THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1914, Asheville-raised nurse Madelon “Glory” Battle Hancock left for the Western Front to join the first British Hospital Unit in Antwerp, Belgium, where she went on to become the most decorated nurse serving with the Allied forces in World War I.

Gov. Josh Stein just signed a bill that requires larger cities to allow “granny flats” in backyards. Find out what those are in Top Stories.

Do you remember exactly where you were on 9/11? Most of us can still picture the room, the faces, and the TV screen as if it were yesterday. Scientists call it a "flashbulb memory," a moment so powerful your brain takes a photograph and keeps it sharp for decades while ordinary days vanish completely. Only a handful of events in modern history have burned themselves into nearly every American's mind that same way, and researchers have measured which ones cut the deepest. So, where does your moment land? Today on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counts down the moments Americans will never forget. Tune in here!

If shedding extra pounds and feeling your best this summer is on your agenda, today’s sponsor, Direct Meds, is offering $150 off your first order of doctor-supervised GLP-1 weight-loss treatment delivered right to your door.

Car insurance rates have climbed for many drivers over the past few years. Later today, watch for a message from our partner, Insurify, about a simple way to compare quotes and see if you could save.

Stein Signs Housing, Budget, Election Laws

Gov. Josh Stein signed four bills into law Tuesday, led by a measure that requires North Carolina’s larger cities to allow backyard accessory dwelling units (ADUs), often called “granny flats.”

Senate Bill 445, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2026, requires cities of at least 50,000 residents—excluding coastal areas—to permit ADUs on single-family lots. It also loosens rules on apartments, mixed-use projects, and rooftop solar panels.

The House passed the bill 82-28, with 18 Democrats in favor and all opposing votes coming from Democrats.

A companion budget bill directs money to Western North Carolina’s storm recovery, teacher apprenticeships, and up to $65 million for events including the 2027 Military World Games in Charlotte and a PGA Tour stop in Greensboro.

A fourth law reworks election rules, extending the deadline to fix ballot problems and letting counties count absentee ballots on Election Day.

CMS Reinstates Superintendent Crystal Hill

Dr. Crystal Hill will return as superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) after the district’s Board of Education voted Tuesday to end a nearly two-month investigation into her leadership.

The board placed Hill on paid leave June 17, citing unspecified concerns about “administrative and operational oversight,” and hired an outside firm to investigate. It never disclosed what prompted the review.

Board Chair Stephanie Sneed said the review identified issues that “will require ongoing attention” and that the board would address them directly with Hill. She did not reveal those issues or how members voted.

Hill returns days before classes resume Aug. 25 for the roughly 143,000-student district, the nation’s 16th-largest. She has led CMS since 2023, and her contract runs through June 2027. The decision caps a stretch of unusual turnover at the top, with several past superintendents leaving under circumstances the board declined to explain.

DHHS Grants $1.28M to Sex-Change Nonprofit

North Carolina‘s Department of Health and Human Services is paying $1.28 million through 2027 to a Charlotte nonprofit that promotes sex-change treatments, even as a 2023 state law bans those treatments for minors.

The nonprofit, Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group, which also goes by Charlotte Trans Health, runs a directory of providers who advertise competency treating patients under age 18.

The law, which overrode then-Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, bars puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for anyone younger than 18. Tami Fitzgerald of the NC Values Coalition, which pushed the 2023 ban, said the grant “violates the spirit of these laws.”

The department said its contract “complies with all applicable federal and state laws” and covers only adult mental-health services, but it did not provide oversight records.

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➤ Statewide: The North Carolina Department of Labor recovered a record $3.7 million in unpaid wages in fiscal 2026, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley said, for workers in 89 of the state’s 100 counties across multiple industries. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: North Carolina health officials said they don't expect to change the state’s childhood immunization guidance after President Trump's Aug. 10 executive order urging spaced-out shots and separate measles, mumps, and rubella doses, and that current recommendations stand. (More)

➤ Winston-Salem: The State Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this week in the “Winston-Salem Five” case, weighing whether a judge properly vacated the convictions of two of the men—Nathaniel Cauthen and Rayshawn Banner—in the 2002 death of Nathaniel Jones, grandfather of NBA star Chris Paul. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Two illegal immigrants from Honduras were sentenced in federal court to 14 and 10 years for trafficking fentanyl in the area and will be deported afterward. Investigators had seized 330 grams of fentanyl, stolen guns, and about $33,000 in cash from them. (More)

➤ Chapel Hill: An anonymous donor pledged $20 million to UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cellular Immunotherapy Program, funding clinical trials, an expanded cell-therapy manufacturing facility, and faculty recruitment for CAR-T cancer treatments. (More)

➤ Cary: State Auditor Dave Boliek told a Cary Rotary Club audience that his office’s investigation of the town’s finances continues, with more town Visa card transactions under review, after a report detailed spending on meals, hotels, and custom Ray-Bans for council members. (More)

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➤ The Carolina Panthers were valued at $8.07 billion in Sportico’s annual NFL franchise rankings, 26th among the league’s 32 teams. The average NFL team is now worth $9.34 billion. (More)

➤ Former UNC guard Seth Trimble committed to rival Louisville yesterday, leaving Chapel Hill after four seasons and a buzzer-beating three to beat Duke last February. Trimble averaged 14.0 points as a senior and gained a fifth year of eligibility through a federal court ruling. (More)

➤ The Charlotte Observer released its first statewide high school football preseason rankings, with reigning champions Hough (8A), Grimsley (7A), Reidsville (4A), Tarboro (2A), and Providence Day (private) all opening at No. 1 in their divisions. (More)

➤ The Field of 68 is reviving college basketball’s 24-hour opening-day marathon on Nov. 2, with three games in Rock Hill featuring North Carolina teams. High Point tips off at midnight against Liberty, followed by Appalachian State at 6 a.m. and Winthrop at 9 a.m. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Soccer

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➤ Cone Health expects state approval in the coming days for a $250 million hospital in Mebane after appeals by Novant Health and Duke Health were dismissed. (More)

➤ Infection-prevention company STERIS will invest $600 million and add 335 jobs in Sanford, building a 600,000-square-foot chemistry manufacturing hub. A state Job Development Investment Grant worth up to $3.2 million over 12 years helped land the project. (More)

➤ Attorneys Ben Crump and Kevin O‘Brien said they will sue Lyft over two cases involving Triangle-area riders, including a Raleigh woman allegedly assaulted by a Cary driver charged in April and a Durham couple killed in a February crash in Detroit. (More)

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➤ Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said on his podcast this week that NFL players, coaches, and executives used fake COVID vaccination cards to bypass the league’s 2021 protocols. (More)

➤ Retired astronaut Eileen Collins—the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and the first to command a NASA mission—will give High Point University’s undergraduate commencement address May 1, 2027. She flew four missions and logged more than 870 hours in space. (More)

➤ Outer Banks residents enjoyed North Carolina’s best view of Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse, yet the moon covered just a tiny bite of the sun—about 1.6%—requiring proper eye protection. (More)

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

➤ These seven moments burned themselves into nearly every American's memory. (See List)

➤ Party leaders spent weeks pressuring their own Senate nominee to quit ahead of a ballot deadline that could reshape a key race. (Hear Details)

➤ Video gamers are being hired by the thousands to guide real planes amid a deepening air traffic controller shortage. (Listen Now)