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 1/24/26 6:09pm

Trollinger, West End under new ownership after days of silence

By Kathan Gandhi and Miles Hayford

As Burlington prepares for an incoming winter storm, residents living at the West End and Trollinger apartments are finally getting answers about a chaotic management transition that left many residents confused, frustrated and for several days, literally in the dark. Trollinger and West End are two of Elon University’s biggest off-campus housing sites, located off of West Trollinger Avenue and East Lebanon Avenue, respectively. About 240 residents live in both properties in total.

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NEWS 1/21/26 11:46am

Elon University, AAC&U finds college faculty fear AI overreliance

By Miles Hayford

A new survey conducted by Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and the American Association of Colleges and Universities found that 95% of college faculty fear that generative artificial intelligence will increase student overreliance on AI. The study also discovered that large majorities of faculty believe that AI will diminish critical thinking while decreasing attention spans.

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SPORTS 1/10/26 11:17pm

Elon University men’s basketball completes comeback in Saturday night thriller

By Miles Hayford

A euphoric cheer. Earbursting levels of crowd noise. A steady flow of “defense!” chants. Those were some of the scenes in Schar Center on Jan. 10 a minute before the ending of an absolute thriller for the Elon University men’s basketball team. In the team’s first home game since winter break, 1,743 fans were in attendance delivering a powerful home court advantage as Elon won 83-82. Head coach Billy Taylor said he was happy with the team’s resilience.

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LIFESTYLE 12/20/25 12:34pm

La clínica de atención médica local ofrece una ayuda vital a los residentes sin seguro del condado de Alamance

By Miles Hayford

Valerie Epperson, residente del condado de Alamance, afirmó que no cree que estaría viva si no fuera por la Clínica Open Door del condado de Alamance, una clínica que brinda atención médica gratuita a personas sin seguro médico. “Cuando empecé a ir a la clínica, mi diabetes estaba descontrolada y comía lo que quería. Simplemente no me importaba”, dijo Epperson. “Cuando tienes a alguien que te ayuda, te mantiene alerta y te recuerda constantemente: ‘Tienes que hacer esto. Tienes que dejar de hacer aquello’”.

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LIFESTYLE 12/20/25 12:27pm

Local healthcare clinic provides lifeline to uninsured Alamance County residents

By Miles Hayford

Alamance County resident Valerie Epperson said she doesn’t think she would be alive right now if it were not for the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County, a clinic that provides free healthcare to people who do not have insurance. “When I first started, my diabetes were out of control, and I was just eating anything I wanted. It’s like, I just didn’t care,” Epperson said. “When you have someone there to help you, it keeps your mind open all the time about, ‘Hey, you need to do this. You need to stop doing this.’”

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NEWS 12/10/25 3:34pm

Defensores en contra de la pena de muerte reaccionan a ‘La Ley de Iryna,’ posibles implicaciones

By Miles Hayford

Ante la posibilidad de que la "Ley de Iryna" reintroduzca la pena de muerte en Carolina del Norte, los defensores de la abolición de la pena capital están reaccionando a esta nueva legislación. "Es un despropósito, es perjudicial, y nos opondremos a ella con todas nuestras fuerzas, junto con nuestros colaboradores, e intentaremos contrarrestar las consecuencias negativas que ya han comenzado a manifestarse a raíz de esta ley", declaró Noel Nickle, director ejecutivo de la Coalición de Carolina del Norte para Alternativas a la Pena de Muerte.

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NEWS 12/10/25 8:06am

Advocates against the death penalty react to ‘Iryna’s Law,’ potential implications

By Miles Hayford

As ‘Iryna’s Law’ potentially brings back the death penalty to North Carolina, anti-death penalty advocates are reacting to this new legislation. “It's a mess, and it's harmful, and we will stand against it as best we can with all of our partners and try to defeat the negative ramifications that have already started to take place because of it,” said Noel Nickle, the executive director of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. 

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NEWS 12/9/25 2:10pm

Elon University establishes Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

By Miles Hayford

Elon University is launching a new Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program starting in the fall of 2026. Students will have the option to choose between taking the program either at Elon’s main campus or at the university’s Charlotte campus. The program will have a hybrid model where students complete their first year of coursework in person and then complete online coursework while they have in-person clinical placements in the second year. The second year will include a 600-hour internship requirement. It will be a 60-credit program.

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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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