UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Pennsylvania says it will update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by Thomas’ participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case.

The U.S. Education Department and Penn announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday. The case focused on Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.

The department investigated Penn as part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, finding the college violated the rights of female athletes.

Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost out to Thomas and send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers, the Education Department said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Penn website showed other athletes holding the school’s top times in Thomas’ freestyle events. The site was annotated with a note that read, “Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set program records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season.”

“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

As part of the settlement, the university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs” and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

In his statement, Jameson said Penn has always been in compliance with NCAA and Title IX rules as they were interpreted at the time, and that the university has never had its own policies around transgender athlete participation. The school has followed changes to eligibility guidelines as they were issued earlier this year, he said. The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes in February, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth.

“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” Jameson said. “At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request. Determining which events had a transgender athlete participating years later would be challenging.

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Associated Press writers Annie Ma and Dan Gelston contributed. Gelston contributed from Philadelphia. ___

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A mixed day of trading left the U.S. stock market split on Tuesday as Wall Street’s momentum slowed after setting record highs in each of the last two days.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.1% for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 400 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.8%.

Tesla tugged on the market as the relationship between its CEO, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump soured even further. Once allies, the two have clashed recently, and Trump suggested there’s potentially “BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED” by scrutinizing subsidies, contracts or other government spending going to Musk’s companies.

Tesla fell 5.3% and was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500. It has lost just over a quarter of its value so far this year, 25.5%, in large part because of Musk’s and Trump’s feud.

Drops for several darlings of the artificial-intelligence frenzy also weighed on the market. Nvidia’s decline of 3% was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500.

But more stocks within the index rose than fell, led by several casino companies. They rallied following a report showing better-than-expected growth in overall gaming revenue in Macao, China’s casino hub. Las Vegas Sands gained 8.9%, Wynn Resorts climbed 8.8% and MGM Resorts International rose 7.3%.

Automakers outside of Tesla were also strong, with General Motors up 5.7% and Ford Motor up 4.6%.

All told, the S&P 500 slipped 6.94 points to 6,198.01. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 400.17 to 44,494.94, and the Nasdaq composite fell 166.84 to 20,202.89.

The overall U.S. stock market has made a stunning recovery from its springtime sell-off of roughly 20%. But challenges still lie ahead for Wall Street, with one of the largest being the continued threat of Trump’s tariffs.

Many of Trump’s stiff proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and they’re scheduled to kick into effect in about a week. Depending on how big they are, they could hurt the economy and worsen inflation.

Washington is also making progress on proposed cuts to tax rates and other measures that could send the U.S. government’s debt spiraling higher, which could raise inflation. That in turn could mean higher interest rates, which would hurt prices for bonds, stocks and other investments.

Despite such challenges, strategists at Barclays say they see signals of euphoria among some investors. The strategists say a measure that tries to show how much “excess optimism” is in the market is not far from the peaks seen during the “meme stock” craze that sent GameStop to market-bending heights or to the dot-com bubble at the turn of the millennium.

Other signals include demand for what are known as “blank-check companies,” which are essentially piles of cash that hunt for privately held companies to buy. When too much optimism is in the market, it can inflate stock prices to too-high levels in what’s called a “bubble.”

Of course, “market bubbles are infamously difficult to predict and can endure far longer than anticipated before correcting,” according to the Barclays strategists led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta.

In the bond market, Treasury yields swiveled following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy.

One said U.S. employers were advertising more job openings at the end of May than the month before and than economists expected. That could be an encouraging signal for a job market that had been appearing to settle into a low-hire, low-fire state.

Separate reports on U.S. manufacturing were more mixed. One from the Institute for Supply Management said U.S. manufacturing activity shrank again in June, though not by as much as the month before.

“Customers do not want to make commitments in the wake of massive tariff uncertainty,” one survey respondent in the fabricated metal products industry said.

A separate report from S&P Global suggested manufacturing production returned to growth in June after three months of declines.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.24%, where it was late Monday, after bouncing from a modest loss to a modest gain earlier in the day.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its main interest rate, rose more sharply to 3.77% from 3.72%. Better-than-expected data on the economy could push the Fed to stay on pause with interest rates, after it halted its cuts to rates at the start of this year.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said again on Tuesday that he wants to wait for more evidence about how Trump’s tariffs will affect the economy and inflation before resuming cuts to interest rates. That’s despite Trump’s angry insistences lately that Powell and the Fed act more quickly to give the economy a boost through lower rates.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.6% for two of the larger moves.

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AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a new immigration detention center surrounded by alligator-filled swamps in the Florida Everglades, suggesting it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.

Trump said he’d like to see similar centers in “really, many states” and raised the prospect of also deporting U.S. citizens. He endorsed having Florida National Guard forces serve as immigration judges to ensure migrants are ejected from the country even faster, despite the dubious constitutional implications of doing so.

President Donald Trump says migrants would need to know “how to run away from an alligator” to flee the new detention center he’s visiting in a remote area of the Florida Everglades. (AP Video)

“Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,” Trump said of the Florida site known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He added: “The only way out, really, is deportation.”

Hundreds of protesters converged outside the site — a remote airstrip with tents and trailers. They waved signs calling for the humane treatment of migrants as well as the protection of the expansive preserve that is home to a few Native American tribes and many endangered animal species.

The administration sees the location as a plus

The White House has delighted in the area’s remoteness — about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Miami — and the fact that it is teeming with pythons and alligators. It hopes to convey a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed.

Before arriving, Trump even joked of migrants being held there, “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.”

“Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,” Trump said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. “And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.” Alligator experts suggest it is better to dash in one direction in the rare situation when the reptile gives chase, according to a website run by the University of Florida.

Trump on his tour walked through medical facilities and other parts of the detention center, then held a lengthy roundtable where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and assorted state and federal officials, heaped him with praise.

Authorities originally suggested it could house up to 5,000 detainees upon completion, but DeSantis said it would actually hold around 3,000, with some starting to arrive Wednesday.

The center was built in eight days over 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Everglades. It features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet (8,500 meters) of barbed wire and 400 security personnel.

Trump dismissed concerns from critics, particularly the argument of the potential impact on a delicate ecosystem. He said there was already an airstrip in the area, which meant authorities won’t be “dropping dirt.”

“Frankly, it’s, like, perfect,” Trump said. “I don’t think you’re doing anything to the Everglades. You’re just enhancing it.”

Other, though, are appalled, including Phyllis Andrews, a retired teacher who drove from Naples, Florida, to protest Trump’s visit and called migrants “fine people.”

“They do not deserve to be incarcerated here,” Andrews said. ”It’s terrible that there’s a bounty on their head.”

Some Trump supporters showed up near the detention center as well, including Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys whom Trump pardoned for his conviction related to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. He suggested Trump won last year’s election because voters wanted “mass deportation” and “retribution.”

Part of a larger Trump immigration push

Crackdowns on the U.S.-Mexico border and harsh immigration policies have long been a centerpiece of Trump’s political brand for years. During his first term in 2019, Trump denied reports that he floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators at the southern border.

Trump has more recently suggested that his administration could reopen Alcatraz, the notorious island prison off San Francisco. The White House similarly promoted the political shock value of sending some immigrants awaiting deportation from the U.S. to a detention lockup in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador.

His administration has vowed that mass deportations are coming, even if some of those notions are impractical. Transforming Alcatraz from a tourist attraction into a prison would be very costly, and Guantánamo Bay is being used less often than administration officials originally envisioned.

Trump also mused Tuesday about deporting dangerous people born in the United States, like ones who “knife you when you’re walking down the street” or who kill people from behind with a baseball bat.

“They’re not new to our country. They’re old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too,” Trump said. “So maybe that’ll be the next job that we’ll work on together.”

Alluding to his criminal indictments during President Joe Biden’s administration, Trump said of the detention facility, “Biden wanted me here,” using an expletive to describe his predecessor.

Construction of the Everglades site came together fast

Florida plans to offer members of the National Guard to be “deputized” and assist immigration judges, as a way to loosen another chokepoint in the country’s long-overburdened immigration court system. Guard personnel could provide site security along perimeter and entry control points, but also serve as staff augmentation while being ready to provide other support, officials say.

The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, but state officials say at least some of that will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

During his tour, Trump greeted around 20 FEMA employees and construction workers and bonded with DeSantis, who once bitterly challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“We have blood that seems to match pretty well,” Trump said of Florida’s governor. When DeSantis suggested that members of the Guard could ease immigration judges’ workloads, Trump offered, “He didn’t even have to ask me. He has my approval.”

Encouraging self-deportation?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was also on the tour, said immigrants arriving to the site could still opt to “self-deport” and board flights to their home countries rather than being held in it. She said she hoped “my phone rings off the hook” with other states looking to follow Florida’s lead and open similar sites.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are generally held for reasons like entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa. They are either waiting for ICE to put them on the next flight or bus ride home, or they’re fighting their removal in immigration court.

As of mid-June, ICE detention facilities held more than 56,000 immigrants, the most since 2019.

During his visit, Trump was informed that the sweeping tax cut and spending bill the White House has championed had cleared the Senate, drawing applause. The president said his being in Florida, rather than helping promote bill in Washington, underscored the importance of the immigration issue.

“I’m here, and I probably should be there,” he said, shortly before flying back to the White House.

___

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage Tuesday on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session.

Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The three Republicans opposing the bill were Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The outcome capped an unusually tense weekend of work at the Capitol, the president’s signature legislative priority teetering on the edge of approval, or collapse.

Senators are considering proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, hunkering down for a series of votes on Monday. (AP Video)

The difficulty it took for Republicans, who have the majority hold in Congress, to wrestle the bill to this point is not expected to let up. The package now goes back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson had warned senators not to deviate too far from what his chamber had already approved. But the Senate did make changes, particularly to Medicaid, risking more problems as they race to finish by Trump’s Fourth of July deadline.

The outcome is a pivotal moment for president and his party, which have been consumed by the 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it’s formally titled, and invested their political capital in delivering on the GOP’s sweep of power in Washington.

Trump acknowledged it’s “very complicated stuff,” as he departed the White House for Florida.

“I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts,” he said. “I don’t like cuts.”

What started as a routine but laborious day of amendment voting, in a process called vote-a-rama, spiraled into a round-the-clock slog as Republican leaders were buying time to shore up support.

The droning roll calls in the chamber belied the frenzied action to steady the bill. Grim-faced scenes played out on and off the Senate floor, amid exhaustion.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota was desperately reaching for last-minute agreements between those in his party worried the bill’s reductions to Medicaid will leave millions without care, and his most conservative flank, which wants even steeper cuts to hold down deficits ballooning with the tax cuts.

The GOP leaders have no room to spare, with narrow majorities. Thune can lose no more than three Republican senators, and already two — Tillis, who warned that millions of people will lose access to Medicaid health care, and Paul, who opposes raising the debt limit by $5 trillion — had indicated opposition.

Attention quickly turned to two key senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Collins, who also raised concerns about health care cuts, as well as a loose coalition of four conservative GOP senators pushing for even steeper reductions.

Murkowski in particular became the subject of the GOP leadership’s attention, as they sat beside her for talks. She was huddled intensely for more than an hour in the back of the chamber with others, scribbling notes on papers.

Then all eyes were on Paul after he returned from a visit to Thune’s office with a stunning offer that could win his vote. He had suggested substantially lowering the bill’s increase in the debt ceiling, according to two people familiar with the private meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said “Republicans are in shambles because they know the bill is so unpopular.”

An analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.

And on social media, billionaire Elon Musk was again lashing out at Republicans as “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including the $5 trillion debt ceiling in the package, which is needed to allow continued borrowing to pay the bills.Senators insist on changes

Few Republicans appeared fully satisfied as the final package emerges, in either the House or Senate.

Collins had proposed bolstering the $25 billion proposed rural hospital fund to $50 billion, offset with a higher tax rate on those earning more than $25 million a year, but her amendment failed.

And Murkowski was trying to secure provisions to spare people in her state from some food stamp cuts, which appeared to be accepted, while she was also working to beef up federal reimbursements to hospitals in Alaska and others states, that did not comply with parliamentary rules.

“Radio silence,” Murkowski said when asked how she would vote.

The conservative senators demanding a vote on their steeper health care cuts, including Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, filed into Thune’s office near-midnight.What’s in the big bill

All told, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBO analysis, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.

The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits, which Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide. It would impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements on able-bodied people, including some parents and older Americans, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states.

Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.Democrats fighting all day and night

Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats tried to drag out the process, including with a weekend reading of the full bill.

A few of the Democratic amendments won support from a few Republicans, though almost none were passing. More were considered in one of the longer such sessions in modern times.

One amendment overwhelmingly approved stripped a provision barring states from regulating artificial intelligence if they receive certain federal funding.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits.

She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.

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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Darelene Superville and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Kick It for an NCFC Ticket!

Kick It for an NCFC Ticket!

Score with the NCFC on Friday, July 11th, against Birmingham Legion FC. There are two ways to win: comment on 96.1 BBB’s social media or enter to win below! Let’s keep the party going. The Summer of Variety is on 96.1 BBB, and winning happens ALL SUMMER LONG.

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — Electronics maker Jabil Inc. aims to create nearly 1,200 jobs in central North Carolina, spending $500 million to create a manufacturing facility that will support cloud computing and artificial intelligence data centers.

Gov. Josh Stein’s office and the company said the manufacturing operation will be in Rowan County, which is about 45 miles (72.4 kilometers) northeast of Charlotte.

The investment will be made over several years, with capital spending of $264 million and 1,181 jobs proposed by the end of 2030, according to a state document released Monday along with the plant’s planned location.

The Florida-based multinational company already has 30 locations in the U.S., including three in North Carolina that employ about 1,000 workers. The minimum average wages for the new jobs will be about $62,000, with opportunities for manufacturing and engineering professionals, state officials said.

“The drive to build AI data centers is only accelerating in the United States,” Matt Crowley, a Jabil executive vice president, said in a news release by Stein’s office. “We are excited to help meet that demand, provide additional scale and capabilities for our data center customers, and empower the AI solutions of the future.”

North Carolina competed with Florida to host the project, according to a document provided by the state Commerce Department.

The document said state and local incentives total more than $21 million, from which Jabil could receive cash payments of $11.3 million over 12 years if it meets investment and job-creation thresholds. The Job Development Investment Grant was approved Monday by a state incentives committee, Stein’s office said.

Serviceberry: A little-known native tree that birds (and gardeners) love

Serviceberry: A little-known native tree that birds (and gardeners) love

By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Many years ago, my family and I were visiting relatives in Ohio in early April. On the way back home it snowed, although it did not stick to the roads. It stopped snowing as we were coming down Fancy Gap mountain on the Virginia-North Carolina border, just north of Mount Airy. I have vivid memories of a tree with white blooms that caught my eye. It was a Serviceberry (Amelanchier) which is in the rose family. It is also called Shadbush, Shadblow, Juneberry, and Sugarplum. Native to all three regions of North Carolina and I had never seen one, so I read up on it and asked Anne Clapp about this interesting tree.

The Serviceberry in North Carolina prefers full sun to partial shade to deal with our growing conditions. We have acid soil in North Carolina so this tree is happy here. The Serviceberry is fairly drought tolerant. You are wise, however, to water well during the first year until the root system matures.

The standard Serviceberry will grow to a height of 15 to 25 feet tall.

When planting your serviceberry in the spring or fall, be sure to dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball and deep enough for the top of the root ball to just peek over the top of the ground surface. You may choose to place something like Permatill or other type of aggregate material at the bottom of the hole, add some water and fill in dirt, compost, or organic matter of some kind. Add two to three inches of hardwood mulch. Keep in mind the evaporation rates are much higher in the spring.

Fertilize your serviceberry lightly with a slow-release fertilizer. The extension service often recommends something in the realm of a 12-6-6. Root protection can be achieved with the use of hardwood mulch or pine straw. This will also provide nutrients.

All birders will like the Serviceberry since it produces berries that birds love and can be used by humans in the form of jelly. I must say I have never eaten a serviceberry or jelly made from the berries. The white flowers will service all kinds of pollinators well.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has a recipe to share:

  • 3.5 cups of serviceberry juice.
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice.
  • 6 tbsp pectin (Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin is a suggested brand).
  • 5 cups granulated sugar

Prepare the serviceberry juice: You can extract juice by crushing the berries, adding a cup of water, bringing it to a boil, simmering for 10 minutes, and straining through a jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth.

Combine and dissolve: Pour the serviceberry juice and lemon juice into a large stainless steel pan. Add the pectin and stir until dissolved.

Boil and add sugar: Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar and return to a rolling boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and skim: Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any foam from the top.

Fill jars and process: Pour the hot jelly into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Heat-process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.

There are a few varieties and cultivars that will work well in North Carolina. “Allegheny Serviceberry” is a native species found in western North Carolina. The Downy Serviceberry is also native and the folks at NC State say that you normally find the “Amelanchier aborea” in woodland areas of the states. “Robin Hill” has pink buds that eventually fade. “Autumn Brilliance” is known for its really good fall color. “Princess Diana” is also a popular variety and is much like “Autumn Brilliance.” “Cumulus” is an upright variety. “Dwarf Serviceberry” is smaller than the standard varieties and will save you some space.

The scientists at NC State University say Serviceberry insect pests include leafminers, spider mites, aphids, peach borer and scale. Diseases can include powdery mildew, cedar apple rust, fire blight and a few others. I’m not sure if I have enticed you to search for serviceberry. But it is after all a native tree with an interesting history which saw European settlers waiting for the blooms to appear as a sign of thawing ground and a time for burial services. I rarely see them in local nurseries, so you will have to ask if they can order one.

UNC announces AD transition plan from Bubba Cunningham to RFK Racing president Steve Newmark in 2026

UNC announces AD transition plan from Bubba Cunningham to RFK Racing president Steve Newmark in 2026

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham will transition next summer into a new advisory role to the school’s chancellor, while hiring RFK Racing team president Steve Newmark as his eventual successor.

UNC announced the moves Tuesday, which marked the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement.

The transition includes a two-year contract extension through July 2029 for the 63-year-old Cunningham, who has served as athletic director since late 2011. He will move to advising chancellor Lee Roberts and eventually Newmark on projects tied to athletics next summer, according to the school’s release.

“As part of my last contract extension, I committed to working with university leadership on a succession plan that would positively position Carolina Athletics and our 28 teams for the future,” Cunningham said in a statement.

“I appreciate the opportunity to extend my contract and enhance my role in a way that will allow me to continue to support our outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff as we transition and navigate the changing athletics landscape. I am excited for the future.”

In the meantime, Newmark — who has been president of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing for 15 years — will spend the 2025-26 season working as an executive associate AD and reporting to Cunningham. The school said Newmark’s initial focus will be on “revenue-driving initiatives,” particularly tied to the school’s men’s basketball and football programs, before eventually taking over as AD after the sports season.

UNC’s announcement touted Newmark’s experience in sponsorships, marketing and contract negotiations — coming at a time of landscape-altering changes to college athletics with the arrival of revenue sharing. Newmark will start his first role Aug. 15.

“Like many passionate Tar Heel fans, avidly following UNC Athletics has represented a special and unique bond with my family and friends since childhood, and I recognize the role it serves for the University, alumni, community and broader fanbase,” Newmark said in a statement.

“I look forward to working with Bubba and the entire Tar Heel Nation to continue to elevate UNC’s status as a premier brand in college sports with top-tier programs across the board, and with student-athletes who represent North Carolina’s flagship institution with class on and off their respective playing fields. With collegiate athletics undergoing massive changes at all levels, UNC is well positioned to take advantage of the new landscape.”

Newmark is a Chapel Hill native with multiple ties to the school, including serving on an advisory committee in the hiring of six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick as football coach in December. He is also part of the advisory committee in the Rams Club’s search for a new executive director.

Before joining RFK Racing, Newmark was a partner in a Charlotte-based law firm and specialized in sports and entertainment, including work with the NCAA, Southeastern Conference and Conference USA, UNC said in its release.

Cunningham’s tenure included elevating Hubert Davis to take over as men’s basketball coach when Hall of Famer Roy Williams retired in April 2021, as well as Belichick’s hiring.

It also included navigating the school through a multi-year NCAA infractions case tied to academic courses popular with athletes. That case reached a no-penalty conclusion in October 2017.

The school also won often. Eight different programs combined for 24 of the school’s 63 national championships in Cunningham’s tenure, while the school also had 22 individual national titles across seven sports.

Cunningham also recently completed a five-year term on the committee that selects the men’s NCAA Tournament field, including serving last year as chairman.

Louisiana-Style Red Beans & Rice

Louisiana-Style Red Beans & Rice

This dish is slow-cooked comfort in a bowl. Hearty, smoky, and just the right amount of spice. It’s perfect for Sundays, Mardi Gras, or anytime you need a warm, stick-to-your-ribs meal. It takes time, but the result is pure magic.

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 1 lb. dried small red beans
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (divided)
  • Kosher salt

For the good stuff:

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 lb. smoked ham, chopped
  • 12 oz. andouille sausage, sliced into ¼” rounds
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped (seeds and ribs removed)
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

To serve:

  • Cooked white rice
  • Fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Start the soak.
Sort through the beans and toss out any broken ones or little rocks (yep, they sneak in). Put the beans in a big container with a lid, add 2 tablespoons of salt and 10 cups of water, and give it a stir. Cover and let it soak at least 8 hours… overnight is even better.

2. Get the beans cooking.
Drain and rinse your soaked beans, then move them to a large pot (5- to 6-quart is perfect). Cover with 2 quarts of fresh water, toss in the bay leaves and half the chopped onion, and bring it to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring now and then. Use a spoon to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. That’s how you start to get that creamy texture.

3. Brown the ham.
About 15 minutes before the beans are done, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the ham and cook until it’s browned and smells amazing, 7 to 9 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop it into the pot with the beans.

4. Brown the sausage.
Same skillet, now with the second tablespoon of oil. Cook the sausage rounds until they’ve got some nice color. Roughly 7 to 9 minutes. Add them to the beans too.

5. Cook the trinity.
In that same skillet (don’t you dare clean it), toss in the remaining onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, stir until fragrant (1–2 minutes), then pour in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape up those browned bits, then pour it all into the bean pot.

6. Let it all come together.
Bring the whole pot to a simmer and let it go for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens to a nice, gravy-like consistency. Toss the bay leaves.

7. Serve it up.
Scoop white rice into bowls, ladle over the red beans and sausage, and finish with a little fresh parsley on top. You earned this one.

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

MURPHY, N.C. (AP) — A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, a sheriff said.

The inmate had been taken to an orthopedics office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer’s weapon and shot him, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said.

A detention officer was fatally shot with his own gun Monday as a federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina, a sheriff said. (AP Video)

Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder.

The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Smith said Flattes’ wife also works for the county detention center.

Another officer suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting and was recovering, the sheriff said.

“This has been probably one of the worst days of my career,” Smith said.

Emergency personnel in Clay County had alerted Macon County deputies that the inmate was driving to their county on U.S. Route 64, authorities said. Simmons’ vehicle was stopped and he was detained after a short standoff. There were no injuries at the scene.

Smith said Simmons was already being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape.

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