By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com David Gietzen of Sanford was sentenced to six years in prison this week for his participation in the riot at the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. Gietzen, 31, will face an additional three years of supervised release upon the completion of his incarceration. U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols handed down the sentence after a hearing Tuesday afternoon at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington in the same courtroom where Gietzen was convicted last summer on seven felonies and one misdemeanor charge for ..read more

On the Friends of the Rant podcast, Gordon interviews Indie Fest performers Julia, an “intergalactic funk” band from Raleigh, and Chapel Hill’s Blue Cactus, who play a strain of Americana that brings together country, psychedelia and 70s pop. Julia plays Carolina Indie Fest at Hugger Mugger Brewing in downtown Sanford at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, and Blue Cactus plays at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, May 10. https://rantnc.podbean.com/e/friends-of-the-rant-indie-fest-bands-julia-and-blue-cactus ..read more

By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com Contrary to what many people think, getting a proposal for new housing developments approved by the Sanford City Council isn’t a cake walk. After a developer submits a proposal and pays the required application fees, there’s a review by a group of experts known as the Technical Review Committee to assure commercial projects and major subdivisions comply with the city and county’s codes for construction and development. The property must then be rezoned according to what the developer wants to put there, and that’s a two-step process in front of the counc ..read more

Hayley Redding teaches ELA and social studies at Western Harnett Middle School near the Barbecue community in Harnett County. The 2014 Campbell University graduate said she chose to teach in a rural school district close to home because it’s where she feels she can make the biggest difference. Researchers from Campbell University look to identify the factors behind North Carolina’s troubling teacher attrition rates, particularly in rural school districts By Billy Liggett | Photos by Ben Brown “No one goes to college to teach middle school,” Hayley Redding says in a quiet, empty classroom, min ..read more

The Friends of the Lee County Library will hold its annual book sale from Thursday to Saturday in the auditorium of the Lee County Library’s main branch at 107 Hawkins Ave. The group will have a variety of items available including hardbacks, paperbacks, DVDs, and CDs. Prices are $2 for hardbacks, $1 for paperbacks, 50 cents for mass market paperbacks, $1 for CDs and DVDs and 50 cents for children’s books. There will also be Friends of the Library Tote Bags available for $5. Thursday will be Members’ Preview Night from 5 to 8 p.m. Memberships can be renewed or purchased at this time: $5 for i ..read more

By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com It seems clear that Lee County Schools enjoy broad support among the county’s commissioners, and that when County Manager Lisa Minter presents the first draft of the county’s budget to the board in May, it’s likely that the school district will receive much – if not all – of the additional funding that they’re asking for when the new budget year begins on July 1. The confidence that commissioners have in Minter to develop a budget that will address the nearly $6 million in new funding Lee County Schools are asking for in the new year was on full display ..read more

A weeklong celebration of local agriculture will kick off Saturday with the opening of the Sanford Farmer’s Market from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 115 Chatham St. in downtown Sanford. The market will be open Saturdays until Nov. 9. But the market is just the start of Ag Week, which is celebrated every year by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension as a way to draw attention to the role agriculture plays in daily life. After the market kicks off on Saturday, Ag Week continues Monday with “Green Thumbs Up,” a series of workshops on gardening, with topics including composting, microgreens and soil ty ..read more

On the Friends of the Rant podcast, Gordon interviews Indie Fest performers the Culper Ring, a self proclaimed “dad punk” band from Dallas, Texas with a knack for big hooks and shimmering production, as well as Greensboro’s the Gooseberry Jam, who present a “Southern fried taste of soul set to a backdrop of raw rock and roll.”  The Culper Ring plays Carolina Indie Fest at Hugger Mugger Brewing in downtown Sanford on Saturday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m., and the Gooseberry Jam headlines Friday night, May 10, at 8:45 p.m. https://rantnc.podbean.com/e/friends-of-the-rant-indie-fest-bands-culper-ri ..read more

By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com The Lee County Board of Commissioners should receive a report on May 6 outlining options the county may have as it begins to look at the current and future needs of its jail on South Horner Boulevard that is now three decades old. The commissioners voted last fall to authorize a feasibility study by Moseley Architects of Raleigh to look at the effectiveness, efficiency, structural integrity, security, and capacity requirements for the facility that was built in the early 1990s. Moseley was selected, in part, because of their recent experience in designin ..read more

Sarah Strong, a three-time state champion for Sanford’s Grace Christian School and the No. 1 women’s high school recruit in the nation, announced today that she has committed to the University of Connecticut to continue her basketball career. Strong’s announcement was broadcast live on ESPN during halftime of the Montverde Academy, IMG Academy Florida high school championship game. Sarah Strong was featured by The Rant back in October. Strong, who was featured by The Rant back in October before her senior year, led Grace Christian to its third straight state title in February when the Lady Cr ..read more