Monday, February 2, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1908, pitcher-hitter Wes Ferrell was born in Greensboro. The right-hander set a longstanding record with 37 career home runs as a pitcher and won 193 games over 15 MLB seasons with teams like the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. He earned two All-Star nods, threw a no-hitter in 1931, and batted .280.

How much snow did your area get over the weekend? Let us know by answering today's Poll and get totals from around the state in Top Stories.

Also, we'd love to see and share some of your snow photos on our social media accounts. Hit reply and attach them for our consideration.

From today's sponsor, Incogni—learn why scam calls aren't random and how removing your personal data from brokers can help stop spam, phishing, and identity theft before it starts.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Snow Totals, Collisions, Cancellations

A rare bomb cyclone created near-blizzard conditions in North Carolina's Outer Banks on Saturday. The storm dumped over a foot of snow and brought strong, damaging winds that caused blowing and drifting snow along the coast.

Charlotte recorded 11 inches of snow—the city's highest total in more than 20 years—falling just short of the 11.6 inches in February 2004. Other metro areas received 8 to 15 inches, with some isolated spots reaching nearly 16 inches.

The storm caused widespread travel chaos that included more than 100 vehicles stranded on I-85 near Kannapolis and around 100 accidents in Greensboro. Over 800 flights were canceled on Sunday at Charlotte International Airport, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport reported over 70 cancellations.

At one point, thousands of North Carolinians were without power, but specific totals varied by utility and region as restoration efforts continued. View current outages here.

Poe Hall PCB Cancer Victims Sue NC State

Former students, faculty, and staff of North Carolina State University's Poe Hall filed a lawsuit against the university in Wake County Superior Court on Jan. 16. The suit alleges years of exposure to toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, caused cancer and other serious illnesses.

The complaint names 12 plaintiffs—including cancer survivors and three wrongful-death estates—claiming NC State showed deliberate indifference by ignoring contamination warnings for decades.

PCBs, banned in 1979 but present in Poe Hall's building materials since its 1971 construction, were detected at high levels during testing in 2023, leading to the building's closure.

The suit seeks damages and a jury trial, asserting violations of constitutional rights to bodily integrity. NC State said it will respond through legal channels while pursuing its own separate claims against PCB manufacturer Monsanto.

2 Open Cases Tied to Riggs-Griffin Dispute

The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered updates Friday in two lingering cases connected to the disputed 2024 state Supreme Court election between Democrat Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin.

The court directed the plaintiffs in two related cases, both titled Kivett et al. v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, to file supplemental briefs within 30 days. The filings must detail any remaining relief sought and whether the cases are now moot or non-justiciable after a federal judge's order certifying Riggs as the winner.

The cases stem from Republican challenges targeting incomplete voter registrations and "never residents" who allegedly never lived in North Carolina, part of broader efforts questioning more than 65,000 ballots after Riggs defeated Griffin by 734 votes.

Although a federal judge ruled in May 2025 to certify Riggs as the winner, the two state-level cases remain active at the Supreme Court. Riggs, the incumbent, has been recused from both matters.

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➤ Holly Springs: A police officer jumped into an icy pond at Womble Park Saturday to rescue an 11-year-old boy who had fallen through thin ice and, witnesses said, had been submerged for more than three minutes. The boy was warmed in the officer's cruiser, and both were later cleared by Emergency Medical Services. (More)

➤ Charlotte: The North Carolina Supreme Court rejected TV reporter Nick Ochsner's petition seeking the names and addresses of private security guards involved in a fatal 2023 shooting, letting lower court rulings on confidentiality stand. (More)

➤ Johnston County: A deputy stopped a driver speeding at 103 mph in snowy conditions on U.S. 70 on Saturday in a vehicle containing an unrestrained 1-year-old. The driver registered a high blood alcohol level and was taken to the county detention center. (More)

➤ UNC-Chapel Hill: The nonprofit U.S. Right to Know petitioned the North Carolina Supreme Court Thursday to review a case seeking university records tied to Professor Ralph Baric's Wuhan-linked COVID-19 research. The group argues lower courts interpreted the public records law too narrowly. (More)

➤ UNC-Charlotte: U.S. News & World Report ranked UNC-Charlotte No. 4 nationally in a tie and No. 1 in North Carolina for Best Online Bachelor's Programs. The school also ranked No. 2 nationally for Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans. (See Rankings)

➤ Duke: Newly released Jeffrey Epstein files reveal a friendship between Epstein and Duke professor Dan Ariely from 2010 to 2016 after Epstein's 2008 conviction. The files reference 636 mentions of Ariely, at least seven meetings, and an email request from Ariely for a woman's contact info. (More)

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➤ The Charlotte Hornets extended their winning streak to six games Saturday, knocking off Western Conference No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs 111-106 behind a dominant second quarter that swung the game. (More)

➤ No. 4 Duke men's basketball improved to 20-1 on the season and remained undefeated within the ACC with a 72-58 victory over Virginia Tech. (More)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes surrendered a 3-0 lead and fell 4-3 in overtime to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. (More)

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➤ The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States cleared Durham-based Wolfspeed to complete a debt-for-equity deal giving Japan's Renesas Electronics a minority stake, with Renesas expected to own about one-third of Wolfspeed's equity. (More)

➤ The U.S. Department of Energy extended an emergency order allowing Duke Energy to operate generating units at maximum output through noon on Tuesday to protect grid reliability during persistent frigid temperatures in the Carolinas. (More)

➤ Charlotte-based private equity firm Falfurrias Management Partners named Rob Heidel as its new CFO, succeeding long-time CFO JJ Schonberg. (More)

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➤ Actress Andie MacDowell, a past resident of Asheville, will star as Aunt Maysilee in Hallmark's A Grand Biltmore Christmas, a time-traveling holiday film currently being filmed at the Biltmore and set to premiere during the 2026 holiday season. (See Photos)

➤ The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina officially gained federal recognition and was added to the list of 575 federally recognized tribes on Friday, following legislation signed by President Trump in December. (More)

➤ Snow scenes from across North Carolina show children with snowmen, animals frolicking, and snow-covered beaches. (See Photos from Asheville, Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle, Wilmington, and the Outer Banks)

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