VOLUME 146 ISSUE 31 | WEEKEND EDITION, APRIL 18 – 19, 2026 | STANLYNEWSJOURNAL.COM
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Stanly NewS Journal THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
ROBERT MARKOWITZ / NASA JSC
Home again North Carolina’s Christina Koch, left, was greeted by NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche after her return home to Houston last Sunday following a 10-day trip around the moon and back.
WHAT’S HAPPENING County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway State prosecutors have charged an ICE agent with assault for pointing his gun at the occupants of a car on a highway in Minneapolis. The criminal case is believed to be the first brought against a federal immigration officer involved in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated assault in the Feb. 5 incident. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Morgan illegally drove along the shoulder of State Highway 62 and pointed his service weapon at two people in a vehicle.
House rejects effort to withdraw U.S. forces from the Iran war as GOP sticks with Trump The House has rejected a resolution requiring President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the war with Iran unless Congress authorizes military action. The vote Thursday was the latest such attempt that fell short of passage as Republicans largely continue to support Trump’s operation. Democrats are concerned about the United States getting further entrenched in another lengthy Middle East conflict and are promising to keep raising the issue through more votes in the coming weeks. Republicans counter by noting that Congress never voted on a war powers resolution when the Biden administration attacked Iranian-backed Houthis.
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Stanly County Concert Band to perform ‘Our American Journey in Music’ The April 30 concert will feature patriotic works By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal ALBEMARLE — A blend of patriotic music, American classics and a world premiere composition will highlight the Stanly County Concert Band’s upcoming spring performance later this month. The ensemble is scheduled to present “Our American Journey in Music” at 7 p.m. on April 30 at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, a program that traces the evolution of American music while marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. Directed by Carmella Hedrick, Tim Hedrick and Frank Poolos, the concert will include a collaboration with the Stan-
COURTESY STANLY COUNTY CONCERT BAND
The Stanly County Concert Band performs during a previous event at the Agri-Civic Center in Albemarle. ly County Chorale and guest composer and conductor Bruce W. Tippette. Organizers said the program is designed to reflect a broad range of American musical traditions.
“This year is a celebration of the 250th birthday of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” the Stanly County Concert Band said in an event announcement. “The concert reflects music of the people of
Locust Police involved in trio of pursuits in 3 days “LPD maintains a policy that pursuits are authorized to be conducted safely and by policy every time a vehicle refuses to stop for a lawful traffic stop attempted by our officers.” Locust Police Department
All three incidents from April 9-11 resulted in arrests By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal LOCUST — Three separate vehicle pursuits over three days resulted in multiple arrests last week, according to the Locust Police Department. The department announced in a Tuesday press release that the incidents occurred April 9-11 and involved assistance from several regional agencies. The first pursuit began around 3:20 a.m. on April 9, when Locust officers were alerted to a chase traveling westbound on N.C. 24/27 near Brattain Road. Deputies with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office
were pursuing a suspect believed to have broken into an Ingles grocery store in Albemarle. Locust officers deployed a tire deflation device, striking two tires on the suspect vehicle. Deputies later took Gregory Griffin, of Charlotte, into custody. He was charged with felony breaking and entering, felony flee to elude arrest and multiple outstanding felony warrants. The second pursuit occurred around 8:20 p.m. on April 10, when officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Byron Reid, of Reidsville, for displaying a fictitious registration plate. Authorities said Reid refused to stop, leading officers on a 16-mile pursuit that ended near Engineer Lane in Mint Hill after a crash involving his vehicle. See POLICE, page A5
America and how it evolved through time. It is the hope that concertgoers will recognize much of it and appreciate the many different people See CONCERT, page A8