SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1816, a heavy frost struck North Carolina during the “Year Without a Summer.” Caused by the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption, the cold weather damaged crops and threatened livelihoods amid widespread unusual chill. Moravian records note the frost followed drought and heat, with further cold and rain lasting into the year’s end.

A 5-year-old Winston-Salem girl was dropped off at the wrong bus stop and returned home by a Good Samaritan. Learn more in Around North Carolina.

Have you ever wondered what actually determines how long you'll live? Most people think it’s diet or exercise, but neither one cracks the top three. When researchers tracked tens of thousands of people for decades, the habits that mattered most weren't the ones anyone expected. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Amy counts down the 10 habits that actually predict longevity and reveals the number one predictor science keeps landing on. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, AutoCamp, is bringing boutique hotel comfort to the great outdoors, backed by major partnerships with Hilton and Airstream as it expands its footprint in the growing outdoor lodging market.

Rural Grants Tied to $1B Investment

North Carolina's Rural Infrastructure Authority approved $4.9 million in grants for 11 local governments, tied to more than $1 billion in expected private investment.

Most of that private investment follows one project: a $1,492,520 sewer upgrade at Wilson Corporate Park, where Johnson & Johnson is expanding. That grant alone carries $900 million in private investment and 128 jobs.

Smaller awards went to Claremont ($500,000 for a Prysmian Cables expansion), Lenoir ($186,000 for Chase Corporation), Tarboro, Weldon, Winterville, Fayetteville, and Greensboro.

Buncombe County drew $480,000 to convert a Black Mountain building into a clinic offering primary care, behavioral health, dental, and pharmacy services.

The grants commit to 673 jobs, 331 of which had been announced previously.

State Audit Faults Charlotte Transit Security

A state audit released a year after Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail car found gaps in fare enforcement and physical security at CATS.

Zarutska, 23, was killed on the Blue Line in South End on Aug. 22, 2025. Auditors found CMPD had no real-time access to CATS cameras then, a gap closed by October.

CATS has since added off-duty CMPD officers, and a fare enforcement team is planned for this fall. Riders and city council members say they've noticed changes on the Blue Line.

Zarutska's family plans to file a civil suit. Their attorney, Lauren Newton, said it's "too early to see whether it's helping."

DeCarlos Brown faces a murder charge in Mecklenburg County and a federal charge of causing death by violence against a transit system. He's in federal custody and has been ordered to take medication to restore his competency.

Petty Honored for Public Service

Richard Petty will receive the North Carolina Award, the state's highest civilian honor, for public service.

Gov. Josh Stein will present the awards to six recipients on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. Novelist Jason Mott, retired Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, Randy Woodson, paleontologist Lindsay Zanno, and painter Beverly McIver round out the class.

Petty, known as "The King," is NASCAR's all-time wins leader with 200, and he has spent decades backing veterans' causes and children with serious illnesses.

Ticket proceeds from the ceremony go to Blue Star Families and Camp Corral, two charities serving veterans and military families.

Flying together with our sponsor

Hilton Hotels Enter High-Growth World of Outdoor Lodging

Hilton Hotels didn't become a global hospitality giant by standing still. When they see a category worth backing, they move.

So it didn’t take long for them to form a first-of-its-kind partnership with AutoCamp.

AutoCamp brings boutique hotel comfort to the great outdoors, transforming $732B in markets. As the first outdoor lodging brand ever bookable on Hilton.com, AutoCamp’s 700+ rooms are in front of 200M+ Hilton Honors members who can earn and redeem points on every stay.

In fact, direct AutoCamp bookings on the Hilton channel are up 30% year-over-year.

It’s not just Hilton Hotels partnering with Autocamp, either. Iconic American travel brand Airstream also formed an exclusive partnership. In total, AutoCamp’s model has earned more than $150M in location revenue since inception.

For investors, it's a signal: some of the travel industry’s largest players are backing AutoCamp in the outdoor lodging race. Become an AutoCamp shareholder before they expand to 10,000+ rooms.

➤ Statewide: A 21-year-old man was arrested in Georgia after authorities said he abducted two young girls from separate North Carolina counties in a single day. (More)

➤ Roanoke Rapids: Mayor Emery Doughtie apologized Thursday night for controversial Facebook comments attributed to his wife but refused to resign. The alleged comments targeted black people living near their home. (More)

➤ Alamance County: Alamance Foods will add a drinkable yogurt line at an 800,000-square-foot plant in Graham, backed by a $500,000 state grant to the city of Burlington. The state expects the project to create 94 jobs. (More)

➤ Winston-Salem: A mother is demanding answers after her 5-year-old daughter, a kindergartener at Forest Park Elementary, was dropped off at the wrong bus stop and brought home by a good Samaritan on Wednesday. (Details)

➤ Jacksonville: Congressman Greg Murphy joined families, veterans, and advocates on Friday at a rally calling for justice for people impacted by the Camp Lejeune water contamination. (More)

➤ Asheville: A wave of new units has left more apartments sitting vacant, prompting landlords to cut rents and offer incentives to attract tenants after years of housing shortages. (More)

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➤ North Carolina's new sports-betting tax formula will funnel wagering revenue to public university athletics, meaning bets placed on private schools like Duke or Wake Forest will indirectly help fund UNC and NC State. (More)

➤ App State announced a multi-year jersey patch deal with High Country builder Foscoe Companies, placing the firm's logo on men's and women's basketball uniforms for the next three seasons. (More)

➤ Duke men's basketball was voted preseason No. 2 in CBS Sports' Candid Coaches survey with 16% of the vote. Coaches praised the Blue Devils' depth and 17-year-old freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. (More)

➤ Three UNC women's soccer players were named to the U.S. roster for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, extending the Tar Heels' long pipeline of talent to the national team program. (More)

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How Solving Camping’s Biggest Problem Earned $150M+

Most people love the idea of being outdoors. Almost nobody loves what it takes to get there.

Campsites book months in advance. Gear’s expensive and collects dust. RV ownership’s a financial and logistical burden. Hotels are comfortable, but lose the very thing people were chasing in the first place.

AutoCamp solves all that. Guests arrive with a suitcase, check in like a hotel, and wake up at an iconic outdoor destination like Yosemite or Joshua Tree. But instead of hard ground and outhouses, they have a boutique room or custom-designed Airstream trailer with a spa-inspired bathroom.

And travelers can’t get enough, with 1M+ happy campers so far. That’s earned $150M+ in location revenue for property owners operating with the Company’s Brands since inception.

Now you can invest as AutoCamp works to scale from 9 locations to 100+.

This is a paid advertisement for AutoCamp Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.autocamp.com/

➤ Carolina Beach is one of the finalists in Hallmark Channel's "Merriest Christmas Town" contest, with voting open daily online. The winner hosts the filming of an upcoming Hallmark movie. (More)

➤ A Bahamian baker built one of Raleigh's most popular bakeries, Sugar Euphoria. (Read Story)

➤ A North Carolina State college professor launched a Wolfpack-themed barbeque sauce this week called “Slobberin’ Sauce.” (Details)

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➤ Swollen Feet and Ankles? There May Be Another Approach. Tight rings and swollen ankles are often blamed on salt, standing, or aging. But researchers are exploring how a specific type of Antarctic omega-3 may help support the body’s natural response to age-related swelling. Discover why adults over 50 are taking a closer look at this unique omega-3. Learn More >>

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ How long will you live? Decades of research say your daily habits already know. (Hear Details)

➤ The Pentagon and independent trackers are telling two very different stories about oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Listen Now)

➤ Eight people were aboard a charter plane headed for a remote Alaska military radar site when it crashed. (Podcast Available)