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ERICKSON: The certitude of ineptitude

I really am flummoxed by the ineptitude of President Joe Biden and his chief of staff, Ron Klain. Biden has been a Washington politician for half a century, including eight years as vice president and before that a senior senator. Klain is a consummate Washington insider, having worked for Janet Reno, Al Gore, Biden and others. How are they this inept? Last summer, the border got swamped with migrants. They sent Vice President Kamala Harris south of the border and the situation never improved. Activists accused border patrol agents of whipping refugees with horsewhips. The White House condemned the act.…
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Biden’s election year challenge: Blame GOP for nation’s woes

Biden’s election year challenge: Blame GOP for nation’s woes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden has an election-year message for frustrated voters: At least he’s trying. For those who think he isn’t doing enough to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion, Biden announced $800 million in new military support last Thursday. To ease the pain of high gas prices, he’s tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and reopened onshore sales of oil and natural gas leases on public land. And to address historic inflation, Biden has tried to smooth out supply chain-crimping bottlenecks at the nation’s ports. The president hopes the moves, which are being announced in near-daily rollouts…
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White House seeks more power to counter use of drones in US

White House seeks more power to counter use of drones in US

The Biden administration is calling on Congress to expand authority for federal and local governments to take action to counter the nefarious use in the U.S. of drones, which are becoming a growing security concern and nuisance. The White House on Monday released an action plan that calls for expanding the number of agencies that can track and monitor drones flying in their airspace. It calls for establishing a list of U.S. government-authorized detection equipment that federal and local authorities can purchase, and creating a national training center on countering the malicious use of drones. The White House in a…
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HUDSON: End of mask mandates backed by science, will of the American people

HUDSON: End of mask mandates backed by science, will of the American people

“Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” President Ronald Reagan warned us about the dangers of government overreach when he spoke these words back in 1981. Unfortunately, many of those in power today fail to heed them. Last Monday, a federal judge in Florida struck down President Joe Biden’s travel mask mandate, effectively ending mandates on public transportation. This was a momentous decision and a major victory in the fight to end all mask mandates nationwide. The ruling was met with great excitement and numerous airlines, businesses, and localities lifted their mask requirements almost immediately.…
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Dowless, key figure in NC absentee ballot fraud probe, dies

Dowless, key figure in NC absentee ballot fraud probe, dies

RALEIGH — Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., the key player in a North Carolina absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over congressional election, has died. His daughter, Andrea Dowless Heverly, wrote that her father “passed away peacefully” Sunday morning, according to a social media post. He had been diagnosed with an advanced form of lung cancer and died at his daughter’s home in Bladen County, his friend Jay DeLancy told The Associated Press in a brief interview. Dowless was in his mid-60s. The political operative was set to go on trial this summer on more than a dozen state…
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Recruiting news: SWR jumper to make leap to Navy

Recruiting news: SWR jumper to make leap to Navy

High jumper Josie Allred of Southwestern Randolph is headed to Navy to be a member of the women’s track and field team.  Allred was also a part of Southwestern Randolph’s Class 2-A state champion volleyball team. Last year, Allred was the Mid-Piedmont Conference champion in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 1 inch in the conference meet.  Lineman picks Guilford Providence Grove football player Brett Breedlove has picked Guilford College as his next stop. Breedlove, a lineman, is a three-time all-conference selection in football, helping pave the way for a strong offense for the Patriots during the…
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College Notes: Hill picks up first win, league award

College Notes: Hill picks up first win, league award

Uwharrie Charter Academy alum Hunter Hill was named Rookie Pitcher of the Week recently in the USA South Conference for baseball. Hill, a North Carolina Wesleyan freshman from Asheboro, threw four shutout innings across two relief outings. He gave up a total of four hits with four strikeouts and without a walk. Hill, a right-hander, logged the victory in N.C. Wesleyan’s 3-2 victory at Greensboro College. The result marked his first career decision. That was part of what became a six-game winning streak for the Battling Bishops, who take a 23-14 overall record and 15-3 USA South mark into the…
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Prep Notes: Dominant teams clinch area titles

Prep Notes: Dominant teams clinch area titles

Providence Grove’s undefeated softball team sealed at least a share of the regular-season title in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. The Patriots began this week with a 17-0 overall record and, with two conference games left, a 10-0 record in the PAC. Randleman’s baseball team finished its regular season league schedule with a 12-0 record against PAC opponents. The Tigers will end up with at least a four-game edge in the standings. Randleman outscored PAC opponents by a combined 146-11 in those 12 games. Among the other teams, only Trinity has a chance to finish with a positive run differential in…
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Archdale man claims lottery prize

Archdale man claims lottery prize

Malcolm Buchanan of Archdale turned up with the $1 million prize through the North Carolina Lottery. Buchanan became the second winner of the new sweepstakes. The 50X The Cash game launched in February with eight top prizes of $1 million. There are six unclaimed prizes in that mix among the $10 scratch-off tickets. Buchanan purchased his ticket from Speedway on West Fairfield Road in High Point. Upon claiming his prize, he had to choose between an annuity of $50,000 across 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum, and after required state and federal tax…
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Technimark to expand, create more jobs in Asheboro

Technimark to expand, create more jobs in Asheboro

ASHEBORO — More jobs should be coming to Randolph County. Technimark, LLC, a manufacturing solutions provider for the healthcare and consumer packaging markets, will expand its healthcare production operations in Asheboro to create 220 jobs, Gov. Roy Cooper announced last week. The company will invest $62 million to support growth in its healthcare and consumer packaging markets. “We’re excited to expand our healthcare manufacturing capabilities at our Asheboro headquarters,” said Brad Wellington, Technimark’s president and CEO. “The commitment and support we have received from the State of North Carolina has been invaluable to making this expansion a reality, allowing us…
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