ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Many Father’s Day events were held across western North Carolina, celebrating fathers, including at Highland Brewing, where a market was held.

Over 100 vendors applied to set up for the event on the longest day of the year.

ASHEVILLE GETS A BUZZ ON AT HIGHLAND BREWING AS HONEYFEST CELEBRATES POLLINATORS

Event coordinator Monica Maybille says it’s important to treat fathers to a little gift.

“It’s your dad. You gotta get stuff for your dad. They do a lot for you, so you got to treat them to a little treat sometimes,” Maybille said.

HIGHLAND BREWING HOSTS TRIBUTE PARTY HONORING LATE FOUNDER OSCAR WONG’S COMMUNITY IMPACT

The event included some dad-themed gifts, including grilling supplies and funny T-shirts.

The next market at Highland Brewing is planned for August and will focus on back-to-school.

“I’m not sure that we’re in a place where legalizing marijuana is going to be taken up.”

By Brandon Kingdollar, NC Newsline

A new bill proposed by North Carolina Senate Democrats would put constitutional amendments to legalize recreational and medical cannabis on the ballot. But its odds of getting a vote in the Senate are not high, Republican leadership says.

Senate Bill 1072 would put two separate amendments on the ballot in November, asking voters to legalize possession of “limited amounts of cannabis” for recreational use and medical use by patients with qualifying conditions, respectively.

“The people of North Carolina deserve a voice in determining the future of cannabis policy in our state,” said Sen. Kandie Smith (D-Edgecombe), one of the bill’s lead sponsors. “What it does is, it provides a pathway for North Carolinians to vote on whether limited personal possession and medical use should be permitted under our state’s constitution.”

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) had a blunt response: “I’m not sure that we’re in a place where legalizing marijuana is going to be taken up,” he said Wednesday afternoon.

“I think there is some interest in looking at the hemp situation and the components of hemp and the sale of some of the derivatives,” Berger said. “It’s really undetermined whether we’re talking about a complete ban, or we’re talking about a regulatory scheme, or we’re talking about including these and not including those. There are just discussions that are taking place as to what we garner consensus over.”

One such proposal currently moving through the House would ban individuals under the age of 21 from purchasing hemp-derived consumables.

Berger has lent support to medical marijuana in the past. In 2024, the Senate passed a bill that would have legalized medical marijuana while restricting hemp-based consumables. The bill, which passed by a margin of 36-10, was championed by Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick), a cancer survivor who said cannabis helped him withstand intensive chemotherapy for colon cancer.

However, the House declined to take up Rabon’s bill due to insufficient GOP support in that chamber. North Carolina remains one of only 10 states that have not yet approved medical marijuana.

In the absence of a medical cannabis program in North Carolina, many have turned to the state’s burgeoning hemp industry to meet what they describe as medical needs, such as alleviating pain, insomnia, and anxiety among other conditions. Many of those products, however, are set to disappear following much stricter federal restrictions on hemp-based consumables set to take effect in November.

The Meredith College Poll found in February 2025 that 71 percent of North Carolinians support the passage of a bill permitting medical marijuana, with 17 percent of respondents opposed. Polls by Elon University and progressive think tank Carolina Forward have also shown majorities in favor of recreational marijuana in recent years.

Sen. Caleb Theodros (D-Mecklenburg), another lead sponsor of S1072, said the bill would allow state law to catch up with public opinion on cannabis use.

“If the legislature cannot resolve this issue after years of debate, who should? I believe the answer is simple, and it’s the people of North Carolina,” Theodros said. “Senate Bill 1072 provides an opportunity for voters to have a direct voice on an issue that has remained unresolved for far too long.”

He said Berger has acknowledged momentum around cannabis legislation in the past year, an apparent reference to the Senate Leader’s past comments on medical cannabis. That makes him “cautiously optimistic” about the bill’s fate.

“We’re aware of the political climate in this building. But again, we didn’t get elected to just sit on our hands and say we’re in the superminority and therefore there’s nothing we could ever do,” Theodros said. “We’re just trying to move along our colleagues here and to join the rest of America and the rest of the planet in suggesting that we need to have some kind of policy on this.”

This story was first published by NC Newsline.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — His team one win away from the national championship, Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson won’t mess with success.

The Sooners’ offense is producing at a level higher than any team to play in the College World Series since the event moved to Charles Schwab Field 15 years ago.

When it looked as though OU’s pitching could implode after being nothing short of magnificent the last week, Cord Rager settled in after a rocky first inning and combined with two relievers to shut down North Carolina the rest of the way in a 9-3 victory in Game 1 of the CWS finals Saturday.

“I’m just going to stay out of their way,” Johnson said. “I don’t know any other way to do it. You think we’re going to go out and hit tonight and take 100 groundballs somewhere? We’re not going to do that. I can promise you that. Just stay out of their way.”

Deiten Lachance homered twice off North Carolina ace Jason DeCaro early and the Sooners (42-22) used a four-run fourth inning to pull away for their ninth straight win. Rager, Gavyn Jones and LJ Mercurius allowed only two runners to reach second base after the Tar Heels (53-12-1) struck for three runs in the first.

Oklahoma won national titles in baseball in 1951 and 1994 and will go for its third on Sunday. North Carolina, looking for its first, will try to force a deciding Game 3 on Monday.

“North Carolina’s a really good team,” Johnson said, “and we picked a fight today. They’ll be ready for us tomorrow.”

OU ended DeCaro’s uncharacteristic bad day in the fourth inning. The Sooners scored all four runs that inning with two outs starting when Kyle Branch broke a 3-all tie with a two-run single. Branch came home on Jason Walk’s base hit and Camden Johnson singled off Walker McDuffie to make it 7-3.

DeCaro (11-3), who came in with a 2.31 ERA, was charged with all seven runs after having not allowed more than three in any of his previous starts.

“I think they just really punished the mistakes,” DeCaro said. “I feel like for the most part I made some pitches, and then whenever I did leave a ball over the plate, especially with two strikes, they capitalized.”

Lachance homered for a 2-0 lead in the first inning and again in the third to tie it at 3. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Canadian known as “Big Maple” has hit all 18 of his homers in the last 32 games, including six in the last eight.

“I’m just trying to catch barrel at the plate right now and just help the team, just pass the baton,” Lachance said. “That’s a big thing for us.”

Oklahoma has hit 45 of its 93 home runs in the last 17 games. OU has connected 28 times in 11 NCAA Tournament games, and its 10 homers in four CWS games are the most by a team since the event moved to Charles Schwab Field in 2011. The Sooners are batting .331 and averaging better than eight runs per game in the CWS.

“Their approach is to get an ‘A’ swing off. That’s clear,” Carolina coach Scott Forbes said. “They’re not afraid to strike out.”

Rager (7-3), who threw 15 2/3 shutout innings over his previous three outings, steadied himself in the second inning and lasted through the fifth.

“After the first inning, I stopped playing for myself,” Rager said. “I just started playing for the guys around me, for the team. I really had to try to really be a pitcher today because I didn’t have my best stuff.”

Carolina’s Carter French made the defensive play of the CWS in the third when Walk sent a drive to deep right. As French went back to make the play, his glove got lodged under the padding running across the top of the fence. His glove was a bit crumpled as the ball landed in it. He held onto it and displayed it to the umpire.

“The great thing about baseball when you’re playing in a weekend series is you move on quickly,” Forbes said. “That’s what our team will do. They just beat us today.”

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This version corrects the spelling of Oklahoma pitcher Gavyn Jones’ first name.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports