narrow home loss to No. 5 William Peace.

The Falcons (15-11) fell 63 - 62 in Merner Gym as the Pacers (16-10) erased a double-digit de cit with a dominant fourth quarter. Despite the setback, Pfei er still walked away with its rst winning season in eight years after winning six of itsnal 10 regular-season games.

Pfei er appeared in control entering the nal period, leading 48-41 after dictating the tempo through much of the third quarter. However, William Peace opened the fourth on a 10-0 run to seize the momentum and reclaim the lead.

The game featured six lead changes and three ties, with neither team able to pull away in the closing minutes.

Pfei er sophomore guard

Ava Hairston brie y steadied the Falcons with a jumper and free throws, and junior guard

Lettie Michael tied the contest 61-61 with 31 seconds remaining after making a pair at the line. William Peace answered

when Danasia Davis delivered the go-ahead basket with 10 seconds left. Pfei er had one nal opportunity, but Hairston’s potential game-winning

3-pointer at the buzzer missed. Junior guard Miya Horton led the Falcons with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while Hairston added 18 points

and Michael nished with 14.

Amiah Gri n paced William Peace with 17 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Pacers overcome a rebounding de cit early and nish with a 48-31 advantage on the boards. The Pacers also capitalized on second chances, scoring 18 points o o ensive rebounds. Pfei er forced 25 turnovers and converted them into 23 points but struggled from the eld, shooting 23 of 66 (35%) overall and 3 of 15 from 3-point range. William Peace shot 24 of 57 (42%) and caught re in the fourth quarter, hitting 12 of 19 shots during a 29-point surge.

Hairston, a rst-team all-conference selection, led Pfei er in scoring this season at 14.7 points per game, ranking third in the USA South and helping the Falcons reach their highest conference win total since joining the league.

Horton, a second-team all-conference pick, averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 steals per game while anchoring the Falcons defensively.

William Peace advanced to face top-seeded Brevard in Thursday’s semi nals. In the men’s tournament, top-seeded Pfei er (16-8) hosted No. 5 Methodist on Thursday in Misenheimer.

work for another organization.

Gibbs Racing sues ex-director Gabehart, alleging ‘brazen’ trade secrets theft

JGR alleges it learned on Feb. 11 that Gabehart plans to become the chief motorsports ocer at Spire, where he would be responsible for all of Spire’s racing strategy and operations.

JGR claims its former employee took sensitive information to Spire

Motorsports

By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Joe Gibbs Racing led suit against former competition director Chris Gabehart for allegedly embarking on “a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information” for the bene t of rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports.

The suit led in the Western District of North Carolina — the same court that heard last December’s antitrust suit between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR — claims Gabehart violated his contract and stole con dential team trade secrets when “his demands for additional authority were rebu ed by JGR’s owner.”

The suit alleges Gabehart caused more than $8 million in damages to JGR. The ling did not request an injunction preventing Gabehart from working for Spire.

JGR was founded by Joe Gibbs in 1992 after he won

three Super Bowls as Washington’s football coach. Gibbs is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and NASCAR Hall of Fame and now co-owns JGR with his daughter-in-law, Heather. The team elds Cup cars for Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin.

Gabehart joined JGR in 2012 as an engineer, worked his way to crew chief for Hamlin, and

became competition director ahead of the 2025 season.

Gabehart in that role was responsible for all competitive aspects of the race team, and as such, had access to all of JGR’s proprietary information.

The lawsuit claims Gabehart throughout last season wanted complete responsibility and control over all competition departments and asked Joe Gibbs in a Nov. 6, 2025, meeting for

“The results were shocking.”

JGR lawsuit on the results of its laptop search

“carte blanche authority over all racing decisions.”

The suit said Gibbs denied the request, and Gabehart said he wanted to leave the organization. In the course of negotiating a separation agreement, JGR alleges it learned Gabehart had been meeting with Spire Motorsports, which triggered the organization to do a forensic analysis of Gabehart’s team-issued laptop.

“The results were shocking,” the suit alleges, claiming it found Google searches about Spire in October and November of last year, folders titled “Spire” and “Past Setups,” and more than a dozen images of JGR les containing con dential information and trade secrets.

From there, the suit alleges JGR and Gabehart squabbled over further forensic reviews and JGR attempted to impose a “cooling o period” in which Gabehart would not

Irving won’t play this season for Mavericks while continuing to recover from knee injury

The All-Star guard will miss a full season for the rst time in his career

By Schuyler Dixon

The Associated Press

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving won’t play this season as the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained almost a year ago.

The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement two days before the Mavericks return from the All-Star break. Dallas entered the break on a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 28 years, and out of playo contention.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the team.

“I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.” Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. This will be the rst time in his 15-year career that the 33-year-old has missed an entire season.

The most signi cant injury of Irving’s career came a month after the Mavericks traded young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around older and oft-injured big man Anthony Davis. Just nine months earlier, Irving and Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Irving and Davis played to -

gether for just 21⁄2 quarters because Davis aggravated an abdominal injury in his Dallas debut and didn’t return before Irving went down in a 122-98 loss at home to Sacramento.

The Mavericks converted a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery and picked former Duke

standout Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall. But Irving, Davis and Flagg never played together. Dallas sent Davis to Washington before the trade deadline, a deal that signaled the Mavericks were moving on from the ill-fated Doncic deal less than three months after ring general

“This was new information to JGR, as Defendant previously represented to JGR ... that the job o er he received from Spire was for a role in which he would not provide Spire with services similar to the services he provided JGR,” the suit claims.

JGR contends Gabehart knew his actions accessing JGR materials was unlawful, and he took intentional steps to avoid detection and hide his digital trail.

Gabehart turned in his JGR laptop on Nov. 10 and has not worked for JGR since. The lawsuit claims the o er from Spire was made to Gabehart on Nov. 13, and Gabehart met with Spire co-owner Je Dickerson on Dec. 2.

JGR claims Gabehart told his former team on Dec. 4 he had not spoken to anyone from Spire about employment, nor had he spoken to any other potential employers.

Instead, JGR claims Gabehart was actively soliciting JGR employees to move to Spire, and at least one employee has made the move.

Spire has yet to announce hiring Gabehart. Cary Davis, the attorney representing Gabehart, said he could not comment on the suit. Gabehart must respond to JGR’s ling in 21 days.

manager Nico Harrison in part because of that trade.

The Mavericks appear set to build around Flagg with help from Irving, believing the older of the two one-and-done stars from Duke can complement the new face of the franchise.

“Kyrie has the ultimate respect for Cooper,” said co-interim general manager Michael Finley, who was a two-time All-Star with the Mavericks a quarter-century ago. “He loves the kid’s work ethic. He loves the kid’s love for the game. And I think Kyrie’s embracing the role as a mentor to Cooper.”

The team said Irving would remain “actively engaged” with the team the rest of this season. Dallas is on its way to missing the playo s for the second year in a row since the ve-game loss to Boston in the NBA Finals.

“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day,” Irving said in the team’s statement. “THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”

Before the injury, Irving thrived in two years with the Mavericks following a trade that ended a tumultous three-plus seasons in Brooklyn. There was plenty of drama in Boston before that. Irving was the No. 1 pick by Cleveland in 2011 and won a championship there with LeBron James in 2016.

Irving has averaged 23.7 points and and 5.6 assists per game over 779 games while shooting almost 40% from 3-point range and 89% on free throws.

The former Tar Heel was an ABA legend

By Eddie Pells The Associated Press

DENVER— Doug Moe, an ABA original who gained fame over a rumpled, irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s, died at 87 after a long bout with cancer.

Moe went 628-529 over 15 seasons as a head coach, including stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988.

More than for wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his motion o ense and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching days.

His Denver teams led the league in scoring over ve straight seasons in the early ’80s, and he rarely ran a set play.

He called the people he liked the most “sti s” (or worse) and used more colorful language to drive points home to some of his favorite foils — Kiki VanDeWeghe, Danny Schayes and Bill Hanzlik stood out.

The coach stalked the sidelines in one of his well-worn sports coats, usually without a tie (he had a small stash of “emergency suits” in his closet for bigger events), his hair a mess and his overtaxed voice barely at a croak by the end of most games.

The Nuggets bench, along with the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but within hours, Moe would be at the bar or co ee shop hanging with many of those same players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering where that foul-mouthed man on the sideline had come from.

“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I clown around a lot before and after a game, but once a game starts, my emotions just take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.

Moe paired with good friend Larry Brown at UNC, where as a 6-foot-5 small forward he twice earned All-America honors. But Moe’s college career was terminated early because of a point-shaving scandal for

which he received $75 to y to a meeting; he refused to throw games.

After a few years in Europe, Moe again became a package deal with Brown, as they winded their way through the new and edgling ABA. Moe was a three-time All-Star over a ve-year career that ended early because of his perpetually ailing knees.

His playing days done, he teamed again with Brown, working as his assistant with the Carolina Cougars and then with the Nuggets toward the end of the franchise’s ABA days.

Alex English and VanDeWeghe nished 1-2 in scoring in the 1982-83 season, a feat no teammates have accomplished since. The Nuggets lost a 186 -184 game to the Pistons in 1983 that remains the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Moe won 432 games with the Nuggets, and the franchise retired that number, with Moe’s name attached.

It took more than 30 years after Moe retired and moved back to San Antonio for the Nuggets to break through and become NBA champions.

Oddly enough, one of Moe’s most colorful coaching coups came at the expense of the Nuggets on the last day of the 1977-78 season when he was with the Spurs. In an early game, Denver, coached by Brown at the time, fed David Thompson on the way to a 73-point outburst against De-

troit that brie y put him ahead of Gervin in a neck-and-neck battle for the scoring title.

So that night, Moe told the Spurs to get out of “Ice’s” way. Gervin scored 63 against the Jazz to win the title by 0.07.

Though the focus of the Nuggets was o ense, Moe spent ample time preaching defense — insisting it, not the team’s scoring ability, would make the di erence between winning and losing.

Once, incensed at the lack of e ort during a blowout loss at Portland, he commanded his team to stop trying on defense and to let the Blazers make layups at will over the nal minutes to set the franchise scoring record for a single game. That earned him a ne and suspension, only weeks after he was ned for throwing water on an o cial.

For the most part, though, Moe made a career out of not taking himself too seriously — a wryly wrinkled counterbalance to the slicked-down Pat Riley and the Laker Showtime teams that dominated the NBA’s Western Conference over the decade.

Moe even punctuated one of his lowest moments — his ring by the Nuggets in 1990 — by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and popping open champagne at the news conference while his wife, whom he called “Big Jane,” looked on. A day to celebrate, he insisted, because he would now be getting paid to do nothing.

South Stanly, wrestling

South Stanly wrestling crowned a pair of state champions at the NCHSAA Class 1A/2A championships.

Holt, left, a senior who also plays football for the Rowdy Rebel Bulls, scored an 18-2 technical fall in the championship match to win the 132-pound state title. Holt nished the season with a 32-2 record.

Sapp, a junior, won 13-10 to take the crown at 158 pounds. He nished his season with a 27-3 record.

Marcus Pemberton (106 pounds) and Kaiden Dahle (126) earned second-place nishes as South Stanly nished third in the state individual meet. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls also reached the state semi nals in the dual team championships.

We’ll have more on the other Stanly County teams at the state wrestling tournament in next week’s issues.

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One Tech Tip: Unspoken group chats rules you’re probably ignoring, but shouldn’t

Practical advice for participating respectfully in shared messaging groups

By Kelvin Chan The Associated Press

COMMUNICATING on group chats has quickly become a way of life, but what are the rules?

We used to use email, the phone or talk in person. Now we use platforms like iMessage, WhatsApp or Slack to coordinate a night out with friends, a kid’s birthday party, a work project or even to discuss sensitive military information — as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did by sharing details of airstrikes in a Signal chat.

But while group chats have exploded in popularity because of their informality, that also creates its own challenges: Discussions can veer o topic, repetitive or basic questions can irritate group members, and that viral meme you think is funny could also o end.

The principles of digital etiquette remain the same as other kinds of etiquette, but they are also “context speci c and many of the rules are implicit rather than explicit,” said Rupert Wesson, a director at Debrett’s, the British etiquette guide, who outlined key tips for The Associated Press.

Think before messaging

Etiquette is always based on the idea of care and consideration for others, Wesson said. So it helps to think about how the recipients might be a ected by your message.

That means, for example, not wasting other members’ time by asking questions that could be easily answered by doing a Google search, or scrolling up or searching through the previous posts.

The Trent Windsur ng Club near Nottingham, England, which communicates with members using both WhatsApp

A person uses their personal phone in

Monday, June 17, 2024.

and email, spells out other considerations in a 15-point list on its website.

“Don’t get angry if someone doesn’t respond to your messages in a group. No one is obliged to do so. Better send him/her a direct message,” the club says.

Also, “Before sending a video, picture, meme or any content, analyze if such material will be in the interest of the majority of the members of the group.”

And avoid sending videos or les that are very large, because “nobody likes to saturate the memory of their smartphone or waste their data/internet plan on nonsense,” its guidance says. The club did not respond to a request for comment.

Remember the aim of the chat

Always consider the chat group’s purpose. For those created with a speci c and practical function in mind, just stick to the task and don’t post any more than you need to, Wesson said.

On the other hand, “some groups are there for frivolity and here, more is more,” he added.

It should be obvious, but don’t post personal stu in a company or business-related chat, and refrain from posting work-related

“Some groups are there for frivolity and here, more is more.”

Rupert

Wesson, Director, Debrett’s

material in a group with friends or family.

It doesn’t hurt to lurk rst before weighing in, partly because on some chat platforms new members can’t see what was posted before they joined.

“It is always best to err on the side of caution until you are very clear on the purpose and culture of the group,” Wesson said.

Consider the size of the group

Do you need to respond to every message? There’s often someone who feels the need to type out a reply to every post, even if it’s just to say “thanks.” But doing so in a big group might be somewhat akin to an email reply-all storm.

Wesson advises considering how many people are in the chat.

“If there are three of you in the group, a response, if only

an emoji, is almost expected,” Wesson said. “In group of 50 or more it is practically a criminal o ense.”

Keep it clean and decent, especially at work

This is an especially important point when it comes to work communications, with many white collar workers now using chat platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams rather than email to communicate.

These platforms feel less formal than email but don’t forget to follow the same guidelines as you do with other company communications.

“Assume anything messaged can be forwarded and be especially cautious of work chats (however informal they appear),” Wesson said. “As countless people have discovered at employment tribunals, any diversion into anything indecorous can be career limiting.”

Less can be more in chats

Chat messages should be short and sweet.

One reason is that your words could come across di erently depending on the person reading the message, so stick to using short sentences to avoid being misinterpreted.

If it’s about work, and you want to discuss something in more length and detail, consider an in-person meeting, a phone call, or email instead.

“No one wants to read a 7-inch-long unformatted message when an organized attachment would have worked better,” the American etiquette experts at The Emily Post Institute, advised in a blog post on business communications.

Message clarity and style matter

It’s not a college essay, so the rules around grammar, punctuation or even emoji don’t need to be too strict.

“You should not feel too constricted and nor should you judge others for playing fast and

loose with the King’s English,” Wesson said. “Just let brevity and clarity be your guide.”

Speaking of emoji, they’re fun and can convey your meaning as well as the most thoughtful turn of phrase, Wesson said. But don’t abuse them because they can be a “mine eld.”

There’s a world of di erence between, for example, the crying emoji and the crying with laughter emoji, he said. It’s best to play it safe and avoid emoji when, for example, sending condolences, Wesson said.

How to properly leave a chat group

If you’re getting annoyed by the number of message notications from a big chat group, or you feel uncomfortable because of some of the comments, just put it on mute. And don’t be afraid to leave the group if you don’t need to be in it.

Before leaving, consider letting the chat administrator know.

“The group administrator has a responsibility to ensure the chat serves its purpose and that things don’t get too out of hand,” Wesson says. What should admins do if certain people are causing problems?

“If things are going awry, deleting a member is an option but perhaps a little drastic. A quiet DM or a brief muting should always be considered rst,” Wesson says. If you do leave the chat, should you say farewell?

Again, it depends on the context. If it’s for a one-o event with a lot of people you don’t know, there’s probably no need.

But if, say, you’re part of a remote work project, it would be a good idea to notify everyone.

“When leaving make it clear that you are removing yourself immediately so the chat does not ll up with people wishing you farewell,” Wesson said. Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

Children’s hospital renamed for singer Dolly Parton hoping to transform pediatric care in Tennessee

The Grammy winner’s generational gift advances her longtime mission to help Tennessee children

By James Pollard

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Dolly Parton’s name might inspire full-throated sing-a-longs to her working woman’s anthem “9 to 5,” or evoke memories of thrilling days spent at her Dollywood theme park.

Now, the Grammy-winning country music superstar is lending her name to a new cause: advancing pediatric health care in her home state. The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital announced Thursday that it will now be known as Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.

“Ever since I’ve been in a position to do my part, to help others, I have tried to do just that. Especially when children and families need it most,” Parton said in a video announcement. “I’ve always believed that every child deserves a fair chance to grow up healthy, hopeful and surrounded with love.”

The impact of Parton’s philanthropy is already felt across Tennessee and beyond. Her Imagination Library initiative reports to send 3 million free books every month to children whose parents request them. She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center for research that helped produce Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. And her charitable foundation provides numerous college scholar-

ships-and o ers disaster relief.

Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital did not share how much Parton donated as part of the naming announcement. But Matt Schaefer, its president and CEO, said her support would ensure “every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve.”

Adam Cook, the independent not-for-pro t hospital’s chief development and public a airs ofcer, said they would continue o ering the same care that the community has come to expect. The gift “encourages us to continue to support our mission,” he added.

“This is a generational collaboration that will transform pediatric care in this region,” Cook said in a statement to The Associated Press. “It will positively impact patients and families for decades to come.”

The support comes as rural hospital closures have left tens of millions of people with fewer health care options.

The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, now named after Parton, has operated with an “open-door” policy that no child would be denied care for their race, religion or ability to pay medical bills since it opened in 1937, according to its website. Its main campus in Knoxville, Tennessee, is one of more than 20 locations across the eastern part of the state.

Parton said she is honored to support the hospital’s doctors, nurses and team members — and invited the public to join her.

“I can’t do it all myself,” she said in the video.

famous birthdays this week

Luke Combs is 36, Jennifer Warnes turns 79, Alan Greenspan hits 100, Shaquille O’Neal is 54

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

MARCH 1

Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 82. Actor Dirk Benedict is 81. Republican Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska is 75. Filmmaker Ron Howard is 72. Actor Javier Bardem is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Webber is 53. Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 52. Pop singer Justin Bieber is 32.

MARCH 2

Author John Irving is 84. Actor-comedian Laraine Newman (“Saturday Night Live”) is 74. Golf Hall of Famer Ian Woosnam is 68. Musician Jon Bon Jovi is 64. Actor Daniel Craig is 58. Rapper-actor Method Man is 55. Musician Chris Martin (Coldplay) is 49. Country musician Luke Combs is 36.

MARCH 3

Filmmaker George Miller is 81. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 79. Author Ron Chernow is 77. Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar is 74. Musician Robyn Hitchcock is 73. Radio personality Ira Glass is 67. Olympic track and eld gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 64. Rapper-actor Tone Loc is 60.

MARCH 4

Film director Adrian Lyne is 85. Author James Ellroy is 78. Musician-producer Emilio Estefan is 73. Actor Mykelti Williamson is 69. Actor Patricia Heaton is 68. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is 68. Actor Steven Weber is 65.

MARCH 5

Actor Fred Williamson is 88. Magician Penn Jillette is 71. Actor Adriana Barraza is 70. Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is 60. Actor-comedian Aasif Mandvi is 60.

MARCH 6

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is 100. Former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 89. Opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa is 82. Rock musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is 80. Basketball

MARK VON HOLDEN / INVISION VIA AP Ron Howard turns 72 on Sunday.

AGOSTINI / INVISION VIA AP Original SNL cast member Laraine Newman turns 74 on Monday.

ROB GRABOWSKI / INVISION VIA AP Rapper-turned-actor Tone Loc turns 60 on Tuesday.

Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is 54.

MARCH 7

Hall of Fame auto racer Janet Guthrie is 88. Actor Daniel J. Travanti is 86. Entertainment executive Michael Eisner is 84. R&B musician Ernie Isley (The Isley Brothers) is 74. Actor Bryan Cranston is 70. Author Bret Easton Ellis is 62.

BBC, host apologize after racial slur shouted during BAFTA awards by guest with Tourette

The neurological disorder can cause the uttering of inappropriate words

By Jill Lawless The Associated Press

LONDON — Britain’s lm academy and the BBC apologized to viewers after an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur during the British Academy Film Awards. The highly o ensive word could be heard as “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the award for best visual e ects during Sunday’s ceremony.

Host Alan Cumming had earlier told the audience that a guest at the ceremony was John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome who inspired the BAFTA-nominated lm “I Swear.” Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations, including the uttering of inappropriate words.

Bagpipers play at Olympic curling in homage to sport’s Scottish heritage — but they’re Italian

The Cateaters Pipe Band are one of the only bands of its kind in the region

By Julia Frankel

The Associated Press

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO,

Italy — Spectators trekking through heavy snow to the Cortina Olympic curling stadium were delighted to be greeted by a traditional Scottish bagpipe performance from a group of high sock-wearing, kilt-sporting, snare drum-carrying, glengarry-topped ... Italians.

The Milan Cortina Winter Games have put their own spin on the tradition of having a pipe band play at Olympic curling medal ceremonies, an homage that is meant to honor the sport’s Scottish heritage.

For this Games, the bagpipers are from northeastern Italy, more than 2,000 miles from Scotland. The Cateaters Pipe Band say they are one of two pipe bands in the Veneto region.

Until recently, the Cateaters’ performances were limited to local concerts, ballet performances and ceremonies around Veneto. Performing at the Olympic medal ceremony is their biggest gig yet.

“It’s so emotional for us to play here for the world,” said Marianna Spadarotto, the lone woman in the band, who is on

“It’s so emotional for us to play here for the world.” Marianna Spadarotto

the bass drum. “For me, yes, it is exciting, but also I’m shy, so it makes me nervous.”

Asked if they add Italian air to the Scottish tunes, they emphatically shake their heads. They don’t mess with tradition — though it is not unknown in Italy.

Luca Eze, who plays the bagpipes, says he started his career on the zampogna, a type of instrument common in central and southern Italy. In the Veneto region, it’s sometimes called a “piva” and is played on Christmas and during other festivities.

“I played the electric guitar and then a friend passed along this instrument to me,” says Mauro Fortuna, a Venetian who began playing Scottish music in 2008.

Curling is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the rst written evidence of the sport’s existence documented, in Latin, by a notary living in Paisley, Scotland, in the 16th century, according to World Curling.

The notary told of a sti contest between a monk, John Sclater, and a representative of the Abbot, Gavin Hamilton, involving sliding stones across ice. It was in Scot-

land where organized curling clubs originated, with players sliding stones across frozen lochs.

On a snowy day in front of the Cortina curling center, Olympic fans paused to take in the scene, some wondering how the musicians’ ungloved hands were not too cold to play.

The tufts of Eze’s hair, jutting out from beneath his glengarry cap, were covered in snow akes that fell down his face with every pu of the bagpipe. He’s bright red and smiling.

Some fans proudly wave Scottish ags. They’re here to watch the four players representing Britain on the ice, all of whom are from Scotland.

Italian tourists look animated in the breaks between tunes, realizing they understand the chatter between the bandmates. Cristian Negro, on snare drum, says that as an Italian, choosing to pursue Scottish music has given him frequent opportunities for gigs.

“I focus more on high tension snare drums because there are so few people who play it here,” he says. “I get to play more music — and it’s necessary for someone to do.”

“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of o ense to someone.”

After the outburst, Cumming apologized to the audience at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the “strong and o ensive language.” “Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language,” Cumming said. “We apologize if you were o ended.” The British Academy of Film and Television Arts referred to Cumming’s statement when asked for comment on Monday. The epithet could be heard

when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the live event. The broadcaster apologized, though the o ensive word could still be heard on its iPlayer streaming service on Monday morning. The program was later removed, and the BBC said the slur would be edited out.

“Some viewers may have heard strong and o ensive language during the Bafta Film Awards,” the BBC said in a

statement. “This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional.

“We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

“I Swear” won two BAFTAs, including best actor for Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson. Ed Palmer, vice chairman

of the charity Tourettes Action, said the BBC should have considered bleeping out the slur.

“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of o ense to someone,” he told Times Radio. “So if it’s being prerecorded now, then bleeping it out, for example, might be a reasonable compromise.”

this week in history

Chamberlain scores 100, rst Federal Congress meets in New York, “Bloody Sunday” in Selma

The Associated Press

MARCH 1

1872: President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, making Yellowstone the nation’s rst national park.

1932: Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family home in New Jersey.

1961: President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

1974: Seven people, including former Nixon White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, former Attorney General John Mitchell and former assistant Attorney General Robert Mardian, were indicted on charges of conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with the Watergate break-in.

MARCH 2

1807: The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was signed by President Thomas Je erson.

1861: The state of Texas, having seceded from the Union, was admitted to the Confederacy.

1962: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, a single-game NBA record that still stands. Philadelphia won by a score of 169-147.

MARCH 3

1845: Florida became a U.S. state.

1931: President Herbert Hoover signed a bill making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States.

1991: Motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police o cers after a high-speed chase in a scene captured on amateur video that sparked public outrage.

MARCH 4

1789: The Constitution of the United States took e ect as

the rst Federal Congress met in New York.

1801: Thomas Je erson became the rst president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.

1933: Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his rst term as president; he was the last U.S. president to be inaugurated on this date (subsequent inaugurations have been held on Jan. 20). In his inaugural speech, Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

MARCH 5

1770: The Boston Massacre occurred as British soldiers opened re on a crowd of colonists, killing ve people and fueling outrage leading up to the American Revolution.

1953: Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died from a stroke at age 74 after nearly three decades in power.

1982: Comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in a rented bungalow at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont hotel; he was 33.

2004: Martha Stewart was convicted of conspiracy and lying to the government regarding an insider trading scandal.

MARCH 6

1857: In Dred Scott v. Sandford, the U.S. Supreme Court

ruled 7-2 that Dred Scott was not a U.S. citizen and could not sue for his freedom and that Congress could not ban slavery in federal territories, deepening national divisions before the Civil War.

1820: President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, allowing Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while prohibiting slavery north of latitude 36°30’ in the Louisiana Territory.

1836: The Alamo in San Antonio fell after a 13-day siege as Mexican forces led by Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna overran the fortress, killing all Texian defenders, including William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.

MARCH 7

1876: Alexander Graham Bell received a U.S. patent for the telephone.

1936: Adolf Hitler ordered German troops into the demilitarized Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties.

1965: More than 500 civil rights demonstrators were attacked by Alabama state troopers and a sheri ’s posse as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. O cers red tear gas and beat marchers with batons in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”