Friday, October 23, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1896, North Carolina’s first rural free delivery mail route launched in China Grove near Salisbury in Rowan County. At first, only two residents trusted it enough to sign up.

Today in Top Stories, we’ve covered the North Carolina restaurants that earned recognition in the 2026 Michelin Guide American South for all you foodies out there. Check it out, then reply to let us know if you’ve been to a Michelin restaurant or two.

Today’s sponsor, Miso Robotics, is developing a 3D vision upgrade for its Flippy fry station robots to help restaurant kitchens operate more safely and efficiently.

Feds Break Up NC-to-DC Gun Pipeline

Federal prosecutors unveiled a 13-count indictment Wednesday against five people accused of trafficking roughly 40 guns from Eastern North Carolina to Washington, D.C. Four defendants were arrested in Maryland and one in Raleigh.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro of Washington and U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle of North Carolina’s Eastern District announced the charges with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The counts include conspiracy to traffic firearms, firearms trafficking, and lying to a licensed gun dealer.

Investigators say the guns fueled narcotics crimes, robberies, and at least one homicide. Two of the accused hold Special Police Officer licenses in Washington, D.C.

Boyle credited ATF for finding the pipeline. Pirro said the network supplied guns to buyers in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and as far as Grenada before agents shut it down.

Ferry Restarts Following N.C. 12 Washout

North Carolina has restarted emergency ferry service between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe after a second nor'easter in a month tore up NC 12 on the Outer Banks.

The latest storm chewed through nearly 800 feet of pavement, again cutting Hatteras Island off from the mainland by car. Departures run 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with 2 a.m. sailings added starting today.

NCDOT says it has opened preliminary talks with the Federal Highway Administration and is pursuing emergency relief money for temporary and permanent fixes. Dare County Manager Bobby Outten said the plan is to shift the highway west, using an estimated $4 million to $5 million in NCDOT emergency funds.

“Our issue is it’s happening over and over, and we need a solution to the road,” Outten said, noting that residents can now reach emergency services only by helicopter.

NC Restaurants Earn Michelin Honors

Charlotte-area restaurants earned strong recognition in the 2026 Michelin Guide American South, announced Wednesday in Nashville.

Counter- retained its One Star rating as North Carolina’s sole starred establishment. Lang Van kept its Bib Gourmand, while newcomer The Story of Mi Cariño also earned a Bib Gourmand. Additional newcomers Albertine, L’Ostrica, and Spaghett were named Recommended restaurants.

In the Triangle, Ajja in Raleigh, Ideal’s Sandwich & Grocery in Durham, and Tesoro in Carrboro earned new Bib Gourmand designations. All 19 Triangle restaurants honored last year kept their status, bringing the Triangle total to 22.

Wilmington’s Manna won the guide’s Sommelier Award.

The accolades follow strong results from the guide’s 2025 debut, when some North Carolina spots reported sales jumps of up to 49%. Tourism officials say the recognition is boosting visitation and positioning the state as a rising Southern dining destination.

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Robots Are Seeing Like Humans Now

As we’re seeing (literally!) in the $1T fast-food industry, the gap between humans and robots keeps narrowing every day.

Thanks to a unique NVIDIA collaboration, Miso Robotics just announced cutting-edge 3D-vision for its famous Flippy fry station restaurant robots. And until midnight PT, investors can help.

With this upgrade, Flippy is taking its current 2D-vision to the next level, unlocking key advances in safety, operational efficiency, and more. For Flippy users like White Castle, Carl’s Jr., NBA arenas, and college campuses, few things matter more.

Plus, Miso just closed two major asset acquisitions, including a once-SoftBank-backed robotics stalwart. In the process, it even added big-name customers like Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and Auntie Anne’s, and grew its patent portfolio a whopping ~10X to over 300.

Now, Miso is targeting $1.3 million of investment as it accelerates Flippy’s shift from 2D to 3D vision. And you have until midnight PT tonight to join it and help bring Flippy’s biggest vision upgrade to market. Bonus shares are available.

Join Miso’s “$1.3 with Vision 3D” today and claim your bonus shares.

➤ Statewide: Democrat Gov. Josh Stein asked the North Carolina Supreme Court Wednesday to overturn a ruling upholding a 2024 law that moved control of the State Board of Elections and all 100 county boards from the governor to Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek. (More)

➤ NC Schools: A State Board of Education task force is leaning toward letting teachers earn a full license without passing the state exam, qualifying instead through student growth or principal evaluations. (More)

➤ Columbus County: A Hickory pilot and his wife walked away with minor injuries after their plane lost engine power on a night flight to Ocean Isle Beach and crashed into the woods near Whiteville on Oct. 7. Trees caught the aircraft, stopping its nose about 6 feet from the ground. Their two dogs also survived. (More)

➤ Triad: Operation Piedmont Pipeline, a multi-agency effort led by ATF and local law enforcement across the Triad, netted more than 100 arrests and 163 guns, which officials said likely headed off future shootings. (More)

➤ Fort Bragg: The Army’s construction of a $43.1 million barracks for Special Operations soldiers at Fort Bragg is about 45% complete and ahead of schedule. The 75,461-square-foot building will house 146 soldiers with shared kitchens and living areas. (See Photo)

➤ Durham: Duke University temporarily took many of its university-hosted websites offline Wednesday in response to a newly reported security flaw in PHP, the widely used web programming language. Duke’s IT status page said critical sites had been restored by Wednesday evening. (More)

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➤ App State stunned previously undefeated James Madison 34-31 in overtime Thursday night, handing the Dukes their first loss of the season in a thrilling Sun Belt road victory. (See Stats)

➤ East Carolina fell 41-34 in overtime at Memphis on Thursday night, dropping to 3-4 after a hard-fought American Conference road loss despite a late game-tying touchdown. (See Stats)

➤ Duke football (4-2) faces UVA (4-3) in Charlottesville tonight at 7 p.m. for a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship Game, which the Blue Devils won in overtime. Virginia comes in off a 23-13 loss at SMU. (See Preview)

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➤ Corning will invest $585 million to expand its Wilmington optical fiber plant, adding 414 jobs over five years at average salaries above $85,000. New Hanover County and the city approved a combined $5 million in performance-based incentives. (More)

➤ Pfizer told employees it will cut jobs at its Rocky Mount and Sanford plants but did not say how many or when, leaving local leaders waiting for details. The company called the reductions part of a broader efficiency push. (More)

➤ The Tucker family, longtime benefactors of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs and founders of the Shoe Show chain, pledged $11 million to the Christian school, which will name the Tucker College of Health Sciences and expand its scholarships. (More)

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➤ The 9-Cent Grocery Item Your Cardiologist Never Mentions. A study in the European Heart Journal linked a common grocery-store item to 41% fewer fatal heart events. It costs about nine cents, and most people walk past it every week. So why hasn't your doctor brought it up? It isn't a drug, so no drug rep ever puts it on their desk. And the few people who do find it often take far too little. See what it is (and how much to take)

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Is This the NBA’s Most Consistent Player?

Sorry LeBron. The new face of consistency in NBA arenas may just be…a robot?

It’s thanks to Miso Robotics’ Flippy fry station kitchen robot. Already a fixture in the $1T fast-food market, it’s now manning NBA arena fryers.

Flippy helps boost location profits up to 4X, cooking ~100 items at speeds up to 2X faster than humans. In high-volume environments, that reliability’s like a 99% 3-point shooter. Money.

And Miso’s not done improving Flippy. A unique NVIDIA collaboration brings new 3D vision technology, unlocking real-time awareness. Combined with years of proprietary data, that’s a formidable moat.

Now, Miso’s targeting $1.3M of investment as it accelerates Flippy’s leap from 2D to 3D vision. Those who invest by midnight PT will help bring Flippy’s biggest vision upgrade to market. And bonus shares are available.

Join Miso’s “$1.3 with Vision 3D” by midnight today and claim your bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com

➤ Crews delivered the skeleton of a roughly 75-million-year-old dinosaur to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, where paleontologists will study it and say it may prove to be a species new to science. (More)

➤ Walmart’s drone deliveries, managed by Alphabet-owned Wing, are now buzzing over the Charlotte area, dropping orders within about 6 miles of participating stores and raising neighbors’ questions about noise, safety, and privacy. (See Photo)

➤ Raleigh ranked No. 4 in a national ranking of college towns based on cost, campus life, and job prospects. Durham was No. 16, Wilmington was No. 21, and Chapel Hill was No. 30. (See Rankings)

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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.

➤ Russia is reportedly using fishing trawlers to spy on the undersea cables that keep Britain connected to the world. (Hear Details)

➤ Scientists in 1940s Maine spent 13 years trying to make a super dog, complete with millions in funding and a facility nicknamed the School for Dogs. (Listen Now)

➤ Amazon, UPS, and Spirit Halloween are racing to fill hundreds of thousands of holiday jobs even as broader hiring slows. (Hear Story)