Business – Moore County Edition

Mar

22

2026

Athlete of the Week: Kingsley Donaldson

Businessathlete of the week, Kingsley Donaldson, Union Pines, Union Pines basketball, Union Pines boys' basketball, Union Pines High School, Union Pines Vikings, Vikings

Kingsley Donaldson is a senior on the Union Pines boys’ basketball team. Donaldson finished his career with an outstanding season. His 24.2 points per game was 11th in NCHSAA. His 11.6 rebounds were No. 13 in the state. He also added more than an assist and a steal per game and was 12th in the state in double-doubles. Last week, the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association released its All-District teams, and Donaldson was the only Moore County player named to the first team. He’s also the first Union Pines boys’ player to make the first team.

Feb

02

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Wendell Wells V

Businessathlete of the week, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pinecrest track and field, Wendell Wells V

Pinecrest track and field junior Wendell Wells V is Athlete of the Week. Wells lit it up at the Mid-South 7A/8A Conference Championships. He competed in four events and won conference titles in three of them. He took the boys’ 55-meters with a personal record time of 6.44 seconds, a 0.11-second margin of victory. He then added a title in the boys’ 300 with a personal record time of 34.34, winning by 1.20 seconds. Next came a relay title as he anchored the team that won the 4x200 with a time of 1:28.68, taking the title with a 0.84-second margin.…

Nov

16

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Chris Najm

Businessathlete of the week, Chris Najm, Patriots, Pinecrest, pinecrest football, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest football senior running back Chris Najm is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots’ season ended with a first-round loss in the NCHSAA playoffs, but Najm went out on his shield. He ran for 148 yards on 22 carries, a 6.7 yards per carry average. Najm scored two touchdowns. Najm ended a season in which he was the state’s 11th-leading rusher and seventh leading scorer. He led class 8A in both categories, as well as touchdowns scored.

Nov

09

2025

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Madeline Dorsch

Businessathlete of the week, Madeline Dorsch, Pinecrest, Pinecrest cross country, Pinecrest cross-country

Pinecrest girls’ cross-country sophomore Madeline Dorsch is Athlete of the Week, and she’d like to remind everyone that girls’ golf isn’t the only one bringing home state titles for the Patriots. Dorsch was absolutely dominant in winning the NCHSAA Class 8A girls’ cross-country state title at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex. She ran a 17:09.28, giving her a margin of victory of over one full minute. The second-place finisher ran an 18:10.21. Dorsch’s win was one of the 10 largest in state history and was the second-fastest girl’s time ever run on that course. She also brought home the fourth cross-country…

Nov

02

2025

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Keira Rosenmarkle

BusinessApp State, Appalachian State, athlete of the week, Keira Rosenmarkle, Union Pines, Union Pines Vikings, Union Pines volleyball, Vikings

Union Pines volleyball senior outside hitter Keira Rosenmarkle is Athlete of the Week. She also plays lacrosse for the Vikings. The Vikings finished their season 24-3 with a loss in the state quarterfinals. Rosenmarkle helped pace their NCHSAA Class 6A run. In their two tournament wins, she posted a total of 32 kills, leading the team in both games, four aces, 12 digs and four receptions. For the season, Rosenmarkle ranked 10th in N.C. Class 6A in hitting percentage and eighth in kills and was second in the Carolina Pines 6A conference in service aces. She led the team in…

Oct

26

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Taylon Tranel

Businessathlete of the week, Taylon Tranel, Union Pines, Union Pines football, Union Pines High School, Union Pines Vikings, Vikings

Union Pines fottball senior center Taylon Tranel is Athlete of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder made all-conference as a junior, and he’ll be playing in college, thanks to his specialty — long snapping. He’s one of the top high school seniors in the country snapping for punts and place kicks. Tranel has already committed to NC State, and this month, he was selected to the East roster in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game.

Oct

19

2025

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Madeline Adair

Businessathlete of the week, Madeline Adair, Union Pines, Union Pines Vikings, Union Pines volleyball, Vikings

Union Pines volleyball junior outside hitter Madeline Adair is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, cruising to a Carolina Pines 6A conference title. They then opened the conference tournament with a straight-set win. Their record stands at 20-2. Adair led the way in a win over Western Harnett to close the regular season, getting 18 kills, eight digs, two aces and 15 receptions. For the season, she ranks 15th in the NCHSAA in hitting percentage and is second in the Carolina Pines in hitting percentage and kills.

Feb

21

2024

By Randolph Record

Early voting underway in Moore County

Businessearly voting

In-person early voting for 2024’s March 5 primary election kicked off on Thursday, Feb. 15 across North Carolina. Statewide, more than 340 early voting sites are open for early voting ahead of the primary. “In-person early voting is one of the ways voters can cast ballots securely in North Carolina,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “The bipartisan election officials who work at each early voting site are prepared for a smooth voting process and to ensure the ballots of eligible voters are counted.” There are 75,487 registered voters in Moore County as of…

Jan

24

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Pinehurst denies Golf Channel request to close downtown to traffic

Businessdowntown, Pinehurst, US Open

PINEHURST – The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, Jan. 16 as a continuation from the prior week’s weather-delayed meeting. The USGA and Golf Channel sought to create a temporary pedestrian-only district in downtown Pinehurst to anchor its US Open broadcast, a decision the council would have to approve — but with local businesses most affected, they had a lot to say. “The USGA approached the Village and asked us if we would be interested in accommodating the Golf Channel’s request,” said Doug Willardson. “I reached out to all of our downtown business community and I had 39 responses, 22…

Dec

20

2023

By Associated Press

Rekindling ‘fire culture’ to help pine trees thrive

Businessprescribed burn

WEST END — Jesse Wimberley burns the woods with neighbors. Using new tools to revive an old communal tradition, they set fire to wiregrasses and forest debris with a drip torch, corralling embers with leaf blowers. Wimberley, 65, gathers groups across eight North Carolina counties to starve future wildfires by lighting leaf litter ablaze. The burns clear space for longleaf pine, a tree species whose seeds won’t sprout on undergrowth blocking bare soil. Since 2016, the fourth-generation burner has fueled a burgeoning movement to formalize these volunteer ranks. Prescribed burn associations are proving key to conservationists’ efforts to restore a…