Miles Hayford

Politics Editor

Miles Hayford '27 is a Communications Fellow studying journalism with a minor in sport management. Hayford currently serves as the Politics Editor and previously served as the Sports Editor. Hayford has an interest in all areas of journalism, but is especially passionate about sports journalism and political reporting. Find his best work on his portfolio.

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Recent Articles

NEWS 11/22/25 9:35am

North Carolina budget stalemate enters 4th month

By Miles Hayford

Over four months after the fiscal year began, the North Carolina General Assembly is still yet to pass a state budget. The GOP controls both the House and Senate but disagreements over scheduled tax cuts and state employee raises have divided the two chambers for months. “There’s an old adage in politics, that the other party is the opposition and the other chamber is the enemy and I think you're seeing that,” Western Carolina University political science professor Christopher Cooper said. “Just because you're a member of the same party doesn't mean that you necessarily see eye to eye on some major issues.” 

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SPORTS 11/15/25 11:43pm

Elon University men’s basketball beats Gardner-Webb, fueled by 3-pointers

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Gardner-Webb 95-84, thanks to a bevy of 3-pointers leading the Coastal Athletic Association in points and 3-pointers per game. Graduate student Chandler Cuthrell scored a career high 29 points during the game. ”This game, I wanted to make sure I made more of a paint presence and establish more dominance in the paint rather than just setting around the three point line, just making the defender's job easier to guard me,” Cuthrell said.

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NEWS 11/12/25 10:07pm

NC state representatives discuss state budget, redistricting at town hall

By Miles Hayford

Democratic members of the North Carolina House of Representatives engaged with local residents and Elon University students during a town hall hosted by the NC House Democrats, Alamance County Democrats and Elon College Democrats at the Elon Community Church on Nov. 12. Key points of discussion included the state budget stalemate, Medicaid funding and redistricting. “One of our core jobs is simply to pass a budget,” Representative Vernetta Alston said. “So we've left ourselves without doing our jobs, and without a comprehensive fiscal plan for the state. It's really, really tragic and neglectful.”

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NEWS 11/12/25 2:28pm

Future of athletics uncertain with Elon, Queens University merger

By Miles Hayford

Elon University’s planned merger with Queens University of Charlotte could have lasting impacts on the two schools’ Division I athletic programs. According to Travis Smith, a consultant for intercollegiate athletics at Higher Ed Consolidation Solutions, the NCAA will consider a number of factors. Smith said that the NCAA will look at whether the campuses have different registrar offices, financial aid offices and other distinguishing features beyond the distance between the two campuses. “There has to be a pretty blatant separation to justify having more than one athletic department,” Smith said.

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SPORTS 11/11/25 4:24pm

Elon University women’s basketball star guard out for season

By Miles Hayford

Elon women’s basketball star guard Jayda Angel will miss the remainder of the season after getting injured in the second game of the season Nov. 6 against the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, according to a press release from Elon Athletics. Angel, the reigning Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, fell while coming to a jump stop on a drive to the basket. “This is a heartbreaking reality that we will pull through together as Jayda’s Phoenix family,” Head coach Charlotte Smith said in the press release. “We pray for a speedy recovery for her.”

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SPORTS 11/9/25 10:20pm

Elon University men’s soccer advances to CAA Championship off offensive barrage

By Miles Hayford

After two straight years of heartbreak in the Coastal Athletic Association semifinals, the streak was over. This year, the emotion will come from the Elon University men’s soccer team playing in the CAA Championship instead of falling just short. Elon’s 6-4 win over Campbell University in the semifinals Nov. 9 was a chaos-filled and high-scoring affair. Elon head coach Marc Reeves said he was happy with how the offense played but called the game chaotic. 

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NEWS 11/4/25 11:47pm

Gibsonville Board of Aldermen member elected as mayor

By Miles Hayford

Bryant Crisp, Gibsonville board of aldermen member, has been elected as mayor of Gibsonville, with 599 votes. The other mayoral candidate, Darian Smith, only received 94 votes, which is fewer than the write-in candidates. Crisp said that it was a tough race but that he was happy with the result. “I believe in doing it the right way, just hard work, hitting every neighborhood, knocking on every door, and we were successful,” Crisp said. “I’m ecstatic right now and just happy to get back to work.”

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NEWS 11/4/25 11:44pm

Burlington elects first female mayor

By Miles Hayford

Newcomer Beth Kennett has won her bid for election in the Burlington mayoral race becoming the first female mayor of Burlington. She earned 4,237 votes, compared to Ronnie Wall’s 3,640. Former Burlington Mayor Ian Baltutis was one of two candidates elected to city council, earning 4,099 votes. Former chief of police in Burlington Jeffery Smythe was also elected with 3,687 votes. Incumbent Harold Owen received the least amount of votes among the four candidates.

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NEWS 11/4/25 11:22pm

Haw River town council candidates elected unopposed

By Miles Hayford

Incumbent Shawn Riggan will rejoin the Haw River Town Council along with newcomer Debbie Brown, who was also elected to the council on Nov. 4. Brown won 57.75% of the vote and Riggan trailed with 41.55% of the vote. Riggan and Brown did not respond to Elon News Network’s immediate request for comment. 

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NEWS 11/4/25 10:55pm

Ossipee Town Council incumbents reelected

By Nia Bedard and Miles Hayford

Incumbents Jim McAdams and Richard Overman were reelected to Ossipee Town Council on Nov. 4. Overman received 14 votes and McAdams won 16 votes. Overman did not respond to Elon News Network’s request for comment. McAdams declined Elon News Network’s request for comment. 

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NEWS 11/4/25 10:18pm

Newcomer candidate wins over 56% of vote in Graham mayoral race

By Miles Hayford

Newcomer Chelsea Dickey defeated incumbent Jennifer Talley in Graham’s mayoral race, winning 56.77% of the vote. Dickey’s campaign manager Hadden LaGarde said Dickey is happy about the results and ready to get the ground running in a statement to Elon News Network. “We were cautiously optimistic during early voting and cautiously optimistic today,” LaGarde said. She said people should expect a statement from Dickey on Nov. 5. Incumbent Bobby Chin was reelected to his seat on the city council, along with newcomer Jim Young. Young won 25.68% of the vote and Chin won 26.92%.

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NEWS 11/4/25 9:53pm

Newcomer secures most votes in Elon Town Council race

By Miles Hayford

Current Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe won her unopposed bid for reelection, winning 98.18% of the vote. Newcomer Steve Exum and incumbent Randy Orwig were elected to the town council. Exum received the most votes out of the three town council candidates, receiving 39.81% of the vote. One of Exum’s main focuses of his candidacy was increasing the town’s usage of sustainable practices, including more solar panels and electric vehicles. Orwig said that he was glad to hear the news of his win. “I’m happy I can continue the work that we’ve been doing,” Orwig said. “I feel good about that.” 

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NEWS 11/4/25 9:40pm

Village of Alamance Board of Aldermen incumbent secures win by four votes

By Miles Hayford

Incumbent Don Tichy has been reelected as mayor of the Village of Alamance following municipal elections on Nov. 4. Tichy received 54.98% of the vote to secure reelection. He ran unopposed but write-in candidates secured 45.02% of the vote. Incumbents Gayle Andrews and Dale Hunt, along with newcomer Ken Cass, were elected to the board of aldermen. Hunt won by four vote with a total of 137 votes, compared to incumbent Philip Cheap’s 133 votes.

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NEWS 10/21/25 10:27pm

Elon town council candidates discuss policies, answer residents’ questions at candidate forum

By Miles Hayford

As the Nov. 4 Alamance County municipal elections inch closer, candidates for the two open seats on the Elon Town Council answered residents’ questions, talked about their stances on key issues and discussed their backgrounds during a candidate forum hosted by Town of Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe on Oct. 21 at The Oak House. The candidates for town council are current town council member and pastor at Elon Community Church Randy Orwig, Steve Exum and Michael Ratigan. Sharpe began the forum by asking each candidate to tell the crowd of about 30 residents about their background.

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NEWS 10/20/25 8:33am

Burlington Fire Department intends to expand amid city’s growth

By Miles Hayford

Amid the city of Burlington growing by about 8% from 2010 to 2020, the Burlington Fire Department is aiming to build more fire stations. The department currently has six fire stations with 11 response units and Lawrence said adding more fire stations across the city in strategic locations will help because their response time is directly correlated to where their fire stations are located. “We want to make sure that our response time is what it needs to be,” Honeycutt said. “We need to make sure that the stations are in the right location, and we're given equitable service across the city.“

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SPORTS 10/11/25 7:13pm

Elon University football falls to No. 18 Villanova in thrilling Homecoming game

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University football team fell just short of an upset over No. 18 Villanova in a back-and-forth 29-21 loss on Oct. 11. Head coach Tony Trisciani credited self-inflicted mistakes for the loss. “We can't win football games with deep balls getting over our head, with kickoff returns being returned for touchdowns and for sacks that put us out of manageable down and distances,” Trisciani said. “Those were the things that really impacted this football game.” Elon plays next at William & Mary Oct. 18.

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NEWS 10/10/25 10:00pm

Elon University holds listening sessions for alumni about proposed Queens merger

By Miles Hayford

Jim Piatt, Senior Vice President for Advancement and External Affairs and co-chair of the Elon University and Queens University merger sprint team, held a listening session for alumni on Oct. 10 in LaRose Commons 200. The session was part of Elon's Homecoming Weekend activities and was a way for alumni to learn more information about the merger and voice their opinions about it. Piatt told them that there is still a lot of work to be done, but that next steps involve assuming governance of Queens by Aug. 1, 2026.

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NEWS 10/8/25 10:09am

‘Iryna’s Law’ may spark return of death penalty in NC

By Miles Hayford

After going almost two decades without carrying out executions, North Carolina is inching toward a return to the death penalty with the passage of HB 307, a new criminal justice law, in the North Carolina General Assembly. “Iryna’s Law,” signed into law Oct. 3, eliminates cashless bail in some circumstances, establishes a new mental health evaluation protocol and restricts pretrial conditions for the release of violent offenders. But it also contains an amendment from Senate leader Phil Berger that would direct the state to find another form of execution if lethal injection.

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NEWS 10/8/25 10:09am

La “Ley Iryna” podriá reactivar la pena de muerte en Carolina del Norte

By Miles Hayford

Tras casi dos décadas sin ejecutar ejecuciones, Carolina del Norte avanza lentamente hacia el regreso a la pena de muerte con la aprobación de la HB 307, una nueva ley de justicia penal, en la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte. La "Ley de Iryna", promulgada el 3 de octubre, elimina la fianza sin pago de efectivo en ciertas circunstancias, establece un nuevo protocolo de evaluación de salud mental y restringe las condiciones previas al juicio para la liberación de delincuentes violentos. Además, incluye una enmienda del líder del Senado, Phil Berger, que ordenaría al estado buscar otra forma de ejecución en lugar de la inyección letal.

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NEWS 10/7/25 9:18pm

Elon skatepark committee looks to break ground with redesign following failed grant application

By Miles Hayford

Since being named the chair, Scott Ingalls, member of the town of Elon skatepark committee, has helped lead the committee one step closer to building Elon’s first ever skatepark.The skatepark has been several years in the making and initially began with an 8,000 to 10,000 square foot design that would cost around $600,000, according to Ingalls. To make up for this money, the committee applied for a North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant from the state of North Carolina but did not receive it. 

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