Stanly News Journal Vol. 146, Issue 61

Stanly NewS Journal

Morning glory

The sun just managed to punch through the clouds over Stanly County (and the rest of North Carolina) on Tuesday morning.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Trump says he may pull Blanche’s AG nomination until Tillis, Cornyn leave office

President Donald Trump says he may withdraw and delay Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general until Republican senators who are seeking concessions from the top prosecutor leave office. Trump doubled down Thursday on choosing his former personal lawyer as the nation’s top lawman, calling him “a STAR” and saying he will keep him in the role as acting attorney general until Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina leave office. Cornyn and Tillis both leave office next year. Cornyn and Tillis have sought additional assurances in writing spelling a final end to an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

UEFA members to boycott FIFA competitions in protest of World Cup private investors plan

UEFA member federations will boycott all FIFA competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. The European soccer body says it’s a unanimous decision after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. The strategy meeting was called to counter FIFA President Infantino’s offer of $20 million to each of its 211 global members that has to be accepted by mid-September.

SCC trustee defends Facebook post on race, ‘black fatigue’

The college says personal posts do not represent the institution

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — A Stanly Community College trustee’s Facebook post about race and a racial slur — including his subsequent comment that “people are suffering from black fatigue” — prompted the college to say trustees’ personal social media activity does not represent the institution or its board.

Kelly Lowder was appointed to the SCC Board of Trustees by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2024 for a term ending in 2028. In a July 23 Facebook post,

Lowder contrasted Shiloh Hendrix’s then-ongoing disorderly conduct trial, arising from an incident in which she used a racial slur, with a first-degree murder case against Decarlos Brown Jr.

On Monday, SNJ asked Lowder to confirm that the account was his, that he wrote the post and comments from it, and that displayed “liked” reactions from his account on other users’ comments were his.

He answered, “Yes with the exception of ‘liked reactions.’”

In a separate follow-up, he said, “My views are that all people should be treated equally — it’s really that simple.”

The post remained public that morning, with more than 1,700 comments, before Lowder limited it to his Facebook friends, saying

he had received death threats. In the post, he described a “double standard” surrounding “the N-word,” citing its use in rap music but writing, “god forbid some a--hole gets on your

Stanly County Schools assistant principals at Albemarle High, Middle

The school district announced two leadership hires

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — Stanly County Schools has named two new assistant principals at Albemarle schools, appointing Erin Gardiner at Albemarle High School and Riley Honeycutt at Albemarle Middle School.

Gardiner enters her 23rd year in education and has spent her career serving students

within SCS. She most recently worked for two years as dean of students at Albemarle High, where she will now continue as an assistant principal.

Before moving into school administration, Gardiner spent 20 years in the classroom. She also taught at North Stanly Middle School, West Stanly High School and Stanly STEM Early College.

Gardiner earned a bachelor’s degree in history and anthropology, teaching licensure and a master’s degree in education from UNC Charlotte. She

“I am excited about continuing to build a positive culture at Albemarle High School.”

nerves and your pasty self lets one drop.”

He also warned that if white people were to “lose” in the United States, as he wrote had happened in Haiti, Rhodesia — now Zimbabwe — and South Africa, “it’s gonna be really, really bad for the rest of the humans on the planet.”

After writing that a growing share of the world’s population could not sustain itself economically, he concluded, “Well, maybe the world needs a good purge. ... You were warned.”

Lowder later told SNJ that by “purge,” the term “refers to the likelihood of starvation that historically comes after a genocide against food producers.”

In a separate Facebook

Albemarle bus driver killed in multivehicle crash

A three-vehicle crash on U.S. 52 left one woman dead

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — A

60-year-old Albemarle wom-

an was killed Wednesday morning in a three-vehicle collision involving a Stanly County public transportation bus on U.S. 52, according to the Albemarle Police Department. Officers and emergency personnel responded around 6:45 a.m. to the crash at the intersection of U.S. 52 and Salisbury Avenue. APD officers identified the bus driver as Stella Redfearn Dase. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the department’s preliminary investigation, the county public trans-

CRIME LOG

July 20

• Lynda Whitaker Lambert, 50, was arrested for second degree trespass and misdemeanor larceny.

July 21

• Michael Paul Whitaker, 30, was arrested for second degree trespass.

• Yasir Thomas Davidson, 18, was arrested for first degree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.

July 22

• Antonio Hernandez-Vasquez, 41, was arrested for driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger and no operator’s license.

• Gregory David Cain, 39, was arrested for resisting a public officer and civil order for arrest on child support.

portation bus and a Ford pickup truck were traveling north on U.S. 52 when a southbound Jeep struck an object lying in the roadway.

The impact caused the Jeep’s driver to lose control and cross into the northbound lanes, where the vehicle collided head-on with the bus, police said. The pickup truck then struck the rear of the bus.

The driver of the Jeep suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. Police did not release the driver’s name or provide an update on the person’s condition.

Authorities later located the vehicle believed to have dropped the object onto the roadway. Dustin Kendall, 37, of New London, was charged with failure to secure a load and having an expired registration.

Police did not identify the

July 23

• Spencer Mason, 37, was arrested for felony larceny.

• Cory Austin Montgomery, 31, was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender.

• Erik Dshane Whitaker, 28, was arrested for felony assault on an individual with a disability, misdemeanor larceny and second degree trespass.

July 24

• Duron Lamar Hampton, 38, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, first degree burglary and communicating threats, and other charges.

July 25

• Stephanie Nicole Preslar, 40, was arrested for misdemeanor breaking or entering.

• James Everette Foster, 43, was arrested for misdemeanor breaking or entering.

object or provide additional details about how it fell from the vehicle.

U.S. 52 was temporarily closed Wednesday morning as officers investigated the collision and emergency crews worked to clear the scene. The roadway later reopened.

The crash remains under investigation by the APD with assistance from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

“The Albemarle Police Department would like to thank the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for their assistance with this traffic collision,” the department said in a statement. “Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Albemarle Police Department at 704-984-7500 or submit information through Stanly County Crime Stoppers at 704-986-3700.”

• Johnathan Dale Garrett, 36, was arrested for resisting a public officer.

• Daniel Lee Yarbrough, 43, was arrested for assault on an individual with a disability, assault on a female and communicating threats.

July 26

• Marlon Lamonte Davis, 55, was arrested for obtaining property by false pretense, felony conspiracy and financial card theft, and other charges.

• Anissa Jeanise Smith, 31, was arrested for forgery of an instrument, uttering a forged instrument and obtaining property by false pretense, and other charges.

• Timothy Nelson Carter, 52, was arrested for domestic violence protective order violation, communicating threats and misdemeanor stalking, and other charges.

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

Aug. 2

“Footloose: The Musical” — Final Performance 3-5 p.m.

The Uwharrie Players close their production of “Footloose: The Musical” with a Sunday matinee. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors 60 and older and children 17 and younger; available at theuwharrieplayers.org/ footloose.

Stanly County Agri-Civic Center 26032 Newt Road Albemarle

Aug. 5

Camp Create Youth Arts Program

The free four-day youth arts program, in its fifth year, uses painting, music and movement to engage young participants and their families. Registration is available at campcreate.works. Albemarle

Sprinkle & Splash Summer Event

10 a.m. to noon Locust Parks and Recreation hosts a free outdoor water play event featuring sprinklers and yard games. Attendees are encouraged to bring a tent, chair, sunscreen and towel.

Locust Athletic Complex Ray Kennedy Drive Locust

through Aug. 8

Stanly Arts Guild 152 W. Main St. Albemarle

and

and

THE CONVERSATION

Trip Hoffend, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Anthony Fauci: Dr. Wrong

Not only did he overestimate death rates from virtually every virus of the last 30 years, he often overestimated fatalities by five to 10 times the actual numbers.

POOR ANTHONY FAUCI — the man who became an overnight celebrity when deadly COVID-19 hit these shores. As time has gone on and the catastrophic consequences of Fauci’s advice have become more apparent, Fauci’s hero status has faded. And now with the publication of his “diaries” during the COVID-19 year of 2020, it looks as though this megalomaniac should be sitting in the corner with a dunce cap on. We now know that much of what Fauci and the government health complex was telling us about the virus was meant to scare the living daylights out of Americans. Much of it was false or misleading. I and my team at Unleash Prosperity fought tooth and nail against lockdowns from day one — even as too many conservative groups supported what we now know was one of the most catastrophic mistakes in American history. The losses in education alone will cost the economy trillions of dollars in the decades ahead.

So I was honored to learn that in Fauci’s diary entries from the early summer of 2020 I was singled out as a threat to his schemes. In a call to the White House,

Fauci wrote, he urged that President Donald Trump “shut up Stephen Moore and stop his publication of ‘Dr. Wrong’ paper.”

In an Oval Office meeting in April 2020, I helped persuade Trump to get the economy up and running again ASAP, which horrified Fauci and the media, which had fawningly approved of his disastrous shutdown of schools, businesses, stores, parks and churches. His advice was to keep the economy shut down for nearly a year!

But Fauci’s attempt to muzzle me failed. I did publish the now-famous “Dr. Wrong” memo. And it may have played a small role in getting the economy reopened — especially in red states like Florida and Texas.

I also recounted that Fauci had spent most of his 35-year career in infectious diseases falsely warning of apocalyptic scenarios that never happened. To a hammer, everything looks like a nail to be pounded.

In the 1980s he was wrong about heterosexual AIDS. In the early 2000s he was wrong about the avian flu. Same with the Zika virus. Not only did he

overestimate death rates from virtually every virus of the last 30 years, he often overestimated fatalities by 5 to 10 times the actual numbers. A palm reader would have been more accurate.

Why anyone ever listened to Fauci the fraudster is a great mystery. What’s worse is that even though we know he caused irreparable damage to the health and well-being of our children, he is still in some circles regarded as a hero. He still gives commencement addresses at major universities. The Biden administration actually hung a portrait of a smiling Fauci near the entrance of the National Portrait Gallery. One wonders if the museum also has a portrait of Benedict Arnold. But what is now clear for all to see is that Fauci was and is Dr. Wrong. Never again should we allow politicians and mad scientists to shut down our mighty economy.

Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity, which advocates for education freedom for all children.

(Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Why Americans soured on higher education

The ongoing college collapse is driven by knowledge, not ignorance.

EVEN COLLEGES can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

Just 38% of Americans have high confidence in higher education, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s down from 57% in 2015. Gallup found the three main reasons for this lack of confidence are political agenda, cost and not preparing students for a future career.

This is a stunning — and much-needed — fall from grace.

Many schools and politicians spent decades pushing ever more kids into college. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) even sponsored the “College for All Act.” It was endorsed by numerous left-wing groups, including the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association.

These voices assured high school students that higher education was a virtual guarantee of financial security. You’ve likely heard some version of this factoid: College graduates earn $1 million more than nongraduates during their careers.

This effort certainly convinced more people to attend college. In 1974, just under 48% of high school graduates attended college. That number topped 70% in 2009. In 2014, it was 68.4%.

But for many, the promised financial benefits didn’t materialize — even as tuition soared. More than 9.5 million student loan borrowers are currently in default, according to a recent AP analysis.

That includes a 4.2 million-borrower jump from April 2025 to March 2026.

One of the reasons for the sudden jump appears to be the end of the COVID-era payment pause. Borrowers go into default if they don’t make a payment for nine months.

Universities once introduced students to the great ideas and authors of Western civilization. Now many professors emphasize America’s sins, not her greatness. Debate once flourished on college campuses. Now colleges routinely allow students to shout down speakers who believe men aren’t women or harass Jewish students.

Further, elite universities routinely discriminate against white and Asian applicants.

Would-be students have noticed. In 2024, college attendance was under 63% among high school graduates. The drop-off has been especially pronounced among male students.

A decline in college enrollment has led to a wave of college closures. In the 2013-14 school year, there were more than 7,200 postsecondary institutions accepting federal financial aid. In the 2024-25 school year, there were 5,760. That’s a 20% decrease.

This doesn’t mean UNLV or Stanford is on the verge of bankruptcy. Many of the closed schools were technical schools that offered certificates, not four-year degrees. But hundreds of degree-granting institutions, especially in the Northeast, have closed too. America’s declining birth rate is another daunting problem for many struggling institutions.

Now colleges face a new challenge — students using AI to cheat. Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano recently demonstrated how widespread this problem is. For one economics class, he let his class of 86 take home the midterm. The average score was 96%. In past classes, the average midterm score had been between 65% and 80%. Since he suspected many of his students used AI to cheat, he changed the final to an in-class exam. Twenty-seven students either dropped the class or didn’t take the final. The average score was 48.5%. Two students who scored 100% on the midterm scored a zero on the final. The data suggested only a handful of students didn’t use AI on the midterm.

Put this all together. College is ridiculously expensive, saddling many students with loans they’ll spend decades struggling to repay. Colleges shelter students from authors like Shakespeare and competing ideas. They practice racial discrimination in admissions. And now, students can get A’s by outsourcing their thinking to ChatGPT. Even propped up by government subsidies, that’s not a great sales pitch.

Here’s the irony. The ongoing college collapse is driven by knowledge, not ignorance.

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

obituaries

IN MEMORY

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

Grady Franklin “Frank” Hopkins

Dwight Farmer

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

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

Feb. 4, 1931 – July 27, 2026

Grady Franklin “Frank” Hopkins, 95, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 27, 2026, at his home, surrounded by the love of his family.

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.

A funeral service celebrating Frank’s life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, in the Stanly Funeral Home Chapel, officiated by Pastor Jim Yow. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Fairview Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening, July 30, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Stanly Funeral & Cremation Care of Albemarle.

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 Garfield.

Born on February 4, 1931, in Stanly County, Frank was the son of the late Grady and Ruth Hopkins.

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.

He is lovingly survived by his devoted wife of 74 years, Edith Nelle Winn Hopkins, whose faithful love and partnership were the foundation of their family. Also left to cherish his memory are his sons, Kevin Hopkins (Kim), Todd Hopkins (Ann), and Scott Hopkins (Kimberly); grandchildren, Alexandra H. Shipp (Trevor), Michael Hopkins (Ashlyn), Morgan H. West (Adam), Brittney H. Voyles (Jay), Taylor H. London (Grey), and Lauryn Hopkins; great-grandchildren, Charlie, Delilah, Thomas, Macie, Sawyer and Charley; along with many beloved cousins, nieces, and extended family members.

In addition to his parents, Frank was preceded in death by his sister, Martha Ruth Thomas;

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

his brother, Larry E. Hopkins. Frank was a proud veteran who honorably served his country, but his greatest pride was always his family. A devoted husband, loving father, treasured Granddaddy, and faithful provider, he dedicated his life to caring for those he loved. Known for his kind heart, tireless work ethic, and generous spirit, Frank never met a stranger. He genuinely enjoyed visiting with people, sharing stories, and brightening every gathering with his wonderful sense of humor and playful wit. His outgoing personality and warm smile made friends wherever he went.

BETTY HATLEY BURLESON

JUNE 12, 1941 – JULY 19, 2026

Betty Jean Hatley Burleson, 85, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Trinity Place.

A funeral service to celebrate Betty’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Pine Grove Methodist Church, officiated by Pastor Monty Clark and Dale Burleson. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. prior to the service.

James Roseboro

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

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

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 Sheriff’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

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

His grandchildren and greatgrandchildren were among his greatest joys, and nothing meant more to him than spending time with his family. A man of unwavering faith, Frank faithfully attended Central United Methodist Church for more than 70 years, where he was a dedicated and faithful member of his church family. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Trinity Place and the compassionate caregivers of Tillery Compassionate Care for the exceptional care, kindness, and support shown to Frank and his family throughout his declining health.

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.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to, Tillery Compassionate Care, 960 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https:// www.stjude.org) or Central United Methodist Church, 172 N. Second Street, Albemarle, NC 28001.

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.

Frank’s legacy is one of faith, hard work, unwavering devotion to his family, and genuine kindness toward everyone he met. His life was a testament to the values he held dear, and his love will continue to live on in the hearts of those blessed to know him. Though he will be deeply missed, the countless memories he created, the laughter he shared, and the example he set will remain a lasting source of comfort and inspiration for generations to come.

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

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

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.

John B. Kluttz

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

Doris Jones Coleman

Born on June 12, 1941, in Stanly County, Betty was the beloved daughter of the late Paul and Eva Hatley.

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

Betty devoted her life to the people she loved most. Her greatest joy came from spending time with her family, especially her cherished granddaughter, Samantha, who brought immeasurable happiness to her life. She found delight in the simple pleasures: camping with family, traveling to the mountains, and gathering loved ones together during the Christmas season to make her treasured homemade candy. A faithful member of Pine Grove Methodist Church, Betty enjoyed the fellowship of the church women’s group and valued the lifelong friendships she made there. She also shared a special bond with her beloved canine companion, Gracie, who brought her years of faithful companionship and unconditional love.

Those left to cherish her memory include her loving daughter, Debby Burleson Stiller; her beloved granddaughter, Samantha Stiller; brother-in-law, Shearon Burleson; sisters-in-law Ruth Burleson, Nancy Burleson, brothers-in-law Reid Burleson and Eddie Harris; sister-in-law, Ellen Kuhn; along with many treasured nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.

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.

In addition to her parents, Betty was preceded in death by her devoted husband, Carroll Warren Burleson, in 2009; her beloved son, Ronald Burleson; her brothers, Kenneth Hatley and Dewey Hatley; and her sister, Paulette Harris.

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.

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.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to the compassionate caregivers of Tillery Compassionate Care and Trinity Place. They are especially thankful to Pat Whitley, Sheila Blalock, Sharon Ruppe, Lessie White, and Shorty Hatley for the exceptional love, kindness, and support they provided to Betty throughout her declining health. Their compassion brought comfort not only to Betty but also to her family during a difficult time.

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting 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.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care, 960 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

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

Betty’s life was a beautiful reflection of faith, love, and quiet generosity. She found joy in life’s simple blessings, treasured every moment spent with family and friends, and touched countless lives with her caring heart and gentle spirit. Though she will be deeply missed, the memories she created, the traditions she lovingly passed down, and the unwavering love she shared will remain in the hearts of all who knew her. May her legacy continue to inspire kindness, and may her memory forever be a source of comfort and peace.

When John purchased his first 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!

ELGIE GRAY HONEYCUTT

APRIL 28, 1944 – JULY 27, 2026

Elgie Gray Honeycutt, 82, of Albemarle, passed away Monday, July 27, 2026, at Atrium Health Stanly Hospital in Albemarle.

Elgie was born on April 28, 1944, in North Carolina to the late William Elton Bryant and the late Nellie Norris Bryant.

She was also preceded in death by her husband, Delco Genay Honeycutt; sons, David Jerald Honeycutt, Harold Genay Honeycutt, and Scottie Gray Honeycutt; and sister, Aline Small.

Survivors include son, Marvin Dell Honeycutt, and sister, Mary Yates of Raleigh, NC.

No services scheduled at this time.

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.

Darrick Baldwin

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.

R. James Woolsey, former CIA director in ’90s, dead at 84

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

His two-year tenure was marked by the Aldrich Ames espionage scandal

The Associated Press

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — R. James Woolsey, a national security expert who led the CIA for two turbulent years after his appointment by President Bill Clinton, has died. He was 84. Woolsey, who became CIA director in early 1993, died Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C., according to several newspapers. His wife, Conchita Sarnoff Woolsey, told the newspapers that he died from a stroke.

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.

She told The Washington Post that his health had declined in recent years due to “Havana syndrome,” a mysterious condition that’s been reported by some U.S. diplomats and other government personnel. Symptoms that include headaches, balance problems and difficulties with thinking and sleep were first reported

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.

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.

in Cuba in 2016, leading to the label.

Woolsey left the CIA in early 1995. Among criticisms he’d faced were from those who felt there had been insufficient sanctions against supervisors of confessed CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia. Ames, a career CIA officer, admitted being paid $2.5 million by Moscow for U.S. secrets from 1985 until his arrest in 1994.

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 selfless, 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.

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 Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five 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.

Woolsey said the agency couldn’t fully protect itself against spies like Ames, and he cautioned against overreacting to the vulnerabilities exposed by Ames. He said there was a danger in going too far too fast, adding that overly strict security measures could lead to “a mood or attitude of paranoia and false accusations” that would further damage morale.

With the end of the Cold War, Woolsey also faced pressure from lawmakers who sought to make deep cuts to the agency’s budget.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley. Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

Before leading the CIA, he served as undersecretary of the Navy in the Carter administration and as an adviser on arms control issues to both Republican and Democratic presidents. When he became director of the CIA, he was known for getting things done. He was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1989 as a special negotiator for the languishing talks between the NATO alliance and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact on reducing weapons and troops in Europe. A year later, Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty. Woolsey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sept. 21, 1941. The graduate of Stanford University was a Rhodes Scholar who got his law degree from Yale University. He began government work in 1970 as a staff member on the National Security Council before moving to Capitol Hill to become general counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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is also completing a certificate in school leadership at Appalachian State University and is expected to finish the program in December.

During her career, Gardiner was named Teacher of the Year at both North Stanly Middle and Stanly STEM Early College. She was also selected as Albemarle High School’s 2026 Support Staff Member of the Year.

“I am excited about continuing to build a positive culture at Albemarle High School,” Gardiner said. “Our staff and students are committed to excellence both in the classroom and beyond, and I am grateful to be part of a school that truly loves its students and prepares them for success.”

Gardiner and her husband, Jeff, have three children, Jeffrey, Rayne and Anna. The couple also serves as foster parents in Stanly County.

Honeycutt enters his 13th year in public education and brings experience in classroom instruction, educational technology and school leadership to Albemarle Middle.

He began his career as a Spanish teacher at West Stanly

High School, where he worked for seven years. Most recently, he served as an assistant principal intern at Albemarle High School while completing his transition into administration.

Honeycutt holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and education and a master’s degree in instructional technology. He recently completed a school leadership program at UNC Charlotte. He has also worked as an information technology specialist and as an N.C. Department of

Public Instruction Rethink Education badged facilitator, supporting the use of technology and new instructional practices in schools.

“I am incredibly excited to join the Bulldog family and look forward to partnering with our staff, students, and families to make this an amazing school year,” Honeycutt said.

SCS announced both appointments as the district continues preparing for the upcoming academic year.

Father of boy rescued from pounding Calif. surf beyond grateful to teen lifeguard

The 16-year-old lifeguard risked his own safety diving into deadly surf to rescue the boy

By Hallie Golden The Associated Press

THE FATHER of a 10-year- old rescued from pounding surf off the California coast in a dramatic scene captured on video says he is beyond grateful to the teenage lifeguard who saved his son.

“He ran into that water despite those conditions that are deadly. You have 10-foot waves; you have riptides and currents coming in,” Sumit Rai told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “It is not safe for him to go into that water. So he’s risking his own safety.”

Rai’s son Nathaniel was standing in shallow water when he lost his footing and was pulled into the ocean last Saturday by powerful swells that suddenly came ashore at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles down the coast from San Francisco. Rai, who was in his home city of Dallas, Texas, said he heard about what happened when he spoke to his kids on the phone that evening.

“My son told me that he drowned and my son told me that he went unconscious,” he said. “He was very subdued, still in a state of shock.” By the next morning, Rai had watched the video of the rescue that has since caught the attention of President Donald Trump.

Ryder Williams, 16, the lifeguard who saved Nathaniel, said he saw the boy lose his footing in ankle-deep water. He radioed in and then raced toward Nathaniel.

“After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard,” he said in a statement.

California State Parks, which employs the lifeguards at that beach, said the boy was swept about 15 yards into the ocean before the lifeguard made contact with him.

In the video, Williams can be seen diving into a coming wave while holding tight to the boy.

Another lifeguard jumped in to help, along with some bystanders, who Williams said he warned to go back to the shore.

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” he said. “This is my job, and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”

The boy had no serious injuries, and after a medical evaluation he was released to his family, the California State Parks said in an emailed statement.

Rai said his son told him that he got sand in his lungs and was coughing it out after getting to the shore. Now his son, who is expected back from California in a few days, is dealing with the psychological effects of what happened.

“He’s still been thinking about it a lot. It’s on his mind,” he said. “It bothers him when he’s sleeping. So it’s obviously traumatizing.”

Rai has reached out to Williams and said he hopes to be able to thank him directly.

“What he did, I can never ever repay,” he said. “I’m forever grateful.”

Nathaniel,

Persistent inflation and geopolitical tension complicate efforts to bring prices under control

By Paul Wiseman The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, although three officials dissented in favor of higher rates as the central bank wrestles with how to deal with persistently high inflation.

The Fed’s rate-setting committee reached its decision after two days of deliberations, marking the fifth straight meeting at which the benchmark rate was kept at around 3.6%.

Some economists and Wall Street analysts had predicted the Fed would hike its rate by a quarter point. But while the decision to stand pat could be seen as good news for consumers, they might not feel much relief with the average credit card rate still near 20% and mortgage rates the highest since last August.

Inflation has been stuck above the central bank’s 2% target for more than five years. The Iran war has generated uncertainty over the economic outlook and has driven energy prices higher, intensifying inflationary pressure and creating a quandary for Fed policymakers. In addition, the vast amounts of money being spent by technology companies on artificial intelligence are both driving manufacturing and have resulted in increased prices for items such as computer chips and electricity. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods are also

adding to inflation pressures.

The three regional Fed bank presidents who dissented — Beth Hammack of the Cleveland Fed, Neel Kashkari from Minneapolis, and Lorie Logan from Dallas, Texas — had previously called for or signaled that they would be open to raising rates to combat high prices.

“The dissents send a clear message: The Fed is not yet convinced the inflation battle has been won,’’ said Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.

At a press conference following the rate decision, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh reiterated the Fed’s commitment to combating inflation. At the same time, Warsh said, “We have no magic wand. This isn’t something we’re going to be able to carry out in days or weeks.”

Warsh said he welcomed vigorous debate at the committee meeting. “I asked for a good family fight, and I got one,’’ he told reporters at a press conference.

Warsh has sought to make the central bank more tight-lipped about what it’s doing. When Fed officials make their views public, he reasons, they are less likely to adjust to new information. Even without much guidance from the Fed, he said approvingly that financial markets had made their own judgments about interest rates, pushing up yields in the past few weeks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, for instance, has risen from around 4.50% in mid-June to 4.64% just ahead of the Fed’s rate decision.

The market is “learning to play the ball and not the referee,” Warsh said.

expected policymakers to hold off, reluctant to risk disrupting financial markets. But most expect a rate hike in September, according to data from CME Group.

Kevin Warsh, Federal Reserve chair

But some economists were frustrated by the Fed chair’s ambiguous answers to questions. Thomas Ryan and Stephen Brown of Capital Economics, for instance, complained in a commentary that Warsh’s “vague’’ responses ”make forecasting the Fed’s next move even trickier than it already was.’’

Coming into Wednesday, traders on Wall Street saw a 33% chance the Fed would issue a rate hike, although most

Private mission to rescue NASA’s aging telescope runs into trouble

The aging Swift telescope will plummet to Earth this fall without a successful rescue

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

The spacecraft rushing to the rescue of an aging and sinking NASA telescope has run into its own problem.

Katalyst Space Technologies said Tuesday that its Link satellite is experiencing thruster problems and has gone into an

uncontrollable spin that is disrupting communication.

The trouble struck over the weekend, three weeks after the three-armed robotic spacecraft blasted into orbit.

The startup company said it’s working nonstop to get Link back in action so it can capture Swift and boost the telescope to a higher orbit. Swift will crash back to Earth this fall without help. NASA is paying $30 million for the rescue effort, which was thrown together in under a year.

Launched in 2004, Swift is descending faster than expected because of recent solar ac -

tivity. It needs a lift as soon as possible in order to continue scanning the universe for some of the biggest explosions, including gamma ray bursts and exploded stars. Scientific observations are on hold until then.

Neither Katalyst nor NASA is giving up hope. All of Link’s other major subsystems appear to be doing fine, according to the company.

“The mission remains active and we continue to believe that with these changes, Link has a viable path to rendezvous with Swift,” Katalyst said in a statement.

Trump, who had persistently pressured the Fed to cut rates, voiced support for Warsh.

“He’s fantastic,” Trump told reporters. “He’s a brilliant guy. Smart. I know he’d love to see lower interest rates, but he’s got a board and it’s a political board, and they want to keep rates up.”

Fed officials likely want to see more economic data before changing the benchmark rate. On Thursday, the Commerce Department delivers the first look at April-June economic growth and it will also publish the Fed’s preferred inflation measure — the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index — for June. Adding uncertainty to the

Fed’s decision-making process is the rising violence in Iran. The price of oil briefly blasted past $100 a barrel last week on intensifying fighting.

After the U.S. and Israel attacks Feb. 28, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas pass. That caused the greatest disruption in oil supplies in history and sent energy prices surging. They’ve since bobbed up and down depending on the ever-changing state of the conflict and negotiations to de-escalate it, but the average cost for a barrel is $10 to $15 more today than it was at this point last year.

Inflation has exceeded the Fed’s 2% target since early 2021 when the U.S. economy overheated as it roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns. Inflation peaked at just over 9% in mid-2022 and began to drop in the face of 11 rate hikes by the Fed in 2022 and 2023. But progress has more or less stalled.

So-called core inflation — which excludes volatile food and energy prices — cooled in June, partly because apartment rents aren’t rising as fast as they had been. And a temporary drop in gasoline prices last month also helped contain overall inflation.

But several Fed policymakers have been arguing that the Fed will have to raise rates to return inflation to the 2% target.

“Sternly staring at inflation until it melts before our withering gaze is not an option,’’ Christopher Waller, an influential member of the Fed’s governing board, said in a speech this month. Still, Waller voted to leave rates alone this week.

Fauci repeatedly invokes Fifth Amendment in contentious Senate committee hearing

Despite a presidential pardon, Republicans argue he could still face perjury charges

By Lauran Neergaard and Ali Swenson The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer dozens of questions from senators in a Republican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision, at least for now, shielded Fauci from answering questions that could expose him to accusations of lying under oath. Though he received a pardon in early 2025 from Democratic President Joe Biden, some Republicans pursuing a yearslong campaign for his arrest had suggested he could still face charges for any perjury committed during Wednesday’s hearing.

The scientist, who helped lead the nation’s COVID-19 response, was subpoenaed to testify under oath by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Fauci.

In response to angry, sometimes mocking questions from Republican senators, Fauci declined to answer more than 100 times, injecting new drama into partisan divides that have festered for years about the origins and handling of the pandemic. Fauci himself has become a polarizing figure, even receiving death threats that prompted him to seek security.

In his opening statement, Fauci said Paul has an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.”

“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars,’” Fauci said, adding that while it pained him to do so, he was following his attorney’s advice by taking the Fifth.

Paul, who has long argued that Fauci should be criminally investigated, based on his belief that the scientist was dishonest in previous testimony to Congress, announced that the committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt for declining to answer questions.

He did not say whether he would push for a criminal contempt referral to federal prosecutors or another charge. He also raised questions about whether Fauci’s pardon affects his eligibility for Fifth Amendment protections.

Republicans accuse Fauci of lying while Democrats say he didn’t deserve that

In the combative hearing, Paul and other Republicans accused Fauci of lying in earlier testimony about the coronavirus’ origins, something the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist has forcefully denied. Democrats called the hearing a politically motivated attempt at entrapping Fauci and praised the scientist for his work during the pandemic.

With Fauci declining to answer questions throughout, Paul dominated the approximately three-hour hearing, list-

ing a litany of accusations and detailed questions.

“Today will be the capstone to Anthony Fauci’s 40 years of abuse of power at NIH,” Paul said. “History will judge, but the facts as we now know them paint a sordid tale of dishonesty, misjudgment and ultimately the hubris, the likes of which the world has never seen.”

In a heated moment during the hearing, Paul ejected Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, from the room after he tried to speak without being recognized. In a statement, Schertler said the removal was “outrageous and demonstrates the completely biased and baseless nature of this proceeding.” In another statement, he called Paul’s accusations about Fauci “false and disgraceful.”

Democratic senators praised Fauci and said he didn’t deserve the treatment he was getting.

“This hearing is designed to entrap you,” said Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Paul released some of Fauci’s diary

Leading up to the hearing, Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary covering the pandemic years. Pointing to some notes about

“This

hearing is designed to entrap you,”

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)

early efforts at understanding how the virus emerged, Paul said on social media that what Fauci “wrote privately and what he told the country are two different stories.”

Some of the diary entries — including Fauci’s uncertainty in the pandemic’s earliest days as scientists around the world raced to understand the new virus and how best to curb it before vaccines could be created — already were reflected in a 2024 memoir and in interviews at the time.

But they have nonetheless drawn attention from people who blame Fauci for mask mandates, school closures and other policies they believe infringed on their rights as hundreds of thousands of people were dying.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday wrote on social media that he stopped relying on Fauci over the course of the pandemic because he felt the scientist made bad decisions about masks, shutdowns and other issues. He later told reporters he watched the entire hearing.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist before entering public office, said on social media that his department had found the diary entries on government property and had given them to the committee.

Dozens of disease experts defend Fauci in letter

Scientists also scrambled to Fauci’s defense ahead of the unusual hearing — the second time he has been back before Congress to discuss pandemic origins since leaving the government in 2022.

While the COVID-19 pandemic introduced him to millions of Americans, he talked the nation through numerous outbreaks over decades, including HIV, Ebola and the 2001 anthrax attacks,

while advising seven presidents. In a public letter, more than 150 infectious-disease experts and other scientists wrote that “no credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges” and that they are urging elected officials to “stop these witch-hunts.”

Among topics discussed at Wednesday’s hearing was whether NIH-funded research in China may have played a role in how the pandemic started. Many scientists believe the virus most likely emerged in nature and jumped from animals to people, coming to light when it spread at a wildlife market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. There’s no new scientific evidence supporting the theory that the virus might instead have leaked from a laboratory, a theory Paul champions. A GOP-led subcommittee that studied the question in 2024 found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing.

Fauci has long said publicly that he was open to both theories but that there’s more evidence supporting COVID-19’s natural origins.

Republicans also have accused Fauci of lying about whether his agency funded what’s known as gain-of-function research — the practice of enhancing a virus in a lab to study its potential real-world impact — at a lab in Wuhan.

The NIH, for years, gave grants to a New York nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance, which used some of the funds to work with a Chinese lab studying coronaviruses commonly carried by bats. But the definition of gain-of-function covers both general research and especially risky experiments that enhance the ability of potential pandemic viruses to spread or cause severe disease in humans. Fauci has previously stressed he was using the risky experiment definition and “it would be molecularly impossible” for those bat virus experiments to have turned into the pandemic virus.

Trump, a Republican, paused some federally funded gain-of-function research last year, and on Tuesday his administration announced new rules to tighten oversight.

‘Pleading the Fifth’ invokes constitutional amendment that has a long history in US society

Originally rooted in English common law, the amendment protects against forced self-incrimination

By Deepti Hajela The Associated Press

NEW YORK — It was important enough to the framers of the U.S. Constitution to be included in the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights — that no person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.”

As part of the Fifth Amendment, the right against self-incrimination is well known to the general public thanks to years of legal and police procedural shows on television as well as instances of high-profile use in real life. The amendment also includes a right to due process and protects against being prosecuted twice for the same offense.

It has seeped into the culture, too. “Pleading the Fifth” has become an idiom in the United States, used jokingly in casual conversation as a way to get out of answering a possibly uncomfortable question.

Not a uniquely American principle

The general principle is not a uniquely American one. Its roots include English common law dating back to the 17th century.

At the time the Constitution was being written, it was enshrined along with other amendments to put limits on the newly created federal government. The Fifth Amendment and a handful of others were focused on criminal justice issues, with other amendments including things like the right to a lawyer and a speedy jury trial, and a prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

One of the core tenets of the U.S. criminal justice system is

that people are innocent until proven guilty, and that it’s up to the prosecuting power to prove guilt. Without a right to avoid self-incrimination, people could be put in the position of having to prove their own innocence rather than being shown as guilty.

Can be used in number of circumstances

Over the course of U.S. history, the Fifth Amendment has

expanded beyond federal criminal cases to the state court level, and to civil cases as well. There’s a difference, though.

In criminal cases, if someone on trial invokes the amendment and refuses to testify, the jurors must be told that they can’t assume that silence equals guilt. In civil cases, drawing a negative inference from a refusal to testify can be allowed.

Of course, even in criminal cases, if jurors are told it doesn’t mean a defendant is guilty, they

could still believe that not testifying correlates to having done what they are accused of. Witnesses can also plead the Fifth, but they can answer other questions — as opposed to defendants, for whom it’s all or nothing in regards to testifying. The Fifth Amendment’s use has also shown up in hearings before Congress, when those who have been subpoenaed to testify under oath reference it out of concerns that something they say could then be used in some kind of criminal proceeding.

High-profile figures have invoked it

In a hearing before a Republican-led Senate committee about how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci turned to the Fifth in declining to answer questions. It drew scorn from Republicans, while Democrats supported him.

In 2022, when he was out of the White House after his first term as president, Donald Trump used the Fifth repeatedly in a deposition for a civil case against the Trump Organization in New York.

In the 1950s, when Sen. Joe McCarthy held anticommunist hearings, some witnesses used the amendment when being questioned. Even though they had the right, McCarthy condemned them for it, and they faced consequences that included public censure and blacklisting.

Local teen brings nature park to Oakboro for Eagle Scout project

By Melinda Burris Stanly News Journal

LOCUST — Matthew Kippes, who prefers to go by his middle name, Wilson, began participating in scouts when he was about 9 and kept it up until sixth grade, when COVID happened and disrupted everyone’s routine for a time.

He got back into scouts when he was in the eighth grade and never looked back.

“It is definitely really nice always being able to go back and see the same faces,” he said. “I’ve known these guys since, well, third grade.”

Kippes cited the familiar camaraderie he shares with the boys he grew up with as a primary reason for his decision to return. The chance to socialize with his childhood pals and to train again with his friends in scouting principles was something he definitely missed, and he was happy to reengage with them.

For his final Eagle Scout Project, Kippes built a small nature park on the corner of College and 8th streets in Oakboro.

“I joined after my dad died, so it definitely filled in a big part of raising me and made me a better person in total.”

Eagle Scout Wilson Kippes

He received permission to clear a small tract of forest land. With the assistance of one of the troop dads who is in the business of clearing trees, Kippes got to work mulching and creating the nature park. His good friend, Oakboro resident Oscar “Brooks” Barnhardt, founder of the Rocky River Organization for Preservation and Protection (RROPP), suggested the idea.

“I immediately agreed,” Kippes said. “I was looking for a project at that time, and I thought that’s really nice because I like parks, and I really like his parks.”

Reflecting on his scouting experience, he, like so many of his troopmates, emphasized how much he has learned about team building and being ready to take on leadership roles.

One year, he was the senior patrol leader, and in

that role, he led groups in orienteering exercises and f un excursions to local sites, including Reed’s Gold Mine.

Kippes has earned 43 badges in his time as an Eagle Scout.

He maintains that the skills and values he has learned through scouting are meaningful character traits that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.

“I joined after my dad died, so it definitely filled in a big part of raising me and made me a better person in total,” he said. “So if a kid ever feels like he needs somewhere to go, scouting is the perfect place to go with it.”

Next up: Upon graduation, he hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting or perhaps attend Savannah College of Art and Design.

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comment beneath the post about the Hendrix case, he wrote, “People are suffering from black fatigue. White people get called racists daily, so why fight it?”

Asked by SNJ what he meant, Lowder called the phrase “an observation of fact based on my analysis of social media.” He later said, “Black fatigue evidently is a term that means a lot of different things to different people, but in the last year or so, the term has gone viral.”

While the post was still publicly visible, Facebook displayed reactions on comments and meme images beneath it labeled “Liked by Author,” referring to Lowder.

The material included an image pairing a black person with a small brain, another implying that “neighbor” is an undesirable term for a black person, and posts stating, “N fatigue is off the chain” and “Call ’em as you see ’em. Apparently they earned that word.”

Other examples included an image implying black res-

“Every day, our faculty and staff work alongside students from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and circumstances to help them achieve their educational and career goals.”

John Enamait, Stanly Community College president

idents make neighborhoods less safe, an image disparaging black single mothers and a comment alleging an “agenda against the white race worldwide.”

Responding to a question about the displayed reactions, Lowder called Facebook’s system “very buggy” and said it is “almost impossible to find a previously viewed comment that has been mis-clicked to indicate a particular emoji reaction.”

In a Monday night statement that did not mention Lowder, SCC said trustees speak for the 12-member board only through official collective action, and governance matters are handled independently of the administration under the board’s bylaws.

“Every day, our faculty and staff work alongside students from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and circumstances to help them achieve their educational and career goals,” SCC President John Enamait said.

“Our commitment to treating every person with dignity and respect, fostering opportunity, and supporting student success is demonstrated through our actions every day,” Enamait continued. “That work, carried out every day by our faculty, staff, and students, reflects who we are as an institution and the values we strive to uphold.”

The college’s statement did not address whether the board of trustees plans to review the matter.

STANLY SPORTS

Stanly softball players earn NFCA, NCSCA honors

West Stanly’s Katie Broadaway takes a swing in a game against East Rowan during her junior season.

PJ WARD-BROWN / STANLY

West Stanly, South Stanly athletes earned recognitions

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

ALBEMARLE — Stanly County was well represented in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and North Carolina Softball Coaches Association’s recently released 2026 postseason awards.

Seven county players earned NFCA All-Region VII recognition, while 19 were selected to the NCSCA’s All-District 6 teams. Thirteen of the All-District honorees also received All-State recognition.

West Stanly graduate Payton Watson, an outfielder, was named to the NFCA Region VII first team. Rising senior Kennedy Austin, a third baseman, and graduate Nevaeh Al-

exander, a shortstop, earned second-team honors.

The Colts’ coaching staff was also named the Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year.

Coach Emily Smith and assistants Haily Jarman, Matt Little and Abbie Yarboro guided West Stanly to the 4A Western Regional championship and a state runner-up finish.

Eight spring-season programs received regional coaching staff honors from their peers, the NFCA announced July 24. West Stanly’s staff previously received the regional honor in 2022. The NFCA’s national coaching staff award is scheduled to be announced Aug. 7.

“We are very proud of these athletes after their strong sea -

“We are very proud of these athletes after their strong season as 4A Western Regional champions and state runners-up.” West Stanly softball

son as 4A Western Regional champions and state runners-up,” West Stanly softball said in a statement.

South Stanly placed three players on the NFCA Region VII first team: rising junior pitcher Lyric Rucker, rising junior first baseman Coco Tyson

Pfeiffer lacrosse trio recognized for academic achievement

The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association announced its latest list

By Jesse Deal Stanly News Journal

MISENHEIMER — Three Pfeiffer University women’s lacrosse players have been recognized for their performance in the classroom following the Falcons’ best season in several years.

On July 22, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association announced that junior midfielder Lola Cabaniss-Ali and senior midfielders Rylee Honeycutt and Emma LaFave were selected to its 2025-26 Division III Academic Honor Roll. The association honored

1,347 student-athletes from 174 Division III institutions. To qualify, a player must be a junior, senior or graduate student and hold a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50. Pfeiffer’s three honorees were among 18 student athletes

from seven USA South Athletic Conference programs to make the list. Brevard, Greensboro, Huntingdon, Meredith, Methodist and Piedmont also had players recognized. Greensboro, Huntingdon, Meredith and Piedmont also received Academic Hon-

and graduate third baseman Ashelyn Tucker. Rising junior second baseman Lia Carpenter was a second-team selection.

The NCSCA named six South Stanly players to its 2A All-State team: graduate catcher Piper Huneycutt, rising junior outfielder Morgan Thomas, Carpenter, Rucker, Tucker and Tyson.

West Stanly had seven 4A All-State selections: rising senior pitcher and designated player Katie Broadaway, graduate outfielder Saylor Edwards, rising junior pitcher and second baseman Madison Kirkland, rising senior pitcher Madi Whitley, Alexander, Austin and Watson. South Stanly’s All-District 6

or Squad recognition, which is presented to teams that posted a combined GPA of at least 3.20 for the academic year.

The academic honors followed a turnaround season for Pfeiffer under second-year coach Julia Barbato during which the Falcons finished 11-6 overall and fifth in the USA South with a 5-4 conference record.

Pfeiffer won three of its final four regular-season conference games to climb into fifth place. The Falcons’ season ended April 25 with a 12-7 loss at Southern Virginia in the opening round of the USA South tournament in Buena Vista, Virginia.

The winning season was Pfeiffer’s first since 2019, while its winning conference record was its first since 2021. By the time the season wrapped up, the Falcons had recorded their most overall wins since 2018 and their most conference victories since 2019.

That progress followed a 2025 campaign in which Pfeiffer went 2-11 overall and finished ninth in the confer -

team also included rising sophomore outfielder Sadie Bowers, graduate outfielder Lily Coakley, rising sophomore shortstop Bella Lamonds and rising junior outfielder Elliana Ussery. West Stanly’s additional All-District selections were rising sophomore catcher Abby Hartsell and rising junior first baseman Laney Tucker.

Representing South Stanly, the NCSCA named Tyson both the 2A West Player of the Year and District 6 2A Player of the Year; Rucker was named the 2A West Pitcher of the Year and District 6 2A Pitcher of the Year.

Meanwhile, West Stanly’s Alexander received District 6 4A Player of the Year honors.

Falcons named to the IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll

ence at 1-8 during Barbato’s first season.

Pfeiffer launched its women’s lacrosse program in 1999 and has compiled a 225-176 overall record and a 95-54 conference mark; Barbato is the program’s 10th head coach.

Next spring, the Falcons will try to post consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2018 and 2019.

Founded in 1982, the IWLCA is a nonprofit professional organization representing more than 1,200 coaches at over 540 NCAA and NAIA institutions. It provides advocacy, education and professional-development resources while administering national polls and academic and athletic awards.

Bowman wants stylish close to career before pursuing goals outside racing

Health issues have bothered the veteran driver in recent years

By Michael Marot The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Alex Bowman considered walking away from NASCAR after this season. A series of discouraging results convinced him to give racing one more shot.

One day after the 33-year-old Arizona native announced he’ll retire after the 2027 season, Bowman arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first Brickyard 400 practice and explained why he decided to embark on one final farewell tour with Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think I really want to end on a more positive note than kind of how this year’s been,” he said.

“I’ve had my fair share (of concussions), but this really isn’t a physical thing. I think if I would have had no injuries over the last 10 years, this time frame would still be this time frame. This is kind of what I wanted.”

Bowman has spent the past 10 years driving for one of NASCAR’s top teams, first in the No. 88 car before switching to the No. 48. He enters this weekend with eight career wins, 114 top 10 finishes and seven pole wins in 371 career Cup starts. In recent years, though, he battled health issues.

Bowman missed four races this season because of vertigo and, in addition to the concussions, also suffered a back injury in a 2023 sprint car race. He then reinjured his back in a big crash at Michigan in 2025.

Somehow, though, Bowman managed to make seven playoff appearances in the previ-

Suns introduce Bridges, defend decision to add him after domestic violence issues

The former Hornet arrived with mixed feelings among Phoenix fans

By David Brandt The Associated Press

PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns forward Miles Bridges appears to be a good fit for his new team on the basketball court, giving it a beefy frontcourt presence who has scored at a high level over seven NBA seasons.

The problem is his troublesome off-the-court history — including pleading no contest to a felony domestic violence charge in 2022 — has mostly overshadowed his arrival.

The 28-year-old Bridges said he’s very aware that some Suns fans aren’t thrilled that he’s now with the franchise.

“It’s mixed feelings about me being here,” Bridges said during his introductory press conference last Wednesday. “But I take full responsibility for my actions, I’ve been to counseling, I’ve been to therapy. Right now, I’m prioritizing just being better as a man every day, on and off the court.

“Mainly off the court.”

The Suns acquired Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a

2027 second-round pick in exchange for guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick in a trade June 28.

Suns general manager Brian Gregory said the franchise felt comfortable bringing Bridges to the desert despite his “unacceptable conduct that has occurred in the past.”

Gregory’s relationship with Bridges goes back roughly a decade to when the GM was a consultant at Michigan State and Bridges was a freshman with the Spartans. The Suns’ ties with Michigan State are deep — owner Mat Ishbia was a walk-on player for the Spartans in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while coach Jordan Ott spent time with the program as a video coordinator from 2008 to 2013.

Gregory said he’s confident that Bridges has grown since his arrest but that he would have to earn the trust of the Suns’ fans.

“Those questions are part of his story,” Gregory said. “He’s dealt with them before, and he’ll deal with them today as well. I think those questions — we were aware of and we knew about — and that’s why we took this decision so seriously.”

Bridges was arrested in June

“I think I really want to end on a more positive note than kind of how this year’s been.”

Alex Bowman

ous eight seasons. This year, he’s 29th in points — well below the 16-driver postseason cutline.

“It has been a journey for sure, and it hasn’t gone the way I had hoped, I guess, in some ways,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun even though the stat sheet might not read what I want it to read. It’s still been great in a lot of ways.”

Bowman’s impending departure means Hendrick will have a rare full-time opening in 2028. But finding a successor for Bowman’s seat was not a priority on Friday’s agenda.

Instead, teammates and team officials offered their support to Bowman about his decision and the 53 races remaining on his schedule.

“I really enjoyed my time with him,” two-time Cup champ Kyle Larson said. “He made us all better. I really enjoyed having him around, the debriefs and all that, even tried to make it something bigger that we all enjoyed. And he can drive the heck out of a race car. So he brings a lot to the race team, and I’m happy that he’s able to do it on his own terms.”

Bowman wasn’t the only driver talking about his future plans.

JR Motorsports announced last week that 40-year-old Justin Allgaier, the O’Reilly Series points leader, will return for 2027 and beyond. The announcement ended speculation about Allgaier retiring this year as he chases his

second series title in three years.

“I had a pretty good thought that (retirement) was the direction we were going to go and there’s still some things that we have to work through to finalize all that before it’s official,” Allgaier said. “For me, it was entrusting some of the groups around me, the conversation with my wife, probably most importantly my kids, just trying to discuss what that looked like and even then the partners, right? It was making sure we were able to put funding together to be able to race.”

Bowman also has plans outside of racing.

He announced on Instagram in December that he and longtime girlfriend Chloe Henderson had gotten engaged, and though he’s not considering a broadcasting career at the moment, he didn’t rule it out in the future as he chases other aspirations.

“I think for me, much more of it is things I want to do outside the race car, other goals I have in life and stuff I want to do,” Bowman said. “If it was straight up like I can’t do this anymore, it probably would have been this year. But I do feel like I can continue to (race) at a high level.”

“Right now, I’m prioritizing just being better as a man every day, on and off the court. Mainly off the court.” Miles Bridges

2022 on the eve of free agency on charges including felony child abuse and injuring a child’s parent. The NBA forced him to sit out while his legal case was pending, and he ultimately pleaded no contest.

Bridges was suspended for 30 games in April 2023 by the league but received a 20-game credit because he missed the entire 2022-23 season. Bridges also faced three charges for

an alleged violation of a domes-

tic violence protection order on Oct. 6, 2023, before the case was eventually dropped.

From a basketball perspective, it’s easy to see why the Suns thought Bridges would be a good addition.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pounder averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season for the much-improved Hornets, who made it to the play-in tournament but fell just short of the NBA playoffs. He’s also a versatile defender and rebounder who can play multiple spots.

“It was just a perfect fit for us,” Gregory said. “Everything that we’re about as a team when it comes to how you feel when you watch us play — the grit, the energy, the toughness that we play with, the competitiveness we play with, Miles Bridges brings

that every single day when he walks out on the court.”

Bridges joins a Suns core that includes five-time All-Star Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and Mark Williams. Phoenix was one of the league’s surprise teams last season, winning 45 games and making the playoffs despite trading superstar Kevin Durant during the previous offseason.

Bridges said he was grateful to the Hornets for giving him a second chance after his legal issues. He said it’s his job to not only earn the trust of the fans, but also his new teammates.

“I definitely want to earn the trust of my teammates first,” Bridges said. “Making the locker room comfortable, having guys that want to be around me ... is huge. And that definitely goes into on-the-court stuff.”

Obama surprises WNBA All-Stars at practice at new

Presidential Center

The stars were the first pro team to practice at the facility’s new gym

By Doug Feinberg

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — Caitlin Clark was in awe after meeting former President Barack Obama after he surprised the WNBA All-Stars on Friday at his Presidential Center.

Clark called her conversation with Obama “a moment I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.”

“It was obviously super cool. He just complimented me for the way that I handle everything, obviously with everything that’s been going on,” the Indiana Fever star said last Friday after meeting Obama. “He’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit, and he reminded me, ‘When I got famous in my 40s, I didn’t have to do it in my 20s.’”

Obama spoke to the players for a few minutes on the basketball court at the center, which opened last month.

“Some of you I’m meeting for the first time. All of you are extraordinary, and I could not be bigger fans,” Obama said. “The way the game has been growing lately, the way it’s been picking up and people paying attention to your excellence, I think it’s been something for basketball fans, generally, a sight to see. It’s been making me happy.”

He spoke to the players for a few minutes before taking a group photo. Obama then spent about 10 minutes shaking hands with the players and taking photos with them, including Clark.

“I know many of you are involved in some wonderful ventures off the court, looking out for other young people and inspiring them,” Obama said. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

The former president gave a shout out to A’ja Wilson in his talk to the players and then went over and chatted with her as well.

After the photo-ops were done, Obama stepped on the

“Let me go over there with the basketball, you know, do a little cross, bump him a little bit.”

Jonquel Jones on former President Barack Obama playing defense on her

court and talked with New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones, getting down in a defensive stance for a few seconds on her.

“I feel like as a hooper, you know when someone’s challenging you,” Jones said. “So I was just like, let me go over there with the basketball, you know, do a little cross, bump him a little bit. And I knew that I would get him activated a little because he’s a hooper, too.”

Jones said she had met Obama once before.

“He’s a role model for me, and it was nice to be able to have that moment,” Jones said. “Someone that I look up to, someone that has paved the way for a lot of people to be here and see him continuing, his family continuing to give back to the community when they’ve already done so much is just so inspirational.”

That was the extent of his time on the court. He told the players that he didn’t play 5-on-5

anymore to protect his Achilles. He did say that he broke in the court with a game of “horse.”

Obama was the first sitting U.S. president to attend a WNBA game when he and his daughter Sasha sat courtside in 2010 for a Washington Mystics game.

Obama was gifted with a No. 44 WNBA All-Star jersey that the players were going to autograph later.

This was the first professional sport to use the basketball court at the center, which opened in June. Obama said he unfortunately wasn’t going to be able to make the All-Star Game on Saturday because of a previous engagement with his wife, Michelle.

“It’s fitting for our 30th anniversary that we’re here as the first sports league to play in the Obama Presidential Center,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Someone who has inspired hundreds of millions of people to dream big and accomplish things like President Obama has and his tie to basketball is amazing, too. I think there’s no more fitting person to be meeting with the players.”

After talking to the players, Obama went across the center to talk to a group of investors in the league and nearly 100 high school girls.

USC Upstate, softball

Nevaeh Alexander just graduated from West Stanly, where she was a shortstop on the Colts’ softball team and also played volleyball. She’s headed for USC Upstate, where she’ll continue her softball career in college.

As a senior, Alexander was third in the state in runs scored and 22nd in home runs. She ranked in the top five in NC class 4A in homers, runs, RBIs and steals. She was just named All-State for class 4A and also won Player of the Year for District 6.

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having qualified as the Administrator of the Estate of Angela Dawn Gainey, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the Estate to present such claims to the undersigned Administrator on or before the 16th day of October, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This the 1st day of July, 2026. Ryan Gainey Administrator of the Estate of Angela Dawn Gainey 457 Peachtree Road Oakboro, NC 28129 David A. Beaver Attorney for the Administrator 160 N. First Street (P.O. Box 1338) Albemarle, NC 28001 (28002) 704-982-4915

Dates of publication: July 11, 18 & 25 and August, 1, 2026

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NORTH CAROLINA, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION STANLY COUNTY. 26CV001121-830 SHAUN DAVIS MOTES, Plaintiff, vs JAMIE BROOKE MOTES, Defendant

NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

To: Jamie Brooke Motes, Defendant Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the aboveentitled civil action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: That the plaintiff, Shaun Davis Motes be granted an absolute divorce from you, the defendant, Jamie Brooke Motes. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than the 11th day of September, 2026, said date being 40 days from the first publication of this notice, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This is the 27th day of July, 2026.

James A. Phillips, Jr. Attorney for the Plaintiff P.O. Box 1162, Albemarle, NC 28002

704.983.2709

Publish August 2, 2026 August 9, 2026 August 16, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA STANLY COUNTY In the General Court of Justice Superior Court Clerk Before the Clerk

26E000335-830

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Mitzie Doniece Lanier, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned or his attorney on or before November 2nd, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 28th day of July, 2026.

SIDNEY RICKEY LANIER EXECUTOR FOR THE ESTATE OF MITZIE DONIECE LANIER MARK T. LOWDER ATTORNEY AT LAW PO Box 1284 Albemarle, NC 28002

Telephone (704) 982-8558

Publish: August 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2026

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NORTH CAROLINA, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE STANLY COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK

26E000294-830 NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The undersigned, having duly qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Spencer Cody Lee Kimrey, deceased, late of Stanly County, North Carolina, is hereby notifying all persons, firms, or corporations having claims against said decedent, or her estate, to present the same to the undersigned Administrator, duly itemized and verified on or before the 12th day of October, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Administrator. This the 2nd day of July, 2026. William Davied Kimrey Administrator of the Estate of Spencer Cody Lee Kimrey 16311 Tyson Road Albemarle, NC 28001

PUBLISH: July 12, 19, 26, August 2, 2026

James A. Phillips, Jr. Attorney for the Estate P.O. Box 1162 117 W. North Street Albemarle, NC 28002-1162

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF DISCHARGE OF UNTREATED SEWAGE

The City of Lexington had a discharge of untreated wastewater from our wastewater collection system at the Swearing Creek Pump Station, located near Brown Street Ext. of approximately 71,250 gallons. The discharge occurred on July 23, 2026 for approximately 4.75 hours. The untreated wastewater entered Swearing Creek in the Yadkin River Basin. The wastewater in the collection system at Swearing Creek Pump Station was contained after approximately 4.75 hours of observed

NOTICE

the same duly itemized and verified to the undersigned on or before the 20th day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the decedent or to her estate are hereby requested to pay the said indebtedness to the undersigned Administrator CTA or his attorney. This the 18th day of July 2026. CARL DOUGLAS RIVERS a/k/a CARL D. RIVERS Administrator CTA ESTATE OF BOBBIE LEE RIVERS PO Box 1124 Albemarle, NC 28002 CHARLES P. BROWN BROWN & SENTER, P.L.L.C. PO Box 400 Albemarle, North Carolina 28002-0400 Telephone: 704 982-2141 Facsimile: 704 982-0902 PUBLISH:

New media ecosystem taking root among left, reshaping Democratic politics

Independent

progressive

media

is thriving

as Democrats lose faith in mainstream institutions

By Ali Swenson The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Farah Berent, a physician assistant in Holland, Michigan, used to learn about politics from channels like ABC, CBS and CNN. But that changed as she decided that coverage of the war in Gaza was irreparably biased.

“I couldn’t stand all the lies on the stations,″ said Berent, arguing that there wasn’t enough attention being paid to Palestinian suffering. “I started going to Instagram to get my news.”

Berent is among many progressive-minded Americans who have sworn off legacy media institutions. They’re turning to a widening mix of independent podcasts, social media accounts and digital news sites, part of an increasingly influential ecosystem that has boosted this year’s wave of anti-establishment, left-leaning candidates who may not have gotten as much attention otherwise.

Liberals remain more likely than conservatives to trust mainstream outlets, but the splintering echoes how conservatives skeptical of their party created a collection of insurgent news sites years ago. The shift has elevated individual commentators with opinions on the news, some of whom have proven influential in driving people’s votes.

Ryan Grim, a co-founder of Drop Site News and a veteran of online political debates, said progressive politicians have sought out his platform to reach voters. In a change from previous election cycles, “they have ways to get covered even if the mainstream just basically ignores them,” he said.

One of those candidates is Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan and faces the more moderate U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Aug. 4 primary.

“I think in a lot of ways, where traditional media has been gatekeepers, we’re watching that gatekeeping function fall away,” El-Sayed said.

Anti-establishment media exploding lately

These changes have been on display this year in places like New York City, where a slate of progressive congressional candidates endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated establishment-backed candidates.

Sara Hyler, a policy analyst in East Harlem, originally planned to support incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in last month’s Democratic primary. But then Hyler started learning about progressive outsider Darializa Avila Chevalier through YouTube videos and podcasts, including from the liberal media company MeidasTouch.

“There’s a complete lack of trust in any and all institutions now. That has led people to turn to individuals, and so now you’re picking your flavor of person to listen to.”

Mike Nellis, Democratic consultant

“My actual beliefs are to the left of Democrats. I don’t want a moderate,” said Hyler, who ultimately voted for Avila Chevalier in hopes she could help nudge Congress toward progressive policies.

The rise of independent media has been part of a digital transformation that transcends politics, as chronically online Americans are turning toward news from social media and content creators. But it’s not just the popularity of smartphones driving that change.

“There’s a complete lack of trust in any and all institutions now,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic consultant who hosts a podcast, writes a Substack and posts political analysis on social media. “That has led people to turn to individuals, and so now you’re picking your flavor of person to listen to.”

Among conservatives, faith in mainstream media and in the more moderate wing of the Republican Party faltered years ago, with the rise of the Tea Party movement paving the way for an alternative right-wing media ecosystem, including sites like the Daily Caller, Breitbart and The Blaze. Trump also tapped into a loose constellation of podcasts, including “The Joe Rogan Experience,” for his successful comeback campaign.

Reece Peck, a media culture professor at the College of Staten Island, said the left-wing version of that has happened

slowly, beginning with the momentum of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ first presidential run in 2016. At the time, left-wing, anti-establishment YouTube accounts and podcasts like “The Young Turks” and “Chapo Trap House” were gaining attention but didn’t reach the majority of Democratic voters.

Now Democrats have realized their faith in institutions didn’t prevent Trump’s return.

“The ground has been made fertile for an anti-establishment media politics, where it just wasn’t quite there with the voter base in those previous cycles,” Peck said. Even older, moderate liberals, he said, have started to ″throw their hands in the air and look for alternatives.” YouTube accounts like ”Secular Talk” and “Breaking Points,” streamers like Hasan Piker and new digital journalism organizations like More Perfect Union and The Lever are among those that have seen their audiences multiply.

Grim said Drop Site has amassed 800,000 free and 60,000 paid subscribers since launching two years ago — more than he’d anticipated.

Saul Levin, a Michigan pro-

gressive organizer who recently started his own podcast about artificial intelligence data centers, said Trump’s attacks on the existing media landscape are part of the reason for that growth.

“The investigations and raids on numerous different journalists, the appointment of specifically aligned billionaires to lead various major news agencies, is very troubling,” he said.

“Creators and new media outlets are stepping in and trying to fill gaps.”

Alternative media prominent in Michigan primary

The Michigan primary will be the latest test of the evolving media ecosystem, which El-Sayed, a longtime podcaster himself, has tried to harness. Various progressive outlets, creators and organizers have aggressively promoted his campaign.

El-Sayed said the rise of independent media has let voters compare news across different channels and notice biases, but he doesn’t turn down opportunities on legacy media, either.

Teleprompter operator accused prediction market bets on Trump speeches out of job

He won six figures by betting on what the president would say

By Aamer Madhani The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A

White House teleprompter operator who was put on unpaid leave after news reports he had used inside knowledge to make bets about President Donald Trump’s speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi is no longer in his post, according to a White House official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the personnel matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that teleprompter operator Gabri-

“I go on Fox News, I go on podcasts, I Twitch stream, we have a YouTube channel,” he said.

Stevens, who received endorsements from outgoing incumbent Sen. Gary Peters, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, has a more traditional approach. She’s also backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and its affiliated groups, which have spent close to $30 million on the race.

Stevens’ campaign declined to comment for this story.

Reporting from progressive outlets has influenced how the race has unfolded. For example, Stevens parted ways with a campaign consultant when Drop Site revealed that she had also worked for tech company Palantir, which is controversial in liberal circles because of its government contracts involving immigration enforcement.

Democratic officials said Trump’s return to the White House has also revived interest in the party’s official channels. The Democratic National Committee’s relatively new digital media offering, a rapid-response clipping and messaging account with the handle @factpostnews, has amassed more than 2 billion impressions on Threads, X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky in 2026 alone.

“I remember thinking to myself, there’s a chance that this flops and doesn’t get any traction,” said DNC Deputy Chief Mobilization Officer Paulina Mangubat. “It’s been really, really successful.” At times, the mix of new voices on the left has erupted in public tensions.

Grim recently faced criticism for boosting failed Democratic candidate Graham Platner in Maine, and he was accused of trying to undermine the credibility of the sexual assault allegation that torpedoed Platner’s campaign. Grim said while he recognized people were angry, his reporting on the allegation was meant to share additional context.

“If we’re going to litigate allegations in the court of public opinion, we can’t pick and choose what details we want to share with the public out of a fear of how they’ll be received,” he said.

More recently, when Drop Site interviewed progressive U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, one of its journalists pressed Khanna on whether Hamas was justified to attack Israeli soldiers on Oct. 7, 2023. Khanna refused to agree.

But Grim said those are the kinds of tough questions independent media are there to ask — and that American voters increasingly want to see their representatives in Congress answer.

“People want to see you being accountable to questions, and if they don’t agree with you, sometimes that’s fine,” he said. “I think the smarter politicians are starting to recognize that.”

“Kalshi surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades.”

el Perez “no longer works in the federal government.” The official would not say whether he resigned or was fired.

The White House confirmed earlier this month that Perez had been placed on unpaid leave after ABC News reported he had used his inside knowledge to win more than $100,000 betting on what the president would say in big speeches, including the State of the Union address earlier this year.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had described the reports of the insider trading as “deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”

Robert Denault, Kalshi’s lawyer and head of enforcement, said on X following the ABC News report that the “Kalshi surveillance team

Robert Denault, Kalshi head of enforcement

promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades” to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that has regulatory authority over such matters.

His statement did not name Perez.

The ABC report described suspicious activity on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, in which users can place bets on what phrases and specific words might be used in public speeches. Kalshi recently began requiring users to disclose their place of employment, and the platform’s policy prohibits betting based on information that users gain because of their job.

famous birthdays this week

Maureen McCormick celebrates 70, Barack Obama turns 65, Dustin Hoffman hits 80

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

AUG. 2

Author Isabel Allende is 84. Actor Butch Patrick (“The Munsters”) is 73. Rock music producer/drummer Butch Vig is 71. Actor Mary-Louise Parker is 62. Filmmaker Kevin Smith is 56. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is 42.

AUG. 3

Football Hall of Fame coach

Marv Levy is 101. Actor Martin Sheen is 86. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 85. Film director John Landis is 76. Rock singer/guitarist James Hetfield (Metallica) is 63.

AUG. 4

Tina Cole is 83. Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is 77. Actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 71. Former President Barack Obama is 65. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 64. Former race car driver Jeff Gordon is 55.

AUG. 5

Country music songwriter Bobby Braddock is 86. Pop singer Samantha Sang is 75. Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 70. Author David Baldacci is 66. Actor Janet McTeer is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 64. Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 60.

AUG. 6

Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 88. Actor Dorian Harewood is 76. Actor Leland Orser is 66. Actor Michelle Yeoh i s 65. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 61. Actor Soleil Moon Frye is 50.

AUG. 7

Singer Lana Cantrell is 83. Actor John Glover is 82. Actor David Rasche is 82. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 76. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 76. Actor Wayne Knight is 71. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 68. Actor David Duchovny is 66. Actor Michael Shannon is 52. Actor Charlize Theron is 51.

AUG. 8

Actor Nita Talbot is 96. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 80. Actor Connie Stevens is 88. Actor Larry Wilcox is 79. Actor Keith Carradine is 77. Movie director Martin Brest is 75. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 74. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 65.

Moranis met with standing ovation at ‘Spaceballs’ sequel Comic-Con panel

Josh Greenbaum,

attend a panel for “Spaceballs: The New One” during Comic-Con International on July 24 in San

performance as Lone Starr.

By Leslie Ambriz The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Rick Moranis says he finally has an answer for all of the times that “Spaceballs” fans have stopped him to ask, “When are you guys going to finally make a sequel to that thing?”

Fans at Comic-Con International were ecstatic with his response last Friday. A crowd at the expo’s massive Hall H stood to cheer and applaud as the 73-year-old actor — long absent from Hollywood — joined a panel to promote his return as Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs: The New One,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1987 cult classic.

When his name was first announced, Moranis hid in the crowd under his character’s extra-large helmet as soldiers from the film used an oversized comb to search for the actor.

“This came along at the right time,” said Moranis of the

“This came along at the right time. It just felt like this is it. … It is the best decision I ever made. It’s like family to me.”

Rick Moranis

film, set for release next April. “It just felt like this is it. … It is the best decision I ever made. It’s like family to me.”

Moranis and Daphne Zuniga were joined on stage by director Josh Greenbaum, writer and actor Josh Gad, writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, along with new cast members Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman. Pullman and Palmer’s character descriptions have not been revealed.

“It was so funny that I kept being like, ‘Oh my God! Can you believe they said that?’” said Palmer about first reading the script. Pullman said he was hesitant to join the film having grown up with it and watching his father Bill Pullman’s

“I read it and I was like, ‘Damn it. This is so good. … This is one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read.’ I rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading scripts,” Pullman said. “I would be a fool. It would be weird if I didn’t do it.” Mel Brooks and Bill Pullman were not in attendance but greeted fans via prerecorded video.

Fans were shown behind-the-scenes footage of Brooks recording lines inside a vocal booth and reuniting with Bill Pullman and Zuniga, and a sneak peek at a teaser trailer. Gad confirmed to fans that he was playing a mawg, but not John Candy’s character from the original, Barf. Gad said the new film would honor Candy and other original cast members who have since died, including Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten.

The team poked fun at the “cinematic universe” film timelines popularized by Marvel Studios with a parody displayed across Hall H’s wraparound screens showcasing imagined sequels in more than 11 phases of “The Almighty Schwartz Saga.”

Brown pleads guilty over bottle attack at London nightclub

He has been arrested in several U.S. states over altercations

By Jill Lawless and Brian Melley

The Associated Press

LONDON — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty Friday to brawling at a London nightclub in 2023 when he hit a music producer on the head with a bottle.

Brown, 37, previously had denied more serious charges over what prosecutors called a “vicious attack.” He changed his plea last Friday during a hearing at London’s Southwark Crown Court, pleading guilty to a count of affray.

In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.

Brown’s friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray. The two men had been due to stand trial in October.

Brown had denied attacking Abraham Diaw with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. But prosecutors said the fight was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.

The affray charge accepted by the defendants states that “Chris Brown and Omololu Akinlolu on Feb. 19, 2023, used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and their conduct taken together was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.”

“This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bot-

tle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice,” Claire Campbell, a senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the guilty plea. Akinlolu joined in and punched the victim in the head, prosecutors said.

“This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable, and the Crown Prosecution Service will work tirelessly — with the police and partners across the criminal justice system — to pursue cases like this, and prove that no one

is above the law,” Campbell said. Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city for a concert. Brown had been free on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America last summer. He was freed on bail again last Friday and will be sentenced Oct. 26 on the affray charge, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in

prison.

Brown, wearing a tan suit, gold-rimmed sunglasses and a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap, signed autographs for fans as he left the courthouse.

Brown, who rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” He earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025. He has been in repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his

then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair were due to perform at the Grammys. Brown was charged with misdemeanor assault for striking a man outside a Washington, D.C., hotel in 2013. The singer was ordered into rehab then dismissed from the facility for violating its rules. In 2019, he was arrested in Paris and questioned on suspicion of rape. He was released without charge.

this week in history

Mandela arrested, “American Bandstand” debuts, World Wide Web goes public

The Associated Press

AUG. 2

1790: The first United States Census began under the supervision of Thomas Jefferson; a total of 3,929,214 people were counted in the census, nearly 700,000 of whom were enslaved.

1873: Inventor Andrew S. Hallidie successfully tested a cable car he had designed for the city of San Francisco.

1876: Frontiersman “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, by Jack McCall.

AUG. 3

1492: Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on his first voyage that took him to the present-day Americas.

1852: In America’s first intercollegiate sporting event, Harvard rowed past Yale to win the first Harvard-Yale Regatta.

1936: Jesse Owens of the United States won the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint.

AUG. 4

1790: The U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.

1916: The United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold.

1964: Forty-four days after their murders, the bodies of missing civil rights workers

“In America anyone can still become someone.”

Jesse Owens

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.

AUG. 5

1957: The music and dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its national network debut, beginning a 30-year run on ABC.

1962: Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”

1962: South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a valid passport and inciting workers to strike.

AUG. 6

1806: Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years.

1945: During World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.

1991: The World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the internet.

AUG. 7

1789: The U.S. Department of War was established by Congress.

1942: U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

1974: French high-wire artist Philippe Petit performed an unapproved tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, more than 1,300 feet above the ground; the event was chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary “Man on Wire.”

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1814: During the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium.

1815: Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile.

1876: Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric pen — the forerunner of the mimeograph machine.

1908: Wilbur Wright made the Wright Brothers’ first public flying demonstration, at Le Mans racecourse in France.