Blog – Moore County Edition

Mar

13

2024

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Bryant Kimbrell

Sports

Bryant Kimbrell is a senior two-way player on the Pinecrest baseball team. The Patriots are a perfect 4-0 on the season and had three wins last week: 13-1 over Terry Sanford, 12-4 over Oak Grove, and 4-1 over Myers Park. Kimbrell hit, scored and drove in runs in all three games, going a combined 5-for-9 for the week, with 4 runs scored and 8 driven in. He also stole two bases. Against Myers Park, he hit a walk-off, three-run home run to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh, giving Pinecrest the victory. He also earned the…

Mar

06

2024

By Lauren Rose

HUDSON: Defending freedom and unleashing American nuclear energy

Opinionsopinion

Hardworking Americans like you are repeatedly paying the price for President Biden’s anti-energy policies, with costly mandates and red tape upending our way of life. You should have the freedom to choose the best car or truck for your family, business, and farm at an affordable price. Yet, just last year, the Biden Administration announced a new rule to impose an EV mandate onto families. Families are already struggling from higher prices across the board, yet this misguided decision would force them to give up their gas and diesel-powered cars for more expensive alternatives. The last thing folks in the…

Mar

06

2024

By Lauren Rose

County high schools flip the calendar to spring

Sports

Basketball season came to an end as the four teams representing the county all dropped their NCHSAA opening games. That turns the focus of Moore County to spring sports. Boys’ Basketball Union Pines and Pinecrest both lost their NCHSAA playoff openers, ending boys’ basketball season in Moore County for the 2023-24 season. Union Pines entered as a 32-seed in class 3A, giving them top-seeded Swansboro. The Vikings lost, 99-77, ending their season at 10-15. Senior Trent Hilburn scored 19 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the game. Junior Jaylen Kyle also scored 19, adding 6 rebounds…

Mar

06

2024

By Lauren Rose

More than 7,000 cast early votes across Moore

News

7,093 voters cast ballots in early voting in Moore County for this week’s primary, according to numbers from the North Carolina Board of Elections. Early voting began Feb. 15 and finished last Saturday, March 2. The primary was held Tuesday, when voters are required to report to their designated precinct in order to cast a ballot. A photo ID was also required for all voting in the primary. Moore County has 75,437 registered voters according to the state, reflecting a 9.4 percent early turnout — almost matching the 9.3 percent turnout seen statewide, with 694,591 ballots cast out of 7,468,149…

Mar

06

2024

By North State Journal Staff

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: RJ Sales

Sportsathlete of the week

Pinecrest, baseball RJ Sales is an alum of the Pinecrest baseball team who is currently pitching for UNC Wilmington. Sales led Pinecrest to a Sandhills Conference title in his senior season of 2021, winning conference player of the year honors. Now a redshirt sophomore with the Seahawks, Sales is off to a dominating start to the season, posting a 3-0 record. In his most recent start, he struck out six in seven one-hit innings to win on the road at South Alabama. Sales has a 0.92 ERA and is has a WHIP (walks and hits per innin) of 0.56. Opponents…

Mar

06

2024

By Associated Press

USGA bringing men’s, women’s Opens to Shinnecock in consecutive weeks

News

FAR HILLS, N.J. — The USGA is planning another doubleheader for its biggest championships, this time at storied Shinnecock Hills. The New York club will host the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens in consecutive weeks in 2036. The USGA first played the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, with Martin Kaymer winning the first week and Michelle Wie winning her lone major the following week. It plans to do the same at Pinehurst in 2029. This will be the first time for back-to-back Opens at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, one of the five…

Mar

06

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Pinehurst budget overspending lower than originally expected

News

PINEHURST -— The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, Feb. 27, approving a fiscal 2024 mid-year budget amendment to the general fund. “I met with the managers and department heads to come up with our revenue and expenditure projections for the remainder of this fiscal year, FY24,” Financial Services Director Dana Van Nostrand told the board. “We’re estimating that our expenditures will exceed the revenues by approximately $541,000. If that is the year end result, we would be drawing down from fund balance, but our original budget for FY24 anticipated us having to draw $600,000 from fund balance, so we…

Feb

28

2024

By North State Journal Staff

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Azir Gillespie

Sports

Pinecrest, boys’ basketball Azir Gillespie is a senior guard for the Pinecrest boys’ basketball team. The Patriots enter the playoffs at 13-10, 7-7 in the Sandhills Conference. They earned the 22-seed in the 4A playoffs. Gillespie has been the third-leading scorer on Pinecrest this season, but he’s stepped up his production as the playoffs loomed. He’s had several double-figure scoring games over the last month, including a 20-point outburst in a win over Scotland in the conference tournament. He added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in the victory.

Feb

28

2024

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Aberdeen hears proposal to update South Street railroad crossing

NewsAberdeen Town Board

ABERDEEN – The Aberdeen Town Board met Monday, Feb. 26, approving ordinance change to increase the maximum height of multi-family buildings from 35 to 45 feet to accommodate sloped roofs. “When you’re doing a three-story multi-family building, you’re not able to get the proper slope” with the limit of 35 feet, Planning Director John Terziu told the board. Instead, architects are forced towards “a more urban style, flat roof without being able to put the pitched slope, which doesn’t really fit into our suburban population.” NCDOT’s Rail Division was also in attendance, proposing an update to the South Street railroad…

Feb

28

2024

By Ryan Henkel, North State Journal

Pinehurst council moves forward on SMPO

NewsVillage of Pinehurst Council

PINEHURST – The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, Feb. 13, and approved updates to the fees and charges schedule for fiscal 2025. Changes include an increase for residential building permits relating to residential additions, alterations or new construction from $0.17 per square foot to $0.30 per square foot, an 2-4% increase in the base fee for the rental of the Fair Barn and a $5 increase in administrative fees for memberships, classes, programs and youth day camps for residents. The council signed off on a number of items related to the new Sandhills Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMPO). “Once an…