SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1861, during the Civil War’s first joint amphibious operation, a Union naval squadron under Flag Officer Silas Stringham successfully landed soldiers and Marines in North Carolina near Forts Hatteras and Clark, marking an early combined Army-Navy success against Confederate coastal defenses.

A yellowfin grouper caught recently broke a record that had stood for nearly two decades. Learn more in Et Cetera.

Scam calls used to be easy to spot. Not anymore. AI can now clone your loved one's voice, and criminals are using it to stage fake emergency calls across the country. Americans lost billions to AI-enabled scams last year, and experts say the numbers are climbing fast. But here's the good news. The single most effective defense doesn't require an app, a subscription, or any tech skills at all. You won't believe how easy it is to protect what you care about. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Amy breaks down how these scams work and the quick fix that stops them cold. Tune in here!

Today's sponsor is Green Coffee Company, a Colombian coffee producer expanding its vertically integrated business and bringing the legendary Juan Valdez® brand to more consumers across North America.

State Board Approves 80 Voting Plans

The State Board of Elections signed off on early voting plans for 80 North Carolina counties Thursday and left 20 others unsettled.

Those 80 counties reached unanimous local agreement. The other 20 sent competing plans to the state board, which takes public comment through Aug. 17 and decides Aug. 20.

Most disputes turn on Sunday hours and campus sites, including Guilford County, where the plans differ over voting at UNC Greensboro and North Carolina A&T. Republicans say counties should set their own schedules to fit local operations, while voting rights groups say cutting Sunday hours limits church "Souls to the Polls" drives.

Board member Jeff Carmon said several unanimous plans dropped Sunday voting this cycle. Early voting runs Oct. 15 through Oct. 31 ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Justice Department Faults Duke Law Admissions

The U.S. Justice Department concluded Thursday that Duke Law School used proxies for race in its admissions decisions.

Reviewers tagged applicants' diversity essays and flagged traits such as first-generation and Pell Grant status, the department's findings letter says. Investigators also found black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at higher rates than white and Asian applicants with similar academic credentials.

The department says that violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling barring race-conscious admissions. Duke Law "doesn't get a free pass to discriminate," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said.

Duke said it is "reviewing the letter and its conclusions carefully" and remains committed to following the law. The department wants a voluntary agreement and says it will sue if talks fail.

Port Gates Back on Normal Schedule

Gates at all three North Carolina Ports facilities are back on normal schedules after a cyberattack hit the agency's computer systems Tuesday night.

The breach struck the Port of Wilmington, the Port of Morehead City, and the Charlotte Inland Port, forcing delayed gate openings and a switch to manual processing. Truckers are still being processed by hand while systems come back online.

North Carolina Ports says its IT team activated a cybersecurity contingency plan and brought in an outside forensics team, the state Transportation and Information Technology departments, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The agency says the breach is contained.

Signs posted outside the gates this week warned of system issues and delays. Officials say they are still working to determine who was responsible.

Flying together with our sponsor

Could This Be the Next $110B Coffee Giant?

Dunkin' was acquired for $11B. JDE Peet's IPO’d at $17B. Starbucks today is valued at a $110B market cap. They all achieved this without owning the whole coffee supply chain.

Imagine how much more market they could capture if they did.

Green Coffee Company controls its entire coffee-making process from seed to sale. As Colombia’s #1 producer, they’ve seen revenue grow from $1M to $26M since 2021.

Now, they have exclusive distribution rights to the legendary Juan Valdez® brand in North America, and they’re reigniting it across the U.S. coffee market. Become a Green Coffee Company investor today and get up to 20% bonus shares.

➤ Statewide: The share of North Carolina high schoolers who reported feeling sad or hopeless dropped to 29%, down from 39% in 2023, according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey presented to the State Board of Education. Weapons on campus, fights, and alcohol use also fell. (See Details)

➤ Charlotte: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board met behind closed doors Thursday night and again took no action on Superintendent Crystal Hill, on paid leave since June 17. It was the board's seventh closed session since April. (More)

➤ Statesville: A Citation jet based at Statesville Regional Airport ran off the runway while landing in a heavy storm Thursday evening, coming to rest in a field on airport grounds, temporarily shutting down the airport. (See Photo)

➤ Holly Springs: Parents blocked a Middle Creek Elementary school bus with their cars Tuesday after a substitute driver missed several stops and kept going. (More)

➤ Asheville: A police forensics team was in Carrier Park Friday collecting evidence after a Flock camera there was vandalized. (See Photos)

➤ New Bern: The team at Bear Town Bistro is keeping the restaurant going after the tragic death of owner Shawn Hoveland in a motorcycle accident. “So many people care about what happens to Bear Town Bistro,” Bartender Bree Slaubaugh said. (Read Story)

Enjoy reading Flyover North Carolina? Click here to share with your friends and family. ✈️

➤ Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today in Canton. He earned seven All-Pro selections in eight seasons and retired at 28 with more tackles than any player in football over that span. (More)

➤ UNC men's basketball will face West Virginia on Nov. 27 in Charlotte as part of the Dick Vitale Invitational. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1965. (More)

➤ Lenovo Center is in the middle of an eight-week construction shutdown as part of a $300 million renovation that will add seats and replace the entire lower bowl ahead of the Hurricanes' title defense this fall. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Still Brushing the Old-Fashioned Way? Sonic Glow cleans your entire mouth in just 30 seconds with thousands of sonic bristle movements, making it a great option for anyone who wants an easier, more effective routine, especially if dexterity is a challenge. See why so many people are making the switch today.(More)

Flying together with our sponsor

The Coffee Producer Riding 26X Growth

Everyone should know about Green Coffee Company, because they’re Colombia’s #1 largest coffee producer. They’ve already grown revenue 26X since 2021 and reached over 2,500 retailers.

But here’s why 2026 could be their biggest year yet.

They’ve acquired exclusive rights to distribute Juan Valdez® coffee across North America. As Green Coffee Company brings this iconic coffee brand to Raley’s, Target, and other big box stores, investors are paying attention. They’ve already invested over $120M so far.

Become a Green Coffee Company investor today and get up to 20% bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Green Coffee Company's Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.greencoffeecompany.com/. Timelines are subject to change. Listing on the NASDAQ is contingent upon necessary approvals, and reserving a ticker symbol does not guarantee a company's public listing.

➤ Disney released concept art this week for the entrance to its 1,500-acre Asteria community inside Chatham Park in Pittsboro. The arched gateway will be dry-stacked from stone found on the site. (See Photos)

➤ The developers of CakeBelle, a patent-pending cake-serving tool, will represent Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center in a new statewide entrepreneurship competition, competing for a share of $60,000 in startup funding. (See Details)

➤ An 45-pound yellowfin grouper caught by a Wilmington man off Carolina Beach broke an almost two-decade-old record. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Big AC companies are panicking over this new cooling invention that helps Americans stay cool for less. Stop suffering from extreme temperatures and high electric bills. Get instant cooling in summer and cozy warmth in winter with CoolCove. 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:

➤ Scammers can now clone your loved one's voice, but this simple defense makes them harmless. (Hear More)

➤ Meta was ordered to pay a $567 million penalty over findings that it fueled a youth mental health crisis. (Listen Now)

➤ Louisiana health officials are warning residents after a deadly spike in flesh-eating bacteria infections tied to seawater exposure. (Podcast Available)